"22 million Brits leave their curtains and blinds open at night, leaving their neighbour’s free to spy at their leisure"
The research dug deep into those who live closest to us to reveal that 2.5 million Brits have spotted a neighbour in the nude, while 3.5 million use social media to stalk people sharing the same street.
Despite naming and shaming gossiping neighbours as the biggest pet peeve, research suggests that 1 in 10 of us loves a gossip about neighbours with others living close by.
Perhaps in an act to keep up with the Joneses, millennials are considered the nosiest age group in the UK. They are also the age group most likely to spy on neighbours, with 1 in 15 admitting to a sneaky peek. They’re most likely to shamelessly latch onto another neighbours’ Wi-Fi too.
On a city level, London topped the list for nosey parkers. Those living in the big smoke admit to looking through their neighbours’ windows far more frequently than other cities in the country. More than a quarter of a million (328,000) Londoners have seen a neighbour naked while 1 in 20 admitted to checking out their neighbours on social media.
Birmingham came a close second with 1 in 10 Brummie residents regularly gossiping about their fellow neighbours. Residents also admitted to regularly snooping around unsuspecting neighbours’ houses, with 1 in 20 admitting to looking around when they’re away on holiday, even though they had been trusted with a key.
Sheffield residents love a good peek out the window, the South Yorkshire city is most likely to be seen twitching the curtains to glimpse at what’s going on next door, with more than 1 in 20 admitting to nosing out of their windows for gossip.
Edinburgh and Bristol took fourth and fifth place for their intrusive tendencies. Residents in Edinburgh are most likely to snoop around a neighbour’s home, with more than 1 in 10 admitting to inspecting next door while the neighbours are on their travels. Bristolians are most likely to use their window prying tendencies to find love, with 1 in 18 admitting they snoop out of the window to catch the attention of a neighbour they find attractive.
It doesn’t stop there, 22 million Brits leave their curtains and blinds open at night, leaving their neighbour’s free to spy at their leisure.
Jason Peterkin, Director of 247 Blinds, who commissioned the survey, said: “We’re all guilty of spying on our neighbours as a population and as a provider of blinds it was interesting for us to find out how many people have them but yet use them just for show.
If you’re keen on getting a spot more privacy after reading what the British population is up to then shutters, venetian or wooden blinds are going to be your best bet.”
