Do Indians truly feel safe walking alone at night? The answer might surprise you—and it’s far more complicated than you’d think. Here’s the shocking part: nearly nine out of 10 Indians claim they feel safe walking alone in their neighborhoods after dark. But here’s where it gets controversial: that number plummets dramatically depending on how the question is asked or calculated. A recent study by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) reveals just how much methodology matters.
In a pilot survey conducted via phone calls, a staggering 88-90% of respondents—including both men and women from rural and urban areas—reported feeling safe walking alone after dark. But when the same survey was conducted in-person, the figure dropped to 69% in one location and a mere 51% when calculated using the United Nations’ definition of safety. And this is the part most people miss: the way we measure safety can drastically alter our understanding of it.
The question of safety isn’t just a local concern—it’s a global one. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a specific indicator for the proportion of people who feel safe walking alone at night, tied to Goal 16: promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. According to UNICEF, the ‘fear of crime’ itself can hinder development by reducing public trust, social interactions, and overall well-being. Yet, India has yet to compile official data on this indicator, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of societal safety.
MoSPI’s Household Survey Division aimed to address this by testing whether telephonic surveys could reliably collect perception-based data. Their findings? Phone surveys are cost-effective and feasible, but the UN’s definition of safety is flawed. Here’s why: the UN’s framework asks respondents to rate their safety as ‘very safe,’ ‘safe,’ ‘unsafe,’ ‘very unsafe,’ ‘I never go out alone at night/does not apply,’ or ‘don’t know.’ The final indicator is calculated by combining ‘very safe’ and ‘safe’ responses, dividing by the total number of respondents, and multiplying by 100. The problem? Those who never go out alone at night are included in the total count, even though they can’t logically answer ‘very safe’ or ‘safe.’ This skews the results, capping the maximum possible score at less than 100%. For example, if 30% of respondents never go out at night, the highest possible safety score is 70%, regardless of how safe others feel.
MoSPI suggests tweaking the formula to address this issue, which could explain the higher safety scores in their pilot surveys. But this raises a thought-provoking question: Are we measuring safety accurately, or are we inadvertently downplaying the fears of those who avoid going out altogether? Is the UN’s definition of safety fair, or does it need a rethink?
Globally, the picture is equally complex. According to Gallup’s 2024 Global Safety Report, 73% of adults worldwide feel safe walking alone at night—the highest figure since tracking began. However, women remain significantly less likely than men to feel secure, a disparity seen across over 100 countries, regardless of income or stability. Singapore, Tajikistan, and China lead the rankings with 98%, 95%, and 94% of respondents feeling safe, respectively. India ranks 59th out of 144 countries, with 72% reporting safety. South Africa sits at the bottom, with just 33%.
So, what does this all mean? Safety is more than just a feeling—it’s a measure of societal trust, inclusion, and development. But how we define and measure it can either illuminate the truth or obscure it. Do you think the current methods of measuring safety are adequate, or do they need an overhaul? Let’s start the conversation—share your thoughts in the comments below!
