Most Security Conscious Countries

Globally, home security is a growing concern among many different groups, and households have begun turning towards smart technology and security systems to protect their properties, taking matters into their own hands.

Whether it’s as simple as a video doorbell or a full-blown smart security system, homeowners are more equipped than ever with this technology being more accessible. Home insurance comparison service iSelect has identified which countries and US states top the chart when it comes to home security.

Top 10 Most Security Conscious Countries

In creating these rankings, we were able to break down which of the countries we studied are the most security conscious, based on the quality of their smart home infrastructure, their rates of robbery and number of online searches for home security measures per 100,000 people.

#1: Norway

Total score: 87.39

Norway is our top country for being the safest and most careful, recording some of the fewest robberies (15 per 100,000 people) and the third highest number of online searched for home security measures out of all 32 countries (2,236 per 100k). Plus, since they’re excelling in smart home readiness (with 99% of households having internet access), it solidifies them as the leader of our rankings.

#2: Finland

Total score: 82.48

Finland is in second place, with strong performance across all the key measures. Their combination of the fourth most home security related searches (2,057) and a low number of robberies (105) make for a strong security conscious score, helping them climb the list.

#3: New Zealand

Total score: 80.08

New Zealand is in a close third place, also appearing strong across the board. Despite having an average household disposable income of $39,937, the second lowest in the top ten, their strengths lie in having a low number of robberies with only 78.

#4: Ireland

Total score: 77.03

Ireland just falls short of the top three, finishing fourth in our ranking. Their strengths are in smart home security infrastructure which is boosted by an average gross household disposable income of $46,719, surpassing New Zealand’s. However, they rank lower due to only 94.4% of households having internet access compared to New Zealand’s 96.3%

#5: Denmark

Total score: 74.54

Rounding out the top five is Denmark leads with 3,143 home searches per 100k – the highest among all 32 countries studied. The main reason they fall shorter though is due to having the fifth highest number of robberies at 537.

#6: Netherlands

Total score: 73.11

The Netherlands are in sixth place here, with a strong average gross household disposable income of $55,556. Compared to the rest of the top ten, they have the second lowest number of home security checks (909) but have an impressive 96.9% of households with internet.

#7: United Kingdom

Total score: 73.08

Next up is the UK, who have a security consciousness score of 63.09, standing higher than the Netherlands’ 60.49. This is because there are fewer robberies (120 vs 212 per 100k) and more home security searches with 974. However, with a lower disposable income of $48,166 and only 96.4% of households having internet access, they don’t quite make it to the top of the rankings.

#8: United States

Total score: 72.31

The US, despite having the highest disposable income of those studied at $67,468, lack the strengths across the board to place them further up the rankings. Looking at the top ten, they have the lowest home security searches (610) and the fourth highest number of robberies (271), so they don’t have the overall numbers to place any higher.

#9: Chile

Total score: 72.20

Chile impressively ranks ninth despite having one of the lowest average disposable incomes among all 32 indexed countries ($23,899). They do, however, perform incredibly well by conducting the second highest number of home security searches, at 3,138.

#10: Australia

Total score: 71.05

Finally, to round out the ten best countries, we have Australia, with the third strongest disposable income of our top ten ($52,296). While 97.4% of houses have internet access, the robbery rate of 578 means it is the highest of our top ten.

Top 10 US States Leading in Home Security Awareness

Similarly to how we’ve just listed the top ten countries based on their security levels, we’ll now break down how each US state ranked based on the index. Using similar metrics to the countries, and the same conceptual framework and scoring logic, here are the top ten US states.

#1: West Virginia

Total score: 89.23

Nicking the top spot for home security awareness is West Virginia, where they have the lowest number of robberies (11) and the second most home security searches conducted with 790. Alongside the small number of robberies, their smart home security infrastructure score sits as the highest at 74.73, indicating that people are still active in searching for preventatives.

#2: North Dakota

Total score: 84.49

Not far behind is North Dakota who, similarly to West Virginia, have a high number of home security searches per capita (783). This is more proportional here however, with a higher robbery rate of 26 occurring in this state. Also boasting an average expendable income of $17,904, which is higher than the rest of our top ten, it gives them a solid security infrastructure score; implying that they are actively looking for security measures too.

#3: Mississippi

Total score: 82.92

Mississippi ranks third among US states, with a surprisingly small amount of expendable income in comparison to the others ($4,411) – the second lowest of all states, in fact. Despite the low income, they have strong home security search figures at 752, and a robbery frequency of 21. Paired with an internet usage on the higher side (78.1%), it shows proactive behaviour to prevent crime.

#4: Montana

Total score: 82.54

Up next is Montana in fourth, where average expendable income is on the lower side at only $9,489. Their robbery rates are also lower than the average across all states with only 24 – and they clearly want it to stay this way, with a high home security search rate of 756.

#5: Wyoming

Total score: 81.74

Following Montana is Wyoming in fifth, with one of the lowest rates of robberies out of all US regions (12). Pairing this with 715 home security searches conducted makes for a very security conscious state.

#6: Maine

Total score: 78.64

Maine ranks sixth, where they similarly have a very low crime rate (12). It’s perhaps the state that has the most inclination towards deterring robberies though, as, with an extremely high internet usage of 85.4% – indicating technical foundation to connect to smart devices – they seem keen to get ahead of any potential thefts.

#7: Arkansas

Total score: 77.77

Arkansas follows up in seventh, with a slightly higher rate of robberies occurring here (38). Despite this, they have a fairly high number of home security searches (739) and stronger-than-average internet usage (81.8%). This suggests that there is a good amount of awareness from residents.

#8: Kentucky

Total score: 76.01

Kentucky places eighth in our rankings and is another state with robbery rates that are above the US average (39). Much like Arkansas, consumers also appear to be aware of their lower security, with home checks being on the higher end (721), and properties having high percentage of internet usage rates, too (81%).

#9: Iowa

Total score: 75.91

Ninth place is taken by Iowa, who appear to be one of the states most keen to have crime preventatives in place. This is supported by the fact they have a relatively low rate of robberies at 22 and consume the most internet of our top ten with 85.7% usage.

#10: Vermont

Total score: 74.41

Finalising our ranking of the ten most secure states in the US is Vermont; another state that is keen on preventatives, that can be recognised by their low crime rates (15), reasonable number of home security checks (646), and a high 82.9% rate of internet usage.

Where Security Awareness Lags

Finally, now that we have ranked and gone through the countries and states who are the most security conscious, let’s see who is perhaps the least aware. This can be identified by looking into which locations have high rates of robbery but low search interest. Below is a concise list we have compiled:

Countries:

• Costa Rica: This is the country with the highest robbery rate out of all 32 that were looked at (776). Also having a home security search rate lower than many other countries with only 538 conducted, it highlights them as somewhere lacking security awareness.

US States:

• Rhode Island: Tying with Maryland in its overall score, Rhode Island has the lowest number of home security searches of all states, combined with the lowest smart home infrastructure score.

• Maryland: With a robbery frequency of 131, Maryland has the highest rate of theft out of all the states. Since it is also the state with the third lowest home security search rate at 461, it characterises somewhere that isn’t as mindful regarding security.