5 reasons Americans are no longer inviting guests into their homes

An analysis suggests that Americans are hosting people at home less often than in previous decades. Experts point to fatigue, work and family demands, high hosting expectations, rising costs, smaller friendship networks and the convenience of screen-based entertainment; the decline matters because fewer social ties can deepen loneliness and isolation.

Data for Progress found that 67% of Americans entertained at home at least once in the past year, compared with 88% in 1995, though the surveys used different methods. Monthly hosting fell from 42% in 1975 to 12% in 2026, while the share with five or more close friends dropped from 63% in 1990 to 38% in 2021. The US surgeon general described loneliness and social isolation as an epidemic in a 2023 advisory.