DVJ Insights wins global ESOMAR Award for research with NIVEA CONNECT making loneliness visible worldwide

Utrecht, 9 September 2026 – DVJ Insights has won a global ESOMAR Award for Best Social Impact Research for NIVEA CONNECT, recognising their work to understand loneliness better and turn research into meaningful societal action.

At the heart of the award-winning work is the NIVEA CONNECT COMPASS, a global research programme conducted among more than 30,000 people across 13 countries. The research set out to make one of society’s most widespread yet often invisible challenges better understood: loneliness and social isolation.

The findings have since become the strategic foundation of NIVEA CONNECT, NIVEA’s long-term global social mission focused on reducing stigma around loneliness and strengthening meaningful human connection. By the end of 2026, initiatives connected to NIVEA CONNECT are expected to be active in 40 countries worldwide.

For NIVEA and DVJ Insights, the ESOMAR Award recognises not only the scale and innovative methodology of the research, but what it has enabled: moving from understanding a complex societal issue towards awareness and action around the world.

Making loneliness visible

Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognised as major societal and wellbeing challenges, yet loneliness often remains invisible. Many people struggle to talk openly about it, ask for support or even recognise loneliness in themselves and others.

NIVEA believes that in a world full of people, no one should feel lonely. Together with DVJ Insights, NIVEA developed the NIVEA CONNECT COMPASS to understand not only how widespread loneliness is, but what it actually feels like and how experiences differ across countries and cultures.

The research showed that loneliness transcends geography, age and culture, while the realities behind it can be deeply local. It also identified particularly vulnerable groups, including younger people, heavy social media users and economically disadvantaged individuals.

Combining science with human stories

To capture both the scale and emotional reality of loneliness, the research combined scientifically validated frameworks, including the UCLA Loneliness Scale, with DVJ’s AI-powered Mass Qual approach.

More than 30,000 participants shared their own stories, emotions and experiences around loneliness and social connection. AI-powered SmartProbing helped explore these experiences in greater depth, combining international comparability with the human and cultural understanding needed for such a sensitive topic.

Most importantly, the research did not end with the findings. It became the foundation for NIVEA CONNECT and has informed awareness activities, educational programmes, NGO partnerships and local social initiatives around the world.

Lucas Hulsebos, CEO and owner of DVJ Insights, says:

“Winning this global ESOMAR Award together with NIVEA makes me incredibly proud. More than 30,000 people trusted us with very personal stories about loneliness, and that created a responsibility to make those stories count. What makes this project so special is that the research did not stop at understanding the issue. It became the foundation for NIVEA CONNECT and action around the world. Loneliness is for me also a personal topic that has been discussed many times in different situations. Contributing to making people aware of this makes me also proud.