The survey also found that 1 in 10 adults see their neighbors less than once per month, while 40% said they are “friendly” with some of their neighbors but would not consider them friends. In fact, the average survey participant knows the names of only five people who live on their street, and 1 in 20 participants could not even name one person who lives on their block.
Although this may seem like sad news, many participants did not seem bothered by it, with 56% saying they are not interested in getting to know their neighbors any more than they already do. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the survey also revealed that those living in rural areas are more likely to have neighborhood friends than those living in the city - 18% versus 15%, respectively.
However, many participants don’t mind doing a favor for a neighbor, with 1 in 5 revealing that they have been asked to feed their neighbors’ pets, and 29% revealing that they have taken out a neighbor’s trash. Ten percent of all those surveyed revealed that they have bought food for a neighbor before, and 23% said that they have previously watered a neighbor’s plant. Meanwhile, 44% said they would knock on their neighbor’s door if they were locked out of their own home, and 29% said they would borrow a tool from their neighbor.
Twenty-four percent of those surveyed also said they haven’t introduced themselves to their neighbors because they don’t want to appear clingy or creepy, while 22% said they don’t feel there’s a strong enough sense of comradery in their neighborhood to justify meeting their neighbors. The most interesting statistic, however, was that 10% said they would share a potential lottery win with their next door neighbor.
The survey also revealed that even though many aren’t friendly with their neighbors, 1 in 6 respondents are involved with their local neighborhood safety watch group, with 22% of inner city residents being part of such a group compared to 14% of country-dwellers.
What are some causes of conflicts between neighbors? Ten percent of participants noted that a blocked driveway has resulted in a spat, with the same number of participants saying that excessive noise was a cause of friction.