Survey Of U.S. Women Aged 50-90 Reveals The Average Duration Of A Close Female Friendship Is 35 Years

‍Survey Of U.S. Women Aged 50-90 Reveals The Average Duration Of A Close Female Friendship Is 35 Years‍

One In Three Older American Women Believe That Female Friendships Create Greater Personal Happiness Than Romantic Relationships - With 22% Regretting Friendship Breakups More Than Those With A Partner

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15% of Women Have Formed Close Friendships Entirely Online - Without Ever Meeting In Person

Ahead of International Women’s Day, new research reveals the lifelong value of close female friendships among older American women (aged 50-90). Their closest friendships have lasted an average of 35 years (with over a quarter (27%) of respondents over 70 holding female friendships that have endured over six decades) - a testament to the strength and significance of these relationships. 

Yet even the closest connections can be tested. 13% of women say a friendship has ended over differences in politics, 17% cite changes in one person’s relationship status, 8% point to issues connected to children, and 6% to disagreements over money. And as friendships evolve in the digital age, 15% of women now say they’ve formed close, lasting connections entirely online - with people they’ve never met in person. 

The survey was commissioned by Wooga (www.wooga.com) - creators of the hit mystery-solving mobile game June’s Journey. The research is inspired by Wooga’s core themes of female friendship and empowerment. To further explore these themes, Wooga commissioned OnePoll to survey 1,000 women in the U.S. aged between 50 and 90 years old to explore the power of female friendship and its impact on happiness, resilience, and identity.Topline Findings

• Standing The Test Of Time: The average close female friendship spans an impressive 35 years, with nearly a quarter of women (24%) maintaining bonds of 50 years or more, and one in ten (10%) sustaining friendships lasting over 60 years. Nearly three-quarters (70%) believe strong friendships are the key to happiness later in life.
• Friendship Over Romance: A third of women over 50 say their female friendships bring more joy than romantic relationships, and 29% would turn to a close friend first for emotional support over a romantic partner or family member. 22% say they have more regrets over friendship breakups than romantic ones.
  
• When Bonds Break: Differences in beliefs or life stages can strain bonds - 13% of women say a close friendship has ended over political or social differences, 17% cite changes in relationship status as a contributing factor, 8% report that children - either their own or a friend’s - have played a role in ending a friendship, and 6% have ended a friendship due to financial differences.
  
  
• Resentment & Jealousy: While most women treasure their friendships, 13% admit to secretly disliking or resenting a close female friend, while 12% confess to feeling jealous or threatened by another friend’s friendships.
• Loneliness Lingers: 72% of women admit to feeling lonely or isolated at times (10% say they often feel this way). What’s more, 14% have no close female friends, 20% have just one, and nearly a quarter (24%) say they don’t have a best female friend.
  
  
• Making Friends: Over a quarter (28%) find it difficult to form new friendships, and 12% say they find it extremely difficult.
  
  
• Digital Friends & Communication: A growing 15% of women say they’ve made a close friend entirely online - someone they’ve never met in person. Technology now slightly outweighs traditional connection, with the majority keeping in touch via phone or video calls (58%), followed closely by face-to-face meetings (57%), text messages (55%), and social media (35%).
  
  
• Fearing a Future Without Friends: Women are more likely to fear being friendless later in life (24%) than they are to fear being single (16%).
  
  Expanded findings at the bottom of this release. 

Maike Steinweller at Wooga, “These findings highlight how vital female friendship is to women’s wellbeing and sense of belonging - particularly in later life. As romantic relationships evolve or priorities change, it’s often these enduring connections that provide laughter, comfort and emotional grounding. While many women admit that forming new friendships can be challenging, the bonds they do have tend to be long-lasting and profoundly meaningful. This research is a powerful reminder of why it’s so important to continue celebrating female friendship through stories, media and everyday culture to reflect the loyalty, joy and resilience these relationships bring to women’s lives.”

Having uncovered the depth and importance of female friendships through this research, Wooga wanted to go a step further - to hear directly from women over 50 about what keeps those bonds strong. Drawing on their real-life experiences, Wooga asked participants to share their best advice for building and maintaining lasting, meaningful friendships. Here are some of the top tips shared:

• Be each other's biggest fan
• Be prepared for life to change your friendships
• Don’t be so quick to cut people off - no one is infallible
• In all relationships there will be disputes, keep your composure and work on them
• Get off the phone and see them in person
• Protect your boundaries
• Keep your circle small
• Never forget “girl code”
• Always show up for the big events in your friends’ lives
• Friendship is a two-way street - always make an effort

About June’s Journey

June’s Journey invites players to relax with a story of romance, intrigue, and mystery in a glamorous hidden object game straight from the roaring 20s. Players have the opportunity to step into the role of amateur detective June Parker - setting out on a journey and escaping to a bygone age as they search for hidden object clues, from the parlors of New York to the sidewalks of Paris. For more information visit www.junesjourney.com.

About Wooga

Founded in 2009, Wooga is a market leader for story-driven casual games. Based in Berlin, around 300 employees from 50 different nations develop high quality games with engaging stories at the core of the experience. Wooga’s aim is to play a memorable and positive part in people’s lives and create joyful moments they look forward to playing everyday. Wooga is part of Playtika. For more information, visit www.wooga.com.

For international media enquiries please contact Deliberate PR / bella@deliberate-pr.com / +44 (0)7826 356 119

Expanded Findings - The Status Of Female Friendships In The U.S.

Enduring Bonds That Stand the Test of Time

Most women have a small circle of close female friends. Most commonly, women report having 2–3 close female friends (41%), while 15% have four to five, and 7% say they have more than five close female friends. 

While friendship plays a central role in many women’s lives, not everyone enjoys the same level of connection. Around one in seven women (14%) say they have no close female friends, and one in five (20%) say they have just one.American friendships often stand the test of time. The average duration of American women’s longest friendship is 35 years. For those aged 50 to 59, the average duration of their longest close friendship is 27 years, rising to 34 years among people in their 60s. Those in their 70s report an average of 43 years, while among 80 to 89-year-olds it extends to nearly 50 years.

For many, these relationships stretch back to their earliest chapters in life. 61% of respondents say they have a close female friend that they have known since childhood or adolescence, underscoring how formative and steadfast these bonds can be. Yet, not everyone shares that history: 38% say they no longer have female friendships formed in their younger years.

The value women place on deep personal connection remains clear. Almost three-quarters (73%) say they have a best female friend - someone who anchors, supports, and celebrates them - while nearly a quarter (24%) do not currently have that kind of confidante in their lives.

The Loneliness Gap

Despite these networks, feelings of isolation are still common. 72% of American women admit to having felt lonely or isolated from those around them. One in ten (10%) women say this is a feeling they experience often, and 6% say they always feel this way. Only 26% report never feeling lonely. 

Younger adults are the most likely to experience loneliness than those older, with 12% of women aged 50–59 saying they always feel lonely or isolated from those around them, compared with just 1% of those aged 80–89.

Resentment & Jealousy

While female friendships are often a vital source of joy and support, they can also bring complex emotions and challenges.

Over one in ten women (12%) admit they have at some point felt jealous or threatened by another friend’s close friendships. Having said this, the vast majority (84%) say they have not experienced this feeling. A similar proportion, 13%, reveal they have a close female friend they secretly dislike or resent, suggesting that even strong friendships can carry moments of hidden tension.

Friendship Breakdowns 

Life circumstances often strain, or even contribute to the ending of, close friendships. 6% of women have ended a close female friendship due to financial differences, while almost one in five (17%) say differences in relationship status have contributed to a friendship ending. A further 8% report that children, whether their own or a friend’s, have been a factor in the breakdown of a close friendship. Over one in ten women (13%) say differing social or political views have contributed to the end of a close friendship. The data indicates that while most women can navigate differences, for some, conflicting beliefs can become a breaking point.

Views & Values

Political or social differences can stop new friendships from forming too, with nearly one in five women (17%) confirming that they would avoid forming a new friendship with someone who had different social and political values.  

Openness to differing opinions appears to grow with age. Women in their 50s are the most cautious about befriending someone with opposing views, with 20% saying it would put them off. But by the time women reach their 80s, that resistance falls dramatically - only 5% say differing views would stand in the way of friendship. 

When reflecting on the past decade, nearly a quarter (24%) of women feel less comfortable sharing their political or social views with close friends, 14% feel more comfortable, and most (55%) feel no change - suggesting that while awareness of differences has grown, most friendships continue to withstand them. 

Friendship values evolve with age, and women over 50 are clear on what matters most. Honesty tops the list - over a quarter (28%) say it’s the most important trait in friendship - followed by loyalty (21%) and reliability and consistency (14%). Other valued qualities include non-judgment (13%) and empathy (6%). Fewer prioritise a shared worldview (4%), discretion and privacy (2%), and fun or playfulness (3%). The findings show that as women get older, authenticity and dependability have become the true markers of lasting connection.

Making And Maintaining Friendships

Forming new friendships can feel daunting later in life. 28% of women say they find it difficult to make new friends - and 12% of those find it extremely difficult. Conversely, a third (42%) find it easy to form new connections, with 15% saying they find it extremely easy. 

Women in their 50s appear to find it hardest to make new friends, with 29% saying they struggle to do so. In comparison, social confidence increases with age - the proportion who find it difficult drops to 28% among women in their 60s and 70s, and falls further to 24% among those in their 80s.  

Despite these challenges, women are finding new ways to connect. 15% say they have made a close female friend entirely online - that being someone they have never met in person. 

When it comes to maintaining those close friendships, most prefer a mix of traditional and digital communication. 58% stay in touch by phone or video calls, 57% by meeting in person, and 55% via text. Social media serves as a link for 35%, and a nostalgic 6% still keep in touch by writing letters.

These findings suggest that although technology has changed how friendships begin and are sustained, the desire for meaningful, consistent contact remains central to women’s social lives. Seven in ten women (70%) agree that strong friendships are key to happiness in later life, including 34% who strongly agree. Only a small minority (6%) disagree. The findings show that, for most women, meaningful friendships are viewed as a cornerstone of a fulfilling life.

Fears, Challenges, and Changing Landscapes

When it comes to upholding friendships, practical barriers often prove more challenging than emotional ones. Over a quarter of women (27%) say geography or distance has been the biggest obstacle to maintaining close relationships over time. Another 17% point to busy schedules as their main difficulty. Smaller groups cite the loss of shared interests (7%), family or caregiving responsibilities (6%), health or mobility issues (6%), differing political or social opinions (3%), and the cost of meeting up (2%).

Friendship Runs Deeper Than Romance

Female friendships are also seen as a major source of joy - often more so than the romance in their lives. One in three women (33%) say their friendships bring them more happiness than romantic relationships, while 39% say both bring them the same level of joy. Around one in four (24%) say romantic relationships are their greatest source of happiness.

When it comes to emotional support, friendships play an important but varied role. Nearly one in three women (29%) say they would be more likely to turn to a close friend than a partner or family member when they need emotional support. 44% say they would turn first to a partner or family member.

Friendship breakdowns often leave a deeper mark than romantic relationships. Over one in five women (22%) say they have more regrets over friendship breakups than romantic ones. Just over half (52%) say they feel equally affected by both, while 18% have more regrets about romantic relationship breakups.

What’s more, women are more likely to fear being friendless later in life (24%) than they are to fear being single (16%).

Friendship Reflected On Screen

It’s no surprise that 71% of women over 50 enjoy seeing depictions of female friendships in films, television, and games - because they see themselves reflected in those stories. These portrayals resonate with the deep, layered, and enduring relationships that define real women’s lives.

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