* Count and date for 1990 survey not provided by source. The 1990 survey was conducted over the telephone. Both surveys were based on random samples, delineated to represent the country's adult population.
The source does not provide any information regarding missing percentage points to 100 percent.
Citation formats
Number of close friends had by adults in the U.S. in 1990 and 2021
According to a survey conducted among adults in the United States in May 2021, 12 percent of respondents said they had no close friends. This marked an increase compared to a three percent share of U.S. adults stating the same thing during a survey conducted in 1990. Conversely, the percentage of Americans who said they had 10 or more close friends decreased from 33 percent in 1990 to 13 percent in 2021. The decrease of larger friend groups went hand in hand with a rise of adults stating they had between one to four close friends.
A stateside social recession?
Americans marrying later, working longer hours, and becoming more geographically mobile are some elements posited as potential reasons for the nation's increasing loneliness - all this without mentioning the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Survey Center on American Life. (June 8, 2021). Number of close friends had by adults in the United States in 1990 and 2021 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 31, 2026, from /statistics/1358672/number-of-close-friends-us-adults/
Survey Center on American Life. "Number of close friends had by adults in the United States in 1990 and 2021." Chart. June 8, 2021. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 31, 2026. /statistics/1358672/number-of-close-friends-us-adults/
Survey Center on American Life. (2021). Number of close friends had by adults in the United States in 1990 and 2021. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 31, 2026. /statistics/1358672/number-of-close-friends-us-adults/
Survey Center on American Life. "Number of Close Friends Had by Adults in The United States in 1990 and 2021." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 8 Jun 2021, /statistics/1358672/number-of-close-friends-us-adults/
Survey Center on American Life, Number of close friends had by adults in the United States in 1990 and 2021 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1358672/number-of-close-friends-us-adults/ (last visited July 31, 2026)
Number of close friends had by adults in the United States in 1990 and 2021 [Graph], Survey Center on American Life, June 8, 2021. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1358672/number-of-close-friends-us-adults/
