The comeback of the good neighbours?

Result

Almost ten years ago, around two thirds of Germans wanted a renaissance of the neighbourhood. Today, almost nine out of ten people feel the need for an open and helpful neighbourhood. Above all, young senior citizens and retired people value friendly neighbourliness and attach great importance to helpfulness. But the importance of the immediate living environment is also high in all other phases of life - regardless of whether they live in a single, two-party or family household, everyone wants contact with their neighbours.

Reasons

In times of perceived uncertainty and fuelled by demographic change (shrinking and smaller family structures), many people are once again experiencing a growing need for manageable, local relationships coupled with a longing for commitment, community and cohesion.

In addition to the idea of community, financial reasons also play a role: shared rooms in a housing project, using instead of owning in a flat share or mutual support in a multi-generational house.

The coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine have once again reinforced the need for greater cohesion in the neighbourhood. People want to overcome the challenges of the present together instead of alone and are prepared to take action themselves.

Forecast

The decades of individualisation are coming to an end and community and cohesion are making a comeback. And the more institutions such as parties, associations, churches and the media lose significance and credibility, the more important the neighbourhood becomes.

People are living and experiencing a new kind of solidarity in their immediate neighbourhood based on helpfulness and friendship. Mutual support is becoming more common again, true to the principle: „I'll help you and you'll help me“.

With fewer and fewer relatives on site, the neighbourhood is becoming a kind of substitute family and is taking over their tasks - these range from social interaction to support when needed.