Friendship recession: Why do we have fewer friends now?

It's an undeniable fact: the human race has never been so connected. Want to get in touch with someone? The main hurdle is picking from the veritable smorgasbord of communication tools at your disposal: Will you use Instagram, X or TikTok DM; text; Facebook Instant Messenger; WhatsApp; FaceTime; email; Snapchat; Zoom; Microsoft Teams; Google Meet; Slack? Or, if you want to go really old school, you could (gasp) call them on the phone. Decisions, decisions! And yet, despite this ability to contact anyone we've ever met in less time than it takes to make a Pot Noodle, friendships seem to be on the wane. There is growing evidence that platonic relationships are struggling.

- Helen Coffey, The Independent

An American Perspectives Survey, undertaken by US non-profit the Survey Center on American Life in 2021, found that Americans reported having fewer close friendships than they once had, talked to friends less often, and relied less on friends for personal support. Social circles were contracting, according to the research; the proportion of men who claimed to have at least six close friends had gone from 55 per cent in 1990 to half that number (27 per cent) in 2021. While women had seen a less sharp decrease, the number with six good friends or more had nevertheless dropped from 41 to 24 per cent. Nearly half of Americans (49 per cent) had three friends or fewer; 12 per cent reported having “no close friends” at all.