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From the pandemic to new tech habits, adults are adapting to protect the friendships that support health and well-being.
Friendships remain a cornerstone of health and wellness, and most adults say they’re essential to a happy and healthy life. In 2025, 95% of adults say friends are essential, up from 90% in 2019.
At the same time, the past five years have brought major disruptions — an isolating pandemic, rapid technology adoption and a strained political climate. Even so, adults report finding ways to keep friendships going.
Key Findings
Friends are more “essential” than ever
Even after a period marked by social disruption and stress, adults increasingly view friendship as central to well-being: 95% now say friends are essential to a happy and healthy life.
Close friendships look mostly the same — but connection habits are shifting
While the demographic makeup of close friends has remained largely unchanged, adults report subtle but measurable shifts in how friendships function today:
- Adults report fewer close friends than five years ago.
- They’re seeing friends less often in person.
- They’re relying more on texting and social platforms to stay connected.
Technology helps us keep up, yet many say it can reduce depth
Most adults say technology makes it easier to stay in touch and can help people feel closer to friends. But many also believe texting can replace real conversations and make friendships feel less genuine, suggesting that speed and reach don’t always deliver the depth people want. This tension appears especially pronounced for younger adults: With heavier reliance on tech and less in-person connection, Gen Z reports significantly greater feelings of isolation and lack of companionship than older generations.
A Closer Look: Intergenerational Friendships
They’re common and often built around shared interests
More than half of adults (54%) say they have friends from another generation (at least 15 years older or younger).
These friendships are most often tied to:
And while staying connected matters, most people say these friendships include a variety of in-person activities, not just digital touchpoints.
They deliver distinct benefits
Adults overwhelmingly describe intergenerational friendships as offering unique value beyond same-age friendships.
In addition to being good for health and well-being, these relationships can:
Making New Friends: Openness Is High, but So Are Barriers
Most adults are open to new friendships
Nearly nine in ten adults say they’re open to making new friends. While many prefer friends their own age, just as many are open to friends of any age.
But many say it gets harder with age
Nearly half of adults say making new friends is harder as they get older, often citing:
Why It Matters
Friendship remains foundational to health and well-being, yet adults are navigating a new reality where convenience-based connection can crowd out the deeper interactions many people still want. At the same time, the prevalence and benefits of intergenerational friendships — and widespread openness to forming new ones — point to meaningful opportunities to support stronger social connection across ages.
Methodology
The AARP research included a nationally representative online survey of 1,488 U.S. adults age 18 and older, conducted from October 23 to November 10, 2025. Survey data were weighted by generation to reflect the U.S. adult population. This research also included 45‑minute online qualitative interviews with pairs of close friends, including same‑age and intergenerational friendships.
For more information, please contact Kate Bridges at kbridges@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.
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