Why Belonging Matters

Belonging is linked with thriving in the most important domains of our lives, individually, in communities and institutions, from personal health and wellbeing to success in the workplace, trust in one’s neighbors, satisfaction with local communities, and increased support for democratic norms.

Yet as many as two-thirds of Americans report a lack of belonging in at least one aspect of their life. 64% in the workplace, 68% in their country, and 74% in their local community. 

The costs are high, for all of us.

Health and Wellbeing

Lack of belonging is associated with

  • Reduced immunity and susceptibility to disease (1)

  • Shorter life expectancy (2)

  • Up to 70% more cognitive decline and dementia (3)

  • Lower motivation (4)

  • Less happiness (5)

In the Workplace 

Lack of belonging is associated with

  • Decreased employee creativity (6)

  • Reduced job performance (7)

  • Lower retention rates  (8)

  • More health complaints and missed days at work (9)

Local Communities

Lack of belonging is associated with 

  • Less satisfaction with people’s local community as a place to live

  • Eroded trust in fellow neighbors, local residents and local government (10)

  • Reduced civic engagement (e.g. in schools, social clubs, religious institutions, political and activist groups, neighborhood associations, etc)

  • Greater feelings of marginalization (11)

  • Less openness to difference, and interest in getting to know local residents different from one’s self (12)

  • Increased resistance to more people of diverse race, religion, or nationality to move to the neighborhood.(13) 

This is especially alarming given the surge in incendiary speech and conspiracy theories stoking anxieties about demographic change linked with hate-crimes and violence (14)

National Politics 

Lack of belonging is associated with 

  • Less satisfaction with democracy and life in the US (15)

  • Greater support for non-democratic government (16) 

These summaries draw on the comprehensive work of Argo and Sheikh in The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America.
See Argo, N., & Sheikh, H. (2023). The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America. American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/the-belonging-barometer. 

1. Summers, Juana, et al. “America Has a Loneliness Epidemic. Here Are 6 Steps to Address It.” NPR, NPR, 2 May 2023, www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection- mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general.
See also Holt-Lunstad, J. (2021). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors: The power of social connection in prevention. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15(5), 567–573. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276211009454 

2.Hawkley LC, Capitanio JP. Perceived social isolation, evolutionary fitness and health outcomes: a lifespan approach. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2015 May 26;370(1669):20140114. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0114. PMID: 25870400; PMCID: PMC4410380.

3. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic Review. PLOS Medicine, 7(7), Article e1000316. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pmed.1000316

4. James, B. D., Wilson, R. S., Barnes, L. L., & Bennett, D. A. (2011). Late-life social activity and cognitive decline in old age. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 17(6), 998–1005. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1355617711000531

5. Walton, G. M., Cohen, G. L., Cwir, D., & Spencer, S. J. (2012). Mere belonging: The power of social connections. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(3), 513–532. https://doi. org/10.1037/a0025731 

6. Saporito, T. J. (2012, February 15). It’s time to acknowledge CEO loneliness. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2012/02/its-time-to-acknowledge-ceo-lo#:~:text=Simply%20 acknowledging%20feelings%20of%20loneliness,scary%2C%20their%20responsibilities%20 can%20be

7. Goldberg, E. (2022, March 4). Why Your Boss Wants to Know Your Love Language. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/business/employee-satisfaction-remote- work.html; See also: Coqual. (2020). The power of belonging: What it is and why it matters in today’s workplace. https://coqual.org/reports/the-power-of-belonging/ 

8. A 2021 McKenzie report found that Not feeling recognized and valued by managers is a leading reason for quitting a workplace
See also: Goldberg, E. (2022, March 4). Why Your Boss Wants to Know Your Love Language. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/business/employee-satisfaction-remote- work.html;
See also: Coqual. (2020). The power of belonging: What it is and why it matters in today’s workplace. https://coqual.org/reports/the-power-of-belonging/ and Feelings of Seclusion and Not Belonging Plague Americans.” WTOP News, 12 July 2023, wtop.com/health-fitness/2023/07/feelings-of-seclusion-and-not-belonging-plague-americans/#:~:text=Around%203%20in%204%20people,around%2064%25%20in%20the%20workplace.

9. Carr, E., Reece, A., Kellerman, G., & Robichaux, A. (2019, December 16). The value of belonging at work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/12/the-value-of-belonging- at-work

10. Ross, C., & Jang, S. (2000). Neighborhood disorder, fear, and mistrust: The buffering role of social ties with neighbors. American journal of community psychology, 28(4), 401-420. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005137713332; and, Sampson R., Raudenbush, S., and Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918-924.

11. Argo, N., & Sheikh, H. (2023). The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America. American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/the-belonging-barometer. 

12. Johnson, S. (2020, February). A changing nation: Population projections under alternative immigration scenarios. Current Population Reports, US Census Bureau, 25-1146. https:// www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1146.pdf. See also: Vespa, J., Medina, L., & Armstrong, D. (2020, February). Demographic turning points for the United States: Population projections for 2020 to 2060. Population Estimates and Projections, US Census Bureau, 25-1144. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/ library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf

13. Byman, D. (2021, April 9). How hateful rhetoric connects to real-world violence. Brookings Institution. https:// www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/04/09/how-hateful-rhetoric-connects-to- real-world-violence/
14. Peters, J., Grynbaum, M., Collins, K., & Harris, R. (2019, August 11). How the El Paso killer echoed the incendiary words of conservative media stars. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/11/business/media/el-paso- killer-conservative-media.html 

15. Argo, N., & Sheikh, H. (2023). (rep.). The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America. American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/the-belonging-barometer. 

16.  Bartels, L. M. (2020). Ethnic antagonism erodes Republicans’ commitment to democracy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United State of America, 117(37), 22752-22759. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007747117.