City dwellers are more polite and have stronger communities than in countryside villages, experts say.
Residents are politer and friendlier in St Mary's Market in Newham, one of London's poorest areas, than in a number of quiet Wiltshire villages, according to the study cited at the York Festival of Ideas.
Researchers showed people were far more tolerant of youthful behaviour in London’s Newham where there were more children.
In more affluent areas such as Trowbridge and Devizes, the researchers found older people were quick to jump to conclusions about "spoilt", "rowdy", "rude" and "intimidating" young people".
The idea of pushy Londoners was dismissed because busy people knew the value of civility.
People in the quiet towns had more time to bear grudges, grumble, and were more likely to be stuck in their ways.
Leo Hollis, an expert in cities, believes more people will live in cities in the future, forced by over-population.
He said: “What is really powerful about a city is it is a super-community where connections go way beyond a village.
“Cities are possibly the greatest social experiment in human existence. As resources deplete, cities might be our salvation - an urban ark rather than a concrete coffin... By the end of the century, 10 to 11 billion people will be hoping to enjoy the urban dream.”
Mr Hollis, speaking in a lecture entitled "Cities Are Good For You", said cities could become great places to live if we rethought the way they were run and laid out.
He said the main problem with cities such as London is the emphasis on traffic over pedestrians and playgrounds built more for health and safety than the enjoyment of children.
He advised communities to reclaim areas where the can gather together as people do on the South Bank in London.
Mr Hollis admitted: "We see so much poverty, pollution, and congestion, the constant bustle of the place. It is easy to become alone and lost."
The study watched people going about their daily lives in Newham and in Wiltshire’s Salisbury, Trowbridge and Devizes, and the new town of Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.
