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Neighbor Relations

Once an important component of social life, relationships with neighbors may be decreasing in importance in the modern world because of people's increased mobility. However, relationships with neighbors can still be an important source of friendship and practical assistance. This entry discusses the factors that facilitate interactions with neighbors and the benefits that may be gained from positive relations with neighbors.

Predictors of Interacting with Neighbors

A variety of factors predict how extensively people interact with their neighbors. The best predictor of how frequently people interact with their neighbors is residential stability—how long the individual has lived in the neighborhood and the average length of time that his or her neighbors have lived in the neighborhood. Investment in the neighborhood, primarily indexed by home ownership, also predicts more frequent interactions with neighbors. On average, rural residents interact more frequently with their neighbors than do urban residents. Older people, especially those who have retired, also interact more frequently than others with neighbors. People with higher incomes know more of their neighbors, but on average, visit them less frequently than do persons with lower incomes. It appears that more affluent people are less likely to invest time and effort in relationships with neighbors, perhaps because of the many options for social relationships that are open to them.

Close proximity to neighbors increases the probability of becoming acquainted, such as living next door in an apartment complex. Involvement with neighbors is higher if other family members also live in the neighborhood. Family members may introduce each other to their immediate neighbors, thus broadening each family's network of acquaintances. Fear of victimization is among the strongest deterrents to interacting with neighbors. Thus, neighborhoods with high levels of crime tend not to foster close relationships among neighbors. Neighbors may, however, be united by common concerns that they face by virtue of their shared environment, such as pollution, crime, poor school quality, and limited access to services and retail outlets (e.g., the absence of grocery stores in innercity neighborhoods). Under certain circumstances, neighbors form strong bonds as a result of joint efforts to address neighborhood problems.

Benefits of Neighbor Interactions

Neighbors can be important sources of help in times of need. Practical support (for example, babysitting, or a ride to the doctor's office) is often provided by neighbors. People who live in neighborhoods with a stronger sense of community tend to experience a greater feeling of belonging and report lower levels of loneliness and isolation than do those in neighborhoods without cohesion. Older adults who can rely on their neighbors report greater feelings of autonomy and well-being when factors such as limited mobility, deteriorating health, and financial constraints might otherwise lead to social isolation. In particular, older women living alone (often following the death of a spouse) come to rely on the neighborhood as an integral part of the social network, with a higher sense of belonging to the neighborhood associated with more social support, lower stress, and better physical and mental health. Importance of neighborhood social ties has been established for younger age groups as well. Studies on adolescents suggest that the neighborhood serves as the center of activity for many young people, and a neighborhood sense of community protects against feelings of loneliness even when accounting for connectedness with family and school.

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