summary: American adults generally have more friends and fewer say they have no friends at all than recent surveys have shown: The survey found that the average American adult has four to five friends, and only 2% say they have no friends.
Despite overall satisfaction, many adults would like to have closer friendships and more time to spend with friends. These findings challenge recent concerns about increasing loneliness and declining friendships.
Key Facts:
- The average American adult has four to five friends, yet only 2% say they have no friends.
- Many adults would like to develop closer friendships and spend more time with their friends.
- The findings challenge concerns about increasing loneliness and declining friendships.
sauce: Pros
Although American adults generally have more friends and fewer Americans have no friends at all than other recent surveys have shown, many would like to have closer friendships.
Natalie Pennington of Colorado State University in the United States and her colleagues presented preliminary findings from the ongoing “American Friendship Project” in a study published in the open access journal Nature on July 30, 2024. From PLOS ONE.
Having more and better quality friendships is linked to greater happiness and life satisfaction. Yet research suggests that more American adults are feeling lonely and spending less time socializing. Yet evidence is conflicting about whether the number and quality of Americans’ friendships is actually declining.
To get a clearer picture of American friendships, Pennington and his colleagues launched the American Friendship Project, an ongoing, multi-year research study. In 2022 and 2023, they surveyed about 6,000 American adults about friendships and happiness, collecting baseline data.
The initial data suggests that American adults have four or five friends on average, roughly the same as numbers reported in previous surveys from 1970 to 2015. About 2% of participants said they had no friends, which is also consistent with data from previous decades.
These findings suggest that recent concerns about an increasing decline in friendships may not be accurate. However, while participants reported being generally satisfied with their friendships, many expressed a desire to spend more time with friends or to develop higher-quality friendships.
Analyses suggest that participants often spoke with friends in person, but phone calls and text messages were also common. The subset of college student participants was more likely to report meeting new friends at school and tended to maintain friendships for a shorter period of time than the subset of general adult participants.
While analyzing the baseline data, the researchers also evaluated the American Friendship Project’s methodology and limitations, taking into account questions such as different people’s different definitions of “friend” and whether the friendships reported in the survey were reciprocated by the other party.
Overall, the researchers say the project may shed new light on long-term friendships and happiness, which could inform efforts to increase and improve such relationships.
The authors add: “Americans desire closer relationships with their friends. Although over 75% are satisfied with the number of friends they have, 42% feel that they are not as close as they would like with their friends.”
Funding: This paper was supported by the University of Kansas GRF #2177080 (2022), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Faculty Opportunity Award awarded to Natalie Pennington (2022-2023), and the Michigan State University ComArtSci Research and Creative Incubator and Accelerator (CRCIA) Award awarded to Amanda J. Holmstrom (2022-2025). The sponsors and funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
About this Social Neuroscience and Psychology Research News
author: Hannah Abdalla
sauce: Pros
contact: Hannah Abdalla – PLOS
image: Image courtesy of Neuroscience News
Original Research: The survey results are as follows: PLOS One
