Reviews.com Porch Pirate survey shows concern over theft and burglary does not correlate with increased home security measures.
Fort Mill, South Carolina – July 16, 2019 – Each year, millions of consumers flock to Amazon to take advantage of Prime Day deals. But, sometimes, those buyers don’t get their purchases. According to a new survey released today by Reviews.com, a leading consumer advocacy company, many U.S. adults have had packages stolen from their porch.
• 78% of U.S. adults say they are at least “a little concerned” about being burglarized (or other crimes taking place on their property). 23% of Americans are “somewhat concerned” and 14% are “very concerned” about being burglarized or other crimes taking place on their property.
• More than 1/3 of U.S. adults (34%) have had a package stolen from their porch or know someone who has. That rate rose to 45% for those aged 18-34.
Despite the number of Americans that express concern over theft, it does not necessarily translate to increased home security measures.
• 22% of Americans said they currently own a home security system, and 59% said they have never owned one. Those in the south were most likely to have a home security system (27%), while Midwesterners were the most likely to have never had a system (73%).
• Almost half (46%) of U.S. adults said the main barrier to installing and maintaining a home security system was cost. For those with an income of less than $40,000, that percentage rose to 53%. Cost was a bigger barrier to younger adults (50% for ages 18-34) and those with lower income: 53% when income is less than $40,000 and 49% when income is between $40,000-$80,000.
• 33% of Americans said video surveillance was the most important feature of a home security system. This varied by race; 30% of Caucasians and 45% of African-Americans choose video surveillance as their top choice, over automatic lights and alarms, ease of use and low cost.
Other factors play into choices about home security options include:
• U.S. adults between 18-34 years old are more likely to be very concerned about their home being burglarized or other crimes taking place on their property than other age groups, with 18% feeling this way, compared to 15% of those aged 35-54 and 9% of those 55+.
• Broken down by race, Caucasians are significantly less likely to be very concerned about their home being burglarized or other crimes occurring on their property, with 8% of these U.S. adults saying they are very concerned, compared to 23% of African American adults, 24% of Hispanic adults, and 21% of those identifying as other.
• Education level also impacts the likelihood of having a home security system. 36% of U.S. adults with postgraduate degrees say they currently own a home security system, compared to 31% of those with four-year degrees, 21% of those with some college or two-year degrees, and 15% of those with a high school degree or who haven’t graduated from high school.
Visit https://www.reviews.com/home/security-systems/amazon-package-theft/ to learn more.
For more information, contact:
Megan Wilburn | Communications Associate, Reviews.com | [email protected]
Study Methodology
Reviews.com commissioned YouGov Plc to conduct the survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 1,237 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken on June 24-25. The survey was carried out online and meets rigorous quality standards. It employed a non-probability-based sample using both quotas upfront during collection and then a weighting scheme on the back end designed and proven to provide nationally representative results.
About Reviews.com
Reviews.com started as a small group of consumer advocates in 2013 and was acquired by Red Ventures in 2016. Today, its operations span the U.S., with testing facilities in Seattle, New York City and Fort Mill, South Carolina. Our mission is simple: to be a trusted purchase companion on everything you subscribe to. For more information, visit https://www.reviews.com/about/.