32% of GTA Residents Don’t Know Neighbours’ Names: Survey

Condo towers dot the Toronto skyline as a pedestrian makes his way through the COVID-19 restricted winter landscape on Jan. 28, 2021. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Around one-third of residents living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) don’t know their neighbours’ names, according to a new survey.

Conducted online by networking service Nextdoor among 500 GTA residents, the survey found 32 percent of respondents couldn’t name their neighbours.

A majority (59 percent) of those who didn’t know their neighbours’ names lived in condos, and were most often among those aged 18-34 age group (47 percent).

The survey noted a contrast between age groups, with the older demographic saying they were more familiar with their neighbours. Seventy percent of those aged 55 and above, and 61 percent of the 34-to-54 age group said they were able to learn their neighbours’ names within a month.

A high majority (76 percent) of those aged 55 and above say their neighbourhood is great for making new friends, while only 49 percent of those aged 18-34 say their neighbourhood is a great place to make new friends.

In December 2020, Nextdoor published a global study that suggested a link between knowing one’s neighbours and improved mental health, saying that “knowing as few as six neighbors reduces the likelihood of feeling lonely and is linked to lower depression, social anxiety, and financial concerns related to COVID-19.”

The study found that providing services such as emotional support and regularly calling to check on a neighbour would decrease feelings of loneliness. Performing small acts of kindness would achieve a similar outcome.

The report said that these acts lead to “increased neighborhood unity,” which benefits mental health in the community overall.