Liberty Lifestyle: Do You Know Your Neighbors?

How well do you know your neighbors? Do you feel comfortable asking them for a cup of sugar – or to keep a watch on your home while you’re out of town? Do you even know their names or what kind of work they do? Studies show that Americans are not as friendly with those who live in their neighborhoods as they used to be. What has caused this shift in socialization, and why is it so important to keeping our liberty and freedom?

The Lost Art of Neighboring

Decades ago, “neighboring” meant maintaining social relationships with those near us. Today, it seems to be spoken of almost exclusively in terms of etiquette – namely, “be quite and leave me alone.”

A 2025 Gallup poll found that only about a quarter (26%) of American adults surveyed said they knew most or all of their neighbors, while 62% said they know some of them, and 12% revealed they didn’t know any of them. This is a big change from 2012, as Survey Center on American Life demonstrated. At that time, “nearly six in 10 Americans (59 percent) said they talked to their neighbors at least a few times a week.”

So what has changed? David Burton, a community development specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, had some thoughts. “I’ve heard blame placed on things like fenced yards, homes without front porches, too much indoor entertainment, electric garage doors, and even air-condition. But those are all external sources of blame, while the actual responsibility rests with each of us and our choices.”

Through research over a decade, Burton suggests there are four primary reasons why Americans don’t socialize with their neighbors. They include loneliness, busyness, retreat mentality, and entertainment focus.

He claimed there is an epidemic of loneliness in America. “It seems contrary to what you might think, but you do not reach out to others if you are lonely and often say no to social invitations,” he informed.

The second issue, busyness, is a problem that continues to grow. Even with all the technological advances that are supposed to make life easier and free up time, Americans are busier than ever. “We complain about being busy, but at the same time, we love to tell people we are busy,” Burton explained. “Being busy makes us feel important. We take on too many tasks, we sign our children up for too many activities, and we clutter our schedule with things seven days a week.”

Retreat mentality is where we just want to escape the pressures of life and hide out in our homes. “’I just want to go home and relax’ is a verbal example of this,” he said. Or: “My home is my retreat, and I don’t want anyone to bother me there.” But this isn’t a good strategy. “Our home can be our safe place but using it as a fortress of solitude is not healthy.”

And finally, our focus on entertainment makes us less sociable with our neighbors, as Burton explained: “We buy larger televisions, connect them to the internet, and entertain ourselves until we fall asleep. We sit and watch Netflix and play video games until bedtime. The average American watches 3.1 hours of television per day. No wonder we don’t have time for neighbors.”

Know Thy Neighbors

Psychology Today pointed out several benefits to knowing your neighbors. When people don’t feel like they belong to their neighborhood, they feel “less safe, more isolated, and less inclined to engage.” Everyday interactions, such as helping someone bring their groceries inside, build meaningful connections, and these types of connections help support older adults, newcomers to the area, and those who face mental and physical health challenges.

But there’s more to it than just socializing. Knowing and interacting with neighbors brings a different kind of connection – liberty and freedom. Homesteading, for example, brings together people with different talents and skills. They help each other live off the land and be less dependent on businesses.

The same is true for city neighbors. If you know the skills and abilities of those around you, you can trade favors. A mechanic in the neighborhood can help others keep their vehicles running. A seamstress could help lower income families provide clothing for children.

Strong communities have long played an important role in preserving liberty. When neighbors know and trust one another, they are more likely to stay informed about local issues, attend town meetings, share information, and work together when policies affect their community. Throughout American history, local groups of citizens have often been the first line of defense against government overreach, using their collective voices to advocate for their rights and hold elected officials accountable. A neighborhood where people know each other is not just safer and more connected; it is also better positioned to protect the freedoms and values that matter most to the people who live there.