Americans aren't feeling so neighborly anymore

Reproducted from AEI ; Chart: Axios Visuals Americans are spending more time at home, yet many have become strangers to their neighbors — especially young Americans , who are increasingly unlikely to socialize with those living feet away. Why it matters: Without casual conversations with neighbors — who are often from other races, or have different religions and political ideologies — people risk becoming more isolated and more dependent on superficial, algorithm-driven digital communities. By the numbers: In 2012, 51% of young Americans regularly engaged with neighbors, according to a new AEI report . Today, that number has plummeted to 25%. By contrast, 56% of seniors socialize with neighbors, a seven-point drop since 2012. More broadly, 59% of Americans chatted with neighbors a few times per week in 2012. In 2025, that number is 41%. What they're saying: Daniel Cox, head report researcher and director of the Survey Center on American Life at AEI, tells Axios that technology deserves some of the blame. "In the previous generation, if you sat around your apartment long enough, you started to go stir crazy, and that would often compel people to go out," he said. He said that homes have become entertainment bunkers that let Americans stream, scroll, get directions, and find recommendations without knocking on a neighbor's door. While independence is "empowering" there's a "pernicious element too... It's sort of changing the culture around what we can expect from each other and particularly our neighbors," Cox said. Zoom in: Young people are also more likely to live in new cities, live among strangers and frequently relocate. Whereas someone who's lived in the same community for decades has years to build relationships. The intrigue: Cox said young Americans also talk less with neighbors because they have less practice with face-to-face connections during their formative years. He noted that young people who grew up in the pandemic ...

Original source: Axios