Elderly Britons loneliest in Europe, study suggests People were asked to rank how often they felt lonely in the previous week on a scale ranging from never to all of the time. Britain came last out of the four sample countries. It also ranked fourth when people were asked to rank how often they took part in social activities compared with their peers. Similarly it languished at the bottom when older people were asked to state how much physical activity they had in the past week. When people of all ages were asked at what age someone is considered "old," the average answer in Britain was 61.9 whereas in the Netherlands it was 70.4. David McCullough, chief executive, WRVS, said: "This research highlights the sad truth about growing old in Britain today and should act as a wake up call. "From WRVS" own experience working with older people, we know that increased social interaction and more socialising between generations are hugely beneficial in combating not only loneliness, but also health problems." Meanwhile polling by the housing charity Anchor found that older people in Britain have almost no confidence in the Government to solve the crisis in elderly care. A White Paper on reforming social care is due within the next month. But the Anchor poll found that only one in seven older people have confidence in the Coalition to find a solution to care for Britain's ageing population. Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners' Convention, said: "The current model of social care has been tried for years and it simply doesn't work anymore. Rather than kicking this issue into the political long grass, the government should listen to older people and their views on how social care can be improved.