Solidarity and social connection are foundational to human flourishing. At Capita, we work with elected officials, philanthropists, community leaders, academics, and others to help build a picture of what political and economic systems can look like with solidarity and care at their core.
While studies confirm that loneliness is a significant issue in American society, the common portrayal is often too simplistic and overlooks the deeper, systemic, root causes. Experiences of loneliness are both social-emotional and existential.
This May, we funded a national survey on loneliness in America – the first of its kind – which Harvard’s Making Caring Common, designed and launched using YouGov’s panel of adult Americans. The survey explores perceptions of loneliness across our communities, including how it affects different generations, parents, and caregivers. Additionally, it looks into who and what Americans hold responsible for loneliness and social disconnection, as well as potential personal, political, and societal solutions.
Some key findings including:
On August 27, The New York Times Magazine published Why Is the Loneliness Epidemic so Hard to Cure?, which draws on results from this survey.
“People can be surrounded by others and still feel deeply lonely. The lack of quality relationships is just as big a problem as the lack of quantity.” -Loneliness in America, Making Caring Common Project at Harvard
Read the reportAbout the survey
In early May of 2024, MCC conducted a national survey of 1,500 adults in the U.S. using YouGov’s popular panel. The respondents were matched to a politically representative sampling frame on gender, age, race, and education, and the dataset was then weighted to this frame using propensity scores. For more information regarding methodology and sampling, please contact Milena at milena_batanova@gse.harvard.edu.
Our work on building a culture of solidarity and care is supported by our partners the Steelcase Foundation, Reach Out and Read, UpTogether, Imaginable Futures, NC Child, the Omidyar Network, and Openfields.