Almost half of UK adults said in March they feel less safe than they did 10 years ago, according to new research from National Friendly.
The insurer’s Bruised Britain #3: Modern Day Fears study found 45% of adults felt less safe than they had a decade earlier, up from 38% in February 2026.
The research, based on surveys of UK adults in February and March, points to a marked shift in public confidence over a short period. By the end of March, 53% said they felt less safe than 20 years ago, while 57% said they felt less safe than 30 years ago.
Women were more likely than men to report a decline in their sense of safety. In March, 52% of women said they felt less safe than 10 years ago, up from 42% in February. Among men, the figure rose from 33% to 38%.
Older respondents were also more likely to say they felt less safe. In March, 54% of Gen X respondents and 45% of Boomers said they felt less safe than a decade ago, compared with 37% of Gen Z.
GLOBAL EVENTS AND DAILY LIFE
Among those who said they feel less safe now than at any other point in their lives, concern about terrorism across the globe increased from 45% in February to 59% in March. Worries linked to geopolitics, including the Middle East, rose from 41% to 52%.
Other concerns remained prominent. Crime and violence in the news was cited by 57% in March, while cybercrime and fraud and social unrest in the UK were each mentioned by 47%.
The study also suggested that concerns are extending into everyday activities. Among respondents who said they now feel less safe than previously in their lives, 54% said crowded places were a source of anxiety in March, up from 45% in February.
Travel outside the UK recorded the sharpest monthly increase, rising from 19% to 31%. Travelling alone remained a much greater concern for women, with 61% saying they felt less safe doing so in March, compared with 32% of men. Attending large organised events was cited by 35%, up from 26% a month earlier.
PROTECTION INTEREST RISES
The research also found increased interest in protection products among consumers who said they felt less safe. In March, 41% of fearful adults said they were more interested in protection products overall, up from 28% in February.
Interest in life insurance rose to 28% from 20%, while critical illness cover increased to 28% from 19%. Income protection rose to 25% from 16%. Among under-35s in this group, 55% said they were more interested in income protection in March, up from 38% a month earlier.
Accident, sickness and unemployment cover also saw an increase. In March, 25% of consumers said feeling less safe had made them more interested in ASU cover, rising to 51% among under-35s.
Peter Chadborn, director, Plan Money, said: “A common theme in many client conversations over the last few months has been a general concern with the erratic nature of evolving world events.
“Geopolitical uncertainty is always prevalent in certain parts of the world, which can often be perceived as uncorrelated to matters at home. But it is brought closer to home when there is a direct impact on the daily cost of living which can also create uncertainty in terms of how client’s future plans might be affected.”
William Trump, lead consultant at Unconventional Wisdom, a behavioural science consultancy that specialises in insurance, said: “People’s level of anxiety and fear is not driven purely by the threats themselves but also about their perception of those threats. So, in addition to the raw events happening in the world, people’s attention is being drawn to these events in a more vivid way than ever before.
“This is in part driven by the availability of information (e.g. through the news cycle and social media) as well as the unpredictability of the behaviour of world leaders. Finally, whereas other conflicts may feel remote, these world events have very real, concrete (i.e. salient) consequences for people (i.e. price or availability of fuel).
“From an insurance perspective, we know that scary world events can cause an increase in a desire to protect oneself, which we saw with the Covid pandemic and the subsequent spike in interest for life insurance.
“However, there is also psychological evidence to suggest that fearmongering can sometimes backfire as it can cause customers to disengage (i.e. bury their head in the sand) unless the threat is paired with a clear solution.”
Graham Singleton, chief executive officer of National Friendly, commented: “The new Bruised Britain findings paint a sobering picture of how people are feeling right now. In the space of just one month, we’ve seen a meaningful and measurable increase in fear – unsurprisingly driven by global events that feel closer to home than ever before.
“What’s striking is that this anxiety is translating into a genuine desire to take action and protect what we can control. More people are thinking about how they protect themselves and their families financially, and that’s a conversation the protection industry needs to be ready to have.
“At National Friendly, we believe access and affordability are key to ensuring protection products meet the needs of everyday people – and this research reminds us why that mission matters more than ever.”
