Social Connections Over the Life Course: Appreciating Distinct Dimensions of Social Connections

Abstract

Despite growing attention to the social isolation crisis in the U.S., it remains unclear whether Americans experience a decline in social connection with age. Given the complex nature of social connections, this study argues that we need to ask a different question – which domains of social connections decline with age. Using representative egocentric network data (Person-to-Person Health Interview; N = 2,603) to measure core discussion networks and representative time-diary data (American Time Use Survey; N = 35,900) to measure daily social interactions, we find diverging age differences across two dimensions of social connections. These results present a complex picture of social connections. Specifically, people maintain a consistent core discussion network of confidants across all ages. However, daily social interactions decline with age. Additionally, we find that social roles have a sizable impact on daily social interactions but little impact on core discussion networks across the life course.