Protracted loneliness or social isolation can have a major impact on people’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as wider social and economic impacts. According to data from the National Survey for Wales (2021/22), 13% of the Welsh population perceived themselves to be lonely, with 58% “sometimes lonely”.

To address the issue, the Welsh Government has developed the Connected Communities strategy, a long-term plan to tackle loneliness and social isolation in Wales and to build stronger social connections. We were commissioned by the Welsh Government to assess the evaluability of this strategy.

In a comprehensive scoping phase, we first conducted literature reviews and interviews with government policy leads and external stakeholders. Building on these findings, we developed an integrated Logic Model and Theories of Change to outline the causal pathways through which the strategy is expected to generate its intended impacts. We evaluated the strategy against predefined criteria, reviewed potential evaluation methods, and proposed recommended indicators for future evaluators. Lastly, we provided actionable recommendations to enhance the strategy's evaluability.

Our findings will guide the Welsh Government as it determines the most appropriate evaluation activities for the Connected Communities strategy.