Party’s over for New Year’s Eve

Party’s over for NYE: We’d rather be home alone

• More Americans plan to spend NYE with Netflix or TikTok than with friends 

• National poll is the latest sign of America’s growing “party deficit” 

• “We’re evolving from social primates to screen mammals, and New 

Year’s Eve shows it most starkly.”

• Almost twice as many prefer Netflix or social media to a NYE party 

• Two-thirds are skipping the party altogether, or, rather, all alone 

• Gen Z and men are the most pro-party, but even they prefer screens 

• 1 in 4 Americans would rather go to the dentist than a NYE bash

• Netflix and NO Chill: Americans ditch NYE Parties for screens or sleep

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.

Nearly half of Americans (45%) say they’d rather spend New Year’s Eve with screens – watching Netflix or scrolling social media – while under a quarter (24%) would prefer a party, according to a national poll of 3,000 adults conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Sunny, a nonprofit tackling America’s loneliness crisis.

Throw in the 20% who plan to be asleep before midnight, and nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans are skipping the party altogether, or, rather, all alone. 

“We’re evolving from social primates into screen mammals, and New Year’s Eve shows it most starkly,” says psychologist Dr. Iain Smith, Sunny’s Head of Behavioral Science. 

Adds Betsy Parker, Sunny’s CEO: “New Year’s Eve used to bring us together. Now it just brings us back to the algorithm.” 

Americans are even more glued to their screens than Brits, where the figure for those preferring to spend NYE with theirs is just 40% vs 45% here. 

Sunny’s poll findings are the latest sign of America’s growing “party deficit.” 

An Atlantic article earlier this year revealed that just 4.1% of Americans attended or hosted a social event on an average weekend in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – a 35% drop since 2004. It followed the news that Party City, once America’s biggest retailer of party supplies, would be closing after years of falling sales.

“But America isn’t just losing its appetite for parties,” says Dr. Smith. “It’s losing its social muscle.”

When asked in Sunny’s poll how they’d prefer to spend NYE, the most popular answer by far was “At home, watching Netflix or another streaming service”, with 35% of the vote. 

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 likely than women to opt for a party (27% vs. 20%), but screens still won comfortably for both sexes.

Regionally, the West was the most pro-party, though barely. Just 26% preferred to celebrate with others. Phoenix was named America’s most party-averse city, with only 15% of residents saying they’d attend a NYE party, followed by Memphis and Austin at 16%.

Then there’s the dental data:

• 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.

And when asked for “other” ways they might spend NYE, respondents didn’t hold back:

• “Cooking eggplant rollatini and staying home with my pets and fiancé in sweats.”

• “Naked in bed with my wife.”

• “At home like every year because I don’t know anyone who is celabratious”

“The only thing many of us will be ringing in this New Year’s Eve is another night – another year – with our screens,” says Betsy Parker, Sunny’s CEO. “We’ve got our work cut out.” 

PRESS CONTACT

press@gosunny.org

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Methodology:

The Sunny poll figures are based on a nationally representative poll of 3,000 Americans aged 18+, fielded November 12-17, 2025. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. The research was conducted by Censuswide, an independent pollster, which abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. 

Respondents were asked the question, “If you had to choose, how would you rather spend New Year’s Eve this year?” 

Rank	Response	%
1	At home, watching Netflix or another streaming service	35
2	At a New Year’s Eve party	24
3	Asleep before midnight	20
4	Scrolling social media (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc)	10
5	Not sure / No preference	8
6	Other, please specify	4

• Nationally representative poll of 3,000 U.S. consumers (18+)

• Figures rounded to the nearest whole number

ABOUT SUNNY

In a world that’s more digital yet lonelier than ever, Sunny provides science-backed solutions to help people improve their social lives and fuel meaningful connection. Its Sunny Workplace™ platform, built into the flow of work, reignites team connection and vibrancy from the inside out. Sunny’s free app for consumers tracks and boosts your Social Battery™, while offering simple steps to connect. Sunny’s purpose-over-profit model means it reinvests every dollar into expanding its reach and impact.