Topline: AEI’s Daniel Cox and Sam Pressler find Americans’ social networks have not bounced back from the global pandemic. The percentage of Americans reporting no close friendships increased from 12% in 2021 to 17% in 2024. Additionally, Cox and Pressler identify a growing educational gap in the size of friendship circles.
- Data show that 24% of Americans with a high school diploma or less education report having no close friends, compared to 10% of college graduates.
The Problem: 17% of Americans without a college degree have at least six close friends, compared with 33% of college graduates. This educational gap is even wider among black Americans: 35% of black Americans without a college degree report having no close friends, compared with just 11% with a college degree.
Big Picture: Cox and Pressler point out that financial strain and declining membership in three institutions—marriage, religious organizations, and labor unions—have likely contributed to the decline in social ties among Americans without college educations.