Who Really Bowls Alone? Cities, Suburbs, and Social Time in the United States

One potential consequence of suburbanization is weaker social connectedness. Based on data from the 2003 to 2013 American Time Use Surveys, this research uses difference of means t-tests, propensity score matching, and Tobit regression to assess whether suburban living is associated with less socializing than city living in mid-to-large American metropolitan areas. After controlling for personal characteristics, we find no meaningful difference in suburbanites’ and city dwellers’ time spent socializing across a wide range of social activities. Further, suburbanites and city dwellers spend a very similar amount of time traveling, and more time spent traveling is associated with more socializing, not less.