CCTV, Gates, and Beware of the Dog: What Brits are most using to keep their home safe

The winter time often brings an influx of burglaries. Whilst we leave our homes, enjoying nights on the town, winter markets and spending time out with friends and family, burglars are lurking. In fact, reports suggest that burglaries in winter are 1.14 times more likely to occur compared to summer. 

So, it’s no surprise to hear that we’re all a little more security conscious this time of year. After all, we've got presents to protect and festive cheer to upkeep. But what home security systems and measures are we resorting to?

To find out, here at SimpliSafe we surveyed the nation to uncover the more popular ways in which we’re defending our home, and among the locks, chains, and outdoor security cameras, there were also some interesting, more inventive methods...

Bolting the Nation Shut: Britain’s Leading Home Security Methods

Across the UK, it’s perhaps no surprise to see the likes of burglar alarms, security cameras and chain locks top the list of most common ways used to protect our homes. Additions to front doors including deadbolts and chain locks are the most common ways we protect our home, however, with just over a third of people using extra security measures on their doors. Burglar alarms weren’t far behind with around 32% of people setting one before leaving their home.

The rise in security cameras, both indoor and outdoor have welcomed a rise in more recent years. Today, three in 10 people in the UK have some form of surveillance camera as part of their home security, while one in five of us are also using video doorbells.

However, cameras have still not surpassed ‘man’s best friend’. 31% of UK residents are keeping animals as a method of home security, so any burglars should certainly “beware of the dog” this Christmas.

Driveway security, such as gates and bollards were used by around 15% of people, largely in more rural areas, while the same goes for shotguns, a rather terrifying method of home security used by 0.2% of the country.

At the other end of the spectrum, around two and a half percent of people use no methods of home security at all.

Finding a Midlands Ground: The UK’s Most Security Conscious Regions

That figure rises to four and a half percent in the South East, where people are among the least security conscious, just behind London, where five percent of people have no home security measures in place.

Scotland is the region that uses the least amount of security measures and the area least likely to have indoor or outdoor security cameras, with just 19.2% of Scots installing them, compared to 35.6% of people in the South East, where cameras are the most common method of keeping their home safe.

Front door additions are most prominent in Scotland overall, as well as the South West and Yorkshire and the Humber, where 43.2% of residents are using them. 

Burglar alarms were the most popular home security methods across the regions, however. In total, in four of the 12 regions, alarms were the most popular method of home security, with front door additions and security cameras the most popular in three regions apiece.

The anomalies within the regions came in the West Midlands and the North East, where almost half of people in the likes of Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough were using their pets as home security measures. Residents of the North East are almost 20% more likely to keep a pet as they are to use a burglar alarm, as well as 10% more likely in comparison to front door additions.

Interestingly, whilst people in the West Midlands are most likely to keep animals as a security measure (35.9%), the region is also the most security conscious. Residents of the region use more security measures than any other, with 88% more answers compared to respondents in the multiple selection survey. 

The Welsh are the second most security conscious region in the UK, with 78% more answers to respondents, whilst residents of the North West were only one percent behind their Walian neighbours.

Security Battle of the Sexes

When it comes to the gender divide, males are 35% more likely to have no security measures in place in their home compared to females. 

Breaking down the results by gender, females are also more likely to install technology systems into their homes. According to the study, females are around 20% more likely to own a video doorbell, and 12% more likely to own a security camera. 33% of females use a security camera, whilst the most popular measure of home security for women is level between front door security additions and keeping pets in the home.

For males, front door additions are the most popular method of security with just over a third of the gender installing them, whilst 33% of males also have burglar alarms installed in their homes.  

Technology ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Among Young Homeowners

Additions to front doors such as bolts and deadlocks were the most common across the age ranges, with it the most popular among the age ranges 25-34, 55-64 and 65+. Animals were also well thought of as a security method, and the most popular among 18-24-year-olds, as well as those aged between 45 and 54. 

Technology, such as security cameras and video doorbells are most common among those under the age of 50. 

When it comes to video doorbells, 25% of 18-24-year-olds now have one installed, with one in five also having security cameras, whilst almost a third of 25-34-year-olds have a security camera installed either indoors or outdoors.

At the other end of the spectrum, it’s perhaps little surprise to see that those over 65 are more likely to spurn video doorbells. Just 15% of people 65+ have installed a video doorbell, although that figure is higher at 29.2% for security cameras, still the lowest of all the age groups. 

Methodology

Results of the study were completed between November 20, 2021 and November 22, 2021. A total of 1,511 people completed the survey, with an even representation across gender, age and region.