The latest consumer survey conducted by Unysis Nederland has found that, out of the 15 countries studied worldwide, Dutch people are the least concerned about their safety.

The Unisys Security Index 2020

The Unisys Security Index is an annual survey that measures the concerns of consumers in 15 countries worldwide on issues related to national, personal, financial and security.

Each year for the past 14 years, Unisys has surveyed a representative sample of adult residents of the Netherlands, asking them how concerned they feel about a selection of issues, including disasters and epidemics, bankcard fraud, computer viruses and identity theft. 

The percentage of respondents that describe themselves as "extremely concerned" or "very concerned" about a specific issue is then converted into a point system, whereby each country is awarded a score from zero to 300, with a high score indicating that a country has many concerns about safety. 

This year's survey involved 15.699 respondents in the Netherlands and was carried out between March 16 and April 5, 2020, coinciding with the global coronavirus crisis - a fact which makes itself felt in the survey's findings. 

Is the Netherlands safe? Its population thinks so

Overall, the Netherlands scored a total of 100 points across the four categories measured, meaning the Dutch population are considered only somewhat concerned about their overall safety. This was 15 points lower than the 2019 score.

This is the third year running that the Netherlands has scored the lowest of all countries in the index, with neighbouring countries Germany (122 points) and Belgium (144) both totting up higher scores. The ranking's highest-scoring country was the Philippines, with 238 points.

What are Dutch people concerned about?

Unsurprisingly given the survey's timing, the top concern for the Dutch is the physical health of family members, with 40 percent of those surveyed registering concern about this. 62 percent of the sample asked also registered their concern for natural disasters, such as floods, forest fires, and pandemics.

Personal safety concerns also experienced a rise, with 58 percent of those surveyed registering fear of either identity theft or risk to personal safety over the next six months.

On the other hand, concern for financial security, including bank fraud and the inability to meet essential financial obligations, dropped by 19 percent in 2020. Concern for internet security also dropped.

Netherlands one of the world's happiest countries

Psychologist Martin Appelo states that there seems to be strong correlation between the lack of concern in the participating countries and the position of that country on the UN's World Happiness Report. 

The Netherlands placed 6th in 2020's ranking of the world’s happiest countries - which takes into account a country's social security system, healthcare system, and an individual's freedom to self-determination. Appelo suggests that this creates a feeling in the Netherlands that little can go wrong.

The 2020 Security Index

The global average for the 2020 Index was a score of 175 - exactly the same as last year. Here's how the individual countries scored:

1. The Philippines - 238 points
2. India - 223 points
3. Chile - 218 points
4. Colombia - 217 points
5. Mexico - 212 points
6. Singapore - 199 points
7. Brazil - 197 points
8. The US - 159 points
9. Australia - 157 points
10. France - 156 points
11. Belgium - 144 points
12. UK - 144 points
13. New Zealand - 136 points
14. Germany - 122 points
15. The Netherlands - 100 points

You can read the full Security Index report on the Unisys website.