Americans now spend a third as much time with friends as in 2003

Most people sense that they see their friends less than they used to. The data backs that up, and the drop is large.

The numbers

• Time Americans spent in person with friends fell from 60 minutes a day in 2003 to 20 minutes a day in 2020, per American Time Use Survey data in the U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory ^[1].
• For people aged 15 to 24 it fell by nearly 70%, from about 150 minutes a day to 40 ^[2].
• About one in two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness in recent years ^[3].

One caveat: 2020 was the first year of the pandemic, so the last figure is unusually low. Read the direction more than the exact number.

Why it matters for health

Social connection is tied to health in large studies. A 2015 meta-analysis found loneliness was associated with a 26% higher likelihood of death, social isolation with 29%, and living alone with 32% ^[4]. An earlier review of 148 studies and 308,849 people found that those with stronger social relationships had 50% greater odds of survival ^[5].

The Surgeon General's advisory puts it in plain terms: lacking social connection can increase the risk of premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day ^[6]. And in the Harvard Study of Adult Development, running since 1938, the people most satisfied in their relationships at 50 were the healthiest at 80 ^[7].

What these numbers don't say

Most of these findings are associations. They show that people with fewer connections tend to have worse health, not that seeing friends more will fix it on its own. The time-use figures are national averages, and they count time spent in person with friends, which is narrower than all the time people spend with others.

Where to start

You don't need new friends to see people more. The people already around you (neighbors in your building, coworkers, the people in a club you belong to) are the easiest place to start, because all that's missing is a reason to meet. In our view, a small plan that repeats, like a monthly dinner or a weekend walk, does more than one big event a year.

Pasaq helps groups like these turn ideas into regular plans that people join together. See plan ideas for neighbors and apartment residents, or read the research behind Pasaq.