US trends in social isolation, social engagement, and companionship ⎯ nationally and by age, sex, race/ethnicity, family income, and work hours, 2003–2020

Social Connections, Belonging, and Remote Work

“…This statistic aligns closely with the observation that almost half of all Americans experience a level of loneliness that affects their health in profound ways (2,3). Hence, loneliness and social isolation affects many people across society, including those with poor physical or mental health, financial insecurities, or disabilities — regardless of age, race, or income (4). This affects the workplace and employees, including remote workers.…”

“…This affects the workplace and employees, including remote workers. To add to these concerns, social isolation and feelings of loneliness are almost twice as high among young adults compared with those 65 and older (4). This makes efforts to connect remote workers and build an organizational culture of belonging even more important when considering attracting young talent into the organization.…”

National Health Guidelines for Social Connection: What Is the Evidence in Support and What Might the Guidelines Say?

“…Trends over time are not possible without data collection over time. For example, the American Time Use Survey has data over two decades, quantifying the number of minutes per day that individuals spend interacting with others, pointing to concerning trends of increasing social isolation and decreasing social engagement (Kannan & Veazie, 2022). However, social data need to be paired with objective health data to conclude what threshold needs to be achieved for health resilience.…”

The Value of Connectedness

“…Kannan and Vezie (2023) have noted six national trends for social connection with data from 2003 to 2020, a scant 17 years, and only 1 year into the pandemic. On an individual basis, there has been…”