Austrians satisfied with security but pessimistic

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People in Austria feel safer, but less so than they did five years ago. This is the result of a representative study presented on Monday by the Association of Austrian Security Companies (VSÖ). The association surveyed around 1,400 private individuals between the ages of 16 and 75 and more than 600 security officers online about their perception of security before the shooting rampage in Graz.

55% stated that the security situation in Germany had developed in the wrong direction since 2020. Nevertheless, the feeling of security is “extremely high” in an international comparison, according to VSÖ spokespeople. After all, 84 percent rate Austria as a safe country. The Viennese show the most significant concerns—25 percent feel “rather not” or “not at all safe” in the federal capital.

Austrians trust the police
Across all age groups, the police are by far the most important guarantor of safety, with 79% considering law enforcement officers to be a key safety factor. This is followed by civil courage (45%), laws (42%), and surveillance technologies in public spaces (41%). However, the armed forces are less convincing. At 23%, it falls significantly behind private security service providers and guard services in terms of essential security factors in the country.

After Graz: VSÖ wants stricter rules on weapons
Against the backdrop of the rampage in Graz, the VSÖ is calling for more security measures in schools. However, Martin Wiesinger, chairman of the VSÖ Security Service Providers Section, does not want “fortresses” or regulations like those in the USA: “We live in a very safe country, and we should not introduce measures that overshoot the mark, however tragic the current incident may be.”

The enforcement of a VSÖ guideline on gun storage was also insisted on. “We have seen an increase in private gun ownership since the pandemic,” says specialist group chairman Herbert Maté. At the same time, however, there has been a “worryingly poor” approach to the storage of weapons.

This concerns the generations
The study shows differences in the perception of safety, particularly between the age groups: While terrorist attacks (34 percent) and political extremism (28 percent) are the biggest threat scenarios for 16- to 29-year-olds, 65- to 75-year-olds are most concerned about burglaries (37 percent) and a general willingness to resort to violence (43 percent). When looking at threats “in the next few years,” concern about violence even rises to 52% among senior citizens. Among the youngest respondents, cybercrime is the most significant concern for the future, at 42%.

Trust in the work of the police and security measures at public events is high at 77% and 84%, respectively. In both cases, confidence is above average among people with a school-leaving certificate and in the 65- to 79-year-old age group. Among 16- to 29-year-olds, on the other hand, the law was ranked second among the most critical safety factors, with 52% of respondents.

For less than a fifth of respondents, sexual assault is one of the three most significant threats to personal safety; however, this concern is significantly higher among women (22%) and the 16- to 29-year-old age group (33%).

What do Austrians do to prevent burglaries?
Austrians should feel fundamentally secure within their own homes. 94 percent feel that their private environment is safe, and for 70 percent, this feeling has “remained the same” over the past five years. The majority of private individuals without a security system also see no reason to purchase one—only five percent “very probably” plan to buy one in the near future. However, according to the study, almost a fifth of respondents would like to purchase a security camera in the next two years, and even more than a quarter of those under 29.

According to the study, 83 percent trust electronic security systems to protect against break-ins, while 86 percent also trust mechatronic variants, such as combinations of mechanical locks and electrical components. Over a quarter of Austrians also own a safe.