Two-thirds of Americans — 67 percent — like their neighbors, despite only about half of them — 53 percent — knowing their names, according to the Neighbor Survey.
Westerners, among them Coloradans, are the least likely to know their neighbor’s names, but among all regions in the United States people in the West are more likely to like their neighbors — 72 percent.
A common thread in the survey was that homeowners are much more likely than renters to like their neighbors and to know their neighbors’ names. They also prefer to live next door to homeowners.
Looking across regions, Midwesterners are the most likely to know their neighbors’ names: 60 percent do, compared with 51 percent in the Northeast and the South and 49 percent in the West.
But even though most Americans like their neighbors, the survey found that even more are “picky.”
“Seventy-five percent prefer that their neighbors have particular traits, characteristics, or behaviors,” said Trulia.
More urban dwellers than suburban residents place importance on sharing similar habits and behaviors with neighbors, such as keeping the same hours and being involved in the neighborhood.
“Two-thirds of Americans generally like their neighbors, but that doesn’t mean unconditional love. There are strings attached,” said Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist.
“One in five Americans judge their neighbors based on how their home looks, and almost one in three would complain to a landlord, the homeowners’ association, or the cops if they were in a disagreement with you. That nice family next door might be judging you — or going behind your back,” said Kolko.
The survey noted that urbanites yearn more for a greater sense of community. The No. 1 thing people wish their neighborhood had more of is local restaurants. But the second wish in urban areas is a stronger sense of community, which 26 percent of urban dwellers wish for, compared with 20 percent of suburbanites, according to Trulia.
Homeowners prefer their neighbors to be the same ethnicity, speak the same language and be as involved with the neighborhood as they are, compared with renters.
More homeowners judge their neighbors on appearance and condition of the home and property.
Kolko noted that because of the housing crash and foreclosure crisis, millions of formerly owner-occupied single-family homes have become rentals.
“That’s bad news for the 51 percent of homeowners who want home-owning neighbors, but it beats living next door to a foreclosed, vacant house,” said Kolko.
The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Trulia from Sept. 25-27, among 3,014 adults ages 18 and older.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or twitter.com/howardpankratz
