The Ties that Bind are Fraying
How many people have you discussed important issues with over the past six months? Sociologists asked that question in the 1985 and created the first picture of Americans’ networks of confidants. Answers to the same question in 2004 uncovered something remarkable: Americans had one-third fewer confidants than two decades earlier. It seems a close, homogeneous set of social ties may be emerging, focused on the strong bonds of the nuclear family but not those with neighbors or other affiliates.
