This New Year’s Eve, the guest of honor isn’t champagne – it’s the couch. A new national poll finds more Americans would rather stream Netflix or scroll TikTok on NYE than clink glasses at a party.The poll of 3,000 U.S. adults for Sunny, the nonprofit tackling America’s loneliness crisis with science-backed tech solutions, found:
- 45% said they prefer to spend NYE with screens – streaming or scrolling.
- Just 24% would opt to attend a party.
Throw in the additional 20% who plan to be asleep before midnight, and nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans are skipping the celebration altogether. The single most popular NYE plan, picked by 35%, was staying home to watch Netflix or another streaming service. Another 10% opted for scrolling social media.
“We’re evolving from social primates into screen mammals, and New Year’s Eve shows it most starkly,” Dr. Iain Smith, Sunny’s Head of Behavioral Science commented.
It gets even worse:
- 1 in 4 Americans (25%) would rather go to the dentist than attend a New Year’s Eve party.
- 1 in 5 (20%) would rather get a root canal.
Sunny’s poll findings are the latest sign of America’s growing “party deficit” and social disconnection. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that just 4.1% of Americans attended or hosted a social event on an average weekend in 2023 – a 35% drop since 2004.
“But America isn’t just losing its appetite for parties,” Dr. Smith commented “It’s losing its social muscle.”
Even among Gen Z, the most party-leaning age group, only 36% said they’d party, while 46% preferred Netflix or social media. Men were more pro-party than women (27% vs. 20%), but screens still won easily across the board. The Western U.S. was the most pro-party region, though barely. Just 26% preferred to celebrate with others. However, Phoenix was America’s most party-averse city, with only 15% up for a NYE party.
“The only thing many of us will be ringing in this New Year’s Eve is another night – another year – with our screens,” Betsy Parker, Sunny’s CEO commented . “Let’s resolve to reconnect in 2026.”
Methodology: A nationally representative survey by independent pollsters Censuswide asked 3,000 U.S. consumers aged 18 and older how they’d choose to spend NYE, from a list of options offered, including “No preference” and “Other.”