As solo dining surges and social trust plummets, the U.S. hits a new low in global happiness rankings.
Washington, May 11
Americans are increasingly eating alone and increasingly unhappy. According to the 2024 World Happiness Report, the United States has fallen to 24th place, its lowest ranking ever. In contrast, the country ranked 11th in 2012 when the report first began.
One significant indicator behind the decline? Loneliness. Data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics shows a 53% increase in people eating all meals alone since 2003. Among adults under 25, solo dining is up by 80%, a statistic Oxford professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve calls “disconcerting.” “The more we eat alone, the less we share, connect, or challenge each other’s views,” De Neve said, warning that rising isolation contributes not just to misery, but to political polarisation and radicalisation.
The report links social isolation to a decline in trust in others, which has dropped from 50% to 30% since the 1970s in the U.S. It argues that this erosion of social cohesion has contributed to the rise of anti-establishment political movements, including the election of Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Finland topped the happiness index for the eighth consecutive year, credited with high levels of trust, social support, and “weekly sauna sessions.” Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola said that in smaller countries like Finland, people still “know they need each other.”
Other climbers in the happiness rankings include Costa Rica (No. 6) and Mexico (No. 10), both of which broke into the top ten for the first time, as well as Lithuania and Slovenia, which also moved up. As for the U.S., the question lingers: Can a nation of solo diners find its way back to connection and contentment?
