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After a prolonged period of social isolation, Americans are dusting off their social calendars. But as Americans try to rebuild and reconnect, a new survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life finds that the social landscape is far less favorable than it once was.

Americans experience widely different levels of social pressure to get the COVID-19 vaccine. And for better or worse, our friends exercise considerable influence over the information we have and the decisions we make.

Many believe there are meaningful differences in sociability based on where Americans reside. New data from AEI’s Survey Center on American Life counters this narrative and finds little difference in the social lives of urbanites, suburbanites, and their rural counterparts.  

The May 2021 American Perspectives Survey finds that Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal support.

In the wake of a once-in-a-generation pandemic that has required sustained national intervention and leadership, Americans may be coming around to the benefits of big government.

In the wake of the Capitol uprising, we have been forced to reckon with the uncomfortable truth that political violence is no longer a theoretical concern.

After the 2020 presidential election, a new survey finds acute partisan disagreement over whether President Biden was legitimately elected and whether political violence can ever be justified. Although most Americans believe the 2020 election was a fair contest, most Republicans disagree and express concerns about voter fraud. Republicans are more likely to embrace political conspiracies, including the existence of a “Deep State” working to thwart Donald Trump’s presidency and the Q-Anon conspiracy that Trump is fighting a cabal of sex traffickers.

The January 2021 American Perspectives Survey looks at post-election sentiments, beliefs in conspiracies, attitudes toward political violence, political segregation, and general feelings toward the United States.

Our survey showed that when our social circles include a more diverse mix of political beliefs, we are more open to argument and less ideologically extreme. And, arguably, the best way to get to this point is to discuss — and disagree about — politics more.

The American Social Network Survey uses a unique design to measure the race, educational background, politics, and religion of our social contacts. The results reveal that personal behavior and beliefs are socially constructed—what we know is influenced by who we know. Americans who have more politically diverse social networks express greater openness to compromise and are less bound to their own beliefs. Racial and ethnic diversity in Americans’ social networks makes one more sensitive to race issues.