Data Access
Select one or more countries and years and generate tables for all six Indices of Social Development and the underlying indicators.
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Contact: isd@iss.nl
Interpersonal Safety and Trust
Interpersonal norms of trust and security exist to the extent that individuals in a society feel they can rely on those whom they have not met before. Where this is the case, the costs of social organisation and collective action are reduced. Where these norms do not exist or have been eroded over time, it becomes more difficult for individuals to form group associations, undertake an enterprise, and live safely and securely.
Studies have shown that societies with norms of trust and trustworthiness experience faster economic growth, have denser civic and associational life, and more effective public institutions, whereas in societies where people must fear violation of their personal and property rights, there are lower rates of new enterprise creation, engagement in associational life, and compliance with public authorities.
We measure personal security and trust by using data on general social trust from a wide variety of surveys, indicators of trustworthiness such as reported levels of crime victimisation, survey responses on feelings of safety and security in one’s neighbourhood, data on the incidence of homicide, and risk reports on the likelihood of physical attack, extortion, or robbery.
Data Used
| Indicator | Source | Countries |
| Felt unsafe in home, proportion saying 'never' | Afrobarometer | 16 |
| Had stuff stolen from home, proportion saying 'never' | Afrobarometer | 16 |
| Been attacked, proportion saying 'never' | Afrobarometer | 16 |
| Proportion of respondents who say that 'in general, most people can be trusted' | Asian Barometer | 10 |
| Proportion of respondents who say that most people try to be fair, rather than take advantage of you when given the chance | Asian Barometer | 10 |
| Economist Intelligence Unit rating on social distrust | Economist Intelligence Unit | 121 |
| Percentage respondents feel 'very safe' or 'fairly safe' walking alone in their area after dark | International Crime Victim Survey | 64 |
| Percentage respondents feel 'very safe' or 'fairly safe' while at home after dark | International Crime Victim Survey | 37 |
| Percentage respondents who avoid places when they go out | International Crime Victim Survey | 56 |
| Percentage respondents who take company with them when they go out | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced a car theft in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced heft from car in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced damage to car in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced motor theft in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced burglary in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 66 |
| Percentage respondents experienced attempted burglary in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced garage theft in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 28 |
| Percentage respondents experienced robbery in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 66 |
| Percentage respondents experienced personal theft in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced sexual offence in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Percentage respondents experienced assault in last 5 years | International Crime Victim Survey | 67 |
| Interpol homicide rate | Interpol | 124 |
| Interpol rape rate | Interpol | 54 |
| Interpol rate of serious assault | Interpol | 57 |
| Interpol rate of aggravated theft | Interpol | 52 |
| Interpol rate of breaking and entering | Interpol | 57 |
| Interpol vehicle theft rate | Interpol | 59 |
| WHO homicide rate | World Health Organisation | 102 |
| Respondent or someone in their family assaulted in the last 12 months | Latinobarometer | 19 |
| Percentage of respondents who feel secure in the neighbourhood in which they live | Latinobarometer | 17 |
| Percentage of respondents who have been the victim of a street crime | Latinobarometer | 17 |
| Percentage of respondents who have been the victim of burglary | Latinobarometer | 17 |
| Percentage of respondents who have been the subject of attempted homicide | Latinobarometer | 17 |
| Percentage of respondents who have been the subject of attempted abduction | Latinobarometer | 17 |
| State Department crime advisories, coded 1-5 | US State Department | 186 |
| UNCJIN homicide rate | United Nations Criminal Justice Information Network | 116 |
| Percentage of managers surveyed for whom crime is a major business constraint | World Development Indicators | 66 |
| Proportion of respondents who say that 'in general, most people can be trusted' | World Values Survey, Afrobarometer, Latinobarometer | 86 |
| Proportion of respondents who say that most people try to be fair, rather than take advantage of you when given the chance | World Values Survey | 40 |
| Proportion of respondents who do not very much or do not at all trust their neighbourhood | World Values Survey | 22 |
| Proportion of respondents who do not very much or do not at all trust people they know personally | World Values Survey | 22 |
| Proportion of respondents who do not very much or do not at all trust people they meet for the first time | World Values Survey | 22 |