‘New parents’ voted less desirable neighbours than petty criminals

A poll of British homeowners has revealed the surprising information that many of us would rather live next door to petty criminals than parents of a newborn.

Asking 2,812 homeowners for their views on the best and worst neighbours, Hilarys.co.uk discovered that dog lovers and newlyweds are also among our most dreaded people to have next door, while ‘churchgoers’ and ‘retired couples’ are most favoured.

But no one is less desirable than a newborn baby, with its late night screaming fits and haggard parents just doing what they can to get by.

In fact, petty criminals were voted more popular as neighbours than DIY enthusiasts and students which surely says something about our priorities as a society.

The poll also found that 31% of us have had difficult neighbours at one point or another, and 10% of us have even come to blows with the people we live near.

Also listed on the There Goes The Neighbourhood scale are students, DIY lovers, petty criminals, families with teenagers, ‘political enthusiasts’, the serial unemployed and night shift workers.

The top ten worst neighbours were voted to be:

1. New parents – 79%
   

2. Dog lovers – 71%
   

3. Newlyweds – 68%
   

4. Students – 65%
   

5. DIY enthusiasts – 62%
   

6. Petty criminals – 58%
   

7. Families with teenage children – 49%
   

8. Political enthusiasts – 46%
   

9. The serial unemployed – 40%
   

10. Night shift workers – 33%
    

Lead image: Monkey Business Images/REX/Shutterstock