It has been called an “epidemic” of loneliness and isolation. The “bowling alone” phenomenon.
By any name, it refers to the growing social disconnect among Americans by many measures.
Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions, and churches than recent generations. Recent polls suggest they have fewer friends, are less trusting of each other, and are less likely to hang out at a local bar or café. Given all this, it’s not surprising that many feel lonely or isolated most of the time.
These trends form the background to an Associated Press report on small groups working to restore community connections.
They include a ministry seeking “trauma-informed community development” in Pittsburgh; a cooperative that helps small farmers and their communities in Kentucky; An “intentional” community of Baltimore neighbors; and organizations seeking to restore neighborhoods and neighborhoods in Akron, Ohio.
In 2023, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reported “ An epidemic of loneliness and isolation“, similar to his predecessors’ advice on smoking and obesity.
Isolation and loneliness are not the same: isolation is social separation, and loneliness is distress caused by a lack of human connection. One can be alone but not alone, or alone in a crowd of people.
But overall, the report said isolation and loneliness are “risk factors for several major health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression and premature mortality.”
Murthy says he’s encouraged by groups that are working on socializing through local initiatives ranging from potluck dinners to service projects. What’s new for him? Project togetherwith support from the Knight Foundation, aims to support such efforts.
“What we have to do now is accelerate this movement,” he added.
The pandemic has temporarily worsened social isolation. There has been some recovery, but often it is not back to what it was before.
Researchers and activists have cited various potential causes – and effects – of the disconnect. They range from worsening political polarization to disruptive economic forces to rat race agendas and the spread of social media.
For many users, social media has become an endless scroll of performance, provocation and unattainable ideal body types, Murthy said.
“What started out as perhaps an effort to build community quickly turned into something that concerned me, and is actually now actively contributing to feelings of loneliness,” he said.
Twenty-five years ago, Robert Putnam of Harvard University described the decline of civic engagement in a widely cited 2000 book, “Bowling Alone.” It was so named because the decline even affected bowling leagues. Bowling was not the goal. People were regularly spending time together, making friends, finding romantic partners, and helping each other in times of need.
Memberships in many organizations — including service, veterans, Boy Scouts, fraternal, religious, parental and civic organizations — have continued their long decline into the 21st century, according to a follow-up analysis in “rise up” 2020 book by Putnam and Shailene Romney-Garrett.
While some organizations have grown in recent years, the authors find that member involvement is often more flexible—making a contribution, getting a newsletter—than the more dense groups of the past, with their regular meetings and activities.
To be sure, some forms of social ties have gained distrust. People have been betrayed by organizations, families and religious groups, which can be tougher on dissidents.
But separation has its own costs.
“There’s been such a push toward personal autonomy, but I think we’ve so far moved beyond not wanting to put any limits on what we can do, what we can believe, and that we’ve become sensitive to institutions,” says Daniel Cox, director of the Center for the Poll on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute.
“I hope we begin to realize that unlimited personal independence does not make us happier and creates a wealth of social problems,” said Cox, co-author of the 2024 report. Offline: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life“.
1. About 16% of adults, including about a quarter of adults under 30, report feeling lonely or isolated all or most of the time, according to one study. Survey 2024 By Pew Research Center.
2. Just under half of Americans belonged to a religious group in 2023, a low point for GallupWhich has been following this trend since 1937.
3. About 10% of workers belong to unions, up from 20% four decades ago Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports.
4. About half of Americans regularly spend time in a public place in their community in 2025, such as a café, bar, restaurant or park. This is down from about two-thirds in 2019, according to “Cultural crossroads in AmericaAnother study conducted by the Survey of American Life.
5. About two in 10 U.S. adults don’t have close friends outside of family, according to a Disconnected report. In 1990, only 3% said that, according to Gallup. About a quarter of adults have at least six close friends, down from about half in 1990.
6. About 4 in 10 Americans have at least one person they can count on to lend them $200, offer a place to stay or help find a job, according to Disconnected.
7. About a quarter of Americans say most people can be trusted, up from about half in 1972, according to the General Social Survey.
Some argue that Putnam and others are using too limited a scale, as people find new ways to communicate to replace old ones, whether via the Internet or other newer forms of networking.
However, many numbers point to a general decline in connectivity.
This hits hard on those who are already struggling — who could use a friend, a job referral, or a casserole at the door during tough times.
Those with lower education, which generally translates to lower income, tend to report having fewer close friends, fewer civic gathering places in their communities, and fewer people who can help in a crisis, according to Disconnected.
Across the country, small organizations and informal groups of people have worked to build community, whether through formal programs or less organized events like potluck dinners.
Murthy will continue to visit such local groups under his “Together” project, to support such efforts.
another group, Weaving: The Social Fabric Project At the Aspen Institute, he has Searchable database From volunteer opportunities and an online forum to connect community builders, called “Weavers.” It aims to support and train them in community building skills.
“Where people trust less, where people know each other less, where people join groups less, there are still people in every community who have decided that it is up to them to bring people together,” said its executive director, Frederick J. Riley.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP cooperation With The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., the AP is solely responsible for this content.