With the development and metropolitanization of cities and the gradual decline of the old neighborhood and street culture, the phenomenon of neighborhood continues to disappear. Üsküdar University Sociology Department conducted a research on the concept of door-to-door guests in Istanbul. According to the results of the research, welcome visits between neighbors still continue today. As monthly income increases, there is a decrease in sincerity in neighborhoods, while those with higher levels of education have a more negative view on the concept of a door-to-door guest. Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı said that in contemporary society, individuals prefer to spend their time in consumption places such as shopping malls instead of getting to know their neighbors and strengthening their relationships.
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, who sheds light on behavioral patterns and changes in society with his research studies, signed a new research with Sociologist Fatma Makaraç on neighborhood relations this time after the Loneliness Research, which made a lot of noise last December.
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı and Sociologist Fatma Makaraç conducted a face-to-face survey with 172 people in Beyoğlu and Fatih districts by random selection method on the concept of door-to-door guest.
The results of the first part of the survey, which also included the demographic characteristics of the participants, are as follows;
- 68.1 percent of the respondents were female and 41.6 percent were male.
- When the educational status of the respondents is analyzed, it is seen that 26.3 percent of the respondents are primary/secondary school graduates, 15.2 percent are high school graduates and 12.5 percent are university graduates.
- While 37.5 percent of respondents stated that they live in a family of 5, 20.8 percent stated that they live in a family of 3, and 16.7 percent stated that they live in a family of 4.
- In the findings of the survey, 51.4 percent of the respondents met their neighbors during a welcome visit. This finding shows that neighborly duties from the past still continue in our society today.
- The rate of respondents who said that they met their neighbors through relatives is 18.1 percent. As can be understood from this result, it is clear that kinship is not only a necessary duty of blood ties, but also contributes positively to the neighborhood culture.
Number of neighbors decreases as monthly income increases
The study also analyzed whether there is a relationship between the monthly income of individuals and the number of neighbors they are intimate with.
While it was observed that neighborly relations were more intense in the lower income group, it was concluded that the number of intimate neighbors decreased as the monthly income of individuals increased. According to the results of the survey, people mostly go door-to-door for tea and coffee on special occasions. The striking figures from the second part of the survey were listed as follows;
- To the question "Do you go door-to-door to your neighbors?" 51.4 percent of the participants answered "no", 29.2 percent answered "yes", and 19.4 percent answered "very rarely".
- When compared on the basis of districts, 22.2 percent of the respondents residing in Beyoğlu district stated that they visited their neighbors door-to-door, while only 6.9 percent of the respondents in Fatih district stated that they visited their neighbors door-to-door.
- To the question "Do you go to your relatives without informing them?", 27.8 percent of the respondents answered "yes", 55.6 percent answered "no" and 16.7 percent answered "very rarely".
- Among the reasons for visiting relatives and neighbors, drinking tea and coffee on special occasions ranked first with 51.4 percent, while special occasions ranked second with 15.3 percent.
Those with higher education level have a more negative attitude towards guests
The survey also measured the effect of education level on the reaction to the time of arrival of the guest. The results revealed that the higher the education level of the individuals, the more negative reactions were given to the guests arriving at the door.
- 36.1 percent of the interviewees stated that the time of arrival of the guest is important and that they would react negatively to a guest arriving at an inappropriate time.
- To the question "What do you do in case of emergencies such as accidents, death or illness?", 54.1 percent of the respondents answered "I call the police or first aid", 20.8 percent said "I call my close relative" and 19.4 percent said "I call my neighbor".
Shopping malls are preferred over neighborly relations
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı made the following evaluations regarding the results of the research "In today's cities, it is seen that factors such as the sense of trust weakened by the distant and insecure approach of individuals to each other and the increase in the number of unknown people as a result of the increase in population density in the city center have led to a change in the form of neighborhood relations. Another important factor is the consumption-oriented lifestyle. In contemporary society, individuals prefer to spend their time in consumption venues such as shopping malls instead of getting to know their neighbors and strengthening their relationships."