More and more, Americans are feeling isolated at work and in their local communities, according to a new report from the Center for Inclusion and Belonging. It is affecting much more than their mental health.
A recent Surgeon General report shows loneliness was associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.
A recent survey from the Center for Inclusion and Belonging at the American Immigration Council showed a majority of Americans report the feeling of “non-belonging.”
“If you’re feeling a sense of ‘I’m not sure if I belong’— you’re not alone,” Kim Serrano, director of the Center for Inclusion and Belonging, told WTOP. “There’s actually a lot of Americans who are feeling that way.”
The center found that 6 in 10 people feel like they don’t belong in their workplace. Around 3 in 4 people feel they don’t belong in their city or town.
Their report, called “The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America,” found about two-thirds of Americans are reporting a lack of belonging in at least one aspect of their life, including around 64% in the workplace. About 68% are reporting a lack of belonging in the country, and 74% in their local community.
“When we see a lack of belonging, or even on the extreme end exclusion, that often correlates with things like poor health (the surgeon’s general report equated loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes per day), greater pain, and we actually see that correlate with things like lower social trust,” said Serrano.
Inversely, feeling a high sense of belonging and a sense of fit can correlate with better health outcomes with greater social cohesion and greater social trust, the report found.
The report did not delve into the root causes of feeling isolated and the lack of belonging, but it did identify factors that correlate with high belonging, according to Serrano.
“For example, where we see belonging correlate is often, actually, with diversity,” said Serrano. “Places that are more diverse and with high belonging, are also more open to demographic change.”
Serrano’s organization offers tools for offices and groups to gauge their members’ sense of belonging and to decrease seclusion.
“The belonging barometer is just a 10-question metric that employers and community programs can use,” said Serrano.
“Learn what is the state of belonging and get a glimpse, and then begin to devise a plan.”
The center says its barometer is aimed to increase what is called “psychological safety,” meaning an employee feels like they can be their authentic self without fear of judgment.
She also says it also helps when workplaces organize employee resource groups.
“Create groups where employees are able to have agency in informing the direction of their work,” Serrano said.
“Employees who are experiencing high belonging, report greater retention and a greater likelihood to recommend their job to a colleague,” she continued. “And it has a really positive spillover effect … an increase in one’s feeling of belonging in the workplace can actually increase one’s overall feeling of belonging.”
