How many friends do Americans have? A survey crunched…

New research has delved into what friendship in the U.S. looks like, including just how many friends the average American has.

What are people saying?

Who are they? Friends can be anyone from the folks in your Dungeons & Dragons group, the neighbors in your weekly potluck, or that chatty classmate you started hanging out with from your ceramics course.

• A study released this month from the Pew Research Center crunched the numbers on friendship in the U.S., and just how much they mean to us.

• According to Pew, 61% of adults in the U.S. say that having close friends is essential to living a fulfilling life – that’s more than those who cited marriage, children or money.
• A slim majority of adults surveyed (53%) said they have between one and four close friends. 38% said they had about five or more.

• About 8% said they had no close friends. That adds up with what some experts are describing as an epidemic of loneliness for some Americans.

• Of those friend-having adults, 72% expressed high levels of satisfaction with their friendships. Turns out comradery with your favorite people can leave you feeling content!
• The survey respondents that reported larger groups of friends also felt more satisfied with the quality of their friendships compared to those with fewer close friends. ous ’90s sitcom about friendship were onto something.
• Generally, people talk most about work (shocker!), family and current events. But that frequency can also change depending on gender.
• Women surveyed reported discussing family life, as well as mental and physical health, at higher rates than men. Read more “How many friends do Americans have? A survey crunched the numbers” →