Britons’ sense of belonging to their community has declined over the past five years, with official figures showing people are engaging less with their neighbours but more with social media.

Across the UK, positive engagement with neighbours, such as exchanging favours or stopping to talk, fell by three and four percentage points respectively between 2011-12 and 2017-18. The figures come from data released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics.

Feelings of belonging to one’s neighbourhood have also fallen in recent years. In 2017-18, 62% agreed or strongly agreed they belonged to their local area, compared with 69% in 2014-15. Britons were more likely to say they had at least one close friend and had used the internet for social networking in the last three months.

Compared with 2011-12, people were less likely to assist others by providing help to sick, elderly or disabled people or through parental links after children have left home.

Reported membership of political, voluntary, professional or recreational organisations declined by five percentage points between 2011-12 and 2017-18, according to the data.

Parents in the UK were less likely to regularly give help to and receive help from their adult children who did not live with them in 2017-18 than in 2011-12, falling by four and six percentage points respectively.

Though people felt less connected to their communities, both men and women felt safer. Across England and Wales, people reported feeling safer walking alone at night in 2018-19 compared with 2012-13, with a 12 percentage point increase for women and a four percentage point increase for men. Though women continue to feel less safe than men, with a 20 percentage point gap observed in 2018-19, this gap has narrowed since 2012-13.

Eleanor Rees, head of the social wellbeing analysis team at the ONS, said: “Our social capital findings show that we are engaging less with our neighbours but more with social media. We also note that we feel safer walking alone after dark in our neighbourhoods but more recently fewer of us feel like we belong to them.”

Sunder Katwala, the director of independent thinktank British Future, said: “These new findings underline something that many people have felt for some time – that we have become less connected with our fellow citizens. Our society is more divided than any of us would like.”

In January, Katwala was among several signatories from the worlds of sport, faith and business calling for a decade of reconnection to heal divides in British society.

The open letter, signed by Sir Hugh Robertson of the British Olympic Association, Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis and Carolyn Fairbairn of the CBI, called on citizens to “reach out to just one person we don’t know, or from whom we have drifted apart”.

Katwala said: “Most people would like to feel more connected with their neighbours and people in their community. But rebuilding a more connected society will take action at all levels, from the government and institutions to communities and individuals too. There is a public appetite for us all to play our part in ensuring we turn this around.”