Loneliness driving poor mental health in film and TV industry

The Film and TV Charity, in partnership with The Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, has published new research into the relationship between mental health and loneliness.

The Charity’s Looking Glass research, conducted over five years, has consistently shown significantly higher levels of loneliness and poor mental health among behind-the-scenes workers compared with the general population.

The most recent Looking Glass survey from 2024 shows that 35% of respondents reported their mental health as poor or very poor compared to a national average of 18%, and that 30% often feel lonely compared to a national average of only 8%.

The research shows that experiences of loneliness in the industry are strongly influenced by work-related factors such as a culture of long and irregular working hours, the transient nature of project-based employment, and industry issues of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

It also says there is a persistent stigma around loneliness and mental health at work which prevents people from speaking up and seeking support.

Another factor is workers from underrepresented and disempowered backgrounds feeling invisible, especially freelancers, those with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and those who are workless, neurodivergent, from the Black and Global Majority, Muslim, carers, LGBTQ, or from working class backgrounds.

The research says that loneliness is also likely to be having a very significant economic impact on the industry. Combining 2024 figures from Deloitte and DCMS, it estimates that the cost to the film and TV industry of poor mental health among its workforce may be as much as £400m a year. The relationship between loneliness and poor mental health highlighted in the research endorses the idea that loneliness may account for a significant part of that sum, says the report.

The research makes several recommendations to mitigate the impact of workplace loneliness including employers maintaining communication and relationships with freelancers after and between projects; measuring and tracking loneliness such as through workplace wellbeing surveys; the creation of inclusive opportunities for meaningful workplace connections; and formal ​‘buddy’ and peer support systems.

Marcus Ryder, CEO at the Film and TV Charity, said: “With the creative industries often described as both the original gig economy and the ​‘canary in the coalmine’ for workforce issues affecting freelancers, this research should be of critical significance for policymakers across multiple sectors. It should also act as a catalyst for important work to eradicate stigma around these kinds of conversations to ensure that there’s an industry-wide focus on changing things for the better rather than simply expecting individuals to ​‘be more resilient’.”