Rising life expectancy, declining fertility, and changing partnership patterns are disrupting traditional families and may increase the importance of friendship in later life. Older adults without partners or children (e.g., unpartnered, childless, and “kinless”) might rely more on friendships for support. Yet, friendship remains understudied in aging research, especially across diverse global contexts. This study uses data from the World Values Survey and United Nations (64,277 adults aged 45+ across 87 countries) to examine how family structure, region, and development level influence the value placed on friendship. The results reveal regional variation in friendship emphasis, high value placed on friendship among those who have never had a partner or child regardless of global context, and high emphasis on friendship among those with disrupted partnerships specifically in highly developed countries. Findings highlight the need to prioritize friendship in research and policy, especially with accelerating demographic shifts occurring globally.
BliesznerR. (2014). The worth of friendship: Can friends keep us happy and healthy?Generations, 38(1), 24–30. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26556021.
3.
BliesznerR.OgletreeA. M.AdamsR. G. (2019). Friendship in later life: A research agenda. Innovation in Aging, 3(1), igz005. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igz005
4.
CantorM. H. (1979). Neighbors and friends: An overlooked resource in the informal support system. Research on Aging, 1(4), 434–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/016402757914002
5.
CarstensenL. L. (1992). Social and emotional patterns in adulthood: Support for socioemotional selectivity theory. Psychology and Aging, 7(3), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.7.3.331
6.
ChenY.FeeleyT. H. (2014). Social support, social strain, loneliness, and well-being among older adults: An analysis of the health and retirement study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31(2), 141–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407513488728
7.
DavidovE.MeulemanB.CieciuchJ.SchmidtP.BillietJ. (2014). Measurement equivalence in cross-national research. Annual Review of Sociology, 40(1), 55–75. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071913-043137
FioriK. L.AntonucciT. C.CortinaK. S. (2006). Social network typologies and mental health among older adults. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61(1), P25–P32. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/61.1.p25
10.
FioriK. L.WindsorT. D.HuxholdO. (2020). The increasing importance of friendship in late life: Understanding the role of sociohistorical context in social development. Gerontology, 66(3), 286–294. https://doi.org/10.1159/000505547
11.
FisherA. N.StinsonD. A.WoodJ. V.HolmesJ. G.CameronJ. J. (2021). Singlehood and attunement of self-esteem to friendships. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(7), 1326–1334. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620978023
12.
HaerpferC.InglehartR.MorenoA.WelzelC.KizilovaK.Diez-MedranoJ.LagosM.NorrisP.PonarinE.PuranenB. (Eds.), (2022). World values survey: Round seven – country-Pooled datafile version 6.0. JD systems institute & WVSA secretariat. https://doi.org/10.14281/18241.24
HuxholdO.MicheM.SchüzB. (2014). Benefits of having friends in older ages: Differential effects of informal social activities on well-being in middle-aged and older adults. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 69(3), 366–375. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt029
15.
InglehartR.BakerW. E. (2000). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review, 65(1), 19–51. https://doi.org/10.2307/2657288
16.
KahnR. L.AntonucciT. C. (1980). Convoys over the life course: Attachment, roles, and social support. In BaltesP. B.BrimO. G.Jr (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (3, pp. 253–286): Academic Press.
17.
LuP.OhJ.LeahyK. E.ChopikW. J. (2021). Friendship importance around the world: Links to cultural factors, health, and well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 570839. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570839
18.
MairC. A. (2019). Alternatives to aging alone?: ‘kinlessness’ and the importance of friends across European contexts. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74(8), 1416–1428. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz029
19.
MoormanS. M.PaiM. (2024). Social support from family and friends, educational attainment, and cognitive function. Journal of Applied Gerontology: The Official Journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 43(4), 396–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648231203840
20.
NgY. T.HuoM.GleasonM. E.NeffL. A.CharlesS. T.FingermanK. L. (2021). Friendships in old age: Daily encounters and emotional well-being. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76(3), 551–562. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa007
21.
PittavinoM.ArpinoB.PiraniE. (2025). Kinlessness at older ages: Prevalence and heterogeneity in 27 countries. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 80(1), gbae180. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae180
22.
SantosH. C.VarnumM. E. W.GrossmannI. (2017). Global increases in individualism. Psychological Science, 28(9), 1228–1239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617700622
23.
SchnettlerS.WöhlerT. (2016). No children in later life, but more and better friends? Substitution mechanisms in the personal and support networks of parents and the childless in Germany. Ageing & Society, 36(7), 1339–1363.
24.
SongI.KwonJ.-W.JeonS. M. (2023b). The relative importance of friendship to happiness increases with age. PLoS One, 18(7), Article e0288095. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288095
25.
TeerawichitchainanB.KimD.HoC. (2024). Childlessness, social network profiles in midlife and late adulthood, and their implications for subjective well-being. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 79(6), gbae055. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae055
26.
United Nations Development Programme. (2022). Human development report 2021–22: Uncertain times, unsettled lives: Shaping our future in a transforming world. United Nations Development Programme.
27.
VerderyA. M.MargolisR.ZhouZ.ChaiX.RittirongJ. (2019). Kinlessness around the world. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74(8), 1394–1405. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby138
28.
WrzusC.HanelM.WagnerJ.NeyerF. J. (2013). Social network changes and life events across the life span: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 53–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028601
