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Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Courier-Mail
How meeting your next door neighbours can lead to a second family
While some Aussies are becoming more split from their neighbours than ever, Pete Chapman couldn't believe the bond his family made with the people next door. 'We lived in our previous house for almost 9 years, and we never got to that kind of closeness with any of our neighbours at all,' he said. 'Within the first month of us moving here, we made friends with the neighbours … it's almost like an extended family, and we've barely known them for 12 months.' Mr Chapman, his wife Kiera and their three kids, moved to their new home in Forest Lake at a time when nearly three quarters of Queenslanders said they felt Aussies were less interested in knowing their neighbours than they were 20 years ago. New research from Real Insurance and MyMavins also showed a staggering 65 per cent of people said they had never met a neighbour despite living right next to them for more than six months. But it was no time at all before Mr Chapman's children were spending time with the kids next door. 'Our kids could see one of our neighbours standing at their door or the front yard, just watching our kids running around,' he said. 'So we just got them to go talk to them, and they've been best friends ever since.' Looking after them was neighbour Diane Greig, taking care of her two grandkids while their mother was out at work. 'She's really open and helps us out when Kiera and I are stuck,' he said. 'Every afternoon after school, [our kids] are hanging out – whether some of my kids go next door into Diane's place, or whether hers come into our place. It's kind of like our family's grown by three or four people.' Mr Chapman said he felt a big reason behind Australia's weaker neighbourly bonds was because people were much busier than they used to be. 'A lot of people are more time-poor than we were 20 years ago,' he said. 'With the cost of living nowadays, it's almost like both partners need to be working full time, which means you're not at home much. If you've got kids, you're sorting dinner and all that, so there's no time to get to know your neighbours.' But the Chapmans said they felt it was well worth it to take the extra step and reach out to the people around them. 'It helped us settle in to the new place really well, by having neighbours we could talk to,' Mr Chapman said. 'A lot of the neighbours around here have been in their houses for many years, so just having them [around] made us feel safer.' 'There's probably a lot of people with anxiety and other factors that hinder them being confident enough to reach out … but have a chat! You never know. You might have a chat to your neighbours and find out you have something in common that you didn't know about, and that could be a starting point to building a friendship.'
Courier-Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Courier-Mail
The sad truth about how Aussies treat their neighbours in 2025
Nearly three quarters of Aussies don't feel like they know their neighbours anymore, with many avoiding saying hello and even sending passive aggressive messages. Exclusive data from Real Insurance and MyMavins reveals Australians are socialising less with the people they live near, highlighting a generational gap in behaviour when it comes to a sense of community. One of the biggest discoveries from the report was that 72 per cent of people nationwide feel Australians are less interested in knowing their neighbours compared to 20 years ago. Meanwhile, a whopping 62 per cent of Aussies admitted they'd lived next to someone for more than six months without ever having met them. Among Gen Z and Gen Y Australians, that number rises to 71 and 70 per cent respectively. Psychologist and founder of the Happiness Institute, Dr Tim Sharp, said many of 2025's neighbourly habits came from a changed relationship with how people socialised. 'For Gen Z and Gen Y, community isn't always next door,' he said. 'It's often online, interest-based, and built in comment threads and DMs rather than driveways and cul-de-sacs.' 'That community is not so much defined by geographical boundaries, but more by other things like passions, interests … the need for connection hasn't gone anywhere. It's an inherent part of being a human.' The data, taken from the Real Neighbours Report 2025, was collected from interviews with more than 5,000 Australians aged 18 and over. In doing so, the report was able to calculate the country's happiest neighbourhoods, using a scoring system that ranked friendliness, likability, helpfulness, community spirit and noise. Across Australia, the overall neighbourhood rating sits at 69.5, with the best areas at scores of 75 and the worst at scores of around 63. Australia's top three areas include Sutherland in Sydney, Cairns and South Australia's south east. On the other end of the scale, Central West NSW, Ballarat and inner Melbourne were ranked with the lowest scores within the ranking. The number one source of judgment between neighbours is noise level: with 48 per cent of Aussies judging neighbours for their volume, and a third of Aussies feeling judged for the same thing. That judgement is not always invisible, either. One in four Aussies have received passive-aggressive messages from the people around them, with that number jumping to one in three among Gen Z responders. To make matters worse, more than a third of Aussies have felt their privacy was invaded by a neighbour, from observation without their consent to even entering their property without permission. Neighbours can get so bad that nearly a third of those surveyed had taken concrete action to escape difficult ones. 17 per cent of Australians have called the police on a neighbour before, and 12 per cent have actually relocated to save themselves strife. The study also shows a generational gap in behaviour. While nearly 9 in 10 Aussies greet neighbours regularly, only 30 per cent of Gen Z always acknowledge their neighbours when passing by, compared to 73 per cent of Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are also twice as likely as Gen Z to know all of their neighbours, at 36 vs. 18 per cent. Dr Sharp said these changing habits weren't always as bad as they seemed. 'There's not necessarily a distinction between online and real life nowadays,' he said. 'There's nothing wrong with messaging someone rather than walking around a corner … but the best way to utilise the contemporary technologies is to use them as a means of fostering [real life] relationships.' Jo Taranto, founder of community outreach group Good for the Hood, said she often saw online groups being made for people to connect within their suburb, using social media apps such as Facebook. 'Online groups are great to supplement and support existing relationships, as well as create new connections for events that are coming up,' she said. '[They] have a really positive place to build local identity and support local activities.' It's not all doom and gloom for Australian mateship in the data, either. 48 per cent of people surveyed said that a casual conversation had eventually led to friendship with a neighbour. Around 2 in 3 Australians see their neighbours to be overall helpful and likeable, and 80 per cent consider good neighbour relationships to be important for safety and emergency reasons. That's more than just talk, too. Nearly 3 in 5 people nationwide asked neighbours to watch their homes and over half of Aussies share groceries and tools with the person next door. 'Connection to neighbours, or community, is vitally important,' Dr Sharp said. 'We all have different preferences. There's no one size fits all approach.' 'You need to do it in a way that works for you … in some way or other, we all like to and need to connect.'
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Telegraph
Sutherland: Sydney's friendliest neighbourhood
Nearly three quarters of Aussies don't feel like they know their neighbours anymore, with many avoiding saying hello and even sending passive aggressive messages. Exclusive data from Real Insurance and MyMavins reveals Australians are socialising less with the people they live near, highlighting a generational gap in behaviour when it comes to a sense of community. One of the biggest discoveries from the report was that 72 per cent of people nationwide feel Australians are less interested in knowing their neighbours compared to 20 years ago. Meanwhile, a whopping 62 per cent of Aussies admitted they'd lived next to someone for more than six months without ever having met them. Among Gen Z and Gen Y Australians, that number rises to 71 and 70 per cent respectively. MORE: Mum with prize home has surprise dilemma Sydney's 'Roman Palace' sells for $15m Psychologist and founder of the Happiness Institute, Dr Tim Sharp, said many of 2025's neighbourly habits came from a changed relationship with how people socialised. 'For Gen Z and Gen Y, community isn't always next door,' he said. 'It's often online, interest-based, and built in comment threads and DMs rather than driveways and cul-de-sacs.' 'That community is not so much defined by geographical boundaries, but more by other things like passions, interests … the need for connection hasn't gone anywhere. It's an inherent part of being a human.' The data, taken from the Real Neighbours Report 2025, was collected from interviews with more than 5,000 Australians aged 18 and over. The report calculated the country's happiest neighbourhoods, using a scoring system that ranked friendliness, likability, helpfulness, community spirit and noise. Australia's top three areas include Sutherland in Sydney, Cairns and South Australia's south east. On the other end of the scale, Central West NSW, Ballarat and inner Melbourne were ranked with the lowest scores. The number one source of judgment between neighbours is noise level: with 48 per cent of Aussies judging neighbours for their volume. That Judgement is not always invisible, either. One in four Aussies have received passive-aggressive messages from the people around them, with that number jumping to one in three among Gen Z responders. MORE: Nude model's jawdropping $3m loss Insane cost of iconic Aus holiday exposed To make matters worse, more than a third of Aussies have felt their privacy was invaded by a neighbour, from observation without their consent to even entering their property without permission. It's not all doom and gloom for Australian mateship in the data, either. 48 per cent of people surveyed said that a casual conversation had eventually led to friendship with a neighbour. Around 2 in 3 Australians see their neighbours to be overall helpful and likeable, and 80 per cent consider good neighbour relationships to be important for safety and emergency reasons. Jo Taranto, founder of community outreach group Good for the Hood, said she often saw online groups being made for people to connect within their suburb, using social media apps such as Facebook. 'Online groups are great to supplement and support existing relationships, as well as create new connections for events that are coming up,' she said. '[They] have a really positive place to build local identity and support local activities.' Beck Thompson and her husband first became friendly with their neighbours during Covid, communicating across their balconies and dropping food to each others doors. Shortly after, the couple and their son made the decision to move to Batemans Bay, a town where they had no connections. 'We have shared land where we hang out our washing, so we got to know our neighbour who is a single mum with two kids,' she said. Developing a close friendship, now their kids play together, while they also help each other with babysitting or school pick ups. 'She's now our emergency contact,' she said, encouraging others to make the effort to get to know their neighbours. 'I think people are getting over online, they want to meet people in real life, (start by) saying hi or smiling, (my neighbour and I) learnt about each other before we entered each other's houses, you talk on the periphery, there's small ways to build that connection.' MORE: Kobe's, Jordan's guru reveals secret to their success Wild number of Aussie millionaires revealed
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
The sad truth about how Aussies treat their neighbours in 2025
Nearly three quarters of Aussies don't feel like they know their neighbours anymore, with many avoiding saying hello and even sending passive aggressive messages. Exclusive data from Real Insurance and MyMavins reveals Australians are socialising less with the people they live near, highlighting a generational gap in behaviour when it comes to a sense of community. One of the biggest discoveries from the report was that 72 per cent of people nationwide feel Australians are less interested in knowing their neighbours compared to 20 years ago. Meanwhile, a whopping 62 per cent of Aussies admitted they'd lived next to someone for more than six months without ever having met them. Among Gen Z and Gen Y Australians, that number rises to 71 and 70 per cent respectively. Psychologist and founder of the Happiness Institute, Dr Tim Sharp, said many of 2025's neighbourly habits came from a changed relationship with how people socialised. 'For Gen Z and Gen Y, community isn't always next door,' he said. 'It's often online, interest-based, and built in comment threads and DMs rather than driveways and cul-de-sacs.' 'That community is not so much defined by geographical boundaries, but more by other things like passions, interests … the need for connection hasn't gone anywhere. It's an inherent part of being a human.' The data, taken from the Real Neighbours Report 2025, was collected from interviews with more than 5,000 Australians aged 18 and over. In doing so, the report was able to calculate the country's happiest neighbourhoods, using a scoring system that ranked friendliness, likability, helpfulness, community spirit and noise. Across Australia, the overall neighbourhood rating sits at 69.5, with the best areas at scores of 75 and the worst at scores of around 63. Australia's top three areas include Sutherland in Sydney, Cairns and South Australia's south east. On the other end of the scale, Central West NSW, Ballarat and inner Melbourne were ranked with the lowest scores within the ranking. The number one source of judgment between neighbours is noise level: with 48 per cent of Aussies judging neighbours for their volume, and a third of Aussies feeling judged for the same thing. That judgement is not always invisible, either. One in four Aussies have received passive-aggressive messages from the people around them, with that number jumping to one in three among Gen Z responders. To make matters worse, more than a third of Aussies have felt their privacy was invaded by a neighbour, from observation without their consent to even entering their property without permission. Neighbours can get so bad that nearly a third of those surveyed had taken concrete action to escape difficult ones. 17 per cent of Australians have called the police on a neighbour before, and 12 per cent have actually relocated to save themselves strife. The study also shows a generational gap in behaviour. While nearly 9 in 10 Aussies greet neighbours regularly, only 30 per cent of Gen Z always acknowledge their neighbours when passing by, compared to 73 per cent of Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are also twice as likely as Gen Z to know all of their neighbours, at 36 vs. 18 per cent. Dr Sharp said these changing habits weren't always as bad as they seemed. 'There's not necessarily a distinction between online and real life nowadays,' he said. 'There's nothing wrong with messaging someone rather than walking around a corner … but the best way to utilise the contemporary technologies is to use them as a means of fostering [real life] relationships.' Jo Taranto, founder of community outreach group Good for the Hood, said she often saw online groups being made for people to connect within their suburb, using social media apps such as Facebook. 'Online groups are great to supplement and support existing relationships, as well as create new connections for events that are coming up,' she said. '[They] have a really positive place to build local identity and support local activities.' It's not all doom and gloom for Australian mateship in the data, either. 48 per cent of people surveyed said that a casual conversation had eventually led to friendship with a neighbour. Around 2 in 3 Australians see their neighbours to be overall helpful and likeable, and 80 per cent consider good neighbour relationships to be important for safety and emergency reasons. That's more than just talk, too. Nearly 3 in 5 people nationwide asked neighbours to watch their homes and over half of Aussies share groceries and tools with the person next door. 'Connection to neighbours, or community, is vitally important,' Dr Sharp said. 'We all have different preferences. There's no one size fits all approach.' 'You need to do it in a way that works for you … in some way or other, we all like to and need to connect.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australians more anxious ahead of 2025 election
New research reveals growing scepticism around political news, social media, and AI-generated misinformation SYDNEY, May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Australians are heading into the 2025 federal election with higher anxiety levels than in both 2022 and 2019, with economic instability, global tensions, and misinformation among their biggest concerns. According to the Real Concerns Report 2025 by Real Insurance, Australians' concern level has risen to an index score of 61.9, up from 59.7 in 2022 and 44.5 in 2019. To paint a picture of the top worries on Australians' minds as they head into the election, the survey asked respondents to identify their overall greatest concern. Greatest Overall Concerns for Australians in 2025: Financial concerns (i.e., cost of living, economic stability, and financial security) – 52% Health concerns (i.e., efforts required to eat/exercise right, stay safe, and be healthy) – 13% State of the nation (i.e., clarity in government policies, stability in local politics, international relations) – 13% Climate change and environment (i.e., degrading environment and legacy left for children) – 10% Work and education (i.e., work-life balance, stress, career development, and job security) – 7% Compounding these concerns this election year is the rise of misinformation. Nearly nine in ten (87%) Australians are concerned that deepfakes and AI-altered images make it harder to distinguish real from fake, while 86 per cent worry about misinformation spreading rapidly online. This scepticism extends to political news, with two-thirds (66%) reporting feeling more sceptical than in previous election years. Over one in three (33%) have corrected or fact-checked someone close to them about misinformation, a trend particularly prevalent among younger generations. The report also highlights concerns about the negative influence of social media on political discourse (85%). Dr. Marian-Andrei Rizoiu, Associate Professor at The University of Technology Sydney, comments: "Voters need to understand that even factually accurate content can be weaponised when presented selectively or out of context to trigger specific emotional responses". In response to rising scepticism, Australians are actively adopting more rigorous news verification habits. Nearly 4 in 5 (77%) are making a conscious effort to fact-check political news, primarily by checking multiple news sources (59%) and assessing the credibility of news outlets (40%). Furthermore, the majority (86%) have changed their tech habits to avoid misinformation, including avoiding clickbait (41%) and relying on trusted news sources (36%). For more information or to access the full Real Concerns Report 2025, click here. View original content: SOURCE Real Insurance Sign in to access your portfolio
