Many Romanians know at most the names of their neighbors and perhaps the names of their pets, but avoid the rest of communication. This is despite the fact that efforts to get to know one’s neighbors can help develop a sense of community and sociability. According to a study sent by HotNews.ro, about 65% of Romanians state that they do not know their neighbors at all or know them to a small extent.

Only a small proportion of people know their neighbors well (27%) or very well (8%), according to a study conducted by the NGO IntreVecini to understand the perceptions and behavior of those living in neighborhood communities.

“In my childhood, my neighbor was a resource institution that I could turn to when I needed it: I asked to borrow a cup of sugar or 100 lei before my salary – and I got it. In addition, the relationship of trust was quite strong, it was not for nothing that when you left the house, you even left them a bunch of house keys. Over the past 30 years, everything has changed, and now we hardly know our neighbors (by face). It is even more difficult to talk about trust. Is society to blame? Is the internet to blame? Is this the result of individualism, which is often presented to us as a recipe for success? Is the normality of globalization the result of a natural process of restructuring relations in a new socio-economic context? Is this what we want to convey as a way of communicating? I think about a little bit of everything and more. I’m glad that the people at IntreVecini want us to discuss these issues and see what and how we decide to do TOGETHER. Because the relationships between us and their quality shape the behavior that defines society. And we want Romania to be a solidary, sensitive and quite loving society,” said Gelu Duminica, sociologist and executive director of the Razom Agency.

Answering the question of what reasons would encourage them to get to know each other better, 68% of respondents named the solution of common problems in the first place, the desire to build a closer community (32%) and joint projects in the neighborhood (32%), followed by communication opportunities , organized in the neighborhood (26%), and shared interest in an activity or hobby (21%).

Regarding the frequency with which Romanians participated in social activities together with their neighborhood neighbors, the survey shows that 59% of respondents never participated or participated very rarely.

Respondents say they would like community events to exist in the neighborhood where they live, such as: community events for children (31%), community barbecues (28%), board game nights (22%), free movie nights just sky (21%) ), sporting events (16%), competitions or competitions between neighbors (14%) or seminars and courses (14%).

“The fact that Romanians living in apartment buildings don’t really know their neighbors doesn’t surprise us, it’s a reality we want to change,” said Sabina Mihailescu, general manager of the NGO IntreVecini.

IntreVecini is a non-governmental organization that aims to revive neighborhood community spirit and transform urban communities in Romania into sustainable hubs. The NGO aims to build sustainable communities, friendly to the environment and based on the solidarity of neighbors, offering program participants and announced winners the opportunity to equip their neighborhoods in which they live for free with photovoltaic panels, thus becoming prosumers.

How do they get along and what problems do their neighbors face depending on the generation

According to the survey, respondents of generation Z show increased reluctance in relations with neighbors. Thus, people under the age of 27 have fairly formal relations with their neighbors (34%) and even declare themselves distant, not having close relations with them (20%).

Also, a significantly larger percentage compared to the general sample prefers to stay at a distance (41%) and are not open to getting to know their neighbors (20%). The reluctance of generation Y (28-43 years old) to get to know their neighbors is manifested in the same high percentage. At the opposite pole, Gen Xers aged 44 to 59 (38%) and Baby Boomers aged 60 to 78 (39%) say they are quite close to their neighbors and even open and encourage interaction (48). %).

On the other hand, regarding the reasons that may prevent them from getting to know their neighbors, the respondents first of all chose employment (48%), followed by the desire not to violate their personal space (33%). but also lack of interest in social interaction (25%) and lack of opportunities in the community to which they belong (21%).

Analyzing the responses by generation, it can be seen that the majority of those aged 44 to 59 (Generation X) said they have a busy schedule. At the same time, the invasion of personal space was chosen mainly by people aged 28 to 43 (generation Y). In addition, the results show a low interest in social interaction mainly in the case of people from generations X (44-59 years old) and Y (28-43 years old). Last but not least, the majority of those who felt that the lack of community opportunities would prevent them from getting to know their neighbors were Gen Z (ages 27 and under).

A third of those who live in the block say that they have had significant problems with their neighbors

In terms of problems faced between neighbors, 50% of Romanians living in an apartment building state that they have not had significant problems with their neighbors, 32% have had but managed to solve them peacefully, 16% have had problems and have not yet solved them , and another 3% prefer not to discuss this aspect. When asked what are the main problems they face in their relations with their neighbors, opinions were divided. Respondents of the study believe that their neighbors are either uncommunicative (33%), or noisy (29%), too curious (28%) or verbally aggressive (14%).

How willing are Romanians to get involved in solving problems in their communities

Regarding participation in solving community problems, the majority of respondents (52%) are somewhat open to participation, but depending on the situation. 29% say that they would certainly join, 12% admitted that they would not join, but are ready to support the initiatives of others, and 6% confirmed that they would not join yet.

In the top five are parking spaces (51%), development of green spaces and parks (42%), waste management and environmental protection (41%), lack of crime prevention measures (38%) and infrastructure improvements (31%) . places at the top of the problems or needs that Romanians living in the quarter consider most important in the communities to which they belong.

From the point of view of participation in solving community problems, Romanians appear very receptive. Most of them said that they would participate a lot or very actively in solving such activities as: promoting diversity and inclusion (86%), managing waste and protecting the environment (83%), promoting social services and quality education (79% ), the development of cultural and entertainment activities (74%), in addition to many other topics related to transport, green spaces, parking lots, etc.