The following article featured online in the Gloucestershire Echo recently. It yet again shows why there is a need for community mediation services like ours to help keep things harmonious in our neighbourhoods.
View the actual article here: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Love-thy-neighbour-Survey-reveals-nation-stolen/story-26149934-detail/story.html#ixzz3U5w9wDhN
“A study has unveiled our relationships with our neighbours and revealed many of us dodge speaking to them and few trust each other with a key to our houses.
A quarter of people admitted hiding from their neighbours to avoid small talk, 25% do all they can to avoid a long conversation, while 14% specifically moved to an area where neighbours were more inclined to keep themselves to themselves. The majority – 41% – settled for simply nodding to their neighbours, and no more.
Disputes also emerged as a common factor; 10% of people admitted to regularly arguing with their neighbours; with loud music (14%), fighting over car parking spaces (10%), garden boundaries (10%) and noisy children (8%) the most common complaints. A shocking 4% have even taken legal action against them!
Interestingly, younger age groups (18-24) were more likely to complain about loud music, (14%) than older groups (8%), while older people’s main gripe was car parking spaces.
The vast majority of people – 87% – claimed they were NOT friends with their neighbours, and 67% said they wouldn’t trust them with a spare key, and 80% wouldn’t trust them to feed their pet.
Unofficially “adopting” a neighbour’s cat also emerged as common up and down the UK, with 15% of people admitting to this, while 4% fed it every day!
However, all is not negative; 13% of people were good friends with their neighbours, 3% claimed they were their neighbour’s birthing partner, while 4% of people admitted to marrying the person next door to them.
Anthony Robinson, Managing Director at removal firm Robinsons who commissioned the survey, said: “Though the research reveals neighbours have their fair share of disagreements and often clash, it’s important to remember that for the majority of us, while we might not be the best of friends, most of us do have civil relationships. If you don’t get on with those next door to you, then perhaps the New Year is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and make up.”