Many vulnerable groups, such as students and individuals receiving reduced earning capacity pensions, are at risk of disadvantage due to limited financial resources and poor health: they face reduced equality of opportunity, loneliness, and lower life satisfaction. Previous research has examined the relationships between health impairments, self-reported household income (available financial resources), financial sufficiency (making ends meet), loneliness, and life satisfaction (Lippke et al., 2020). It was found that perceived loneliness and life satisfaction among individuals receiving reduced earning capacity pensions were not directly related to their financial situation. However, greater loneliness was associated with lower perceived financial sufficiency, which in turn was linked to lower life satisfaction. Loneliness plays a mediating role: the poorer the health status, the higher the loneliness, and the lower the life satisfaction.
This finding can currently be replicated with 373 students: health and loneliness are correlated at r = .56, and loneliness and life satisfaction are correlated at r = -.33. Students should receive more support to overcome loneliness and improve equality of opportunity. How such support can be designed and further developed for students is discussed and presented using the pilot project by HAW Hamburg and the Techniker Krankenkasse titled "Loneliness Prevention and Connectedness - Understanding and sustainably reducing loneliness at universities." Furthermore, the findings are examined through psychological, social, and cultural lenses of equality. This includes reviewing evidence across different cultural backgrounds and exploring how psychological and social interventions can be informed by these insights to effectively address loneliness and improve well-being.