What's his name again?

Posted: 24 Aug 2006 12:31:47 GMT

A staggering 55 per cent of British people don't know the name of their next door neighbour, let alone feel comfortable enough to ask for some form of household item, according to new research.

The study, carried out by Norwich Union, notes that a third of people surveyed had never spoken to their neighbour at all.

More than one in ten stated that they had gone a whole month without uttering a word to any other local residents.

Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman stated: "There was a time when whole streets of people might go on holiday together, but today even asking a neighbour to water the plants while we're away is something we shy away from.

"These days we're more inclined to keep ourselves to ourselves, whether it's to retain our own privacy or to respect that of others."

However, neighbours still have their benefits with 88 per cent of households stating that locals keeping an eye on their houses when they were away reduced the risk of burglary.

Londoners were the most neighbourly displaying a more traditional community spirit and willingness to chat.

Northerners were among the least communicative and portrayed a shyness to meet their neighbours.



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