JOIN USBengalureans trusted neighbours the most during lockdowns: Study
To get over social isolation, loneliness and anxiety, where do most Bengalureans find comfort and trust? Neighbours. Yes, a recent 'Trust Circle' study found that 80.65 per cent of respondents from the city were more likely to depend on their neighbours compared to pre-Covid times.
The MyGate Trust Circle covered 2,867 Indians of all ages from across tier-1 and tier-2 cities, including Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
Almost every respondent, 98.79 per cent of those queried in Bengaluru, acknowledged that their relationship and dependence on neighbours, local vendors and support staff (watchmen, delivery boys and maids) improved during this period.
The study, which analysed the pandemic’s impact on people’s attitude towards their immediate surroundings, also found that Bengalureans were more likely to build real relationships. Ninety-nine percent of the respondents from the city were clear that this was critical to combat stress and anxiety. Only 60 per cent in Chennai and 74.55 per cent in Kochi felt this way.
Diving deeper, the study found that 40 per cent of the respondents depended on their neighbourhood community for help or local information. Only 22.18 per cent relied on technology, while the dependence on relatives (18.95 per cent) and close friends (16.94 per cent) was even lower.
Nationally, the pandemic's psychological impact has been devastating across age groups. While over 80 per cent of the respondents agreed, the prevalence of such issues was even higher among Gen Z (90 per cent) and women (90 per cent), the study report said.
Bengalureans stood out for their emphasis on 'real relationships'. "It is surprising to note that almost 100 per cent of the highly tech-savvy and socially inclined/connected Bengalureans felt this need to combat stress, more than their southern counterparts like Chennai (59.44 per cent) and Kochi (74.55 per cent) or even Kolkata 73.39 per cent," noted MyGate Co-founder Abhishek Kumar.
Nationwide, neighbourhood communities have always been part of a ‘Trust Circle’. “Nearly half of the population - 47 per cent - leave the keys with their neighbours while going out,” the report said. During the pandemic, 75 per cent of the study’s respondents included their neighbourhood people (those with whom they interacted daily) in the ‘Trust Circle'.
This 'Trust Circle' expanded and became crucial for communities to come together and monitor/manage the locality’s health and hygiene, engage socially and interact regularly on issues related to electricity, water and more.