Americans have grown far less likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger or get to know people living closeby, and it could be costing the country a lot more than neighborhood quaintness.<\/p>\n
The average American now finds themselves living next to strangers. Around 25% of adults age 18 to 29 say they talk with their neighbors at least a few times a week, according to a survey<\/a> released earlier this month by the American Enterprise Institute, down from 59% in 2012. That has implications for the country\u2019s declining social engagement and rising rates of loneliness<\/a>, but there\u2019s an economic cost to losing neighborhood ties, too.<\/p>\n Americans who lack a collaborative community environment or reliable neighbors\u2014defined as people they would turn to in times of hardship\u2014are less likely to be doing well financially and less confident of their ability to navigate economic circumstances, according to a Gallup poll<\/a> released Tuesday. Loss of social connections effectively leads to a negative compounding effect for Americans who are already struggling financially, a particularly distressing trend for low-income households and young people.<\/p>\n The Gallup poll primarily attributes the harmful effects of declining community to a widespread loss of personal agency. Across age and income levels, Americans who do not consider their neighbors reliable are 16 to 22 percentage points less likely to feel as if they are in control of their own financial future. Strong community ties were also associated with more affordable housing and better job prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cThe type of community people reside in may also contribute to how much control they believe they have over their lives, independent of their individual circumstances,\u201d Gallup wrote of the poll\u2019s findings. \u201cStrengthening the social and economic fabric of local communities may be as important as addressing individual-level barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n America\u2019s community loss<\/p>\n Repairing the country\u2019s fraying social ties will be a challenge. One in three Americans say they do not rely on people in their community, and nearly half say their neighbors do not work together to solve shared problems or look out for one another, the Gallup poll found.<\/p>\n America may not have transformed overnight into a distrusting place full of unfriendly strangers, though to many people it might feel that way. The American Enterprise Institute report attributed Americans\u2019 declining propensity for neighborly chit-chat to people spending more time at home and indoors, and less time outside or in public gathering spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n The rise in remote work may have also played a role.\u00a0 Despite many Americans having more time on their hands to reach out to people living a few feet away, few appear to have taken the opportunity. Around one-quarter of remote workers said their social skills had declined since setting up a home office, according to a 2024 ResumeBuilder survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another factor is the declining availability of publicly available third places such as parks, coffee shops, bars, or community centers\u2014anywhere people can gather that isn\u2019t their home or their workplace. In recent years, Americans\u2014particularly young ones\u2014have been decamping from these spaces<\/a> in greater numbers, a trend that pre-dated<\/a> pandemic-induced shut-ins.\u00a0<\/p>\n Digital isolation likely isn\u2019t the only reason for the decline of third places\u2019 appeal. The Urban Institute detailed in 2024 how declining government funding<\/a> for public spaces had left many dilapidated and underutilized, or privatized and no longer free. Affordability is also a concern for younger Americans:\u00a0 A growing number of them cite rising costs<\/a> as reason to spend less time socializing outside their homes.<\/p>\n The business case for social ties<\/p>\n It\u2019s added up to plummeting trust and friendliness in communities that used to drive local economies and individual ambition. A specific area\u2019s social capital\u2014the collective value of local trust and relationships\u2014has been associated with better academic performance<\/a> and fewer cases of violence and crime<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n