Britons Most Worried By Crime — And Government Is Least Trusted To Deal With It

People in Britain are more worried about crime and violence than other major countries in Europe and the US, according to an international survey by the Ipsos International Social Trends Unit. The quarterly study -- the International Social Trends Monitor -- shows that over two in five British people find crime and violence one of the most worrying issues (43%), double the level in Germany (21%). Even Americans are far less concerned (27%).

But the most worrying finding for the Government is that, compared with other countries measured, British people have the lowest confidence in their government when it comes to crime. While less than a third of people in Britain believe Labour is capable of cracking down on crime (29%), confidence runs much higher in countries like Germany and Italy, where around half of people feel their government is capable (57% and 48% respectively).

Since Labour came into power, confidence in the government's policy on crime has mostly been in decline. In mid-1997, over two thirds of people believed the government could reduce crime (68%), but by 2002, the proportion had more than halved (30%). Since then, Labour has not improved their ratings, despite a significant focus on crime and policing.

Bobby Duffy, of the Ipsos International Social Trends Unit, said: "This major new study shows just how much of a challenge the British government faces in convincing people they can deal with crime and violence. Concern has been highest and confidence in the government lowest in Britain for many months, and there is no sign of this changing. And this is vitally important to overall government ratings -- the trends show that competence in dealing with crime is one of the main things the government is judged on."

Technical details

This quarterly study is carried out simultaneously in the US and the five biggest countries in the European Union: Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Great Britain. Interviews are conducted by telephone using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) among a representative sample of adults aged 18 years or more in each country. Data are weighted to reflect the known profile of each country's population.

In September 2006, Ipsos interviewed a total of 5,970 interviews across the sample countries. The fieldwork dates and interview numbers were as follows: France (1,006): 25-27 September; Germany (1,000): 22-30 September; Italy (962): 22-29 September; Spain (1,000): 22-28 September; USA (1,000): 22-26 September; Great Britain (1,002): 22 September -- 1 October.