New research from online estate agents Purplebricks reveals eight in ten (88%) Belfast residents follow the latest local dramas in a group chat with people living along their street.
More than half (57%) of people in the Northern Irish capital say they mainly use the chat for ‘general updates’ about the area (57%) and for ‘safety or crime prevention purposes’.
While the two biggest conversation topics are ‘local events’ (63%) and ‘bin collection days’ (50%), considerable texting time appears to be devoted to local tittle-tattle and snooping.
Three in ten residents in the city say their chat is a platform for ‘local gossip’ (38%), while others say it is used for raising ‘litter concerns’ (33%).
The weather is also a regular talking point in over two-tenths (29%) of Belfast chats.
Membership of WhatsApp chats in the Northern Irish capital is the same when compared to the rest of the UK, which is at 88%, according to the survey of 2,000 adults from across the nation.
Two in 10 (21%) UK adults keep their local street chat on ‘mute’ while nearly as many (18%) admit they would love to leave, but feel it is too awkward to do so.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of Brits said they would be prepared to banish a neighbour from the group if their chat etiquette became rowdy or unwelcome.
More men (87%) than women (82%) are in local WhatsApp chats, and membership is most prevalent among the youngest generation of adults, with interest waning as people get older.
Gen Z leads the way with a staggering nine in ten (91%) saying they are members of a street chat group. Millennials (87%) and Gen X (82%) are close behind, with eight in 10 involved.
Three-quarter (77%) of Britain’s Baby Boom generation are members of local chats.
Scots are the nosiest neighbours with nine in 10 (95%) admitting they’re in a local WhatsApp chat. Yorkshire and Humber has the fewest chat members, with seven in 10 (77%) in a group.
Tom Evans, Sales Director at Purplebricks Estate Agency, said: “Every man’s home is his castle, as they say, it’s no wonder he wants to know what’s going on beyond the ramparts.”