In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.Every few months, another report reminds us that Americans are lonelier than ever. We know fewer neighbors, stop joining organizations, and spend more time alone in front of screens. The Surgeon General has declared loneliness an epidemic, and before long, the conversation inevitably turns to politics: What should Washington do?The answer, I think, is not very much. Washington matters to some extent. Presidents can inspire us, as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan certainly did. But the work of civic renewal has always happened much closer to home.
I’ve spent years thinking and writing about civic life. So I never imagined that one of the best examples I’d encounter of civic renewal would be inside a Chick-fil-A just off the Long Island Expressway.Sure, Chick-fil-A has a terrific reputation — its owner-operators sponsor school events, support local charities, host family nights, and are famously invested in the neighborhoods they serve. One thing Chick-fil-A seems to understand is that success and community are not competing goals. My son and I stop there whenever we can.Even so, nothing prepared me for what we found a few weekends ago when we pulled in for breakfast.As my son and I excitedly walked through the double doors, I honestly thought we’d walked into the wrong restaurant for a second. The dining room was packed. A bingo cage sat along the back wall of the restaurant, colorful lights flashed, numbers echoed through the room, and dozens of retirees, parents, and children were completely engrossed in Breakfast Bingo. It was the last thing I expected to find inside a fast-food restaurant, and my son and I loved it.I’ll admit it: My first thought was cynical. Of course, this was smart business. Breakfast Bingo brought people through the doors. But after a few games, something occurred to me, and I realized my initial skeptical reaction was too extreme. What I was seeing wasn’t just good business — it was a local restaurant giving people a reason to spend a Saturday morning together.At one table next to us, three teenage girls sat with an elderly woman, laughing together, and it was clear that they had just met and were all there because of Breakfast Bingo. I don’t know what they were talking about specifically, but there was laughter and smiles. What Chick-fil-A did with its bingo morning was so powerful in our age of cell phones and isolation: It created the occasion for people who otherwise might never have crossed paths to become part of one another’s lives, if only briefly.My son and I didn’t win any games, but we spent quality time together and enjoyed the breakfast biscuits, the excitement of the games, and the surprise of walking into a party. That morning experience has stuck with me, though, because it captured a dynamic we overlook far too often.We spend enormous amounts of time debating how to rebuild American civic life, commissioning studies on loneliness, age segregation, declining trust, and social isolation. The concern is entirely justified. Recent data from AEI’s Survey Center on American Life show that the share of Americans who regularly spend time at a local gathering place — a coffee shop, restaurant, or park — has fallen from 7 in 10 before the pandemic to a bit over half today.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File) | Mike Stewart
