Talking to neighbors can ease loneliness
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Over my many years in Chicago, it has been my neighbors who made me feel most at home.
Why it matters: A new report says Americans — especially younger people — are talking to their neighbors less and less. Honestly? That bums me out.
Zoom out: While we continue to hear about a loneliness epidemic, especially with young people, we're moving further away from real-life connections with people who are, in many cases, directly affected by the same issues as we are.
Think about it. Our neighbors wait at the same bus stops as we do, we peruse the same produce at the market, and our dogs relieve themselves on the same patches of grass.
- On a more serious note, we're affected by the same area crime and rising property taxes.
- It's weird to be that intertwined yet so distant and anonymous.
Only about a quarter of young people in the U.S. regularly engage with their neighbors, according to an AEI report released this month, down from about 50% more than a decade ago.
State of play: In my two decades of living in Chicago, I have relied on my neighbors in many moments — when I've been locked out, to turn on the heat before we returned home from vacation, or even to bring over wine when I ran out during parties. (Thanks, Kristen!)
- During the years when I lived alone, I felt safer knowing I could call or text a neighbor to look out for me if I was coming home late.
What they're saying: Daniel Cox, head report researcher and director of the Survey Center on American Life at AEI, told Axios' Josephine Walker that technology is partly to blame for the lack of neighborly love.
- "In the previous generation, if you sat around your apartment long enough, you started to go stir crazy, and that would often compel people to go out," he said.
- Homes have become entertainment bunkers that let Americans stream, scroll, get directions, and find recommendations without knocking on a neighbor's door, Cox added.
Zoom in: While young people are keeping to themselves, 56% of seniors socialize with neighbors, AEI reported.
- I see this firsthand in my Gold Coast neighborhood. Yes, many are retired and have more time to chat, but they also embrace the sense of community as I do and don't walk around with their heads down, staring at their phones.
- Many seniors live alone, too, so that connection can be vital.
Flashback: Remember how isolating the pandemic was? We missed colleagues, gym buddies and the local barista.
- Now imagine being a teen or young adult during this time. You've been stripped of those casual connections that make you more comfortable chatting up a stranger or neighbor.
What to do: Get a dog. Just kidding ... sort of.
- A dog forces you to go out and dogs like to sniff each other, pushing you to chat with the owner. Then, you get the name of their groomer or dog walker, maybe a vet rec.
- Sometimes we go out for a walk and return two hours later because we've just been running into neighbors. Who needs to make plans? That's a Friday night right there!
The bottom line: Connection builds a community that could lead to action, even if that action is just some company while your pooch is out for a pee.