Social networks and loneliness among older migrants in Italy

Ageing and migration are two of the major demographic trends in Western societies. Their intersection generates a considerable diversity of older migrants’ groups that range from the more privileged international retirement migrants to the more disadvantaged refugees and ‘zero generation’ migrants. Different groups present wide variations in their needs and vulnerabilities. Nonetheless, older migrants are still an under researched group mainly because scholars’ and policy-makers’ attention has focused primarily on issues of border control, integration and the second generation, and the myth of return that projects migrants re-settled in their home countries. Empirical evidence shows however that retirement may trigger return migration. Still, most ageing labour migrants in Western countries stay put or adopt pendular strategies, travelling back and forth. In this paper we focus on the overlooked topic of loneliness among older migrants residing in Italy. We rely on a unique survey carried out by ISTAT during 2011–2012, specifically addressing migrant population.