Study: Americans' circle of close friends, confidants shrinking

Nearly one in every four Americans has no close confidant, according to a study that found that the average person's circle of close friends has shrunk considerably in the last two decades.

Photo: Study: Americans' circle of close friends, confidants shrinking

The study, published Friday in the American Sociological Review, found that Americans' social contacts are focusing less on neighbors and more "on the very strong bonds of the nuclear family."

"The evidence shows that Americans have fewer confidants and those ties are also more family-based than they used to be," said Lynn Smith-Lovin, a sociology professor at Duke University and one of the study's authors.

Possible causes of the shrinking circle of close contacts include an increase in work hours and the influence of Internet communication, the authors said.

The study is based on face-to-face interviews of 1,467 people conducted in 2004, compared with a similar number of interviews conducted in 1985.

Those interviewed in 1985 had an average of almost three confidants they felt they could share important matters with. By 2004 the average was barely two.

The number of people who say they have no one with whom to discuss important matters more than doubled to nearly 25 percent in 2004, up from 10 percent of those surveyed in 1985.

The authors, who include researchers from the University of Arizona, said a broader network of friends creates a "safety net," more civic engagement and local political action.

Asheville residents Nick and Kendra Sherrod felt like they lost their social safety net when he left the Navy. After a couple of months of civilian life, "I still felt like I didn't have any friends here," said Kendra, 36.

Now, with her husband out of the military a little more than a year, she is starting a welcome club to help locals meet, reports AP.

O.Ch.