As restrictions begin to ease around Australia, neighbourhoods are settling into the ‘new normal’.
The neighbourhood has taken on a whole new meaning in the face of Covid-19. United by kindness and a commitment to all things local, neighbours are recognising that it’s the time to come together.
We conducted research to understand how Australian neighbourhoods are coping with the pandemic, and we’ve found that we’re leaning on each other and supporting each other more than ever before.
In Australia, we’ve seen a 247% increase in high quality neighbour connections – this is looking at neighbours who have either exchanged direct messages or engaged in an opt-in group in the past seven days. The chart shows that we’re not only continuing to see our most active members continue to engage, but more importantly, we’re seeing so many of our members become more regularly engaged with Nextdoor and their neighbours.
Who’s Hiring?
Neighbours are also hiring local more than ever before. When local business thrives, community thrives, and we’re certainly seeing a spike in delivery services, landscapers, errands, tutors, gardeners, nannies, and more.
- delivery service | 900%
- landscaper | 238%
- errands | 188%
- tutor | 126%
- gardener | 113%
- nanny | 100%
- lawn service | 100%
Builder Ciaran Grimes from Dromard Constrictions in NSW joined Nextdoor in January and he says that his business has been inundated with local work since signing up.
“I actually couldn’t believe it, there is such a great response rate and people are happy to recommend local tradesmen like myself. We have got loads of jobs and recommendations thanks to Nextdoor.
“What’s cool about Nextdoor is the sense of the local community helping each other out and everything is easy to find at the touch of a button.”
Our conversations have shifted to ways that we can help one another locally with household chores, work opportunities, grabbing the groceries, homeschooling, working from home and anything that’s been instrumental in making our lives easier during the pandemic.
We are investing in the home more than ever before, with a global trend showing an increase in items such as beds, desks, and lamps being sold in our For Sale and Free section.
After months of physical distancing, Australians are longing physical connections. According to a recent Nextdoor poll, we are most excited to visit our friends and loved ones now that restrictions are easing.
Despite these challenging times, #StrengthInNeighbours endures: 84% of Nextdoor members feel they have a neighbour they can rely on.
Now is the time to say “Thank You” to the person in your local community that helped you along the way. Download our printable Thank You cards, share on socials, and use on Nextdoor in three simple steps. Kindness is contagious, so let’s keep on spreading it!
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Note: for up-to-date information on the coronavirus (COVID-19), refer to official sources such as the Department of Health
Source: Polls and internal Nextdoor data from 2020. View the full #NextdoorInsights report here.
