Despite conflicts

Most Styrians get along well with their neighbors

Good neighbors: Most people who live next door to each other resolve conflicts through conversation

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Iakov Filimonov)

Sometimes they make noise, sometimes they help out: More than half of Styrians have conflicts with their neighbors, a new study shows. Nevertheless, 94 percent have a good or very good relationship.

How do Styrians get along with their neighbors? Ten years ago, the province of Styria and the non-profit housing cooperatives had this last survey carried out, and now the new study results are available. The tenor: most people get on well with each other. "Many values are constant, although times have been turbulent," summarizes Social Affairs Minister Doris Kampus (SPÖ). "You might think that society is divided - but that's not the case," adds Housing Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP). "Conflicts are usually talked out."

Anonymity is on the rise
There is a trend towards anonymity: the number of people who only know their neighbors by sight has almost doubled from twelve to 22 percent. "Anonymity is growing, especially among younger and older people, which indicates a withdrawal from the public sphere," says Rainer Rosegger, who conducted the study together with Lisa Dietersdorfer.

Younger and older people in particular, who live in high-density housing in the city, only know their neighbors by sight.

Soziologe und Studienautor Rainer Rosegger, Agentur Scan

Bild: christian.chizzola

The politicians see this as a consequence of the pandemic. The reasons given by the 600 respondents were that people simply don't meet and therefore never make contact. That's why they want to pay more attention to (green) communal areas in residential construction, says Wolfgang Sacherer, chairman of the non-profit housing developers. The first projects with raised beds are already underway. More than half of Styrians regularly chat with neighbors, while another 22 percent meet privately.

Although a total of 94 percent of respondents get along well with their neighbors, 59 percent stated that they have conflicts. The most common reasons: Noise, parking lots and littering; for single-family homes: Property boundaries. Two thirds help out their neighbors.