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アメリカの気になるニュースVol.2
今日のUSATODAYにこんな見出しが出ていました。
People living lonelier lives
現代のアメリカ人は昔と比べて親しい友達が少ない！？
Americans have a third fewer close friends and confidants than just two decades ago — a sign that people may be living lonelier, more isolated lives than in the past.
In 1985, the average American had three people in whom to confide matters that were important to them, says a study in today's American Sociological Review. In 2004, that number dropped to two, and one in four had no close confidants at all.
アメリカ人は昔と比べると，孤独な生活を送るようになっている。
１９８５年の調査では，平均的なアメリカ人は
プライベートなことを話せる友人が３人いたそうです。
ところが，２００４年の調査では，その数が２人に減少し，
なおかつ４人に１人はそのような友人が全くいないことが
分かりました。
とても意外な感じがしたのは私だけでしょうか？
"You usually don't see that kind of big social change in a couple of decades," says study co-author Lynn Smith-Lovin, professor of sociology at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Close relationships are a safety net, she says. "Whether it's picking up a child or finding someone to help you out of the city in a hurricane, these are people we depend on."
Also, research has linked social isolation and loneliness to mental and physical illness.
The percentage of people who confide only in family increased from 57% to 80%, and the number who depend totally on a spouse is up from 5% to 9%, the study found. "If something happens to that spouse or partner, you may have lost your safety net," Smith-Lovin says.
The study is based on surveys of 1,531 people in 1985 and 1,467 in 2004, part of the General Social Survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
Not everyone sees such a dire picture. People still have other friends, sociologist Barry Wellman of the University of Toronto says. "We have a lot of ties that aren't super strong but are still pretty important."
Why people have fewer close friends is unclear, Putnam says. "This is a mystery like Murder on the Orient Express, in which there are multiple culprits."
The chief suspects: More people live in the suburbs and spend more time at work, Putnam says, leaving less time to socialize or join groups.
Also, people have more entertainment tools such as TV, iPods and computers, so they can stay home and tune out. But some new trends, such as online social networking, may help counter the effect, he says.
このような現象が生じた原因はわかってないようですが，
考えられる原因としては
�／諭垢�都会から離れた場所に住むようになっていること
�∪里犯罎戮匿�場にいる時間が長くなっていること
��TVやiPodsそしてcomputerなどの娯楽が増えたこと
�ぅ�ンラインのソーシャル・ネットワークのような
ものが生まれていること
などが挙げられています。
日本でも同じような減少が起きていることは
間違いないですね。
むしろアメリカよりひどい状況かもしれません・・・。
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