We hear a lot about how hard it is to make friends as an adult and a new survey reveals some interesting data about friendships. YouGov asked nearly 40-thousand U.S. adults about how many good friends they have, how hard it is to make friends and whether they’re introverts or extroverts.
The survey finds:
- More than half (55%) of Americans have between two and five close friends. Another 13% have just one close friend and the same number have between six and 10. While 5% have more than 10 close friends, 8% say they have no close friends at all.
- The numbers are similar regardless of gender or political party, but there are some major differences by education and income levels.
- Americans with a high school degree or less education have the highest rate of having just a few close friends, with 29% having zero or one. Just 4% of Americans with postgraduate degrees have no close friends.
- Income levels reflect a similar pattern, with 12% of Americans with the lowest income levels having no close friends and 17% having just one.
- On the flip side, only 4% Americans with the highest income levels have no close friends and 8% have one.
- More Americans consider themselves to be introverts, 59% compared to 30% who say they’re extroverts.
- There are some interesting differences in how those in different college majors feel about making friends. For business majors, being friendly is part of the job and 58% say it’s easy to make friends, while 64% of accounting majors feel the same way.
Source: Today.YouGov