No One to Confide In

Churches, are you paying attention? People are depending on family more and more but live away from family more and more. Providing the network that people can lean on when they are in need is right up the church's alley. From a USA Today article by Janet Kornblum titled "Study: 25% of Americans have no one to confide in":

Americans have a third fewer close friends and confidants than just two decades ago - a sign that people may be living lonelier, more isolated lives than in the past. In 1985, the average American had three people in whom to confide matters that were important to them, says a study in today's American Sociological Review. In 2004, that number dropped to two, and one in four had no close confidants at all… The percentage of people who confide only in family increased from 57% to 80%, and the number who depend totally on a spouse is up from 5% to 9%, the study found. "If something happens to that spouse or partner, you may have lost your safety net," Smith-Lovin says… The chief suspects: More people live in the suburbs and spend more time at work, Putnam says, leaving less time to socialize or join groups. Also, people have more entertainment tools such as TV, iPods and computers, so they can stay home and tune out. But some new trends, such as online social networking, may help counter the effect, he says.