It is shown that the hard-core model on ${{\mathbb Z}}^d$ exhibits a phase transition at activities above some function $\lambda(d)$ which tends to zero as $d\rightarrow \infty$. More precisely, consider the usual nearest neighbour graph on ${{\mathbb Z}}^d$, and write ${\cal E}$ and ${\cal O}$ for the sets of even and odd vertices (defined in the obvious way). Set $${\cal G}L_M={\cal G}L_M^d =\{z\in{{\mathbb Z}}^d:\|z\|_{\infty}\leq M\},\quad \partial^{\star} {\cal G}L_M =\{z\in{{\mathbb Z}}^d:\|z\|_{\infty}= M\},$$ and write ${\cal I}({\cal G}L_M)$ for the collection of independent sets (sets of vertices spanning no edges) in ${\cal G}L_M$. For $\lambda>0$ let ${\bf I}$ be chosen from ${\cal I}({\cal G}L_M)$ with $\Pr({\bf I}=I) \propto \lambda^{|I|}$.

TheoremThere is a constant$C$such that if$\lambda > Cd^{-1/4}\log^{3/4}d$, then$$\lim_{M\rightarrow\infty}\Pr(\underline{0}\in{\bf I}|{\bf I}\supseteq \partial^{\star} {\cal G}L_M\cap {\cal E})~> \lim_{M\rightarrow\infty}\Pr(\underline{0}\in{\bf I}| {\bf I}\supseteq \partial^{\star} {\cal G}L_M\cap {\cal O}).$$ Thus, roughly speaking, the influence of the boundary on behaviour at the origin persists as the boundary recedes.