According to the findings, over half of those who have been the victims of a break in during the past five years moved house as a result, rising to 63% of 25-34 year olds.
By contrast, just 2% of people over 55 say that they have had their homes burgled in the past five years, making young people 9 times more likely to have their homes broken into than the over 55s.
Overall, 64% of UK adults say that they always feel safe in their own homes. But amongst young people aged 18-24 this drops to 55% and for those 25-34 the figure is 53%. The figure for those aged 55 is 73%.
Interestingly, homeowners tend to feel safer in their homes than tenants – with 69% of owners saying that they always feel safe at home, compared to 57% of renters. This is despite the fact that 3% of tenants say they have been burgled in the past five years, compared to 8% of owner-occupiers.
Perhaps unsurprisingly London is the region with the highest number of home invasions – with one in 10 saying they been a victim in the past five years. By contrast the proportion in Scotland and Northern Ireland is 4%.
Ian Williams, from Ocean Finance, said: “The vast majority of people feel safe at home most of the time and property crime is still comparatively rare. Ironically, people who rent tend to feel less safe at home, although they are, in fact, less likely to suffer a break in. Overall, younger homeowners, particularly in urban areas, are far more likely than any other group to be burgled.”
