Loneliness spikes when pubs close, with more than half worried about losing their local

• One in three say they or someone they know have experienced increased loneliness as a direct result of losing their local, as leading academic warns of  “incalculable” damage to communities

• Six in ten are concerned about pub closures in their area, and seven out of ten consider the pub important or very important for their local area’s social life

• British Beer and Pub Association urges Government to save cherished institutions at Budget by taking action on spiralling regulatory costs that punish pubs 

With loneliness on a par with peak pandemic levels, new polling by the British Beer and Pubs Association (BBPA) shows that two out of three see pubs as vital in the fight against isolation. 

However, two in five say they have seen pubs close in their area, prompting calls for urgent support for the “cherished institution” in the next Budget. 

With pubs struggling under a heavy tax and regulatory burden, more than 2,000 have closed since 2020, and one is predicted to close every day in 2025. 

The same poll found that, nationally, six in ten are concerned about pub closures in their area, and seven out of ten consider the pub important or very important for their local area’s social life.

The British Beer and Pub Association’s Long Live the Local campaign said this underlined the urgent need for the Government to use the Budget to deliver fairer taxes and action on rising costs to save these beloved institutions.

The survey shows a regional picture of where people view pubs as a solution to isolation, and closely reflects where closures have hit hardest. In the North of England, 71% of people agree that pubs are vital in tackling loneliness and isolation, underlining the role pubs play as informal support networks and community hubs. In Wales, 64% feel the same, while in Scotland, 63% back the idea that pubs are part of the solution to the UK’s loneliness crisis. 

Since 2021, the BBPA has recorded a net closure of 291 pubs across the North West, North East and Yorkshire and The Humber, Wales has seen the net closure of 132 pubs and Scotland 206. 

According to the most recent Office of National Statistics figures from October 2025, 26% of Britons report feeling lonely at least some of the time, a figure that has remained consistently high since records began in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. 

Similarly 30% of people surveyed for the BBPA’s Long Live The Local campaign say they or someone they know has felt isolated and lonely due to the loss of their local pub. 

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: 

“This polling confirms that for many, the local pub is a lifeline, not a luxury, and the loss of a pub can have a real and devastating impact. It's made all the more concerning given our prediction that one pub will close every day this year, with heavy tax and regulatory costs often at the heart of why they’ve been forced to shut. 

“The Government must use this once in a generation Budget to reset and reform the unfair tax burden and costs, which would help pubs keep their doors open and continue to fend off loneliness, which is affecting so many.”

Philip Howell, Professor of Historical and Cultural Geography at the University of Cambridge and author of the book Pub, said: 

“When pubs are ripped out of communities and neighbourhoods, the damage to social cohesion is incalculable. With rapidly rising levels of loneliness, we need pubs more than ever. As the survey suggests, the cost of standing by and watching pubs close will be measured in even greater isolation and the fracturing of our communities.”

The BBPA is urging supporters to join Long Live the Local and email their MP before the Budget, calling for an overhaul of business rates, a duty cut in line with European averages and action on spiralling regulatory costs. 

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Methodology 

The online survey of 2,000 UK adults aged 18+ was conducted by Savanta between the 25th and 28th of July and weighted by gender, age, region and socio-economic group.

Supporting Data - Pub is the Hub report

A September 2025 report from Pub is The Hub, the not-for-profit organisation that helps pubs to diversify and provide essential local services and activities, called ‘Pub is The Hub: Social Value’ has established that for every £1 spent investing in the provision of services and activities in the pub an average of £8.28 of social value is created. 

It confirms that pubs offer social value that supports community cohesion, job security, well-being, increased social interaction and resilient communities. The report also reveals that pubs help people to overcome social isolation and replace the loss of services in rural and deprived areas.

About the BBPA

Established in 1904, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) is the UK’s leading trade association that represents almost half of the UK’s pubs and breweries, with its members brewing over 90% of British beer and owning over 20,000 pubs. 

BBPA’s mission is to support its members - from family-run regional brewers to international pub companies - helping them to thrive and serve their communities across the country by providing jobs, community wellbeing, pride of place, investment and economic value.

The Association is responsible for a number of notable campaigns, including its ‘Challenge 25’ campaign, which was rolled out across the country to prevent underage drinking. 

About Long Live the Local

The BBPA’s Long Live the Local campaign seeks to raise awareness of the social and economic benefits of pubs and breweries across the UK and the challenges they are currently facing. 

Long Live The Local is demanding that the government recognises the contribution that pubs make to this country and has three simple asks to reduce the soaring cost of doing business: 

• Swift delivery of permanent and meaningful business rate reforms 

• Reduce beer duty to the European average

• Take steps to mitigate huge regulatory cost increases currently facing pubs and brewers 

  
  

Media enquiries

For interviews with any spokespeople or additional information on the data set, please contact:

Yiannis Baboulias - yiannis@89up.org, +447862793392

Carmen Ghazi - carmen@89up.org, +447305479379

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