Safe havens?
New research[1] out today reveals a rising fear of stranger danger at Britain's front doors with almost half (48 per cent) of Brits admitting they feel unsafe in their own home and over a quarter (27 per cent) admitting to feeling more fearful today than just five years ago.
According to a study by Sheilas' Wheels home insurance, nearly half (47 per cent) of Brits admit that they never open the door to strangers with 46 per cent preferring to hide or pretend that they are not in rather than answer the door. Over half (55 per cent) also admitted that they are not as trusting as they used to be when it comes to letting anyone they don't know into their homes.
Highlighting a demise in community spirit, the survey also shows that 45 per cent of Brits do not even know the names of their neighbours and just a fifth (21 per cent) now belong to a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. The research found that the capital was the region most lacking in community spirit with over half (55 per cent) of Londoners confessing that they do not even know what their neighbours look like.
Proving that fears extend to calls as well as house callers, the survey shows that half of us (51 per cent) also admit to ignoring calls from unrecognised phone numbers.
Gender divide
Thankfully, large numbers of the British women polled are prepared to take action. The vast majority (83 per cent) feel no embarrassment using a door chain when opening the door and over three quarters are not shy about requesting ID from an unexpected caller.
By contrast, two fifths (40 per cent) of men polled admit that they would happily open the door to a stranger whether they were home alone or not, compared to a more cautious 19 per cent of women.
Jacky Brown at Sheilas' Wheels home insurance commented: "It is clear many Brits feel vulnerable when the doorbell rings in case a stranger equals danger so it is very important to take steps to feel as safe as possible on your front doorstep.
Door chains and other safety measures, such as a spyhole, provide a strong line of defence for people faced with an unexpected caller. We would advise everyone to be polite but very firm at the boundary to their home. Taking the time to get to know your neighbours so you watch out for each other is also worthwhile to help spot anything out of the ordinary. Keeping yourself to yourself isn't always the best policy when it comes to protecting your home from strangers and opportunistic thieves."
Age differences
- Under 25s are almost twice as likely to feel unsafe in their homes as over 55s (23 per cent compared to 45 per cent)
- Only one in ten (13 per cent) of under 25s belong to a neighbourhood watch scheme
- Over two thirds (63 per cent) of over 55s admit that they are not as trusting as they used to be when it comes to letting people into their home
Regional differences
- Those in the North East are most likely to embrace neighbourhood spirit, with 81 per cent admitting to being on first name terms with their neighbours
- A fifth (22 per cent) of those polled from Yorkshire admit to having ‘beware of the dog’ and ‘no sales callers’ stickers on their front door as a deterrent to uninvited visitors
- Those in the West Midlands are the most likely to never open the door to someone that they do not know (54 per cent)
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For further information please contact the Sheilas’ Wheels press office at Mischief on 020 7100 9999 or email sheilaswheels@mischiefpr.com
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Notes to Editors:
- Sheilas’ Wheels used the independent online research company Fly Research who surveyed 1,010 men and women from across the UK, aged 18 and over, between the 26th and 31st March 2010. Fly Research is an online market research company. Its researchers are members of the MRS and Esomar, and abide by their guidelines. Further information at www.flyresearch.com.
