“A bad neighbour is as great a plague as a good one is a great blessing”: on negative relationships between neighbours

Abstract

With research on social relations hitherto, it is not clear how and why negative relationships between neighbours emerge. In this study, arguments are developed on the conditions within neighbourhoods and on individual characteristics that facilitate negative relations amongst neighbours. The arguments are divided according to three perspectives: diversity, uncertainty and social influence. In the Dutch context, most support is found for the social influence perspective, and both the neighbourhood and the individual level seem important in explaining negative relationships. Important factors that explain the likelihood for negative relationships are the willingness of residents to intervene on behalf of the neighbourhood, religious diversity and individually perceived conflicts in the neighbourhood. However, people who have more relationships outside the neighbourhood, undergo less influence of perceived conflict.