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From time to time, most people discuss important matters with other people. Looking back over the last six months - who are the people with whom you discussed matters important to you? Just tell me their first names or initials. If LESS THAN 5 NAMES MENTIONED, PROBE, Anyone else? ONLY RECORD FIRST 5 NAMES. LIST ALL NAMES IN ORDER ACROSS THE TOP OF THE MATRIX (SEE 2 PAGES AHEAD). THEN WRITE NAMES 2-5 DOWN THE SIDE OF THE MATRIX. A. INTERVIEWER CHECK: HOW MANY NAMES WERE MENTIONED?
Number of people discussed important matters with · Asked in 4 waves, 1985–2025 · 5,887 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
In the 2024 GSS Next web version, half of respondents gave five names and almost none 'six or more'; the in-person years recorded up to five names plus a 'six or more' count. Answers from the 2024 GSS Next follow-on (Aug 2025) are a separate poll: a web-only survey of people who had finished the 2024 GSS interview, so mode and timing differ from the other years.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → web (2025).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Group | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 or more | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Survey 2024: GSS Next follow-on | 2025-08-20 to 2025-10-21 | web | 1,065 | 1,062 |
| General Social Survey 2004 | 2004-08-18 to 2005-01-04 | face to face | 2,812 | 1,472 |
| General Social Survey 1987 | 1987-01-31 to 1987-04-28 | face to face | 1,819 | 1,819 |
| General Social Survey 1985 | 1985-02-09 to 1985-04-23 | face to face | 1,534 | 1,534 |
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → web (2025).
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| 7% |
| 6% |
| 9% |
| 12% |
| 10% |
| 55% |
| 1% |
| 1062 |
| ±5 |
| White | 7% | 6% | 7% | 12% | 12% | 55% | 1% | 803 | ±5 |
| Black | 9% | 11% | 9% | 12% | 6% | 53% | 1% | 144 | ±13 |
| Other races † | 7% | 3% | 15% | 12% | 9% | 54% | – | 95 | ±15 |
General Social Survey 2024: GSS Next follow-on · US adults 18+ who completed the 2024 GSS interview and then this web follow-on (weighted to the adult population). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.