November 24, 2022, 4:27 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Not again! Do you think the same when cigarette smoke drifts over from the neighbor’s balcony? Or when you have to overhear a marital spat next door? You’re not alone, a survey shows.
The relationship between neighbors isn’t always marked by harmony or even friendly acquaintance—quite the opposite. Whether it’s cigarette smoke wafting over from the balcony, noisy children, or loud thumping late at night, a recent survey reveals what bothers us most about our neighbors—with interesting results.
Things that bother us most about our neighbors
What actually bothers you most about your neighbors? According to a YouGov survey, for most people, it’s cigarette smoke drifting over from the neighbor’s apartment or house. Twenty-eight percent mentioned this in the survey.
Twenty-three percent apparently have industrious neighbors, as they find their DIY activities disturbing. Surprisingly, only 12 percent of respondents are bothered by the rumbling or noise of children. That’s just a bit more than those annoyed by sex noises from the neighbor’s apartment—11 percent reported this in the survey commissioned by eBay Classifieds. Also, 11 percent are disturbed by the moving of furniture.
Loud music from next door again?
Music from next door (15 percent), arguments you have to overhear (14 percent), and visits or gatherings of several people at the neighbors’ (14 percent) are also considered bothersome by only smaller groups. Only 13 percent of neighbors practice instruments in a way that annoys the residents next door. Twenty-one percent say they are not bothered by noises or smells from the neighbors.
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For the representative survey by the market research institute YouGov on behalf of eBay Classifieds, 2,039 people aged 18 and over were surveyed between October 4 and 6, 2022.
with material from dpa