Key findings:
- Classes are where most college students make friends, while dorms are the center of college social life for on-campus dwellers
- Gen Z and Millennials are less sociable than older generations, but advocate for colleges to help develop in-person social skills
- Most Americans cite attention spans as younger generations’ weakest social skill
- The majority of Americans believe AI has negatively impacted people’s in-person skills
Classes are where most college students make friends, while dorms are the center of college social life for on-campus dwellers
Among Americans who are attending or attended college, 75% say they made friends from their classes. Other spaces are less common for connection: campus jobs (27%), dorms (24%), parties (19%), dining halls (19%), clubs (17%), sports teams (16%), and Greek life (7%).
Dorms were a significant driver for connection for on-campus residents: among those who lived on campus, 74% made friends in dorms. This declines sharply for off-campus students:
- 44% of those who lived off campus with roommates made friends in dorms
- 17% of those who lived off campus, and 8% who lived at home with family made friends in dorms.
Younger Americans are less sociable in college than older generations, but Gen Z wants to change that
- Fewer initiate conversations with strangers at school: 37% of Gen Z and Millennials report “always” or “often” initiating conversations with people they didn’t know at school, compared with 42% of Gen Xers and 49% of Boomers
- More report feeling lonely in college: 22% of Gen Z and Millennials report “always” or “often” feeling lonely in college, compared with 13% of Gen Xers and 7% of Boomers
Gen Zers are also most likely to advocate for colleges to help students develop specific skills, including:
- In-person communication (71% vs. 57% of Millennials, 53% of Gen Xers)
- Public speaking skills (59% vs. 48% of Millennials, 41% of Gen Xers)
- Professional networking skills (58% vs. 43% of Millennials, 38% of Gen Xers)
When it comes to where colleges should be helping develop these social skills, Gen Zers prefer clubs, activities, and social events (48% vs. 37% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Xers), while Millennials prefer mentoring programs (49% vs. 37% of Gen Zers and 36% of Gen Xers) and communication workshops or classes (45% vs. 33% of Gen Zers and 37% of Gen Xers).
Most Americans cite attention spans as younger generations’ weakest social skill
62% point to poor active listening as young people’s biggest weakness, and 54% say they are unable to stay focused during conversations. Complaints also vary by generation:
- Gen Zers are more likely to cite a lack of confidence in meeting new people (54% vs. 44% of Millennials and 41% of Gen Xers).
- Millennials are more likely than Gen Zers to cite the inability to read body language and social cues (49% vs. 37%).
- Gen Xers point to a lack of active listening (62%) and ability to stay focused during conversations (57%).
- Boomers primarily cite a lack of active listening (67%).
The majority of Americans believe AI has negatively impacted people’s in-person skills
More than half of Americans (55%) believe the use of AI tools, such as chatbots, have negatively impacted people’s in-person skills, compared to 23% who see no impact, and 23% who believe AI usage actually improves in-person social skills.
