That’s as true today as when he wrote it centuries ago. Maybe more so because modern life with its working from home, social media, computers and Teams meetings means that we have a loneliness problem, especially, the stats tell us, amongst young men.
What’s more, that loneliness problem is having a knock-on effect on hospitality with the work-at-home, stay-at-home culture leading to a decline in that great British tradition of meeting down the pub, and it’s part of the reason 2,200 pubs have closed for good since 2020.
We need to do something about loneliness, and we need to stem the decline in hospitality venues: so what if we could kill two birds with one stone?
Coming from Australia, we have a reputation for striking up a chat with strangers – it’s a national pastime. We’ve even got songs about it (OK, one song about it).
Since moving here nearly 20 years ago, Brits have made me feel welcome and most people are keen for a chat, and let’s face it, that chat is often over a pint. No doubt my different accent has opened doors and led to conversation, but most people will find some starting point to initiate a chinwag.
Most vulnerable
The 2023 BBC Loneliness Experiment analysed 46,000 people and found a higher frequency of loneliness among men than women. Young men, in particular, were the most vulnerable to loneliness.
A similar analysis found young men were not just more likely to experience loneliness, but also felt it more intensely.
I’m not saying loneliness isn’t a problem in Australia too, but the UK has a trick up its sleeve – the great British pub. Yeah, we’ve got pubs in Australia, plenty of them, but they aren’t the same.
Apart from outback boozers, the Aussie pub has never been seen as a de-facto village hall. If more young men popped out to the pub for a couple of swifties (apparently a ‘swifty’ means something else these days), they’d meet new people, and it would help the struggling pub trade.
I know I’m preaching to the converted here, but in a pub, barriers drop. You don’t need a reason to be there. You don’t need to be part of a group or organise something in advance. You just walk in, order a pint, sit at the bar, and before long someone’s chatting about the footy, the weather or politics. That can be the start of a lifelong friendship (if you avoid politics).
It’s true young people aren’t using pubs like they used to but why does that decline have to be permanent? Back in her student days, my wife and her mates used to spend evenings in the pub because it was cheaper than putting the heating on. I’m not saying let’s keep cranking up energy costs, but what if we could convince young people to rethink the pub. Not as a place full of bearded oldies, but as a community lifeline, especially for those who feel lonely.
Value of pubs
If just turning up for a pint sounds daunting, why not join one of the many clubs on offer in pubs and bars? Pool, darts & dominoes not your thing? That’s OK, there are Chess clubs, men’s mental health groups, or ex-servicemen’s groups. And of course, pubs aren’t just for men – they’re for everyone. There are book clubs, women’s darts teams and some Women’s Institute groups meet in pubs.
Our local MP, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire Helen Morgan, recently made a plea in Parliament for the Chancellor to recognise the vital part pubs play in our communities.
With the Budget coming up, I hope the Chancellor was listening. There are plenty of things the Government could do to help. Most of Europe has considerably lower beer duty rates and a reduced VAT rate for hospitality because they understand the value of pubs.
In the UK, there is too wide a gap between off-sale and on-sale prices, and it’s going to take a wholesale attitude change before they see a way to help loneliness is right under their noses.
Sometimes, all it takes to break loneliness is the bloke next to you taking a sip of his pint, then turning and saying: “Alright, mate?”. And there’s no better place for that than the pub.
