It has been called an “epidemic” of loneliness and isolation. The “alone bowling” phenomenon.
Be that as it may, it refers to the growing social disunity of Americans on many measures.
Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions and churches than recent generations. They have fewer friends, trust each other less and are less likely to hang out at the local bar or cafe, recent surveys show. Given all this, it is not surprising that many people feel lonely or isolated most of the time.
Such trends formed the basis of an Associated Press report on small groups working to reconnect with the community.
These include a ministry dedicated to “trauma-informed community development” in Pittsburgh; a cooperative helping small farmers and their communities in Kentucky; Baltimore's “intentional” neighborhood community; and organizations committed to rebuilding neighborhoods and neighborhoods in Akron, Ohio.
In 2023, then Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reported ” epidemic of loneliness and isolation”, similar to the recommendations of his predecessors on smoking and obesity.
Isolation and loneliness are not the same: isolation is social disconnection, and loneliness is the grief of a lack of human connection. You can be lonely but not alone, or alone in a crowd.
But overall, isolation and loneliness are “risk factors for a range of serious diseases, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression and premature mortality,” the report says.
Murthy says he's encouraged by groups working to build social connections through local initiatives, ranging from potluck dinners to service projects. Its new Project “Together”supported by the Knight Foundation, seeks to support such efforts.
“What we need to do now is accelerate this movement,” he said.
The pandemic has temporarily increased social isolation. There has been some rebound, but often it has not returned to what it was before.
Scholars and activists have cited various potential causes and consequences of the disconnect. These range from increasing political polarization to disruptive economic forces, rat race schedules and the ubiquity of social media.
Murthy said that for many users, social media has become an endless scroll of performance art, provocation and unattainable ideal body types.
“What started out as perhaps an attempt to build community has quickly become something that I worry is actually now actively promoting loneliness,” he said.
Harvard's Robert Putnam described the decline in civic engagement 25 years ago in his widely cited 2000 book, Bowling Alone. It was so named because the recession even affected the bowling leagues. Bowling didn't matter. These were people who regularly spent time together, made friends, found romantic partners, and helped each other in times of need.
According to subsequent analysis published in “Rise” book by Putnam and Shailene Romney Garrett, published in 2020.
Although some organizations have grown in recent years, the authors argue that member participation often tends to be freer (contributing, receiving a newsletter) than in the more intensive groups of the past with their regular meetings and activities.
Of course, some forms of social connections earned them distrust. People have been betrayed by organizations, families and religious groups that can be the hardest on their dissenters.
But shutting down has its costs.
“There has been such a desire for personal autonomy, but I think we have moved so far away from wanting to have no restrictions on what we can do or what we can believe that we have become allergic to institutions,” said Daniel Cox, director of the Center for the Study of American Life and senior fellow for polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute.
“I hope we are starting to realize that unlimited personal autonomy does not make us happier and creates a lot of social problems,” said Cox, co-author of the 2024 report. Disconnected: The Growing Class Gap 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 the study. 2024 survey Pew Research Center.
2. In 2023, just under half of Americans belonged to a religious community, which is low for Gallupwhich has been tracking this trend since 1937.
3. About 10% of workers belong to a union, up from 20% four decades ago. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.
4. In 2025, about half of Americans regularly spent time in a public place in their community, such as a café, bar, restaurant or park. That's down from about two-thirds in 2019, according to “America's cultural crossroads“, another study from the Center for the Study of American Life.
5. According to a report by Disconnected, about two in 10 adults in the United States have no close friends outside of family. In 1990, only 3% said this, according to Gallup. About a quarter of adults have at least six close friends, up from nearly half in 1990.
6. According to Disconnected, about 4 in 10 Americans have at most one person they can rely on to lend them $200, suggest a place to stay, or help them find a job.
7. About a quarter of Americans believe 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 measure—that people are finding new ways to connect to replace old ones, whether online or other new forms of networking.
However, many figures show an overall decline in connectivity.
It hits hardest those who are already struggling—who could most use a friend, a job referral, or a casserole at their door during tough times.
According to Disconnected, people with less education, which typically translates into lower incomes, tend to report having fewer close friends, fewer social gathering places in their communities, and fewer people to help in times of need.
Across the country, small organizations and informal groups of people have worked to build community, whether through formal programs or less structured events such as potlucks.
Murthy will continue to visit such local groups as part of his Together Project, supporting such efforts.
Another group Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute has searchable database volunteer opportunities and an online forum to bring together community builders he calls “weavers.” His goal is to support and teach them community building skills.
“Where people trust less, where people get to know each other less, where people join groups less, there are still people in every community who have decided that they should be the ones bringing people together,” said its chief executive, Frederick J. Riley.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the AP. cooperation in association with The Conversation US with financial support from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.
