The share of people who report having no close friends has risen, particularly among those who did not graduate college — creating a divide in people’s levels of social connection.

The share of people who report having no close friends has risen, particularly among those who did not graduate college — creating a divide in people’s levels of social connection.

The Summary

  • In a survey, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults without a college degree said they had no close friends.
  • People without a college degree also reported less participation in social activities like going to parks or restaurants than college-educated adults.
  • The findings come amid a documented rise in loneliness and social isolation.
  • @Kyrgizion
    63•19 days ago

    I have two degrees but no friends. All the blue collar people I know are much more locally connected than the more educated ones. Maybe my part of the world is just that extra bit dysfunctional.

  • @[email protected]
    22•19 days ago

    Adulthood blows. It is possible, even common, to go to high school in one area of the country, attend college in another area, then get a job in yet another area. I have friends from every “era” of my life but most don’t stay in touch. Worse yet, many of the coworkers I had at old jobs are people I would have considered personal friends but they call less and less after I changed jobs and we have less in common over time.

    It is very easy to invest 110% in your immediate family and before you know it your other relationships suffer or disappear entirely.

  • @[email protected]English
    11•19 days ago

    Every friend I still keep in contact with is someone I met in college, so this makes a lot of sense to me.

  • @Cryophilia
    8•19 days ago

    Yeah no fucking shit. We don’t get to work from home. We don’t get to leave early on Fridays. We don’t get teambuilding events or offsites or happy hours. We work. We do labor. We come home every day and take our boots off and are more tired than you’ve ever been in your life.

    And you people are always surprised when you remember our existence.

  • @SmokumJoe
    -1•19 days ago

    What kind of stupid generalized crap is this?

    • @Spedwell
      10•18 days ago

      I think it’s what they’ve been calling “statistics”.