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Database research record2026·United States

Bowling Alone

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Wikipedia

Urban Farm DB summary

This Wikipedia article on Robert Putnam's 2000 book Bowling Alone describes its central argument as the reduction in all forms of in-person social intercourse in the United States, evidenced by decreased voter turnout, attendance at public meetings, service on committees, and an aggregate loss in membership and volunteers in many existing civic organizations. It cites the example that while the number of people who bowled increased over the prior 20 years, the number who bowled in leagues decreased. Putnam attributes the decline in civic engagement since 1965 to roughly: television/electronic entertainment 25%, generational change 50%, pressures of time and two-career families 10%, suburbanization/commuting 10%, and unexplained 15-20%.

Extracted facts

5 facts

Only numbers and their conditions are stored, as structured data — never the source's own sentences. Metric and condition names stay in English, as coded.

  • 25 %

    attributable share television electronic entertainment(civic engagement decline)

    SocialControl: estimated causes of decline in civic engagement since 1965
    region
    United States
    year
    1965-2000
    method
    Putnam's estimated breakdown of causes
  • 50 %

    attributable share generational change(civic engagement decline)

    SocialControl: estimated causes of decline in civic engagement since 1965
    region
    United States
    year
    1965-2000
    method
    Putnam's estimated breakdown of causes
  • 10 %

    attributable share time and two career family pressure(civic engagement decline)

    SocialControl: estimated causes of decline in civic engagement since 1965
    region
    United States
    year
    1965-2000
    method
    Putnam's estimated breakdown of causes
  • 10 %

    attributable share suburbanization commuting(civic engagement decline)

    SocialControl: estimated causes of decline in civic engagement since 1965
    region
    United States
    year
    1965-2000
    method
    Putnam's estimated breakdown of causes
  • 15–20 %

    attributable share unexplained(civic engagement decline)

    SocialControl: estimated causes of decline in civic engagement since 1965
    region
    United States
    year
    1965-2000
    method
    Putnam's estimated breakdown of causes

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  • Community cohesionContradicts

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