New research from Nextdoor (NYSE: NXDR), the essential neighbourhood network, has found that half (50%) of Brits have turned to their neighbours for help over the past 12 months, with support across the country up 19% year-on-year. The report signals the return of the village spirit, as people increasingly turn to those living closest to them for practical everyday help, including for childcare and for fixing things.
As the clocks have moved forward and we look ahead to longer evenings, the younger generations have been found to be leaning more on their neighbours for help. Those in their 20s drove the surge in people asking neighbours for help, with requests increasing by 35%, followed by those in their 30s (32%).
“The village is re-emerging, and we are seeing the return of something that, for a long time, felt as though it had faded from modern life. For decades, longer commutes, rigid working patterns, and increasing digital convenience reduced our reliance on the people living closest to us”, said Dr Anna Machin, evolutionary anthropologist. “The younger generations in particular are rediscovering the value of those hyperlocal connections. As work and daily routines become more flexible and costs rise, neighbours are helping one another with childcare, sharing skills, or simply checking in on one another. These everyday encounters, what sociologists refer to as 'weak ties', are deceptively powerful. A smile at the door or a chat at the bins can do more for our sense of belonging than we might ever realise."
Everybody needs good neighbours
The findings highlight how neighbours are increasingly stepping in to help with everyday practical needs. One in four (25%) people in their 30s turned to a neighbour for help and advice, while 21% in their 20s have needed support with emergency repairs and fixes over the past 12 months.
The cost of living is also driving Brits back to their neighbours. With UK childcare among the most expensive in the world, nearly 1 in 10 Brits (9%) have turned to neighbours for childcare and school runs in the past year, suggesting that for many families, the village is stepping in where formal services feel out of reach.
Across British communities, asking neighbours to check on homes was the most popular form of help required (36%), followed by help moving heavy items and furniture (24%). Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 5 Brits (19%) who haven't asked for help say it's simply because they don't know their neighbours well enough, suggesting the potential for community support runs even deeper.
Small, everyday interactions are also playing an important role in rebuilding community connection. Nearly half of Brits (45%) say a simple smile, wave or hello from a neighbour has lifted their mood, while more than one in four (26%) say a neighbour has stopped for a meaningful chat when they needed it most.
These weak tie moments matter more than we think. Yet increasingly, Brits are turning to AI first for emotional support and even amongst those who do, nearly 7 in 10 still say genuine human connection matters most to their mental wellbeing.
More than a third (37%) know their neighbours by name and regularly stop to talk, while nearly one in five (18%) has been for a coffee or drink with someone on their street in the past year. At the same time, more than two in five (42%) say they have made a new neighbour friendship over the past 12 months.
"Our research shows that the appetite for neighbourly connection is there but people just need a way in," said Alice Skeats, Head of Partnerships at Nextdoor. "That is what a village has always been, a community where people look out for one another. But too many people are still holding back simply because they don't know who is around them. When that changes, communities function differently as they are able to respond faster, support one another, and feel more confident asking for help. That is what Nextdoor is built for - helping people discover who is around them, and making it easy to take that first step."
Acts of service: the nation's favourite neighbourly love language
Alongside the rise in neighbourly support, the research reveals that ‘acts of service’ lead the way as Britain’s most visible neighbourhood love language, with 81% saying practical help, such as taking in parcels or fixing something for a neighbour, is common where they live.
Pets are also emerging as a powerful social glue - nearly two thirds of Brits (65%) say pets help neighbours connect with one another, and 1 in 4 (28%) say dog walkers have the strongest social bonds in their local area.
Those acts are also helping to strengthen relationships between neighbours. Over the past 12 months, two in five Britons (43%) say they have spent time chatting to those living next door, while over a third (37%) know their neighbours by name and regularly stop to talk. Among those who have offered services locally, over one in five (22%) say they did so simply because they wanted to help someone else.
“While it can sometimes feel as though society is becoming more divided, the research tells a different story at street level,” continued Dr Machin. “What is striking is not just that neighbour connections are rising, but how they are showing up. When we look at this through the lens of the ‘love languages’, we can see that modern Britain’s villages are being rebuilt through gestures like a neighbour offering a lift when the trains are delayed, checking in after a tough week, taking in parcels during a busy workday, or stepping in for a last-minute school pick up. These small moments are adding up to something much bigger.”