The share of U.S. adults who say they host friends at home, for example for a meal, has fallen by 70% — from 42% in 1975 to 12% in 2026.
One factor is that parents are spending more time closely supervising their children, alongside a broader decline in socialising among Americans.
The main factor, however, is that hosting requires far more effort than social media or other online activities.
Middle-class parties and gatherings in the U.S. were depicted in some of the best-known works of the 1950s and 1960s, including John Updike’s “Couples.”
“We have built a world where being alone has never been easier, more comfortable, or more entertaining,” journalist Derek Thompson writes. “And then we wonder why everyone stopped coming over.”
Over the past 30 years, the U.S. has also seen double-digit percentage declines across almost every measure of socialising. Americans are now less likely to play cards, attend sporting events, go to bars, volunteer or take part in community projects.
This might suggest that Americans are simply moving their social gatherings from their homes to restaurants and bars. According to Thompson’s article, however, this is not the case.
Source: Derek Thompson
