What Are Praguers Most Afraid Of?

A recent survey conducted by the international marketing research firm Ipsos asked 1,000 Prague inhabitants about their feelings of security in the Czech capital.

The poll found that people who live in Prague feel most threatened by pickpockets (60 percent), burglars (57 percent), car theft (50 percent), misuse of personal data (47 percent), and vandalism (43 percent).

Murder (38 percent), rape (36 percent), extortion (28 percent), and domestic violence (16 percent) scored as less worrying, while the fear of extremism dropped by a tenth.

The findings also analyzed safety concerns by Prague district. The inhabitants of Prague 1, 5, and 9 worried most about pickpocketing, for instance, while car theft and assault were a greater concern for people living on the outskirts of the city.

More than a quarter of the inhabitants of Prague have been a victim of crime, in half the cases they were pickpocketed, another third were robbed or had their car stolen.

Over the past five years data regarding who reports crimes to the police has significantly evolved. Last year 78 percent of people polled said that they would report a crime to the police. In this survey the number dropped by ten percent.

A common reason for failing to report crimes to the police was a belief that the police would be largely unable to help.

The analysis also showed that 73 percent of respondents consider drugs and drug addicts among the most serious problems in the city in addition to vandalism, street crime, theft on public transportation, homelessness, and aggressive people.