It seems that around 1.25 million Australians, according to a recent survey, have broken up friendships because of the present financial crisis. About 3.3million other Australians have reduced the number of people that they interact with as friends. One in four people are doing less socialising, such as going out to dinners. What is going on here?
Clearly the cost-of-living crisis is taking a bite. But still, it does not cost much to socialise if one is on a budget. No, I think it is a policy put in place during Covid, of being locked down and enforced social isolation. People have hunkered down, as the Americans like to say, and getting by with hermit-like existences.