(WXYZ) — While we may be inclined to believe strangers are more likely to break into our homes, but did you know that it's actually people we know who are more likely?
Reviews.org conducted a survey to see what people think about home invaders and what will keep their families safe.
Here are five common safety precautions researchers were able to debunk:
Who’s most likely to rob your home?
- 50.4% thought a stranger most likely to rob them.
- 28% thought a friend most likely to rob them (we asked them to think of all friends, including those on social media).
- 21.6% thought a family member most likely to rob them.
- Fact: In robberies, 65.1% of attackers were someone the victim knew. In nonviolent robberies, 30% of attackers were known to the victim, 24% were strangers, and 46% were unable to be identified.
What will keep your home most secure?
- Guns were voted the most effective home security at 24.4%. The next highest percentage was 22.8%, who thought a professional home security system the most effective.
- Guns were a divisive topic — while 24.4% rated them most effective, 20.6% rated them as the least effective.
- The largest group of people who thought guns to be the best method of home security were Millennial-aged women (aged 25–34), who accounted for 38.5% of the group as a whole.
- 40.4% of respondents thought a fake security sticker/sign to be the least effective method.
- Only 11.8% of people thought dogs to be the most effective method for home security, though burglars often recommend a loud dog to deter theft (most people ranked it third most effective).
- Did you know: You’re 3 times more likely to be robbed if you don’t have a security system.
Are you more likely to be broken into when you’re at home or away?
- 89.4% of people correctly thought that you’re most likely to be burglarized when you’re away from home. However, that does make us wonder how effective a gun actually is if you’re not there.
What time is your house most likely to be broken into?
- 44.2% of people thought that burglaries occur in the middle of the night, between 12 a.m.–5 a.m. But again... most families are most likely to be home at that time, conflicting with the above stat.
- Fact: You’re most likely to be burglarized during the day, between 10 a.m.–3 p.m. That’s when people are away from home for work and errands, and kids are usually at school.
Do burglars knock on the door?
- 50.8% of respondents don’t think burglars knock on the door before breaking in.
- Fact: Burglars often knock on the door before entering. It’s a great way to see if anyone is home, or if there is a big noisy dog on the premises. If someone answers? They often say they were looking for their friend’s house, need directions, or will offer cleaning/repair services.
The site surveyed 500 people of different ages in the United States from various places to understand what they knew about home break-ins, robbers and burglars.
View the full report here.
