Americans’ Social Activity Has Steeply Declined In The Past 30 Years

TL;DR

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A Data for Progress survey comparison found declines in reported participation in several social activities between 1995 and 2026, including entertaining at home, attending club meetings and going to worship services. The researchers caution that the surveys used different sampling, collection and weighting methods, so the results suggest trends rather than provide precise estimates of change.

A Data for Progress survey comparison reports that Americans were less likely in 2026 than in 1995 to say they had taken part in several common social activities during the previous year, including entertaining at home, attending club meetings and going to a place of worship. The findings add detail to concerns about declining social connection, but the organization warns that differences in how the two surveys were conducted mean the results should be treated as suggestive trends, not precise estimates.

Data for Progress surveyed 1,098 U.S. adults in 2026, asking how many times they had participated in specific activities over the prior 12 months. It compared the results with the DDB Needham Life Style survey from 1995, using questions designed to replicate the earlier survey. Data for Progress said 1995 was the earliest year with complete data for all the activities included in its comparison.

The largest reported decreases included a 22-percentage-point decline in attending a class or seminar and a 21-point decline in entertaining people at home. Reported participation in attending church or another place of worship fell by 20 points; going on a picnic and going to a club meeting each fell by 19 points. Playing cards declined by 19 points, going out for breakfast at a restaurant by 13 points, and doing volunteer work by 12 points.

For two activities, the report gives the underlying shares as well as the change: 88% said they entertained people at home in 1995, compared with 67% in 2026. Club-meeting attendance fell from 45% to 26%. The report also found higher participation in several activities: using the internet rose by 90 points, playing a home video game by 22, attending an exercise class by 14, going to a pop or rock concert by 13, and taking a personal airline trip by five. These figures describe whether respondents took part at least once in the past year, not how often they did so.

Social Life Beyond Loneliness Surveys

The comparison shifts attention from broad measures of loneliness or time spent alone to specific activities in everyday life. It suggests that participation in settings where people may meet and spend time together—such as homes, clubs, worship services and picnics—has become less common, according to respondents in the two surveys.

That pattern matters because social connection is discussed as a public health and community concern. The report does not establish why participation changed, or prove that any particular activity caused loneliness. Nor does it show that every form of social contact declined: internet use, exercise classes, concerts and some other activities rose in the comparison. The findings are best read as evidence about a range of reported behaviors, with limitations, rather than a single measure of Americans’ social lives.

How the 1995 Comparison Was Built

The report follows years of discussion about social connection in the United States. Data for Progress points to the U.S. surgeon general’s 2023 advisory, which described loneliness in the country as an “epidemic,” as well as earlier survey findings on time use and close friendships. It cites American Time Use Survey tracking that shows Americans spending more time alone and less time with friends than two decades ago.

It also cites the American Perspectives Survey, which found that the share of Americans reporting five or more close friends fell from 63% in 1990 to 38% in 2021. The new comparison differs from those measures: it asks whether people did particular activities at least once in the prior year. Its questions were drawn from DDB Needham Life Style surveys conducted from 1975 to 1999, which were referenced in Robert Putnam’s 2000 book Bowling Alone.

“Americans’ participation in various social activities has declined by double-digit margins.”

— Data for Progress, describing its findings

Survey Methods Limit Comparisons

The two surveys were conducted using different methodologies. The DDB Needham survey used a stratified quota sample based on lists from commercial brokers and contacted respondents by mail. Data for Progress used web-panel suppliers, national quota fielding and post-stratification weighting. Differences in sample construction, survey mode and weighting can affect how people answer and who is represented.

Data for Progress specifically notes that survey mode and social-desirability effects may matter for topics such as religiosity and loneliness. The report does not provide a like-for-like panel following the same individuals over time. As a result, the findings cannot show that particular people stopped participating, identify the causes of the changes, or precisely measure the amount of change across the 31-year span. The percentage-point comparisons are reported by the organization, but should be understood with those qualifications.

Further Tracking Will Test the Pattern

The report does not announce a follow-up survey or a schedule for further analysis. The next useful evidence would come from repeated surveys using consistent methods, which could help separate changes in behavior from changes caused by sampling or survey mode. Until then, the Data for Progress findings offer a broad comparison of reported participation in 1995 and 2026, not a definitive account of how or why Americans’ social lives changed.

Key Questions

What did the Data for Progress report find?

It found lower reported participation in several activities in 2026 than in 1995, including entertaining people at home, attending club meetings and going to a place of worship. It also found increases in activities including internet use and attending exercise classes.

How much did entertaining at home decline?

The share reporting that they had entertained people at home at least once in the previous year was 88% in 1995 and 67% in 2026, a 21-percentage-point difference in the comparison.

Can the results be treated as a precise measure of change?

No. Data for Progress says the surveys used different sampling frames, collection modes and weighting approaches. It describes the findings as suggestive of trends rather than precise estimates.

Did every kind of social activity decline?

No. The report found increases in several measured activities, including using the internet, playing a home video game, attending an exercise class and going to a pop or rock concert. It measured whether respondents participated at least once during the previous year.

Source: hn