ocial connections make for a good life. Yet isolation and social disconnection appear to be on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic and rise of social media have seemingly triggered a new ecosystem of human interaction across the world, creating these concerns. Those are general impressions and fears, but Gallup has looked deeper into the question by asking how people actually feel.
The State of Social Connections Report, a new Gallup study in collaboration with Meta, analyzed people’s social connections in seven countries: Brazil, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States. Between April and June 2022, Gallup and Meta surveyed at least 2,000 people aged 15+ in each country, seeking to answer important questions such as how people are connecting with each other and where people seek social support.
Not So Isolated After All
According to the study, large majorities of people across countries feel connected to others. Majorities said they felt “very” or “fairly” connected to others when asked about feelings of connectedness. Those surveyed in Egypt and France reported the highest ratings of connection, with 87% in Egypt and 82% in France who said they felt very or fairly connected to others. 75% of people in the U.S. said they felt very or fairly connected. Mexico and Brazil came in the lowest percentages, with 65% and 53% respectively.
The study found that proximity matters for social connection. People most often interact with friends or family located nearby. Brazil and Egypt reported the highest levels of interaction with friends or family who live with or near them at 78% and 77%. Indonesia came in at 59%, India at 57%, and Egypt at 55%. On the other end of the spectrum, only 29% in France and 26% in the U.S. reported this type of interaction.
People reported connecting with others in-person most frequently. Most respondents—78% in Egypt, 71% in the U.S., 67% in Brazil, and 63% in France reported they had in-person interactions at least once a day in the past week. Yet in-person isn’t the only way people connect. Across the surveyed countries, excluding India and Indonesia, more than 60% used two methods to connect with people, ranging from voice calls, video calls, email, texting, social media, and online gaming.
Does Social Media Hinder In-Person Interaction?
The study discovered no association between the use of social media for interaction and less frequent in-person interaction. Instead, the study found that people who use social media daily to interact with others are more likely to have in-person interactions. Additionally, social media is a common tool people use to get help or support, and it has often broadened options for those seeking support instead of replacing other avenues of interaction.
The study found that those who positively view others are less likely to feel lonely. Loneliness was more closely related to people’s perceptions of others than demographic or socioeconomic factors across the seven countries surveyed. On a four-point scale, measures of loneliness were low in France and Indonesia and moved up to a moderate range in Egypt.
Like the concept of social connection, loneliness is nuanced and complex. This means that feelings of loneliness are not always dependent on social connection. A person could be lonely and report high levels of social connection, while the opposite can be true. However, as the Meta-Gallup study points out, feelings of loneliness are more frequent among those with less social connectedness.
There’s more to be researched as the new Meta-Gallup study is one of the first to inspect social connection on a global scale. But it’s a step forward to analyzing similar topics such as trust and societal fragmentation—issues that Diplomatic Courier’s sibling organization, World in 2050, researches and investigates.
Overall, the data offers a glimpse into how current social connections are experienced across cultures and the world, and how people have continued to find ways to connect with one another in the wake of pandemic disruptions and in the age of social media.
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Social Connections and Loneliness Post-Pandemic
Photo via Pixabay.
November 1, 2022
Social connections make for a good life, yet isolation and social disconnection appear to be on the rise. With their new State of Social Connections Report, Gallup has looked deeper into this question of social connectedness by asking how people actually feel, writes Whitney DeVries.
S
ocial connections make for a good life. Yet isolation and social disconnection appear to be on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic and rise of social media have seemingly triggered a new ecosystem of human interaction across the world, creating these concerns. Those are general impressions and fears, but Gallup has looked deeper into the question by asking how people actually feel.
The State of Social Connections Report, a new Gallup study in collaboration with Meta, analyzed people’s social connections in seven countries: Brazil, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States. Between April and June 2022, Gallup and Meta surveyed at least 2,000 people aged 15+ in each country, seeking to answer important questions such as how people are connecting with each other and where people seek social support.
Not So Isolated After All
According to the study, large majorities of people across countries feel connected to others. Majorities said they felt “very” or “fairly” connected to others when asked about feelings of connectedness. Those surveyed in Egypt and France reported the highest ratings of connection, with 87% in Egypt and 82% in France who said they felt very or fairly connected to others. 75% of people in the U.S. said they felt very or fairly connected. Mexico and Brazil came in the lowest percentages, with 65% and 53% respectively.
The study found that proximity matters for social connection. People most often interact with friends or family located nearby. Brazil and Egypt reported the highest levels of interaction with friends or family who live with or near them at 78% and 77%. Indonesia came in at 59%, India at 57%, and Egypt at 55%. On the other end of the spectrum, only 29% in France and 26% in the U.S. reported this type of interaction.
People reported connecting with others in-person most frequently. Most respondents—78% in Egypt, 71% in the U.S., 67% in Brazil, and 63% in France reported they had in-person interactions at least once a day in the past week. Yet in-person isn’t the only way people connect. Across the surveyed countries, excluding India and Indonesia, more than 60% used two methods to connect with people, ranging from voice calls, video calls, email, texting, social media, and online gaming.
Does Social Media Hinder In-Person Interaction?
The study discovered no association between the use of social media for interaction and less frequent in-person interaction. Instead, the study found that people who use social media daily to interact with others are more likely to have in-person interactions. Additionally, social media is a common tool people use to get help or support, and it has often broadened options for those seeking support instead of replacing other avenues of interaction.
The study found that those who positively view others are less likely to feel lonely. Loneliness was more closely related to people’s perceptions of others than demographic or socioeconomic factors across the seven countries surveyed. On a four-point scale, measures of loneliness were low in France and Indonesia and moved up to a moderate range in Egypt.
Like the concept of social connection, loneliness is nuanced and complex. This means that feelings of loneliness are not always dependent on social connection. A person could be lonely and report high levels of social connection, while the opposite can be true. However, as the Meta-Gallup study points out, feelings of loneliness are more frequent among those with less social connectedness.
There’s more to be researched as the new Meta-Gallup study is one of the first to inspect social connection on a global scale. But it’s a step forward to analyzing similar topics such as trust and societal fragmentation—issues that Diplomatic Courier’s sibling organization, World in 2050, researches and investigates.
Overall, the data offers a glimpse into how current social connections are experienced across cultures and the world, and how people have continued to find ways to connect with one another in the wake of pandemic disruptions and in the age of social media.
