Sense of belonging, social embeddedness and perceived loneliness of older Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers in pandemic times

Luxembourg has witnessed a sharp increase in cultural diversity due to high levels of immigration in the past years, and the question of how inhabitants from different cultural origin establish a sense of belonging to their country of residence has become essential for social cohesion and inclusion.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, shaken patterns of belonging dramatically. The place of residence has gained new meaning due to confinement measures, closed borders and local contact restrictions. Physical distancing could have particularly adverse effects on older migrants with smaller social networks in the receiving country, increasing the risk for loneliness and social isolation.
The present study is part of the PAN-VAL project on active ageing funded by the Luxembourgish Family Ministry. We aim to analyze the impact of sense of belonging and social embeddedness on perceived loneliness before and since the COVID-19 crisis of older Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers living in the Grand-Duchy.
A representative sample of N=1000 residents 50+ participated in a survey via telephone and online in December 2020. The standardized questionnaire included questions regarding national and transnational family and friendship networks, contact frequencies, sense of belonging to place and country of residence and of origin as well as perceived loneliness before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preliminary findings indicate that sense of belonging predicted loneliness before and since the corona crisis, whereas a larger social network in Luxembourg was protective against loneliness only before but not since the crisis. Interestingly, a higher contact frequency with friends in Luxembourg reduced loneliness before the crisis, whereas higher contact frequency with friends abroad reduced loneliness since crisis.
Results will be discussed considering resources as well as risk factors for loneliness in the context of migration and ageing in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.