College group chats, location sharing, FaceTime hangouts while doing homework—this is what modern friendship looks like. Young people are finding new ways to stay close, and friendship today doesn’t always mean being the same room, but it does still mean showing up. For Gen Z and Millennials, staying connected often happens through screens, yet the emotional bonds run deep. And while headlines may claim Gen Z is the loneliest generation, we dive into how many friends young people actually have and how often they’re hanging out with them (hint: it’s actually a lot).
YPulse’s first ever Friendship and Community Report explores how Gen Z and Millennials build and maintain friendships, where they find a sense of community, and what brands need to understand about their evolving social lives—both online and IRL.
Report length: 23 pages, North America report is based on surveys of 1500 13-39-year-olds in the U.S. and Canada, fielded June 2025. Western Europe report is based on a survey of 2500 13-39-year-olds in the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, and Germany, fielded in June 2025
