Just over one in ten UK and Irish adults think their home is secure this winter - Verisure research reveals

Homeowners delaying security improvements despite concerns 

LONDON, Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New research amongst consumers has found that only one in ten UK residents (16% Ireland) believe their home is secure, despite nearly half of adults (42% UK, 54% Ireland) being increasingly worried about the risk of burglary during the coming winter months. 

The research amongst over 2,000 adults in the UK, and over 1,000 in Ireland has been commissioned by Verisure, the second largest monitored alarms provider in the world, who have just launched its latest alarm suite technology, showed that half of adults in the UK and Ireland, are concerned about the security of their home and family. Despite these concerns, shockingly only 12% of UK respondents (16% Ireland) would rate the security of their home as high. 

The research also found that many homes still lack essential security features to act as deterrents and protect them from the risk of burglary. 

• Only half reported having window locks (50% UK, 49% Ireland) installed,
• less than half having outside lighting (46% UK)
• or a multi-lock front door (44%UK 48% Ireland). 

Despite advances in technology and costs dropping, only 27% in the UK (29% Ireland) said they possess home security cameras, or other recording device.  Women are much more likely to have window locks installed at 61%, versus just 39% of men (UK). 

Three quarters (71% UK, 85% Ireland) of respondents said they would feel safe at night having an alarm system in their home, yet currently only 1 in 10 (11%UK, 17% Ireland) reported having a monitored alarm, such as that provided by Verisure. Offering a new approach to home access by providing intruder detection, verification, and police notification, Verisure's alarm is also equipped with Verisure exclusive innovative Zero Vision technology to expel burglars in case of intrusion by generating a dense fog barrier

According to Horacio Perez, Operations Director at Verisure: "The research shows that concern about home security is high, but a startling number of people are not even taking basic actions to protect their home and family - giving opportunist crooks easy access to their property." 

Of those respondents who had taken steps to improve home security, the top three reasons for this were: homes near them were burgled (15% UK, 26% Ireland); they have been burgled in the past (15% UK, 19% Ireland); someone they know was burgled (13% UK, 24% Ireland). 

Perez said: "This suggests that people are waiting until it directly affects them before they act. As with anything, prevention is better than cure. Homeowners should be taking pre-emptive action to keep their family and properties safe, rather than waiting until the problem it is literally at their doorstep." 

Perez continued: "It sounds obvious, but when it comes to protecting your home it's important to lock windows and doors, make sure outdoor areas well maintained and lit, and keep valuables in a safe place. A monitored alarm system is a strong deterrent and having a good relationship with your neighbours so that they can keep an eye on things for you when you are away and vice versa is always a good idea. It's also sensible to avoid sharing things on social media that will let people know you are out of the house, as you never know who is viewing it.

"Most crooks are opportunistic – looking for a quick win. Making sure that your home is visibly well maintained and protected will send a strong signal that your property is not an easy target." 

About Verisure 

Verisure is the leading European provider of professionally monitored security systems with 24/7 response services. It protects close to 4.5 million customers in 17 countries in Europe and Latin America. In late 2019 Arlo Europe also became part of Verisure. The Company's mission is to bring peace of mind to families and small business owners by providing them with the best security solutions and services. Verisure is known for category-creating marketing, sales excellence, innovative products and services and customer-centricity. Verisure protects a highly satisfied and loyal customer base, with some of the strongest growth rates and best retention rates globally in consumer-facing services, demonstrating its exceptional service levels and strong value proposition to its customers.  

For more information: www.verisure.co.uk  

About the research 

The research for Verisure was carried out online by Opinion Matters between 19/10/22 and 24/101/22 amongst a panel resulting in 2,020 respondents in UK and 1,007 respondents in Ireland, 20% of which have been burgled in the past 5 years. All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2019) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. Opinion Matters is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018).