Social exclusion and social isolation in later life

Social exclusion and social isolation refer to situations in which people are detached from society. A key distinction between the two terms is that social isolation is conceptualized and operationalized as an individual-level characteristic of being detached from social contacts, whereas social exclusion emphasizes broader and multifaceted or multidimensional societal conditions that produce poverty and inequality which reduce people’s abilities to participate in society. In this chapter, we discuss the origins, core components, and measurement of social exclusion and social isolation. We describe how the two concepts have been measured in empirical research, drawing examples from studies focused on older adults. Empirical studies document that older adults in general are relatively vulnerable to both, although disparities are documented on the basis of gender, socioeconomic status, and other individual-level characteristics. Both social exclusion and social isolation are associated with detrimental effects on health and well-being.