Britons split on neighbourhood community spirit

Half of the population is convinced that neighbourhoods across the country have a strong sense of community, while the remaining half is not so sure, new research from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks has revealed.

Almost half (49 per cent) of homeowners in the UK believe in the community spirit of their local area, whilst 27 per cent have not noticed and 24 per cent feel it is lacking in their neighbourhood.

The strongest community spirit can be found in the North East where 61 per cent believe they have a strong connection with their local area in comparison to just 38 per cent in the North West.

The research also revealed that friends rather than family now hold the key to community spirit, reflecting the fact that many people now live further away from family members placing increased importance on the support of friends.

Friendships are strongest in the North East and Wales where 46 per cent of respondents have a network of friends in their local community compared to just 29 per cent in Scotland. There is also a marked regional difference in family networks with 30 per cent in the North East having strong family support compared to just 7 per cent in the East.

Overall neighbours were valued more highly than family members in creating a strong community spirit with 72 per cent stating they were of prime importance.

Steve Fletcher, retail banking director at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said:

“At Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks we understand the importance of strong local communities and are focused on playing a positive role in the development of community spirit.

“We have a wide range of community initiatives from our ‘Spirit of the Community’ Awards and volunteering programmes to supporting our charity partner, Hospice UK, and we are committed to working with the communities we serve. As well as launching Yorkshire’s first ever bike library we work closely with both the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance and Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).”

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