Nearly a quarter of Americans without college degrees — and 35 percent of Black Americans without degrees — report having no close friends. This is one of the key findings from "Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life," which I published today alongside Daniel Cox and the Survey Center on American Life. Our report finds a persistent educational divide in who benefits from civic opportunity, membership, friendship, and social support in American communities. A few relevant findings along these lines include: ► Among Americans without degrees, 28 percent have no access to public or commercial spaces in their communities, compared to 14 percent among Americans with degrees ► Americans without degrees are significantly less likely than Americans with degrees to be members of religious groups (27 percent vs. 39 percent), community groups (9 percent vs. 25 percent), and parent groups (6 percent vs. 23 percent) ► Black Americans without degrees experience the lowest levels of social support of any group: 22 percent say no one could provide them with a place to stay if they needed it, and 30 percent report having no one to loan them $200 in a time of need Our findings offer a sobering picture of the degree to which education has become the dividing line in our social lives. For Americans without degrees—particularly Black Americans—the civic opportunities, responsibilities, and relationships that imbue life with meaning seem increasingly out of reach. Follow the link below to check out the full report, and please consider sharing it with others. 👉 https://lnkd.in/esPJ4PbV
Sam Pressler This is fantastic research. I'm very intrigued at the root cause here. Why is higher education indicative of such a dividing line for community building behaviors? Is it the education itself, or the factors that give people opportunity/desire for higher education? Any thoughts?
These findings highlight a concerning trend in the growing class divide in American civic life. The disparities in access to public spaces, community groups, and social support are especially striking. What potential solutions do you think could help bridge this gap and promote greater civic engagement among Americans without degrees?
Thanks for sharing this powerful research, and for the work you're doing to try to bridge these gaps.
Nick Falvo : I’d be so curious to know what this looks like in Canada! Fascinating research.
This is sobering data. Considering the life-saving implications of social support and friendship, I look forward to doing what I can to be part of the solution.
This is so interesting! Glad you are digging into this complex problem 👏
Trying to make my grandmas proud
2moJust to underscore how much things seem to have shifted in a generation, only three percent of Americans without a degree reported having no close friends in 1990. That's an eightfold increase in just over 30 years.