“I haven’t slept because of my neighbor who has been snooping around all night. Let’s face it, this sentence is one of the Top 10 most heard complaints about the office coffee machine. An idea which, moreover, is not limited to our borders with regard to the subject of Tom Hanks’ latest film, The worst neighbor in the world. But if they are most often mentioned as a source of nuisance, neighborly relations do not seem so painful for the French.
This is what the latest YouGov* study for the SeLoger group says, according to which 65% of French people have good relations with the inhabitants next door. Better, they would be 7 out of 10 to frequent their neighbors regularly. “Contrary to certain received ideas, the neighborhood is not in crisis,” says Joanie Cayouette-Remblière, sociologist specializing in neighborhood relations at the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED).
Stable relationships for at least thirty-five years
Despite growing individualism, the development of digital exchanges and increased mobility, “neighbourhood relations have remained extremely stable since the 1980s,” adds the sociologist. They occupy an important place among the social ties of individuals, alongside family, friendly and professional relationships. »
A link that is therefore not limited to the simple “hello” exchanged in the street or on the stairs of the building. According to the study, for 80% of French people, the relationship with their neighbors revolves around mutual aid. 58% of them believe that their neighbors can make their daily life easier, and 81% have already rendered a service. Breakdown of sugar, loan of a drill, but also deeper help such as the care or transport of children for school or leisure.
Exchanges of good practices
Reciprocal help which can take the form of moral support during difficulties. But also advice and tips exchanged about the neighborhood: the shops to know, the reputation of the schools… “The exchange of good deals is an important factor in the social bond between neighbours. It has been noted that 22% of French people have already known of a job opportunity through their neighbourhood. And 8% would even have found a job thanks to information gleaned from a neighbour,” the study tells us.
The festive aspect is also an important factor. According to the YouGov study, more than one in two French people (56%) have already had an aperitif with a neighbour. And not only during the annual neighbours’ party, specifies Joanie Cayouette-Remblière: “Two thirds of visits to a neighbor involve an exchange of sociability such as a coffee or a meal. »
friendships and love
Enough to find hooks, since 7 out of 10 French people say they have already made friends with a neighbor and consider that “the neighborhood can be an opportunity for beautiful encounters”. Meetings so advanced that they can turn into love: 23% of those questioned believe in love at first sight between neighbours.
Be careful, however, because love, even passionate, should not contribute to making the decibels reach seventh heaven. The majority of French people have already had to deal with nuisance from neighbors (70% of apartment dwellers, compared to 60% of single-family dwelling dwellers), and in 63% of cases, it is noise that was causing trouble.
Inevitable conflicts in social relations
The other main problem is being intrusive (58%). Negative aspects that do not disgust, since 31% of French people say that even if they can sometimes be annoying, deep down, they like their neighbors.
According to Joanie Cayouette-Remblière, there is even a direct link between the volume of exchanges between neighbors and the conflicts that may oppose them: “Studies show that it is often the people most involved in sociability with their neighbors who are both the most often perpetrators of these troubles and the greatest victims. In short, the more relationships you have with your neighbors, the greater the chance of friction. Logic. A situation of which the complainants are aware, since 70% of those questioned recognize that they can cause discomfort.
*Study carried out in France with 1011 people aged 18 and over, from 11.01.2023 to 12.01.2023