The north west’s lack of neighbourliness could be a security risk during the summer holidays
• 71% didn’t make an effort to get to know their neighbours when they moved home
• One in three homeowners don’t know their neighbours’ names
• 57% don’t bother telling their neighbours when they are going away on holiday
• 35% wish their neighbourhood was more ‘neighbourly’
Admiral home insurance conducted the research to find out just how well we know our neighbours and whether we ever help each other out. It found that while most people in the north west are on speaking terms with the people they live next door to, they keep them at arm’s length. Only 4% of those questioned said they don’t know their neighbours, one in three (32%) don’t know their neighbours’ names and only a quarter (26%) have a proper chat when they meet them in the street.
Admiral home insurance spokesperson, Justin Beddows, said, “It’s a shame so many people in the north west don’t bother to get to know their neighbours. Being friendly with the people in your street or apartment block can make life so much more pleasant.
“It’s particularly sad that the majority of us don’t make an effort to get to know our neighbours when we move house. When you consider you will be living so close to these people for many years, surely it’s just polite to call round to say hello.”
The north west’s lack of neighbourly love could even be a security risk, especially during the summer holidays with few in the region relying on neighbours to keep an eye on their property while they are away. The majority (57%) of homeowners don’t even tell their neighbours when they are going away on holiday, despite this being good common sense. Admiral’s research suggests there could be an issue of trust, with just 28% of those questioned saying they would trust their next door neighbour with a key to their house. And only 38% saying they have looked after their neighbours’ house while they were away.
Jim Maddan, Chair of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network, said “Neighbourliness seems to have slipped down the agenda in our busy lives, and this important survey by Admiral, has highlighted the issues.
“At this time of year when we are often away on holiday, it is vitally important that we share our plans with our neighbours, if only to ask them to feed the pets, water the plants or to make the house look lived-in. In this way burglaries can be prevented and we can do each other a good turn.”
However it’s not all bad news, when asked what they would do if they noticed something suspicious happening in their neighbour’s property, 44% of people said they would go next door to investigate.
Admiral’s study revealed some parts of the UK are more neighbourly than others. Only 3% of those in Northern Ireland, and 4% in Wales, the South West and the North West said they don’t know their neighbours. Northern Ireland (79%) and the South West (73%) also had the highest percentage who knew their neighbours’ names. This compares with 49% in London.
Those in the North West, Northern Ireland and the South West are the most likely to become good friends with their neighbours, 45% of people living in these regions said they have done this. Only 32% in the Midlands said they had.
Visit admiral.com/neighbourhood for more information and a breakdown of the results by region and type of house.
Regional results
Do you know your neighbours’ names?
Position Region Percentage
1 N. Ireland 79%
2 South West 73%
3 East 70%
4 Wales 69%
4 Yorkshire 69%
6 Scotland 68%
6 South East 68%
6 North West 68%
9 North East 67%
10 Midlands 66%
11 London 49%
Do you tell your neighbours when you are going away?
Position Region Percentage
1 South East 52%
2 North East 50%
3 South West 48%
4 East 45%
5 North West 43%
5 Scotland 43%
5 Yorkshire 43%
5 Midlands 43%
5 Wales 43%
10 N. Ireland 40%
11 London 38%
Do you wish your neighbourhood was more neighbourly?
Position Region Percentage
1 London 51%
2 North East 42%
3 East 38%
4 Yorkshire 38%
5 South East 37%
6 North West 35%
7 Scotland 34%
8 South West 34%
9 Midlands 33%
10 Wales 32%
11 N. Ireland 26%
