16 miljoen buren: de rol van buren in persoonlijke netwerken in Nederland

Popular ideas on modernization and rationalization lead to the expectation that neighbours have only a marginal position in personal circles, in particular if one lives in a city and has a high income or status. This paper inquires into the importance of neighbours in personal networks in the Netherlands. It is studied whether geographical propinquity has consequences for the organization of personal networks and what the differences are between different regions and degrees of urbanization. Sharing group and social capital theory are used to develop hypotheses on the relations between neighbours and on the kind of support they lend to each other. Data result from the study on 'Primary Relationships and Social Support' (PRESOS, 1987, N=906), until now the only national representative data on (neighbour) networks of Dutch citizens. Results show the following: first, and in contradiction to ideas on consequences of modernization, neighbours are a vivid part of personal networks and they are important for many kinds of help. Yet, neighbours usually do not form close relationships with each other, they are rather weakly connected. Second, differences between rural and urban regions are very small and not robust. Third, higher educated do not have less but more contact with their neighbours. Lastly, most important for relations with neighbours is the need for support and the absence of other network members who can provide help.