Neighbor problem? Turns out "younger Americans, particularly millennials and Gen Xers, are the most sensitive and confrontational neighbors," Trulia reported Wednesday, National Good Neighbor Day.
But is that a fair assessment?
In a Harris Poll of 2,069 adults for the online real estate site, 63 percent of the respondents ages 55 or older reported having no problems with their neighbors in the past 12 months, but 61 percent of millennials and 52 percent of Gen Xers said they did. The site goes on to explain that millennials and Gen Xers are more likely renters, living in closer quarters, so it's no surprise that the biggest complaint for the younger age groups was noise.
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How the respondents handled those problems varied by age group, with 29 percent of Gen Xers who experienced a problem with a neighbor in the past 12 months choosing to sort out issues in person compared with millennials (19 percent). Millennials, on the other hand, contacted authorities twice as much as baby boomers (20 percent versus 10 percent).
On the bright side, the survey indicates that we are getting along, for the most part.
Sixty-three percent of respondents characterized their relationship with the people next door as "friendly" and 10 percent considered them to be "very close" or "best friends." Nearly two-thirds know the name of their immediate neighbors.
Only 1 percent of those questioned said their relationship was hostile, but 18 percent said having difficult neighbors would motivate them to move.
Eileen McEleney Woods is the editor of The Boston Globe's real estate section, Address. Send comments to Address@globe.com.