Neighborhood trust measures how many people say they can rely on or trust people living nearby. Recent surveys show substantial differences by country, age, geography, social identity, and sense of belonging. In England, 41% of adults said many people in their neighborhood could be trusted in 2023/24. In Canada, 53% of people aged 15 and older said they trusted many or most people in their neighborhood in April–June 2022. These figures use different questions and populations, so they describe each country separately rather than forming a direct international ranking.
Contents
- England neighborhood trust over time
- Trust differences among groups in England
- Regional and local differences in England
- Canadian neighborhood trust by age and place
- Trust, belonging, and life satisfaction in Canada
- Canadian differences by sex and racialized group
England neighborhood trust over time
The Community Life Survey tracks the share of adults aged 16 and over who say that many people in their neighborhood can be trusted. The latest result in the supplied series covers October 2023–March 2024, while earlier figures refer to their stated survey years.
In 2023/24, 41% of adults in England gave this response. The share was 42% in 2021/22 and 41% in 2020/21. Earlier in the series, 48% reported that many people in their neighborhood could be trusted in 2013/14. The figures therefore show a higher reported level in 2013/14 than in the three more recent observations listed here, although the supplied results do not establish why the levels differ.
| England survey period | Adults saying many neighbors can be trusted |
|---|---|
| 2013/14 | 48% |
| 2020/21 | 41% |
| 2021/22 | 42% |
| October 2023–March 2024 | 41% |
Source: Community Life Survey 2023/24: Background and headline findings. These are descriptive survey results, and the periods should be kept explicit when comparing them.
Trust differences among groups in England
The 2023/24 Community Life Survey reports different neighborhood-trust levels across demographic and socioeconomic groups. Younger adults recorded lower percentages in the supplied age categories: 25% of adults aged 16–24 said many people in their neighborhood could be trusted, compared with 28% of those aged 25–34. The figures describe age groups, not individual changes over a person’s lifetime.
Disability status also shows a difference. The percentage was 37% among disabled adults and 44% among non-disabled adults. By sex, 42% of female adults gave the response, compared with 40% of male adults. Among adults whose gender identity differed from their sex registered at birth, the figure was 35%, compared with 41% among those whose gender identity was the same as their registered sex.
Sexual-orientation categories in the survey also varied. The percentages were 41% for heterosexual or straight adults, 31% for gay or lesbian adults, 30% for bisexual adults, and 30% for adults in the other sexual-orientation classification. These categories should be read as reported survey groups; the figures do not explain the reasons for the differences.
The supplied ethnic and religious-group results range widely. Neighborhood trust was reported by 45% of Irish adults, 44% of White British adults, 10% of Gypsy or Irish Traveller adults, 19% of Black Caribbean adults, 51% of Jewish adults, and 46% of Christian adults. These percentages are all for England in 2023/24 and refer to the same response about many people in the neighborhood being trusted.
Employment and occupational categories show additional variation. Among adults who had never worked or were long-term unemployed, 28% said many people in their neighborhood could be trusted. Among adults in higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations, the corresponding figure was 46%.
Source: Community Life Survey 2023/24: Neighbourhood and community.
Regional and local differences in England
Neighborhood trust also varied across English regions in 2023/24. The reported percentage was 32% in London, 37% in the West Midlands, 38% in the North East, and 58% in the East of England. These results indicate different reported levels across places, but they do not by themselves identify whether population composition, local conditions, or other factors account for the variation.
Several local-authority figures illustrate the range within the supplied results. Richmond upon Thames recorded 58%, while the City of London recorded 54%. Kingston upon Thames recorded 49%. Outside London, the reported levels were 51% in Northumberland, 49% in Stafford, and 50% in Staffordshire Moorlands.
| English area | Adults saying many neighbors can be trusted |
|---|---|
| London | 32% |
| West Midlands | 37% |
| North East | 38% |
| East of England | 58% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 58% |
| City of London | 54% |
| Northumberland | 51% |
The regional and local-authority estimates are not interchangeable geographic levels. London, for example, is a region-level result, while Richmond upon Thames and the City of London are local-authority results. Keeping that distinction avoids treating every percentage as if it measured the same type of area.
Source: Community Life Survey 2023/24: Neighbourhood and community.
Canadian neighborhood trust by age and place
Statistics Canada reports neighborhood trust from the Canadian Social Survey for April–June 2022. The Canadian results cover people aged 15 and older in the 10 provinces and generally use the response that many or most people in the neighborhood can be trusted.
Trust rose across the supplied Canadian age groups. The percentage was 43% for people aged 15–24 and also 43% for those aged 25–34. It was 48% among people aged 35–44, 54% among those aged 45–54, and 55% among those aged 55–64. The two oldest groups recorded 65% for ages 65–74 and 70% for ages 75 and older.
Place of residence showed a separate pattern. Fifty percent of Canadians living in urban areas trusted many or most people in their neighborhood. The percentage was 46% in metropolitan areas with at least 1.5 million people and 66% in rural areas. The metropolitan estimate is a subset of the broader urban classification, so these values should not be added together.
| Canadian group, April–June 2022 | Trusts many or most neighbors |
|---|---|
| Ages 15–24 | 43% |
| Ages 35–44 | 48% |
| Ages 55–64 | 55% |
| Ages 75 and older | 70% |
| Urban residents | 50% |
| Metropolitan area of at least 1.5 million | 46% |
| Rural residents | 66% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Trust in neighbours.
Trust, belonging, and life satisfaction in Canada
Across Canadians aged 15 and older, 53% trusted many or most people in their neighborhood in April–June 2022. The percentage was much higher among people reporting a very strong sense of local-community belonging: 78%. It was 65% among those reporting a somewhat strong sense of belonging, 44% among those reporting a somewhat weak sense, and 26% among those reporting a very weak sense.
These results describe an association between reported belonging and reported neighborhood trust. They do not show that one measure causes the other, and they should not be interpreted as a personal prediction for every resident.
The same Statistics Canada source reports average life-satisfaction ratings on a 0–10 scale for different trust groups. The average was 7.8 among Canadians who trusted most of their neighbors, 7.4 among those who trusted many of their neighbors, and 6.9 among those who trusted few of their neighbors. These are average ratings, not percentages, and they should not be confused with the 53% overall trust figure.
| Canadian measure, April–June 2022 | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Trusted many or most neighbors, age 15+ | 53% |
| Very strong local-community belonging | 78% |
| Somewhat strong local-community belonging | 65% |
| Somewhat weak local-community belonging | 44% |
| Very weak local-community belonging | 26% |
| Average life satisfaction among those trusting most neighbors | 7.8/10 |
| Average life satisfaction among those trusting few neighbors | 6.9/10 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Trust in neighbours.
Canadian differences by sex and racialized group
The Canadian results also provide breakdowns by sex and racialized-group status. Overall, 47% of Canadians said they trusted a few or none of the people in their neighborhood in April–June 2022. This is a different response grouping from the percentage who trusted many or most, so the two figures should be retained as reported rather than treated as an arithmetic complement without additional categories and definitions.
Among Canadians aged 15 and older, 54% of men trusted many or most people in their neighborhood, compared with 52% of women. Among people aged 15–24, the corresponding percentages were 47% for men and 38% for women.
The racialized-group comparison was 42% for people in racialized groups and 57% for non-racialized people. South Asians were reported at 47%. These figures describe the categories used by Statistics Canada and do not establish why reported trust differs between groups.
The results provide several ways to read neighborhood trust: as a national estimate, as a difference by age or residence, or as a measure related to belonging and life satisfaction. The most appropriate interpretation depends on the survey question, population, geography, and period. England’s 2023/24 figures refer to adults aged 16 and over and the response that many people in the neighborhood can be trusted. Canada’s April–June 2022 figures refer to people aged 15 and older in the 10 provinces and generally use the response that many or most people can be trusted. Because the countries, wording, age thresholds, and periods differ, the results should be used as separate national snapshots.
Source: Statistics Canada, Do Canadians trust their neighbours?.