Researchers Detail Loneliness in 30 Interviews With Noncollege Men

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 19

Thirty in-depth interviews underpin “Nobody to Call,” a report by Sam Pressler and Soren Duggan on men in their mid-20s to mid-40s without college degrees.
Pressler said the project aimed to add texture to the loneliness debate by focusing on people the authors believe are struggling most, arguing that for men without degrees “the bottom has fallen out.”
The report sits against a broader boom in paid social offerings—from curated dinner parties to “modern social clubs” and companionship startups—marketed as fixes for isolation.
The article argues those for-profit options often target people best positioned to pay, framing friendship as a luxury good rather than a societywide problem needing broader solutions.