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RETIREMENT

NOW LIFE IS TOO BUSY TO GOSSIP OVER THE FENCE

Neighbours used to have plenty of time for chatting

Wednesday June 18,2008

By Nick Fagge

GOSSIPING over the garden fence is a dying practice with only one in five having any form of contact with their neighbours, new research reveals.

And nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) said they could not confidently name two or more people living nearby.

Four out of 10 said they only speak an average of just five words to their neighbours per week, just over 21 words per month or 260 words per year in polite, but brief small talk.

The findings reveal the breakdown in British society which used to see neighbours looking out for one another.

Londoners are the “unfriendliest” with only one in nine (11 per cent) in contact with their neighbours – 10 per cent lower than the national average, according to researchers for RatedPeople.com, an online trade recommendation service.

Edinburgh residents were the best neighbours with more than half (56 per cent) keeping in touch. Yorkshire came second with 54 per cent.

Overall four out of five people use only 260 words per year talking with neighbours, with musical instruments and pets the biggest causes of rows.

Whilst borrowing a “cup of sugar” used to be one way of meeting new neighbours, the survey found residents today were most likely to meet under bad terms, complaining about parking (31 per cent), noise (26 per cent) or rubbish (24 per cent).

Annoyance from musical instruments and pets featured prominently on the grudge list with nearly one in five (19 per cent) reporting complaints.

And, rather than talk to neighbours, people are more likely to turn to the internet for advice on local services. Online sources were preferred by 61 per cent, paper directories (27 per cent) and asking a neighbour (12 per cent).

More than half put the lack of communication down to longer working hours (53 per cent), followed by busier social lives (24 per cent) while one in five (19 per cent) said they simply had no reason to make contact.

Londoners were revealed as the least neighbourly closely followed by those in Bristol and Brighton.

Andrew Skipwith co-founder RatedPeople.com, said: “Whether through work or play, people today are busier than ever, leaving little time to get to know neighbours properly.”

The researchers questioned more than 2,500 UK residents.