Study: North West communities amongst UK's friendliest

While the classic scenario of a gregarious Northerner shocking one and all by chatting amicably to someone on the tube in London causes the odd chuckle and nod of approval, a new study on UK friendliness has revealed the country's most affable region once and for all.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Jul 2018, 16:39 BST
Updated 16th Jul 2018, 17:01 BST
86% of North Westerners know their neighbour's name and 71% have spoken to them in the past week.86% of North Westerners know their neighbour's name and 71% have spoken to them in the past week.
86% of North Westerners know their neighbour's name and 71% have spoken to them in the past week.

Out to find the friendliest, noisiest, and “nastiest” neighbours around the country, financial services provider GoCompare surveyed 2,000 adults about their relationships with their neighbours and analysed the results based on UK region, age, gender, home ownership status, and more.

The results revealed that in terms of how often they speak to their neighbours, the welcoming folk of the North West rank top in the country for friendliness, with 71% having spoken to their next-door chums in the past week and just 5% saying that they have never spoken to them.

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Contrast this to the infamously stand-offish image on Londoners, of whom just 60% claim to have spoken to their neighbours in the past seven days, and the legendary good nature of the Northern soul is reflected in the stats.

Additionally, while 86% of North Westerners knew their neighbours by name placing them fourth in terms of the regions of the UK, London placed dead last with 78% addressing their somewhat less chatty postcode-sharers by their names.

When it comes to fantasising about the perfect neighbour, however, the North West's votes were very much cast in favour of a certain BBC star of Blue Planet fame, with Sir David Attenborough winning out as the North West's preferred next-door pal ahead of Stephen Fry, Mary Berry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Emma Watson, Idris Elba, Anthony Joshua, and JK Rowling.

Unsurprisingly, the former Daily Mail columnist Katie Hopkins ranked highest on the list of nightmare neighbours, pipping Russell Brand, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Kyle, Piers Morgan, Heremy Clarkson, James Corden, and Ricky Gervais to top spot.

For more info, head to https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/good-neighbours/

Related topics:North WestLondonDuchess