Peeping in on neighbors: over a third of Dutch people regularly look inside others' homes

Taking a quick peek inside when walking past a house or peeking at the (over)neighbors who have the curtains open sounds familiar to many. Research* by Luxaflex®^® reveals that 36% of Dutch people regularly peek inside other people's homes.  

Yet we ourselves do not like it at all when people look in on us, according to the survey. Almost 35% say they find it annoying when others look inside. Perhaps because one in three Dutch people sometimes 'quickly' walks naked through the house while the curtains are still open. Not surprisingly, 10% of the Dutch have seen a naked neighbor pass by. 

Almost half (48%) find it strange when people always have their curtains closed. However, closing window coverings makes more than a quarter (28%) of Dutch people feel safer in their homes. That is why half (51%) always close their curtains when they change clothes. 

But why do we actually peek inside other people's homes? 10% of the Dutch answered that they do so because they saw a nice man or woman inside. Men did this a lot more often (15%) than women (4%). These are the most frequently mentioned reasons for looking in on another person: 

1. Getting interior design inspiration (38%) 
2. Curious about who lives there (34%) 
3. Curious about what someone is watching on TV (16%) 
4. Watching the pets (14%). 
5. If I see a nice man or woman (10%) 

*Research conducted by Multiscope on behalf of Luxaflex® among 1,169 Dutch respondents in March 2023.