It\u2019s been called an \u201cepidemic\u201d of loneliness and isolation. The \u201cbowling alone\u201d phenomenon. By any name, it refers to Americans\u2019 growing social disconnection by many measures. Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions and churches than in recent generations. They have fewer friends, are less trusting of each other and less likely to hang out in a local bar or coffee shop, recent polling indicates. Given all that, it\u2019s not surprising that many feel lonely or isolated much of the time.<\/p>\n
Such trends form the backdrop to this Associated Press report on small groups working to restore community connections. They include a ministry pursuing \u201ctrauma-informed community development\u201d in Pittsburgh; a cooperative helping small farmers and their communities in Kentucky; an \u201cintentional\u201d community of Baltimore neighbors; and organizations seeking to restore neighborhoods and neighborliness in Akron, Ohio.<\/p>\n
In 2023, then Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reported on an \u201cepidemic of loneliness and isolation,\u201d similar to his predecessors\u2019 advisories on smoking and obesity. Isolation and loneliness aren\u2019t identical \u2014 isolation is being socially disconnected, loneliness the distress of lacking human connection. One can be alone but not lonely, or lonely in a crowd. But overall, isolation and loneliness are \u201crisk factors for several major health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and premature mortality,\u201d the report said. Murthy says he\u2019s encouraged by groups working toward social connection through local initiatives ranging from potluck dinners to service projects. His new Together Project, supported by the Knight Foundation, aims to support such efforts. \u201cWhat we have to do now is accelerate that movement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pandemic temporarily exacerbated social isolation. There\u2019s been some rebound, but often not back to where it was before. Scholars and activists have cited various potential causes \u2014 and effects \u2014 of disconnection. They range from worsening political polarization to destructive economic forces to rat-race schedules to pervasive social media. Murthy said for many users, social media has become an endless scroll of performance, provocation and unattainably perfect body types. \u201cWhat began perhaps as an effort to build community has rapidly transformed into something that I worry is actually now actively contributing to loneliness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Harvard\u2019s Robert Putnam, 25 years ago, described the decline in civic engagement in a widely cited 2000 book \u201cBowling Alone.\u201d It was so named because the decline even affected bowling leagues. The bowling wasn\u2019t the point. It was people spending time together regularly, making friends, finding romantic partners, helping each other in times of need. Memberships in many organizations \u2014 including service, veterans, scouting, fraternal, religious, parental and civic \u2014 have continued their long decline into the 21st century, according to a follow-up analysis in \u201cThe Upswing,\u201d a 2020 book by Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett.<\/p>\n
Certainly, some forms of social bonds have earned their mistrust. People have been betrayed by organizations, families and religious groups, which can be harshest on their dissenters. But disconnection has its own costs. \u201cThere\u2019s been such a drive for personal autonomy, but I think we\u2019ve moved so far past wanting not to have any limits on what we can do, what we can believe, that we\u2019ve become allergic to institutions,\u201d said Daniel Cox, the director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute. \u201cI\u2019m hoping we\u2019re beginning to recognize that unbounded personal autonomy does not make us happier and creates a wealth of social problems,\u201d said Cox, co-author of the 2024 report, \u201cDisconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some argue that Putnam and others are using too limited a measurement \u2014 that people are finding new ways of connecting to replace the old ones, whether online or other newer forms of networking. Still, many numbers depict an overall decline in connection. This hits hardest on those who are already struggling \u2014 who could most use a friend, a job referral or a casserole at the door in hard times. Those with lower educations, which generally translates to lower incomes, tend to report having fewer close friends, fewer civic gathering places in their communities and fewer people who could help out in a pinch, according to \u201cDisconnected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across the country, small organizations and informal groups of people have worked to build community, whether through formal programs or less structured events like potluck dinners. Murthy will continue to be visiting such local groups in his \u201cTogether Project,\u201d supporting such efforts. Another group, Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute, has a searchable database of volunteer opportunities and an online forum for connecting community builders, which it calls \u201cweavers.\u201d It aims to support and train them in community-building skills. \u201cWhere people are trusting less, where people are getting to know each other less, where people are joining groups less, there are people still in every community who have decided that it\u2019s up to them to bring people together,\u201d said its executive director, Frederick J. Riley.<\/p>\n
The issue of loneliness and social disconnection in America is complex and multifaceted, influenced by various factors including the decline of civic engagement, the rise of social media, and economic disparities. While there are exceptions and new ways people are connecting, the overall trend indicates a decline in meaningful social connections, which has significant implications for individual and public health. Efforts to address this issue, such as the Together Project and Weave: The Social Fabric Project, are crucial in fostering community and rebuilding social bonds.<\/p>\n
What is the "bowling alone" phenomenon?<\/strong><\/p>\n How does social media contribute to loneliness?<\/strong><\/p>\n What are some health risks associated with loneliness and isolation?<\/strong><\/p>\n What initiatives are being taken to address the issue of loneliness and social disconnection?<\/strong><\/p>\n Americans face growing loneliness and social disconnection Introduction to the Issue It\u2019s been called an \u201cepidemic\u201d of loneliness and isolation. The \u201cbowling alone\u201d phenomenon. By any name, it refers to Americans\u2019 growing social disconnection by many measures. Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions and churches than in recent generations. They have fewer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":23847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23845","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Social_Disconnection_Photo_Essay_52399.jpg?w=1024&h=683&w=1024&resize=1024,682&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23845"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23845"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23848,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23845\/revisions\/23848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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