Americans' increasing antisocial habits, explained in one chart

Vox

20-03-2025

The finding, released this week, relies on data from the American Time Use Survey and shows that in 2023 about one in four Americans ate all of their meals alone the previous day, an increase of 53 percent since 2003. The analysis also found that eating meals solo, including at home or out at a restaurant, has become more common in all age groups, but most pronounced among those under 35.
'The extent to which one shares meals,' says Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, a professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Oxford and co-editor of the World Happiness Report, 'is an extraordinary proxy for measuring people's social connections and their social capital. It underpins people's social support. It drives prosocial behaviors, and all of that, in turn, leads it to be a very strong indicator — predictor — for people's life satisfaction.'
Economic factors, like high income and employment status, are often used as indicators of happiness. But researchers found the ritual of sharing meals to be an even more effective indicator of general well-being than job status and salary. 'That surprised us as a research team,' De Neve says.
The most obvious driver of solo dining is the rise of solo living. The share of single-person households in the US has steadily increased since the 1940s, when just under 8 percent of homes were occupied by one individual. By 2020, that number had grown to 27 percent. But even those who cohabitate choose to eat their meals alone. In 2023, about 18 percent of Americans who lived with others ate all of their meals alone the day prior, the report found, compared to 12 percent in 2003 — a 50 percent increase.
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Because more young people under 35 are dining alone — a 180 percent increase over the last two decades — De Neve suspects the trend is reflective of changing norms: College students choosing to scroll social media on their phones while in the dining hall or young adults opting out of lunch with their colleagues. As social media and smartphones became more entrenched in the 2010s, the less often people shared meals with others. (De Neve has no explanation for the spike in solo dining in 2011.)
Research shows that those who eat with others are happier, more satisfied with life, more trusting, have more friends, and are more engaged in their communities.
The finding also points to increasingly individualistic habits. Solitary pursuits branded as 'self-care' may have led to increased isolation. The top reason cited by those who considered eating alone in restaurants in 2024 was to get more 'me time,' according to consumer research polling from OpenTable and Kayak.
The rise of solo dining has implications beyond the table. Research shows that those who eat with others are happier, more satisfied with life, more trusting, have more friends, and are more engaged in their communities. Increased social isolation meanwhile can lead to feelings of loneliness, which, in turn, can lead to cardiovascular health risks and increased feelings of depression, risk, and anxiety.
On a broader scale, loneliness and solitary tendencies breed distrust, which has profound consequences for the state of civil society. The simple act of sharing a meal with a colleague or friend can help bridge divides and increase well-being.