A new survey by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) shows that at one time, most local residents conversed with their fellow neighbors, but in 2026, that is disappearing.
AEI surveyed 5,357 U.S. adults and asked them how much time they spent speaking with their neighbors each week.
Their findings:
In 2012, 59% of Americans said they regularly spoke to their neighbors. Today, that number is only 40%.
Among age groups, those 65 and older saw a small decline over the same period, from 63% to 56%, while those ages 18 to 29 saw a larger drop, from 51% to 25%.
AEI researchers pointed out a few reasons why younger people don’t connect in person with their neighbors: they often move to a new town, and they grew up in the pandemic or began working remotely, never having a one-on-one in-person contact with fellow employees or customers.
Also, Gen Zers would rather communicate using cell phones.
One area that helped you talk to your neighbor was church and religious activities. The age group that benefited from this was older Americans, but over the last decade, younger groups like Gen Z have not attended church services on a regular basis.
