In a survey by GfK research, almost three in 10 Canadian consumers (27 percent) report that they are “always concerned” about their safety and security. The online survey was conducted for countries around the world, with the global average of people reporting they always feel concerned about safety and security being 32 percent.

Looking at the difference between genders, Canadian women are more worried about safety and security than men: 29 percent for females versus 24 percent for males. Among the different age groups in Canada, people 40 to 49 years old expressed the most anxiety about their safety and security, with 31 percent strongly agreeing that they are concerned. Other concerned age groups are those 15 to 19 (28 percent), 30 to 39 (28 percent), and 60-plus (27 percent). For Canadians in the 20 to 29 and 50 to 59 age groups, the concern for safety and security drops slightly below 24 percent.

According to the GfK survey of 21 countries, people in Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and Russia have the highest levels of worry; these are the only countries surveyed where more than half of consumers agree strongly — choosing “6” or “7” on a scale of 1 to 7 -— with the notion of always feeling concerned about their safety. This anxiety is most pronounced in Brazil where roughly two-thirds or 64 percent of respondents expressed the highest level of worry about safety and security.

Sweden, Germany and Netherlands have the highest levels of perceived safety and security. These countries are the only ones surveyed where less than 15 percent of respondents strongly agree with the idea of always being concerned about safety.