Classes are where most college students make friends, while dorms are the center of college social life for on-campus dwellers

Among Americans who are attending or attended college, 75% say they made friends from their classes. Other spaces are less common for connection: campus jobs (27%), dorms (24%), parties (19%), dining halls (19%), clubs (17%), sports teams (16%), and Greek life (7%).

Dorms were a significant driver for connection for on-campus residents: among those who lived on campus, 74% made friends in dorms. This declines sharply for off-campus students:

Younger Americans are less sociable in college than older generations, but Gen Z wants to change that

Gen Zers are also most likely to advocate for colleges to help students develop specific skills, including:

When it comes to where colleges should be helping develop these social skills, Gen Zers prefer clubs, activities, and social events (48% vs. 37% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Xers), while Millennials prefer mentoring programs (49% vs. 37% of Gen Zers and 36% of Gen Xers) and communication workshops or classes (45% vs. 33% of Gen Zers and 37% of Gen Xers).

Most Americans cite attention spans as younger generations’ weakest social skill

62% point to poor active listening as young people’s biggest weakness, and 54% say they are unable to stay focused during conversations. Complaints also vary by generation:

The majority of Americans believe AI has negatively impacted people’s in-person skills

More than half of Americans (55%) believe the use of AI tools, such as chatbots, have negatively impacted people’s in-person skills, compared to 23% who see no impact, and 23% who believe AI usage actually improves in-person social skills.