01
Background & macro
Every national statistic in the summary and presentation, what it measures, and where it comes from. Figures are listed in the order they appear in the presentation.
of Gen Z report loneliness, the highest of any generation.
From Cigna’s national survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults, fielded July–August 2019. Gen Z was defined as ages 18–22. 79% scored as lonely on the UCLA Loneliness Scale; 73% said they sometimes or always feel alone. Cigna’s 2025 follow-up put Gen Z loneliness at 67%, still the highest of any generation.
of 18–25-year-olds report serious loneliness.
Harvard’s Making Caring Common project surveyed U.S. adults in October 2020. “Serious loneliness” means feeling lonely frequently or almost all the time in the prior four weeks. Fieldwork was during the pandemic.
of 18–25-year-olds report depression (29%) and anxiety (36%).
About twice the rate reported by teenagers in the same survey (15% and 18%). National survey fielded December 2022.
of 18–25-year-olds say they lack meaning or purpose in their lives.
Share reporting little or no meaning or purpose in the prior month. Same survey as above.
hours a week spent with friends, ages 18–29, 2010 to 2025.
Most of the decline came before COVID: the figure had already fallen to 6.5 hours by 2019. It dropped to 4.2 hours in 2020 and has recovered only to about 5.
a day spent socializing in person, ages 15–24, 2005 to 2025.
The steepest decline of any age group over the period. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey.
of Americans say they have ten or more close friends, 1990 to 2021.
Over the same period, the share with no close friends rose from 3% to 12%.
higher likelihood of survival for people with stronger social relationships.
A meta-analysis of 148 studies covering 308,849 people, followed for an average of 7.5 years. The study reports this as a 50% greater likelihood of survival for people with stronger relationships. The summary and slide 5 state the same finding from the other side: people with weak relationships are more likely to die early.
of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, the lowest in Gallup’s trend.
Gallup began asking in 1939. 2026 was the second straight year at this record low. Fieldwork July 1–19, 2026.
of 18–34-year-olds drink alcohol, 2001 to 2026.
72% is Gallup’s 2001–2003 average. The figure was 58% in 2023 and 50% in 2026. Young adults went from the age group most likely to drink to the least likely.
decline since 2001 in the number of movie theaters (about one-fifth) and bowling alleys (nearly one-third).
Establishment counts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
share of U.S. gym members who are under 25, 2015 to 2024.
growth in running clubs on Strava in 2025, year over year.