TL;DR
Get the little things that make your day delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A Data for Progress analysis comparing surveys from 1995 and 2026 found lower reported participation in several in-person social activities, including entertaining at home, attending classes and going to club meetings. The organization cautions that the surveys used different methods, so the results suggest trends rather than precise estimates of change.
A Data for Progress analysis comparing survey responses from 1995 and 2026 found that Americans were less likely to report taking part in several in-person social activities, including entertaining people at home, attending club meetings and going to classes. The organization says the findings point to a broad decline, but differences between the surveys’ methods mean the figures are suggestive, not a precise measure of how behavior changed.
The analysis compared the share of respondents who said they had participated in each activity at least once in the previous 12 months. The largest listed declines were attending a class or seminar, down 22 percentage points; entertaining people at home, down 21 points; and attending church or another place of worship, down 20 points. Going on a picnic, attending a club meeting and playing cards each fell by 19 points.
For home entertaining, the reported share fell from 88% in 1995 to 67% in 2026. Club-meeting attendance declined from 45% to 26%. Other reported decreases included going out for breakfast at a restaurant, down 13 points, and doing volunteer work, down 12 points. These figures describe whether someone took part at least once during the year; they do not show how often participants took part.
Not every activity declined. The analysis reported increases in using the internet, playing a home video game, attending an exercise class, going to a pop or rock concert and taking an airline trip for personal reasons. Internet use had the largest reported increase, at 90 points. The figures are percentage-point changes in reported participation, not estimates of how many times people took part.
Fewer Gatherings Across Daily Life
The results add an activity-by-activity view to existing evidence that Americans spend less time socializing and report fewer close friendships. A decline across settings such as homes, clubs, places of worship and restaurants matters because these are common ways people meet and maintain relationships outside work and family life. The survey does not establish why participation fell or what effects followed, but it offers a snapshot of how reported routines differ across three decades.
The findings are relevant to public discussion about loneliness, though they do not measure loneliness itself. The U.S. surgeon general’s 2023 advisory described American loneliness as an “epidemic.” That advisory and prior surveys provide broader context; the Data for Progress analysis focuses instead on whether respondents reported specific activities during the previous year.
Readers should not treat the point changes as proof that any particular event, technology or social shift caused people to gather less. The comparison records differences in survey answers, not the reasons behind them. It also does not indicate that every person or community experienced the same change.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How the Two Surveys Compare
Data for Progress asked 1,098 U.S. adults how many times they had engaged in various activities during the prior 12 months. Its questions replicated items from the DDB Needham Life Style surveys, which tracked participation from 1975 to 1999 and were referenced in Robert Putnam’s 2000 book, “Bowling Alone.” The analysis selected 1995 because it was the earliest year for which full data were available across all the questions used in the comparison.
The 1995 DDB Needham survey used a stratified quota sampling procedure based on commercial mailing lists and contacted people by mail. The 2026 Data for Progress survey recruited adults through web-panel suppliers, used quota fielding and applied post-stratification weighting. The organizations therefore did not interview people using the same sampling frame or mode.
The analysis sits alongside other research cited by Data for Progress. The American Time Use Survey has tracked Americans spending more time alone and less time with friends than two decades earlier. The American Perspectives Survey found that the share of Americans reporting five or more close friends fell from 63% in 1990 to 38% in 2021. Those measures cover different periods and aspects of social life, so they are related context rather than direct confirmation of every activity-level result in the new comparison.
“The findings below should be read as suggestive of trends, not a precise estimate of change.”
— Data for Progress, in its September 29, 2026 report
board games for family and friends
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Survey Method Limits the Comparison
The central limitation is that the 1995 and 2026 surveys used different methods. They differed in sampling frames, collection modes and weighting. Data for Progress notes that these differences can affect responses, particularly on subjects such as religiosity and loneliness, where survey mode and social-desirability effects may matter. The organization says the consistency and size of the observed patterns still provide a substantial signal, but that judgment does not remove the methodological caveat.
The figures also rely on respondents recalling whether they did each activity in the previous year. The published comparison does not establish whether people attended less frequently, whether access to activities changed, or why participation might have shifted. It does not isolate the effects of technology, work schedules, costs, health, religious affiliation or other possible influences.
Because the results are comparisons between two survey snapshots rather than a continuous measure using identical methods, the reported point changes should not be read as definitive estimates of a precise national decline. The analysis does not establish that social activity fell steadily in every year between 1995 and 2026.
outdoor picnic blanket with waterproof backing
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Further Comparable Data Needed
The report provides no announced follow-up survey date or planned next milestone. The immediate next step for readers and researchers is to interpret the findings alongside other measures of social connection while keeping the methodological differences in view. A future survey using the same sampling, mode and weighting procedures over time could help show whether the reported patterns continue and make year-to-year comparisons more reliable.
For now, the report establishes what respondents in two differently conducted surveys said about participation in selected activities. It does not settle the reasons for the changes or measure how they affect loneliness and social ties. More consistent tracking would be needed to answer those questions with greater confidence.
volunteer activity kits for adults
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Which activities showed the largest reported declines?
Attending a class or seminar fell by 22 percentage points, entertaining people at home by 21 points, and attending church or another place of worship by 20 points, comparing 1995 with 2026.
Did every activity in the comparison decline?
No. Data for Progress reported increases in internet use, home video-game play, exercise-class attendance, pop or rock concert attendance, and personal airline trips. Internet use had a reported increase of 90 percentage points.
How did the report define participation?
Respondents were asked whether they had taken part in each activity at least once in the previous 12 months. The comparison does not measure how frequently participants did an activity.
How reliable is the comparison?
Data for Progress describes the results as suggestive of trends, not a precise estimate, because the 1995 mail survey and 2026 web-panel survey used different sampling and weighting methods. The figures should be interpreted with that limitation in mind.
Does the analysis explain why participation changed?
No. The report compares responses about selected activities but does not identify causes or establish how changes relate to loneliness. Those questions remain open.
Source: hn
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
