Social networks shrinking dramatically

Americans' circle of confidants has shrunk dramatically in the past two decades, as the number of people who say they have no one with whom to discuss important matters has more than doubled, according to a study by sociologists at Duke University, Durham, N.C., and the University of Arizona, Tucson.

"The evidence shows that Americans have fewer confidants and those ties are also more family-based than they used to be," says Lynn Smith-Lovin, professor of sociology at Duke. "This change indicates something that's not good for our society. Ties with a close network of people create a safety net. These ties also lead to civil engagement and local political action"

The study compared data from 1985 and 2004 and found that the mean number of people with whom Americans can discuss matters important to them dropped from 2.94 to 2.08. Researchers also discovered that the number of individuals who said they had no one with whom to discuss such matters more than doubled, to nearly 25%. Both family and nonfamily confidants dropped, with the loss greatest in nonfamily connections.

The study paints a picture of Americans' social contacts as a "densely connected, close, homogenous set of ties slowly closing in on itself, becoming smaller, more tightly interconnected, more focused on the very strong bonds of the nuclear family." That means fewer contacts created through clubs, neighbors, and organizations outside the home--a phenomenon popularly known as "bowling alone," from the book of the same title.

Researchers speculate that changes in communities and families, such as the increase in the number of hours that family members spend at work and the influence of Internet communication, may be contributing to the decrease in the size of close-knit circles of friends and relatives.

Moreover, Americans are stratified according to education and race when it comes to social networks. African-Americans and other nonwhites have smaller networks of confidants than whites. Black men over age 60 have seen the biggest decline, from 3.6 people to 1.8.

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