Who Do Older Adults Consider Their Friends? The Role of Lacking Core Family

Noora Lehtonen , Family Federation of Finland
Anna Rotkirch, Population Research Institute at Vaestoliitto
Tiia Sorsa, Population Research Institute
Alena Artamonova, Population Research Institute at Väestöliitto

Demographic changes in fertility, union formation, and longevity have resulted in smaller, older family networks and a rising number of adults without partners or children. As opportunities for kin-based support decline, friendships may play an increasingly central role in adults’ social lives. This descriptive study explores how Finns aged 40 and older define and structure their friendship networks, using data from the 2025 Family Barometer. Respondents named their friends and indicated whether these individuals were also family members, allowing examination of overlap between familial and non-familial ties. We compare the number and composition of friendship groups across individuals without children, without a stable partner, without both, and those with both core family members, and we stratify analyses by gender. Our preliminary results suggest that the mean number of close friends for men with a partner and children is significantly higher than for men who have only a partner, only a child, or no core family members. Interestingly, women without core family reported having more friends than mothers without or with a partner. Women with children or partner reported more non-kin in their friendship networks than women with at least one core family member. Cousin and sibling ties showed no systematic differences across groups. The proportion of Finns who mentioned other relatives as friends was highest among unpartnered individuals with children. Keywords: friendship, family, social networks, middle-aged and older people, Finland

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 Presented in Session P2. Families, Fertility, and the Life Course 2