In My day We Made Our Own Entertainment

Is the UK losing its friendly, sociable habits? do we even know who lives on our street anymore? Do blinds not twitch when the neighbours walk past and is this aiding global terrorism?

More than (36%) of us would not trust anybody on our street with our house keys if they went on holiday, according to ICM research .

Among 25 to 34 year olds that figure is almost a half (48%).
Meanwhile, more than one in five (22%) believes our neighbourhoods have become less friendly in the last five years.

In Nazi Germany of the 1930's the Gestapo relied on the friendliness of people to spy on their neighbours for them.

The study of neighbourliness was aimed at finding out how much people interact with others on their own street.
Bolton Woods is an old urban mill village in Shipley, West Yorkshire.

It is the sort of place that used to epitomise close-knit Yorkshire life but Bill Mitchell, who has compiled an archive of local history, feels the people around him have less and less in common.
"Ask anybody what's happening in the village [and they'll say] 'I don't know'. But you ask them what's happening on Coronation Street or Emmerdale, some such tripe like that, and they'll tell you immediately."

Yes Mr Mitchell its a new invention called television, most homes now own a set or three.

He puts it down to what the village has lost, the institutions that used to bring people together and so they could gossip about the business of others .

Over the years, Bolton Woods has lost four mills, the church, three chapels, the library, the doctor's surgery, 24 shops and the state primary school.

What about pubs?

The people are much the same. There is work and money in their pockets but they don't have any reason to get to know one another in the way they once did and it has led to a divide between young and old.

Bill Mitchell feels he has nothing in common with those around him. Maybe he should stop hiding in books and get out more and form a local historical association.

The pantomime, the concert parties, the glee club and dozens of other sad embarrassing local activities from 60 years ago have disappeared.

Hilda Cartwright a retired busy body . "Everybody knew everybody, you could go in people's houses and talk, leave your door open. You can't do that now, can you?"

Well you can its called a home invasion.

Younger families say they hardly see anyone outside their immediate circle.
Some work nights, others simply said that "nowadays you keep yourself to yourself".

At the community centre, the repeated comment was that young and old especially had stopped talking to each other.

Did they ever speak to each other? The old never wasted their time talking to the young and the young have always thought they knew it all anyway.

ICM also came to the conclusion that 98% of statistics were right 48% of the time.