A massive eight in 10 (80%) Brits know their neighbours’ names, according to a new survey by TSB Mortgages.

The research also showed that around half (47%) speak to their neighbours regularly and almost a third (31%) would consider them friends.

One in 10 (10%) people admitted that they’d like to know their neighbours better and over half (52%) of people said that feeling ‘part of a community’ was important to them.

The picture was fairly consistent across the country, however only seven in 10 (72%) Londoners knew their neighbours’ names, the lowest in the country. But the capital had one of the highest rates of people considering neighbours as friends (33%).

Local friends

The research also looked at friendship groups, finding that women tend to have fewer friends in their local area, with an average of six, compared to men who had an average of seven pals living close by.

Men were more likely to socialise with their friends at the pub than women (43% of men, 28% of women) whereas 59% women said they spent more time socialising with friends at home.

One in five (21%) women said they combined socialising with friends and the school run, tending to catch up with other parents while picking up and dropping off kids. This is compared to just one in eight (13%) men.

Ian Ramsden, TSB Mortgages director, said: “A home is more than a house. The relationship we have with our neighbours and our local community can really make a place feel like home. As the speed of life has increased with more people spending less time catching up face-to-face, and more time keeping in touch online and on social media – it’s great to see that the majority of us have friendly faces right on our doorstep.”