The Path Forward

Our results show that American men are facing a friendship recession. They feel lonely, isolated, and are looking for ways to better connect. Findings from our study include:

• One in four (27%) U.S. men are lonely. Only 36% reported being "rarely" or "never lonely."
• This friendship recession is compounded by the social climate of today: declining religious involvement, lower marriage rates, and changing work environments.
• Men desire increased volunteerism, with 64% wishing for an easier way to get involved with charitable acts in their community.

Our team's research and findings suggest that there is a strong case to be made for Freemasonry serving as an antidote to the social needs of modern U.S. men.

In The Path Forward, we revisited questions from our original 2016 study to further understand Freemasonry's appeal to U.S. men and what would motivate them to join.

• Awareness and understanding of Freemasonry has greatly improved with 82% of American men aware of Freemasons. Understanding of Freemasonry has nearly doubled since 2016, increasing from 20% to 39%.
• Millennials are the new target market with 77% of millennials surveyed saying they would consider joining once learning more about Freemasonry.
• The fundamental values of Freemasonry strongly appeal to American men with 91% identifying at least one essential element that describes Freemasonry as attractive to them.

The current research reaffirms one of the key findings of the original study: if positioned correctly, with messaging that reflects the authentic spiritual core of the Craft, Freemasonry is an attractive and viable fraternal membership option for men today.