The Rundown by Citizen: Building Social Connection Through Third Places

Welcome to The Rundown by Citizen – Connections edition! Our quarterly newsletter gives you a round up of the conversations that count. In honour of our latest Citizen Connections Report, this edition of the Rundown is all about social connection and Third Places. Check it out below and subscribe to our newsletter to get the full thing in your inbox!

What’s In A Third Place?

Popular sitcoms from the 80s to early 2000s often show that one hangout spot where the entire gang meets up after a long day at work – a breather between all their shenanigans. So what do Tom’s Diner in Seinfeld, Central Perk in Friends, The Max in Saved By The Bell or MacLaren’s Pub in How I Met Your Mother have in common? They all serve as a key Third Place for our beloved characters. 

Coined by American sociologist, Ray Oldenburg, in 1989, a Third Place is a physical space where a person spends time when not at home (the first place) or at work/school (the second place). It’s a place of belonging and ease, where people gather to relax in public, meet familiar faces or make new relationships. These third places are just as important to our lives as they are in those TV shows. With the world facing so many crises, the need for social connection is higher than ever. And yet, every day we see new headlines of shopping malls shutting down, coffee shops decreasing and movie theaters closing.

Last year, Citizen’s Connections Report found a clear connection deficit. The 2024 iteration found that more than half of the people surveyed feel less connected today than they did in 2023. 

So how do Third Places fit in all this? According to Citizen’s research, Third Places play a critical role in closing the connection gap and the need is clearly there. According to Vox, Third Places allow people of different backgrounds to cross paths and build ties. Around 83% of Citizen’s survey respondents said they have at least one Third Place but 74% of those found something missing in their Third Place and 65% can’t find one that’s right for them.

Why the disparity? Our needs from a Third Place in 2024 are different and much more nuanced. 

1. With the growing closure of global offices and a shift towards hybrid working, our “second place” has deteriorated. This is widening the gap between a first and third place, where people in the workforce today don’t have as many opportunities to build social connections with those around them 
2. Men and women want different things from a Third Place. Women want to relax & escape responsibility while men are actively seeking new connections and belonging in a Third Place. 
3. Younger generations have a notably higher need for Third Places than others, despite being the most online generations. So much so that they are the most willing to make quality of life sacrifices to save Third Places including giving up social media, sex and dining out.  

While this is just a slice of the findings, the 2024 Citizen Connections Report makes one thing clear: Third Places are integral for brands to build deeper connections with their consumers.  

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