Derek Thompson reports that the share of Americans who regularly host guests at home has declined 70% since 1975, with monthly dinner party attendance dropping by half between 1975 and 1998. New polling by Data For Progress confirms the trend continues into the 21st century, fulfilling Robert Putnam's prediction from Bowling Alone that casual social visiting could nearly disappear.
Background
Robert Putnam's 2000 book Bowling Alone documented the decline of American civic engagement and social capital. The DDB Needham Life Style survey, conducted from the 1950s onward, has tracked Americans' social and leisure habits for decades.
- Source
- hackernews
- Published
- Sep 29, 2026 at 07:14 PM
- Score
- 5.0 / 10