Men are more likely to report a lack of social support than women. The 2005 Health Survey for England found that 18% of men but only 11% of women reported a severe lack of social support. There was no clear pattern of reported social support in relation to age.

Lack of social support is associated with socio-economic classification. Both men and women in the semi-routine and routine category are around twice as likely to report a severe lack of social support as those in the managerial and professional group. The social gradient is even more evident when measured by income: only 5% of women in the highest income quintile report a severe lack of social support compared to 17% of women in the lowest income quintile.

Social support also varies with ethnicity. Men and women of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin were more likely to report a severe lack of social support compared with the general population. Pakistani and Bangladeshi adults were well over twice as likely to perceive a severe lack of social support, with over one-third of Pakistani (38%) and Bangladeshi (35%) men, and about one-third of Pakistani (30%) and Bangladeshi (33%) women experiencing little social support.