The Fact
The World Happiness Report, using U.S. time-use data, found that among Americans who lived with other people, 18% ate all of their meals alone on the previous day in 2023, compared with 12% in 2003.
What This Means
Living under the same roof no longer guarantees shared daily life. A growing share of people in multi-person households are eating every meal alone, which gives a concrete measure of how work schedules, commuting, caregiving, and fragmented household routines can leave people socially separated even inside a shared home.
Sources
- Helliwell, John F., et al., eds. World Happiness Report 2025. Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford, March 2025. https://worldhappiness.report/