The research on social connection is clearer than most people realize.
This hub gathers research on social connection and community design: the conditions that support connection, the barriers to participation, and the outcomes stronger relationships create in everyday settings. It includes a growing collection of Pennsylvania and Central Pennsylvania research you won't find gathered anywhere else.
Why social connection matters
$154 billion
Estimated annual cost to U.S. employers of absenteeism linked to stress from loneliness.
U.S. Surgeon General, 2023$6.7 billion
Estimated additional Medicare spending each year linked to social isolation among older adults.
AARP Public Policy Institute, 2017These aren't abstract numbers. They show up in your organization whether you're looking for them or not.
Featured research
Social Connection in America™ 2026
RAND and The Connection Institute
A national survey tracking how Americans connect: how often they gather, what gets in the way, and how much they trust and belong in their neighborhoods. It's one of the most comprehensive pictures of social connection in the U.S., and it will be updated every year.
Read the findings →
Browse the research
Nine topic areas, each one curated, and all pointing to the same question:
What actually helps?
Social Connection & Belonging
What helps people build connection, feel they belong, and develop relationships they can rely on?
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Community Participation & Engagement
What helps people move from showing up to contributing, trusting, and staying involved?
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Social Infrastructure & Community Design
How do public spaces, housing, transportation, and neighborhood design shape connection?
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Workplace & Organizational Connection
How do belonging and loneliness at work affect wellbeing, productivity, and organizational health?
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Health, Wellbeing & Social Connection
How does connection shape health, aging, and wellbeing, and what role can community-based care play?
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Measuring Connection & Participation
How do we measure connection, belonging, and trust beyond attendance numbers?
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Organizations & Field Leaders
Who is shaping social connection, social health, social prescribing, and community design?
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Pennsylvania Social Connection Research
What does research tell us about isolation, participation, and community life across Pennsylvania?
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Central Pennsylvania Community Research
What do local data reveal about wellbeing, neighborhoods, and social infrastructure in our region?
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Research helps us understand the conditions that support stronger relationships and healthier communities. The real question is how those insights take shape in everyday life.
Neighborship works where research meets practice: how workplaces can strengthen team relationships, how community programs can turn participation into lasting connection, how healthcare referrals can lead to meaningful support, and how neighborhoods and public spaces can make it easier for people to know, support, and rely on one another.
Want to explore what this research could mean for your organization or community, or bring it to a group through a workshop?