Americans are less likely than people abroad to feel close to others in their country and community, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey of 24 nations. This is especially the case among certain groups of Americans, including younger adults, those with lower incomes and less education, those who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, and those who are religiously unaffiliated.
How we did this
Across all 24 countries surveyed, a median of 83% of adults say they feel very or somewhat close to other people in their country. A majority of U.S. adults (66%) also hold this view, but Americans are the least likely among those in the countries surveyed to do so.
Even fewer Americans feel close to people in their local community: 54% feel a connection to others near them, compared with a median of 78% of adults across all 24 countries. South Korea is the only country with a lower share of adults who feel connected with others in their community (50%).
Feeling close to other Americans
Some Americans are less likely than others to feel a connection to people in […]
This gained stark clarity once I moved to Europe where I ended up living for several years. The difference was truly astonishing. My first day in a house in the Italian countryside, the next door neighbor in her 60s, showed up with the ingredients to make gnocchi. She quickly unpacked them and went to work. While filling me in on who was who and what was what.
Best pasta ever! While living in Rome, I was often amused when an upstairs neighbor would lean out from her window to her downstairs neighbor..oh, Maria, your Pietro came home very late last night! Pietro being the wayward son.
Italians love to tease each other. Most have guns, which they use to hunt game in Autumn. Food to supplement their tables. Mass shootings are extremely rare despite the number of guns. Violent crimes are rare. I believe the ongoing close interaction, socializing is part of what keeps murder rates and violence at very low numbers.
Sam, I suspect that your observations are spot on.
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