RACV’s latest Home Safety Pulse research indicates that one in five Victorians do not feel safe in their own home, around one in three feel less safe than they did 12 months ago, and a notable share lack confidence in the security of their vehicles when parked at home. The survey of more than 5,000 residents across almost 450 postcodes also shows that safety perceptions differ by dwelling type and location and are strongly influenced by concerns about crime and what people see and hear in their communities.
Although most respondents said they feel somewhat or completely safe at home, the research points to a shift compared with RACV’s 2024 My Home survey. In 2024, 40% of respondents said they felt completely safe at home and 2% said they felt completely unsafe. The latest results show a smaller proportion now report feeling completely safe and a larger proportion say they feel completely unsafe, indicating a change in perceived risk rather than a complete loss of confidence in home safety.
RACV general manager corporate affairs Liz Carey said a sense of security at home remains a key part of daily life. “Home should be a place where people feel secure and at ease, but this research shows that for many Victorians, that sense of safety is being eroded,” Carey said. She said people’s responses appear to reflect both personal experience and broader community signals. “Importantly, this isn’t just about personal experience. Perceptions of safety are shaped by what people see happening around them, what they hear from neighbours, and the broader public conversation about crime,” she said. The findings suggest that perceived vulnerability can move independently of individual claims experience, influencing demand for home and contents cover, interest in security measures, and engagement with risk information.
Among respondents who reported feeling less safe at home than 12 months earlier, 94% attributed the change to crime increasing. About 32% linked their reduced sense of safety to a neighbour’s experience of crime, and 14% cited their own experience as a victim. “These findings show that even when people haven’t been directly affected, concerns about crime in their community can still have a powerful impact on how safe they feel at home,” Carey said.
Crime Statistics Agency data for the year ending Sept. 30, 2025, provides further context. The number of criminal incidents recorded by Victoria Police rose 12.3% to 483,313, up from 430,533 a year earlier. Recorded offences increased 10.8% to 640,860, while person victim reports rose 11.4% to 279,269. Family incidents increased 3.2% to 105,379 over the same period. At local government area level, Melbourne, Latrobe, and Yarra recorded some of the highest criminal incident and offence rates per 100,000 residents, all posting year-on-year increases. Melbourne recorded 17,818.3 criminal incidents and 24,026.5 offences per 100,000 residents; Latrobe recorded 12,701.4 incidents and 17,925.5 offences; and Yarra recorded 12,615.4 incidents and 15,418 offences. Within that broader crime environment, Carey noted that home burglary offences fell 7% in the latest figures but remain above levels recorded two years earlier, and said longer-term patterns are relevant when assessing household exposure to property crime.
The Home Safety Pulse, launched in November 2025, surveys Victorians about how safe they feel in their homes and communities, what influences those views, and what they prioritise to feel safer where they live. Respondents included people living alone, families, and empty nesters, and residents of apartments, townhouses, detached houses, and regional properties. The latest results show that apartment residents were more likely than other groups to say they felt somewhat or completely safe at home. Around 79% of apartment dwellers reported feeling safe, compared with 76% of townhouse residents and 74% of those in detached houses.
RACV said respondents who felt safer in apartments often referred to proximity to neighbours and shared spaces when explaining their views, while noting that dwelling type on its own does not determine safety outcomes. Differences between metropolitan and regional areas were also evident across the data. RACV described safety as “deeply personal and influenced by context,” with location, household composition, and type of housing all linked to how people view their own situation. These variations by geography and dwelling type may be relevant to segmentation, risk selection, and communication, particularly for products covering burglary, theft, malicious damage, and liability.
The research also explored attitudes to vehicle security at home. One in five Victorians said they were not confident their vehicle was secure when parked at home, in a period where recorded motor vehicle theft in Victoria has risen and theft from private residences and driveways remains common. At the same time, more than four in 10 respondents said they feel very or extremely confident about their vehicle’s security when parked at home.
According to RACV, respondents who expressed higher confidence often referred to off-street parking, familiarity with neighbours, and regular routines. The survey also found relatively low use of additional vehicle security measures such as steering wheel locks or aftermarket alarm systems. Many households appear to rely mainly on standard in-built vehicle security and parking arrangements for an asset that is typically of high value and used daily. These attitudes may influence motor and home claims patterns and may also inform insurer decisions on promoting risk-reduction measures or recognising security features in underwriting and pricing.
Carey said the findings show that crime numbers are only one factor in how people judge their own safety. “People’s sense of safety goes beyond crime statistics. It’s about confidence in your home, trust in your community, and feeling supported by practical measures that help reduce risk,” she said. While around half of respondents said their sense of safety had not changed over the past year, a smaller group reported feeling safer. Those respondents often linked this to actions such as upgrading home security, having someone in the household at home more often, or becoming more involved with Neighbourhood Watch or similar groups. “While we need to acknowledge these concerns, it’s also important to focus on what helps people feel safer – whether that’s practical home security, strong neighbourhood connections, or thoughtful policy that supports prevention,” Carey said. RACV plans to share the Home Safety Pulse findings with the Victorian government and other stakeholders as part of its work on home and community safety. The research and CSA data together offer insight into how changing crime patterns, community experience, and public discussion may shape policyholder behaviour, risk appetite, and demand for prevention-focused products and services in the Victorian market.
