Do you want to be a good neighbor of the 21st century? Signing for their deliveries, sharing your Netflix password, and checking on their house while they’re on vacation are the best ways to fall in love with the people of the neighborhood, study programs
- Research shows that friendly greetings are the most important quality of a good neighbor
In modern times, it seems the criteria for being a good neighbor now includes signing for deliveries and sharing your Netflix password.
But the most important gestures you can make for your neighbors are still the time-honored tradition of always saying hello and checking on their house when they’re on vacation.
A survey of 2,000 people by retirement community manager McCarthy Stone found that friendly greetings are the most important quality of a good neighbor; 70 percent appreciate this.
About 60 percent said it was important to check into a neighbor’s house when they were away, while signing for deliveries when they were not present (55 percent) and bringing in empty bins (39 percent) were also seen as neighborly. respondents.
The survey also found that 73 percent considered their neighbors friends, while 30 percent counted them among their closest companions.
The survey found that 73 percent considered their neighbors friends, while 30 percent counted them among their closest companions
Perhaps that’s why giving out your Netflix password and giving advice on finances and relationships was seen as neighborly behavior, with 5 percent of respondents highlighting each act.
Other features highlighted in the survey included helping to get a neighbour’s car started (38 per cent), borrowing milk or sugar if someone runs out (35 per cent) and setting up a WhatsApp group for the street (14 percent).
The research shows that Britons chat with their neighbors an average of ten times a week, with the most popular topic of conversation unsurprisingly being the weather (57 percent).
This was followed by local news (50 percent), family life (41 percent), safety (28 percent) and work (25 percent).
But even though 37 percent believe a good neighbor checks on older relatives, three-quarters still worry about the elderly in their community.
A spokesperson for McCarthy Stone, who timed the survey to coincide with the launch of its new affordable shared ownership offer, said: ‘This research shows that Brits are rallying behind their neighbors and sticking together.
‘Companionship and a sense of belonging are incredibly important for our mental wellbeing at any age, but especially for older people who may live alone, or be less mobile than they once were.
“This is exactly why we wanted to make our retirement communities more accessible to more retirees across the country, through our affordable shared ownership system.”