Meaning:
“友谊” means “friendship,” and “衰退” means “recession.” This term is a literal translation of its English equivalent and a borrowed idea, although it seems to affect everyone in today’s world. According to a 2021 survey done by the Survey Center on American Life, a “friendship recession” describes an uptick in the average time spent alone, the fewer number of friends one has and less overall time devoted to friendship. The survey found that since 1990, the number of men with at least six close friends decreased from 55% to 27%. Similarly, for men who identified as having zero close friends, the numbers jumped from 3% to 15%.
Example:
A: 为什么友谊衰退在男性中更普遍？
Wèishénme yǒuyì shuāituì zài nánxìng zhōng gèng pǔbiàn？
What is friendship recession more common among men?
B: 可能男性需要花更多时间发展事业，没时间和朋友一起休闲吧。
Kěnéng nánxìng xūyào huā gèngduō shíjiān fāzhǎn shìyè，méi shíjiān hé péngyǒu yīqǐ xiūxián ba。
Perhaps men in general spend more time building their careers and don’t have time to hang out with friends.