Americans Socialize Less Than 20 Years Ago
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- Americans are spending less time socializing than they were 20 years ago, based on new American Time Use Survey data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Axios reporter Erica Pandey found.
- The decline in socializing cuts across every generation — not just younger Americans — according to the BLS time-use data.
Why it matters: A 20-year drop in socializing that spans every generation suggests a structural shift in how Americans allocate their daily time rather than a youth-only trend tied to smartphones or social media. Because the American Time Use Survey is the federal government's standard measure of how people spend their hours, the finding carries unusual authority compared with anecdotal reports of social decline.
