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The Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ social connections and where they turn for emotional support at a time when these topics and the gender dynamics surrounding them are at the center of the national conversation.
For this analysis, we surveyed 6,204 adults from September 3 to 15, 2024. The majority of respondents who participated in this survey are members of the Center for American Trends (ATP), a group of people recruited through a national, random sampling of residential addresses who agreed to regularly polling. The research also included a larger sample of black and Hispanic adults from the SSRS Opinion Panel, another online probability-based survey panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Surveys were conducted online or over the phone with a live interviewer. The poll is weighted to be representative of the US adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisanship, education and other factors. Read more about the ATP methodology.
They are here questions used for this report, top line and survey methodology.
References to white, black, and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Hispanics are of any race.
All references to party affiliation include those who lean towards that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party.
References to persons with a college degree or college degree include those with a bachelor’s degree or higher education. “Some college” includes those with an advanced degree and those who attended college but did not earn a degree. “High school” refers to those with a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
“Median income” is defined here as two-thirds to double the median annual family income for panelists on the American Trends Panel. “Lower income” falls below that range; the “upper income” falls above it.
As the public debate and discussion about the status of men in America continues, some have risen concerns about men’s struggles with loneliness. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that, compared to women, men do not report feeling lonely more often or having fewer close friends. However, men appear to be less likely to turn to their networks for social connection and emotional support.
About one in six Americans (16%) say they feel lonely or isolated from those around them all or most of the time – including roughly equal shares of men and women. About four in ten adults (38%) say they sometimes feel lonely, and 47% say they rarely or never feel lonely.
Although experiences of loneliness do not differ much by gender, they do differ significantly by age.
Adults under 50 are much more likely than those 50 and older to say they often feel lonely (22% vs. 9%). Among age groups, adults 65 and older are most likely to say yes hardly ever or never that’s how they feel (66%).
We also asked Americans where they would turn for emotional support if they needed it. Women are more likely than men to say they would extremely or very likely turn to each of the following sources for this type of support:
Men and women alike will say they have at least one close friend – and most do. But men who have close friends do not communicate with them as often as women. A higher proportion of women than men say they text, communicate on social media, and talk on the phone or video chat with a close friend at least a few times a week.
Related: How Americans see men and masculinity
This nationally representative survey of 6,204 US adults was conducted September 3-15, 2024 by the Center American Trends Panel.