The 2025 study presents perceptions of crime and security, based on data collected in July from a sample of 600 individuals through telephone interviews.
The latest APAV Barometer data indicates that 63% of respondents feel secure in their daily lives, and 60% consider Portugal a safe or very safe country.
“But statistics have the knack for hiding the cracks beneath the surface,” the report’s authors observed, stating that the feeling of safety “has been eroding, albeit silently.”
The sense of insecurity is more apparent among women, the elderly, and lower social classes.
The country has also grown more distrustful since the COVID-19 pandemic, with all evaluated areas showing negative balances in security perception, especially in Europe, in general, and in Greater Lisbon.
“The farther from our street, the more dangerous the world seems. The parish and municipality are the last strongholds where security still endures,” concluded the authors of the work, presented at the APAV headquarters in Lisbon. Only about one in ten considers their residential area unsafe or dangerous.
The survey revealed that 9% of respondents reported being victims of crime within the last 12 months, “the highest value since 2012.”
More than half of the victims did not file a complaint, a fact deemed troubling, as the main reason cited was “lack of confidence in the justice system.”
“This deficit of trust is difficult to eradicate, even among those who admit potential future complaints,” the document states, identifying cybercrime as the second greatest threat to security, following violent crime.
“Portugal is, on paper, one of the safest countries in Europe. But the perception of insecurity is more a social wound than a factual one. Until it heals, we will continue to look over our shoulder. Even when we say everything is fine,” states the report.
The place where people feel the safest is at home during the day (92%), in contrast to public transportation at night (6%) and football stadiums and entertainment areas (11%).
The study, conducted by Pitagórica, has an estimated margin of error of about 4%.
