The closing decades of the twentieth century found Americans growing ever
less connected with one another and with collective life. We voted less, joined
less, gave less, trusted less, invested less time in public affairs, and engaged
less with our friends, our neighbors, and even our families. Our "we" steadily
shriveled.

A more extended version of this article, complete with
references, appears in the Winter 1995 issue of PS, a publication of the
American Political Science Association. This work, originally delivered as the
inaugural Ithiel de Sola Pool Lecture, builds on Putnam's earlier articles, "Bowling
Alone: America's Declining Social Capital," Journal of Democracy
(January 1995) and "The Prosperous Community," TAP
(Spring 1993).

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