The Friendship Recession: The lost art of connecting

February 2025 Issue Carolyn Bruckmann, Harvard Kennedy School MPP ‘25 The so-called “Friendship Recession” is making its way into the vernacular—a profound shift in how Americans experience and sustain friendships. The data paints a stark picture. According to the American Perspectives Survey, the percentage of U.S. adults who report having no close friends has quadrupled to 12% since 1990, while the percentage of those with ten or more close friends has fallen by nearly threefold. The foundations of the crisis were laid long before lockdowns. For decades, Americans consistently spent about 6.5 hours a week with friends. Then, between 2014 and 2019, that number plummeted to just four hours per week. To be sure, systemic forces underlie this shift. Suburban sprawl has physically distanced us from one another. The government slowed down its investment in and construction of third spaces—such as community centers, parks, and coffee shops—which has left fewer places for organic social i ... Read full article.