How People Define Connection and Belonging
Relationships shape how people feel every single day. They influence stress, comfort, belonging, and even how people recover from difficult moments.
The latest TPS Pulse Research across 60+ countries, reveals one clear truth: People still care deeply about their relationships,but how they experience closeness, loneliness, and emotional stability has changed.
Across the world, nearly 8 in 10 people say they feel connected to the important people in their lives. More than half share meaningful time with someone they care about every day. And close to 1 in 2 say their relationships have improved over the past year.
But beneath this emotional stability sits a shifting reality: Loneliness still touches 4 in 10 people, and expectations for emotional support, communication, and presence are rising everywhere.
And these patterns aren’t the same across countries. In India, emotional closeness is among the highest globally. In the United States, closeness is strong but emotional routines differ. In the United Kingdom, people lean toward steadier but less intense emotional bonds. In South Africa and Brazil, people experience more emotional ups and downs.
Meanwhile, markets like Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Peru show some of the world’s strongest emotional ties.
These differences help decode how people across cultures build and sustain relationships in 2025.
What We Asked
We asked people across countries how connected they feel to their close relationships, how often they spend meaningful time with others, how loneliness shows up in daily life, how satisfied they are with their relationships, and how these relationships have changed in the past year.
Emotional closeness is strong
When asked how connected they feel to the important people in their lives, the global pattern leaned strongly toward the upper end of the scale.
Nearly 80% feel connected or very connected — a clear sign that relationships remain a stable emotional anchor across cultures.
The strength of emotional closeness varies meaningfully across countries:
- India (56.3%), the United States (55.8%), and markets like Mexico and Peru (50%+) show some of the strongest emotional closeness globally, with more than half their respondents saying they feel very connected to the important people in their lives.
- Saudi Arabia also reflects high emotional involvement, with 48.7% feeling very connected, while South Africa matches that figure but shows more emotional fluctuation, with a notably higher neutral group (16.6%) compared to other markets.
- The United Kingdom, at just 28% “very connected,” stands out for its more reserved emotional climate, suggesting that closeness is expressed in steadier, less intense ways than in other regions.
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Meaningful time together still holds relationships together
Even in fast, digital lifestyles, meaningful time remains the core emotional currency in relationships.
Globally, 51.8% of people spend meaningful time daily and more than 80% do so at least weekly. This shows that emotional closeness grows through small, regular moments. The remaining 18 to 20% who connect only occasionally remind us that stress, distance, and pace still interrupt bonding for a noticeable minority, and this varies across markets.
- India leads at 55.4% daily meaningful time, with Mexico and Peru crossing 52%, reflecting cultures where shared spaces and family routines keep connection woven into everyday life. In these markets, meaningful time feels less like a planned moment and more like a natural part of the day.
- The United States at 49% daily and the United Kingdom at 43% daily suggest a more intentional rhythm. People connect warmly, but often through scheduled weekly interactions rather than spontaneous everyday ones, creating emotional steadiness without constant frequency.
- In expressive cultures such as the Philippines at 41% daily and Brazil at 36% daily, connection matters deeply, yet busy routines and long commutes often shift meaningful time to weekly patterns. South Africa at 48% daily shows closeness too, although its higher “few times a month” share of 7.7% reveals how life pressures can disrupt consistency even when emotional warmth is present.
Loneliness is a shared emotional reality.
Loneliness today is less about being physically alone and more about emotional mismatch or fatigue
Loneliness touches 57% of people globally, with 39.9% feeling it “sometimes” and 17.8% feeling it “often.” The remaining 11.6% who “never” feel lonely hint at support systems strong enough to keep emotional distance from settling in.
- In the Philippines and Brazil, “often lonely” reaches around 24%, suggesting emotionally expressive cultures where people feel connection very deeply and feel its absence just as sharply.
- South Africa sits at 18.3% “often lonely,” showing a mix of emotional warmth and everyday strain. The US and UK fall into a steady middle range near 16 to 18%, where people stay connected but have limited space for emotional downtime.
- India brings a balanced picture. About 17.4% feel lonely often, while 33% say it rarely happens. This points to strong family networks that cushion emotional fatigue even as modern routines stretch people in new ways. In places like Nigeria, some of the lowest loneliness levels show how tight communities quietly protect against emotional wear and tear.
Satisfaction with relationships is high
Most people feel satisfied with their relationships overall, but rising emotional expectations mean satisfaction isn’t uniform
Globally, 76.4% of people feel satisfied or very satisfied, which suggests that most relationships are doing the emotional work people expect from them. The other side of the story sits in the 17.4% who feel neutral and the 6.2% who feel dissatisfied. These groups remind us that even when relationships look stable on the surface, many people still want better communication, more presence, or clearer emotional understanding.
- Satisfaction peaks in Saudi Arabia and India, where 41 to 42% say they are very satisfied, and in Mexico, where the number stays comfortably above 40%. These are markets where emotional support often comes from tightly woven family and community structures.
- In the United States, very satisfied lands near 38%, showing steady and positive relationships shaped by personal independence and chosen social circles. Nigeria follows close behind at 35 to 40%, reflecting strong communal bonds that reinforce emotional security.
- The United Kingdom reports 36% very satisfied, creating a picture of stable but less intense emotional expression. Meanwhile, South Africa sits at 39.5% very satisfied but with a notably high neutral group at 19.2%, hinting at emotional complexity and variability in daily life.
- At the other end of the spectrum is Brazil, where only 28% feel very satisfied. This low number highlights a market where emotional strain, life pressures, or shifting expectations may be reshaping how people feel about their closest relationships.
Nearly half say their relationships improved
When asked if their relationships changed in the past year, almost half of all respondents reported positive change.
The fact that improvement is nearly three times higher than worsening highlights people’s intentional effort to strengthen emotional bonds.
Where relationships improved the most
India: 65.6% improved — one of the strongest improvements globally
- UAE: 63.1% improved — rapid positive change
- Mexico: 63% improved — strong emotional repair
- Nigeria: 54.8% improved — supportive community structures
Where stress is higher
- Brazil: 36% worsened — the highest among all major markets
- South Africa: 19.7% worsened — emotional instability and social pressure
- UK & US: more “no major change” (~35–40%) — steady but less dynamic relationships
India, UAE, Mexico, and Nigeria show strong relationship repair. Brazil and South Africa show more emotional difficulty. Western markets hold steady without significant improvement.
What This Means
- Emotional closeness remains high globally, with nearly 80 percent feeling connected.
- Daily meaningful interaction is still the foundation of strong relationships.
- Loneliness affects more than half of all respondents and varies sharply by region.
- Satisfaction is high, but so are expectations — people want clarity, presence, and emotional balance.
- Relationship improvement is widespread, led by India, UAE, and Mexico, while Brazil and South Africa face more challenges.
Across continents and cultures, relationships continue to shape how people feel, cope, and grow. From India’s emotionally expressive networks to the UK’s steady bonds, from Mexico’s warmth to South Africa’s emotional shifts, people everywhere seek connection, stability, and understanding.
TPS is a global opinion-to-insights community. These insights help decode how real people experience life, relationships, and emotional change across markets, ages, and cultures — not through assumptions, but through what they genuinely share.
Disclaimer:
These insights are not just for brands; they are for anyone trying to understand how decisions are made in 2025-26. The more people share, the clearer the picture becomes.
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FAQ's
1. What does connection and belonging mean to people today?
Connection and belonging mean feeling accepted, understood, and valued by others. Today, people define belonging through meaningful relationships, shared values, and a sense of inclusion in both physical and digital communities.
2. Why is belonging important for well-being?
Belonging is important because it supports emotional security and mental health. Feeling connected to others reduces loneliness, builds resilience, and contributes to overall life satisfaction.
3. How do people build a sense of connection in modern life?
People build connections through social interactions, shared interests, community participation, and digital platforms. Technology enables people to maintain relationships across distances while forming new connections around common experiences.
4. Has the meaning of belonging changed in recent years?
Yes, the meaning of belonging has evolved. It is now less tied to physical proximity and more connected to shared values, interests, and identity, often expressed through online and hybrid communities.
5. How do digital platforms affect feelings of belonging?
Digital platforms can strengthen belonging by enabling communication and community-building. However, shallow or negative interactions can also create exclusion or comparison, making the quality of digital interactions as important as their frequency.
6. Do people feel more or less connected today?
Feelings of connection vary. While technology allows constant contact, many people still experience loneliness, highlighting a gap between being digitally connected and feeling emotionally connected.
7. How does belonging differ across age groups?
Younger people often seek connection through identity and shared interests, while older groups may prioritize long-standing relationships and community stability.
8. What role does community play in creating belonging?
Community plays a central role by offering shared purpose and mutual support. Whether local or online, communities help individuals feel included and connected to something larger than themselves.
9. How does lack of belonging affect people?
Lack of belonging can lead to loneliness, stress, and reduced well-being. Over time, it may affect mental health, motivation, and overall quality of life.
10. How can people strengthen connection and belonging?
People can strengthen belonging by nurturing relationships, participating in communities, and engaging in open, respectful communication. Small, consistent interactions often have the greatest impact.
