Share this article!

Most Americans believe the folks who live next door should stay next door, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Top Rail Fence, a residential and commercial property fencing provider.

The company polled 1,000 Americans and found nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents admitting to hiding from their neighbors, while only 48% said they interacted with their neighbors monthly or less. And only 17% of Americans said they could trust their neighbor with a house key, although most trust their neighbors at least enough to ask them for a small favor.

As for avoiding the neighbors, the most common techniques to stay elusive involved pretending not to see them (37%), staying inside when they’re outside (34%), acting like you’re not home (26%), wearing headphones while outside (21%) and pretending to be on the phone (21%).

The survey found that men are more likely to interact with neighbors than women, with 54% of men interacting at least weekly compared to 51% of women. Being cordial to neighbors was more common among older Americans – 60% of respondents over 60 interact with their neighbors at least a few times a week while nearly 40% of people aged 18-29 acknowledged they rarely or never interact with their neighbors.

“Younger generations are nearly twice as likely to avoid their neighbors than people over 60,” said Todd Bingham, president of Top Rail Fence. “This may be due to various factors, such as their increased likelihood of living in apartments where privacy is minimal or the fact that younger generations socialize more online than in person.”