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UK News

Lack of 'love thy neighbour' across Britain, says poll

Not even a quarter of people in the UK feel a sense of belonging in the community, with one in 10 saying they have no interaction at all with their neighbours.

The YouGov poll also has found 53% of Brits admit they have deliberately stalled leaving their homes, or hidden in their cars, to avoid seeing a neighbour.

This dips to 47% in Scotland and rises to 63% in the South West. Younger people are most likely to take cover on their street - 65% of those aged 25 - 34 years.

Paul Blakey from Chistian organisation 'Love your Streets', which encourges people to engage with their communites has questioned the survey's accuracy anecdotally though, on Premier's 'News Hour', he said: "certainly that's not my experience in the neighbourhood where I live, we all get on; the other week my neighbour's car battery died so I lent him my car so he could get to work on time" .

Despite the lack of community cohesion, the poll found a majority of Brits, 65%, believe that their neighbourhoods would be stronger if people were encouraged to get to know each other better.

But three quarters of Brits admit they don't make a conscious effort to get to know their neighbours when they move to a new area. In fact, less than one in ten Brits, (9%), have asked a neighbour for a cup of sugar. But once they do get to know each other, over half keep an eye on their neighbours' property when they are away, and 45% have taken in bins for them.

Dispelling a popular myth, there is little statistical difference between how neighbourly people are from the North and the South of England. It's actually people from the East who are the friendliest, most neighbourly region. 60% say they keep an eye out for their neighbours' homes while they're away, more than any other region, and half welcome their neighbours into their homes for a cuppa and a chat.

The popularity of online shopping is having a significant impact on the amount of times we meet up with our neighbours. 57% of Brits receive parcels for others, making it the number one reason to interact with our neighbours.

The majority of Brits, 65%, believe that their neighbourhoods would be stronger if people were encouraged to get to know each other better.

Paul Blakey, Love your Streets:

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