The story of modern America, especially for working-class Americans, is a tale of declining connections and friendships resulting in a profound sense of isolation that adversely affects economic mobility.
According to the American Enterprise Institute's 2024 American Social Capital Survey, individuals with high school diplomas or less engage less frequently in public and community activities compared to their college-educated counterparts.
The decline in friendships is most concerning among high school graduates, with a rise in those reporting zero close friends reaching 10 percent in 2024, compared to just 2 percent in 1990.
The isolation faced by tens of millions of working-class Americans perpetuates itself through a lack of common spaces, interactions, and shared experiences, further entrenching their loneliness.
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