OVER 200,000 OLDER PEOPLE IN WALES CLAIM TO HAVE FELT LONELY DURING LATER LIFE

OVER 200,000 OLDER PEOPLE IN WALES CLAIM TO HAVE FELT LONELY DURING LATER LIFE
Cadbury Dairy Milk announces partnership with Age UK to help combat loneliness

More than 330,000 older people in Wales say just a few minutes of conversation makes a difference to their week

AUGUST 2019: New research revealed today by Cadbury Dairy Milk and Age UK illustrates the impact of loneliness with over 220,000 older people in Wales claiming to have felt lonely during later life[i]. In a typical week almost 100,000 people aged 65 and over in Wales speak to three or fewer people they know[ii].

That's why Cadbury Dairy Milk is launching a new brand campaign Donate Your Words in support of Age UK. For the first time ever the UK's number one chocolate brand will be removing the words from its iconic bars and 'donating' them to the Charity to help alleviate loneliness amongst older people. The limited edition bar will be sold in supermarkets nationwide with 30p from each bar going towards Age UK to help provide vital services and support when older people need it most.

The campaign will also encourage the public to donate their words by pledging to reach out and have a chat with older people in their communities.

The survey found that simple, small gestures can play a part in helping to tackle loneliness with over 330,000 older people in Wales claiming a few minutes of conversation would make a huge difference to their week[iii]. According to the survey, some of the actions that would help older people feel more confident when outside the home are:

Knowing their neighbours – 35%[iv]Someone asking how their day has gone – 23%[v]Neighbour stopping to say hello – 22%[vi]Someone smiling or saying hello when at bus stop/in a queue – 21%[vii]

Laura Gray, Brand Manager at Mondelez said "We're so proud to announce this partnership and to be supporting Age UK - it's such an important charity that is really tackling the issue of loneliness. We are donating the words from our bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk and encouraging people up and down the country to donate theirs through small gestures that could really help change the lives of older people."

When asked, 55% of 16-45 year olds in the UK surveyed claim they're worried about growing lonely in older age and 64% believing it gets harder to hold onto relationships the older you get.

While 67% of those aged 16-45 admitted they would be likely to do something that could potentially help boost the confidence of an older person who felt lonely, the research revealed the top five issues stopping them helping someone who they think feels lonely:

They're worried the other person won't respond well (37%)They're too shy (30%)They don't know how to help (27%)Find it hard to tell if someone needs help (25%)Too busy (25%)

Victoria Lloyd, Chief Executive, Age Cymru said: "Loneliness is a huge problem because retirement, bereavement & ill health mean many older people find they are spending a lot less time enjoying the company of others than they'd like.

"Loneliness can affect your health, your wellbeing and the way you see yourself - it can make you feel invisible and forgotten. Working with Cadbury Dairy Milk on this campaign could really help to raise even more awareness of the issue and encourage everybody to do their bit to help tackle it.

"A friendly "hello" or "how are you?" is something most of us take for granted – it's just part of every day life, but these latest figures show that hundreds of thousands of older people in the UK will spend today and the rest of this week alone, with no one to share even a few simple words with. That's why Age UK's expert advice and support services are so crucial and help people in all sorts of ways, every day of the year."

For more information about the Cadbury Dairy Milk Donate Your Words campaign visit www.ageuk.org.uk/donateyourwords and pick up a bar in store today.

-ENDS-

For more information or high res imagery, case study and spokesperson requests, please contact the Cadbury team: Chanel de Yong cdeyong@golin.com

Figures from questions asked to older people (65+) are taken from Age UK/ Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling which took place from 10th July – 27th July 2019. The polling was conducted face-to-face and with a UK-wide sample of 1896 people aged 65+. Figures extrapolated to national population using NRS Population Estimates.

Figures from questions asked to people aged 16-45 are taken from Cadbury Equity/ OnePoll Research which took place on 15th July 2019. The polling was conducted online with a UK-wide sample of 2,000 people, aged 16-45.

Notes To Editors:
Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2018 net revenues of approximately $26 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, belVita and LU biscuits; Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate; Sour Patch Kids candy and Trident gum. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor's 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDLZ

About Age UK

Age UK is a national charity that works with a network of partners, including Age Scotland, Age Cymru, Age NI and local Age UKs across England, to help everyone make the most of later life, whatever their circumstances.

In the UK, the Charity helps more than seven million older people each year by providing advice and support. It also researches and campaigns on the issues that matter most to older people. Its work focuses on ensuring that older people: have enough money; enjoy life and feel well; receive high quality health and care; are comfortable, safe and secure at home; and feel valued and able to participate.

Age UK and over 100 local Age UKs across the country work to combat loneliness through a range of services and activities, such as befriending, home visits and lunch clubs as well as advice and support when there's no one else to turn to. The Charity relies on donations from the public so it can continue to be there for older people and their families and friends.

Older people and their families or friends can also call Age UK's Advice Line for free on 0800 169 65 65, visit www.ageuk.org.uk or contact their local Age UK to find out what help is available in their local area. The Advice Line is open 365 days a year from 8am to 7pm.

Age UK's subsidiary charity, Age International, supports older people globally in over 30 developing countries by funding programmes such as vital emergency relief and healthcare and campaigning to raise awareness and change policies.

Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and registered company number 6825798). Charitable services are provided through Age UK and commercial products are offered by the Charity's Community Interest Company (CiC) (registered company number 1102972) which donates its net profits to Age UK (the Charity).

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[i] Age UK calculation based on data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales) and ONS mid-year 2018 population estimates (accessed 13th August 2019). 34.09% of people surveyed In Wales answered either 'rarely' or 'sometimes' 'often' or 'always' when asked: Many of us have probably felt lonely at some point. Have you at any time, in your later life, had periods where you have felt lonely? The ONS estimate that there are 651,993 people aged 65 and over in Wales. The number of people therefore aged 65 and over in Wales who have felt lonely in later life is estimated to be 222,252 (i.e. 34.09% multiplied 651,993; differences in answer due to rounding of percentage figure).

[ii] Age UK calculation based on data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales) and ONS mid-year 2018 population estimates (accessed 13th August 2019). 14.72% of people surveyed in Wales answered either 'no one' or 'only one person' or '2-3 people' when asked: In a typical week, how many people (whom you don't know) do you normally chat to? The ONS estimate that there are 651,993 people aged 65 and over in Wales.The numberof people therefore aged 65 and over in Wales who speak to three or fewer people they know is estimated to be 95,954 (i.e. 14.72% multiplied by 651,993; differences in answer due to rounding of percentage figure).

[iii] Age UK calculation based on data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales) and ONS mid-year 2018 population estimates (accessed 13th August 2019). 50.82% of people surveyed in Wales either 'strongly agreed' or 'slightly agreed" with the statement 'Just a few minutes of conversation makes a difference to my week'. The ONS estimate that there are 651,993 people aged 65 and over in Wales. The number of people therefore aged 65 and over in Wales who claim that just a few minutes of conversation makes a difference to their week is estimated to be 331,327 (i.e. 50.82% multiplied 651,993; differences in answer due to rounding of percentage figure).

[iv] Data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales). 34.72% of people surveyed in Wales answered 'Knowing my neighbours' when asked Which, if any, of the following would make you feel more confident when outside of your home?

[v] Data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales). 22.52% of people surveyed in Wales answered 'Someone asking me how my day is going' when asked Which, if any, of the following would make you feel more confident when outside of your home?

[vi] Data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales). 22.39% of people surveyed in Wales answered 'A neighbour stopping to say hello when we're both out and about' when asked Which, if any, of the following would make you feel more confident when outside of your home?

[vii] Data from Kantar F2F Omnibus Research polling for Age UK, July 2019 (sample of 1896 people aged 65+ in Great Britain, of whom 141 were in Wales). 20.88% of people surveyed in Wales answered 'Someone smiling or saying hello when we're at a bus stop or in a queue' when asked Which, if any, of the following would make you feel more confident when outside of your home?