Love your neighbour? We don’t even talk

Two-thirds of them said keeping themselves to themselves was the main reason for not striking up a neighbourly conversation.

Two-thirds of them said keeping themselves to themselves was the main reason for not striking up a neighbourly conversation.

Published Feb 12, 2016

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London - One in five adults admit they have not said a word to their neighbours in a month – and some have never spoken to them at all.

Research found that 17 percent of us have not said hello to our neighbours in more than a week, and 43 percent have left it longer than a month.

Of more than 2 000 people polled, almost 10 percent last spoke to their neighbours more than six months ago, while three percent have never spoken to the people living next door.

Two-thirds of them said keeping themselves to themselves was the main reason for not striking up a neighbourly conversation.

Increasing use of smartphones – owned by two in three adults – is also to blame for lack of face-to-face communication, said the study. It found 55 percent of those polled experience feelings of loneliness.

Richard Pennycook of the Co-op, which commissioned the survey, said: “The days of taking time to get to know our neighbours appear to belong to a bygone age.

“A quick ‘Hello, how are you?’ or just a smile might make a difference to someone’s day.”

Daily Mail

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