Are people from some areas friendlier?

[McBethany]

I’ve recently been on holiday to a place that due to its location was full of Scottish people and Geordies. I was struck by how friendly everyone was, chatty with strangers, and friendly. Everyone saying morning or afternoon when they pass you.

Its similar when I’ve been to Liverpool - I strike up conversations with strangers all over the place. Great customer service too, chatty bar staff who seem to give a shit about serving you.

This isn’t a South bashing thread, and I’m aware everywhere has its share of miseries, grumps and idiots. But do you think the stereotype of friendly Northerners is true?

I'm a mature (East) Londoner born and bred. I grew up playing in the street, and everyone knew everyone. Back then families all lived close to each other too.

London had communities that looked out for each other, my Mum had 6 kids and very little money, a council property, relied on neighbours who were more than happy to help out. That no longer exists in the South (well not where I used to live) so the South wasn't always so unfriendly.

I do agree there is a North/South divide though, Northerners don't look for an agenda.

I was born in London and lived there for 40 years. Lived in 4 different places in London (North and South) and in each place had friendly neighbours.

I have also lived in Kent, Cambridgeshire, Essex and now East Midlands. No difference really in any of those places as to how friendly people are.

I definitely do not find people friendlier in the North than the South.

I go back to London about every 2 months and find people often start talking at bus stops, on the bus, on the tube etc. It's absolute rubbish that Londoners are not friendly

It’s kind of sad that friendliness should only be based on mutual economic need though, @Breakingpoint1961 isn’t it? That it disappears when families are self-sufficient?

Differing social norms, definitely. I remember learning that there is a psychological element and crowded spaces with barely any personal space are less open in order to carve out private/ public internally when it's distinctly unavailable. People need room, most towns and cities are hugely overcrowded. It's no coincidence mental health declines.

But that’s just a different set of social norms. Where you are from, it would be rude and unequal not to acknowledge someone you passed on the street at 7 am, so you acknowledged them. In London, it would be contravening social norms to acknowledge someone you saw on the street at 7 am — in part because there are likely to be lots of them! Neither is inherently friendlier or less friendly — people are just obeying the social ‘rules’ of where they are.

I’m from rural Ireland. It’s the norm for drivers and walkers (strangers) passing one another on rural roads to acknowledge one another with a small wave/nod. The same people would not do it in the nearest town, because it’s not practicable, there are too many cars and people. They have t suddenly become less friendly.

Lol okay, doesn't sound like you've ever stepped foot in Liverpool.

Probably too busy reading that rag The S*n

Love the anonymity of London. ....... or any bigger town or city.

I live in a fairly large town in Scotland that would, outwardly, seem to have great community spirit, friendly etc but also people wanting to know all your business and making up stuff when they've only heard a snippet of gossip.

Professional people being stopped in the street or restaurants being asked for advice or having complaints directed at them.

People here are very entitled and feel they own you.

I know yeah. Liverpool is polar opposite to this. 100% Sun reader.

Yes, I have to readjust to how friendly Glasgow is when I go back - not unusual at all for random strangers to strike up conversations.

Yeah, Scotland after all is made up of a series of small hamlets interspaced with crofts. It would be truly baffling if I passed a soul in Glasgow central station at 7am on a Monday. I wouldn’t even know how to interact - my reaction would likely scare the livestock and my hay cart would certainly topple.

bbcfolkie · 12/10/2023 22:08

Friendliest people I've found are in Wigan and Glasgow. The most unfriendly and up their own arses are in Solihull.

This made me laugh- I'm from Solihull, but have lived in 9 other towns- it's so true!

I'm a Northerner who has lived down south for a very long time. Whilst I like it down here, people are generally not that friendly unless you're in a garrison town. Those are a melting pot and have a good mix of South/North in them.

Northerners and Northern Irish people are significantly more friendly to strangers than Southerners, from my experience. The closer you get to London, the ruder people are in general.

We are southerners and rarely go up north went to Leeds and sheffield with dd for open days we both noticed how friendly people were generally compared to the south.

There is such a marked difference, isn't there. It's a shame as I'm sure there are many people where I down south who would be nicer but haven't been brought up in that culture.

Northerners yes.
Southerners no.

I'm from Bristol and it can be quite an unfriendly place...mainly because we get people moving here and looking down at us, the accent being seen as dreadful. It's interesting that bansky can't be some kiddie from one of the rough council estates...likely as that may be, no he's from the posh bit of town and went to the best school.
The South West is fed up of tourists...understandable
Wales really friendly in swansea. Cardiff hit and miss. The valleys, rural and North bloody rude mainly because I am.English.
Liverpool. Lovely lovely friendly people. Manchester not so. The commuter towns around and places like Chester are friendly.
Sheffield and Leeds not friendly places. York and around nice always friendly.
Newcastle have the nicest bouncers I have ever met! Really warm and friendly people especially in the area around.
Kent are nasty,nasty, up themselves people...I mean imagine asking in a pub (not one selling food) if they knew a good Indian restaurant, something that has served me well all over the uk, it was like I'd asked to sleep with their mother!
London too busy, but find a pub off the tourism route and you can get a conversation
South coast all a bit just interested in money.
Brum nice people but only want to talk to me about Weston super mare!
Not really been to Scotland but find the people, especially the men either super friendly or super aggressive.

Geordie, here. We are constantly told how friendly we are. I used to go out drinking in our city centre in my younger years and people always said it was one of the main reasons they visited the city.

I am from Scotland and live in London now. I would say that people in Scotland are more sociable in public to other people but it's hard to move past that and make friends. I used to work for a Scottish bank and English colleagues often moved to Scotland expecting to make friends easily, because everyone was so friendly, but found it wasn't that easy at all.

When I lived in Scotland we weren't that welcoming to incomers tbh. Yes, you'd speak to them in the street, but you didn't invite them round.

I think there is more of a culture of hosting acquaintances in London, so it's easier to make new friends.

I'm a southerner living in Cumbria. It's pretty friendly here. Less so once you get into towns and villages within the Lake District National Park though, as they are probably all sick to death of tourists and how they've driven up house prices so that locals can't afford to live there. Not an uncommon problem in lots of tourist areas, obviously.

Liverpool is definitely the most friendly place I've been - north east on the whole very friendly too

Probably because they’re Irish 😉

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