Half of Britons (50%) have turned to their neighbours for help over the past 12 months, a survey suggests.
Those in their 20s drove the surge in people asking neighbours for help, with requests increasing by 35%, followed by those in their 30s, up 32%, the poll for neighbourhood network Nextdoor found.
Overall, support among neighbours is up 19% year on year as people increasingly turn to those living closest to them for practical everyday help including childcare and household fixes.
One in four people in their 30s (25%) asked a neighbour for help and advice, while 21% in their 20s reported needing support with emergency repairs and fixes over the past 12 months.
Almost one in 10 Britons (9%) have turned to neighbours for childcare and school runs in the past year.
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, 19% of those who have not asked for help said it was because they did not know their neighbours well enough.
More than a third (37%) know their neighbours by name and regularly stop to talk, while nearly one in five (18%) have been for a coffee or drink with someone on their street in the past year.
Anthropologist Dr Anna Machin said: “For decades, longer commutes, rigid working patterns and increasing digital convenience reduced our reliance on the people living closest to us.
“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.”
Alice Skeats, from Nextdoor, said: “Our research shows that the appetite for neighbourly connection is there but people just need a way in.
“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.”
Censuswide surveyed 3,000 UK adults between February 23-27.
