4 December 2009 - The Neighbourly Age Gap - Older, Wiser....and Friendlier

Not only do the majority of the over-65s say they know the name of their neighbours (92 percent), they also actually enjoy spending time with them (56 per cent). This compared to only 66 per cent of the 18-24s who know the names of their immediate neighbours and the 26 percent who said they enjoy time spent with neighbours.

The poll of 2,000 people found that overwhelmingly older people are more trusting of the people who live on their street. While they are out of the house, 91 per cent of senior citizens said they trust their neighbours enough to look after deliveries, compared to just 62 percent of the 18-24s. Regionally, nine out of 10 residents (87 per cent) in the North West are happy to trust their neighbour with deliveries compared to only 77 per cent of Londoners.

Andy Doylend, Executive Director of Operations, Circle Anglia said:
“Older people are far more likely to suffer from social isolation. This research not only demonstrates the value people over 65 place on talking to neighbours – but also the benefits of this such as an increased trust in the community which can make a real difference to people’s quality of life.

“That’s why we’re calling on people throughout the UK to bridge the age gap this festive season and take time to say hello to their neighbours. With the rise of social networking and online communications tools, it’s essential that neighbours lend a hand during this festive time to show that they value real relationships just as much as their online ones.”

Other key findings include:
• 44 per cent of people say they ‘enjoy spending time’ with their neighbours, which rises to 56 per cent for the over 65s, and falls to just 26 per cent for the 18-24s.

• 38 per cent of people say that living in a diverse neighbourhood ‘is beneficial to my community’ (compared with 28 per cent who say it’s not).

• Young people agree most with the notion that that living in a diverse neighbourhood is a good thing: 47 per cent of 18-24 year olds agree (25 per cent disagree) compared with just 34 per cent of the over 65s.

• Londoners rank lowest on the ‘friendliness’ scale with residents in the South East and North West getting top marks.

ENDS

For more information about the poll findings please contact the Circle Anglia press office on 0845 234 0824 / pressoffice@circleanglia.org

• Case studies of ‘good neighbours’ are available on request.
• The survey of ‘Neighbourly Habits’ is drawn from a poll of over 2,000 adults, conducted by ComRes.
• Arguably, the findings show a marked improvement in ‘neighbourly spirit’ compared to 2001. The General Household Survey (2000-2001) found that just 50 per cent of people surveyed spoke to their neighbours more that once or twice a week. The same survey also found that only 59 per cent trusted most or many people in their neighbourhood

Regional breakdowns of neighbourhood ‘friendliness’:

1 South East
2 North West
3 South West
4 North East
5 Scotland
6 Wales
7 East Midlands
8 Yorkshire and Humber
9 West Midlands
10 Eastern
11 London

04/12/09 11:48