Story at a glance
- Greeting neighbors is connected to higher well-being, according to a new Gallup poll.
- The average American adult greets about 5 neighbors a day.
- Higher age and income are linked to how often a person greets their neighbors.
Saying hello to neighbors is good for Americans’ well-being, according to a new Gallup poll.
American adults who regularly say hello to more than one person in their neighborhood have better well-being than those who say hello to fewer neighbors or none at all, poll findings show.
The findings are the result of a 4,556-person survey in which respondents ranked their level of well-being across five different metrics.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
Those metrics include career well-being, social well-being, financial well-being, physical well-being and community well-being.
Based on those rankings, Gallup gave survey respondents a score from 0 to 100 in order to place them on the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.
Americans’ well-being scores steadily increased by the number of neighbors they greeted, according to Gallup.
People who admitted they did not greet anyone in their neighborhood scored 51.5 on the index, while those who said hello to six neighbors scored 64.1, findings show.
“No meaningful increase in well-being is seen for additional neighbors greeted beyond six,” the polling company said.
How frequently an American adult says hello to their neighbors varied “substantially” by age.
On average, American adults reported greeting five neighbors, with 27 percent reporting greeting six or more.
Adults under 30 say hello to an average of 2.9 neighbors, while older adults, 65 and up, greet an average of 6.5 neighbors, according to the poll.
About 14 percent of young adults, those under 30, greet six or more neighbors, compared to 41 percent of adults 65 and older.
Having children under the age of 18 at home marginally increases a U.S. adults’ chances of greeting neighbors, as does having an annual household income of $120,000 or more, according to Gallup.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
