Feelings of insecurity most widespread among residents of the four major cities

Residents of the four major cities in the Netherlands are least likely to feel safe in their own neighbourhood. City centres in particular make people feel uneasy. Public transport travellers also feel more unsafe in the four major cities.  

Residents of Rotterdam feel uneasy in the dark in their own neighbourhood

Residents of the four major cities twice as often feel unsafe in their own neighbourhood as city-dwellers living elsewhere. Approximately 5 percent of residents of The Hague and Rotterdam feel unsafe in their own neighbourhood versus less than 1 percent in rural areas.

Feelings of insecurity, own neighbourhood

In the evening, feelings of insecurity are about twice as intense as during the daytime. One in ten Rotterdam residents do not feel safe in their own neighbourhood in the evening and at night. The rate in Utrecht, Amsterdam and The Hague is approximately 8 percent. 

People frequently feel unpleasant in city centres

People more often feel unsafe in the centres of The Hague and Rotterdam than in other urban areas. In The Hague and Rotterdam, 7 percent of residents feel unpleasant in their own city centre. The percentage is nearly twice as high as in other cities. The centres of Utrecht and Amsterdam are considered equally (un)safe as the centres of other cities.

Feelings of insecurity, own city centre

In the entertainment districts in the four major cities, 3 percent of residents feel uneasy, about the same proportion as in the other cities. In the entertainment district of Utrecht, people feel as safe as people in rural areas.

Public transport travellers often feel unsafe in major cities

Public transport travellers obviously feel more insecure in the four largest cities than in the rest of the country. In Rotterdam and The Hague, 10 percent of travellers frequently feel uneasy, i.e. twice as many as in Amsterdam and Utrecht. In the other cities, the proportion approximates 3 percent.

Feelings of insecurity, public transport

The railway stations in The Hague are notoriously unpleasant: 12 percent of train travellers frequently feel unsafe there. In railway stations in other large municipalities, about 6 percent of travellers feel insecure. This rate is approximately the same as in other railway stations in the Netherlands. 

Carin Reep