5 ways to rebuild human connection at speed and scale

"Across every measure, from health to economic productivity to civic trust, America's social fabric is fraying. Nearly half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely; only one in five employees say they have a close friend at work; and according to the Pew Research Center declining trust costs the economy an estimated 1-2% of GDP each year through friction and inefficiency. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that loneliness now rivals smoking in its impact on health."

"America's connection crisis is not just emotional. It is structural. Over the past century, shifts in technology, mobility, and culture have eroded the everyday interactions that once anchored civic life. While families now spend 70% less time with friends than two decades ago (American Time Use Survey, 2023), having strong and secure connections can increase someone's life expectancy by 50% (Stanford Center on Longevity, 2023)."

"While disconnection is systemic, so too are the solutions. Connection, experts argue, should be understood not as a behavior but as infrastructure: a measurable system of trust, empathy, and belonging that underpins public health, safety, and productivity. At the summit, leaders agreed that reversing disconnection requires coordinated design across sectors, embedding connection outcomes into how companies, governments, and communities operate. And the time is now."

The United States faces a fraying social fabric across health, economic productivity, and civic trust, with nearly half of adults feeling lonely and only one in five employees reporting a close friend at work. Declining trust costs the economy an estimated 1–2% of GDP annually, and loneliness now rivals smoking in its health impact. Volunteering is presented as a scalable, evidence-based solution to close the connection gap. Connection should be treated as infrastructure—a measurable system of trust, empathy, and belonging that underpins public health, safety, and productivity. Reversing disconnection requires coordinated design and embedding connection outcomes across companies, governments, and communities.

Read at Big Think