Loneliness is often seen as the result of individual choices about connecting with others. However, findings from the 2025 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) tell a different story: feelings of connection or isolation are shaped not just by individual effort, but by the environments and conditions in which people live.
These factors, also known as the social determinants of health, include economic stability and access to affordable housing, food, and healthcare. Together, they form the foundation for whether people have the time, energy, and opportunity to build and sustain meaningful relationships.
As Abraham Maslow proposed more than 80 years ago, when our basic needs are met, connection, belonging, and respect are possible.
How Affordability Shapes Connection
Across Colorado, affordability challenges are closely tied to loneliness. According to the 2025 CHAS, Coloradans who reported difficulty paying for housing, food, or healthcare were more than twice as likely to experience loneliness as those who did not (36.6% versus 13.9%). And about one in three Coloradans struggled to pay for at least one of these necessities.
This is not just about financial stress. It’s about what that stress takes away.
When people are stretched thin, they may work multiple jobs and have less time for social activities. Financial strain can limit transportation options, access to recreational opportunities, and the ability to participate in gatherings that build relationships. Over time, these constraints can quietly erode a person’s sense of belonging.
With this in mind, affordability is a key driver of social connection and ultimately, health.
Housing as an Example
Stable housing can create conditions for relationships to grow. People who remain in the same area over time are more likely to build and sustain social ties within their communities. In this context, homeownership is usually linked to longer-term residence and stability. Renters are more likely to move frequently, which can disrupt social ties and limit the kind of neighborhood investment that anchors people to their communities. In fact, renters in Colorado reported higher rates of loneliness than homeowners (30.2% compared with 17.4%).
Homeownership might help people feel connected to a community, but owning a home alone does not necessarily prevent loneliness.
Among renters, over 40% of those who struggled to afford rent reported feeling lonely, compared with just over a quarter of those who did not. Among homeowners, those who faced financial challenges reported more than double the rates of loneliness as those who did not (see Figure 1).
These patterns highlight a key point: whether housing is affordable may have a greater influence on a person’s experience of connection or isolation than whether they own or rent.
