The Midwest/Iowa Has The Friendliest Neighbors

As we trudge through the coronavirus pandemic, we've heard about neighbors coming together. Everything from videos of neighbors dancing in the streets together, to hearts and teddy bears in windows, to getting groceries for an elderly couple. However, a new survey revealed that only 33% of Americans consider their neighbors friends or close friends.

A recent survey by The Zebra results that revealed a majority of Americans aren't friends with their neighbors. You would think the idea of supporting local community is more important now than ever, but the survey results paint an interesting picture about U.S. neighbor relations today.

As you can see in the graphic above, 42% consider their neighbors to be acquaintances and 24% consider them strangers. That adds up to a whopping 66% of people that aren't friends with their neighbors.

As usual...Iowa to the rescue, and the rest of our neighboring states.  Americans in the Midwest region are most likely to be friends with their neighbors at 36%.

There's "Iowa Nice" coming to the forefront once again. A big part of "Iowa Nice" is as The Zebra mentions, "Midwesterners are also the most likely to stay in their hometowns which can help foster a sense of belonging and community pride." Plus, we just take care of each other. Whether it's snow-blowing your neighbor's driveway, watching their house while they're on vacation, checking in on the elderly or even providing a laugh by sending a beer over to our neighbor via a remote controlled car, we're there for each other.

The Zebra asks the question, "Are online neighborhood groups replacing face-to-face communication? The app Nextdoor is in 90% of U.S. neighborhoods. That's a good thing, I guess, especially during this time of "staying at home" and quarantining. On the other hand, I'll take the old fashioned way of keeping in touch with the neighbors, talking over the fence, sitting on the deck, or standing in the our driveways catching up about latest gossip and news. Hopefully, some day soon social distancing will be a thing of the past and we can get back to that.