Community Safety Perception 2025

How safe do Victorians feel in their own homes, and how do their everyday behaviours reflect those feelings?

The Community Safety Index 2025: Municipal Review of Perception and Protective Habits in Residential Areas explores this question by combining community perceptions with local crime data and security behaviours.

Developed from over 8021 responses to the How Safe Is My House quiz (which you can access here), this report offers a detailed municipal breakdown of how residents across Victoria experience, interpret, and respond to safety in their neighbourhoods.

This research goes beyond traditional crime statistics. It highlights the difference between objective safety (e.g. crime rates) and perceived safety, shaped by personal habits, socioeconomic background, and local context. By analysing both active security measures (such as CCTV and alarms) and passive behaviours (like locking doors and windows even when at home), the report provides a more complete picture of how people protect their homes, even in areas with low crime prevalence.

Key features of the report include:

• Safety perception ratings across six Victorian regions from 2020–2024
• Comparative trends in the use of home security systems and habits
• Regional insights into passive vs active protective behaviours
• Considerations for how population density and access impact safety practices
• Plans for increasing participation and improving inclusivity in community safety data

Whether you're a policymaker, researcher, local council, or community member, this report offers valuable insights into what safety feels like on the ground and what can be done to support safer, more resilient neighbourhoods across Victoria.

📥 Download the full report below to explore the data