Internal Security (July 2024)

The study on internal security was conducted by dimap on behalf of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. During the survey period from 15.07.2024 to 28.07.2024, the population aged 16 and over in Germany was surveyed in telephone interviews (CATI) on the following topics: general security situation in Germany, personal perception of security and views on various aspects of security. Respondents were selected using a multi-stage random sample based on the RDD method, including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample).<br>General security situation in Germany: feeling of security in Germany; development of internal security in Germany in the last ten years; reasons for a perceived deterioration in internal security (open).

Personal safety: general feeling of safety in the personal environment at present and in comparison to ten years ago; description of the residential area (houses in good condition, residential environment (e.g. streets, bus stops, green spaces) in good condition, frequent police presence, etc.); feeling of safety during the day in various places (in the apartment or house, in the neighborhood or in the district). ); feeling of safety during the day in various places (in the apartment or house, in the neighborhood or district, in public squares, at train stations, in underpasses and bus stops, on public transport, when traveling by car); feeling of safety in the evening or at night in the aforementioned places; personal experience and Victims among relatives and acquaintances in the last ten years with regard to various crimes (e.g. car/bicycle stolen, cheated during an online purchase, burglary at home, harassed or mobbed on the street, etc.); assessment of the problem in Germany due to youth violence, violence in the family, unjustified police violence, organized crime (e.g. mafia, clans,), crime committed by migrants, left-wing extremism, right-wing extremism, Islamism, cyber attacks, white-collar crime and disinformation campaigns on the Internet; increase or decrease in politically motivated acts of violence in Germany over the last ten years.

Views on security: when in doubt, freedom is more important than security vs . In case of doubt, security is more important than freedom; willingness to give up certain freedoms in favor of more security (that the protection of personal data on the Internet is temporarily (split: permanently) suspended, longer waiting times due to stricter controls at airports, the use of security checks at train stations as previously only at the airport, the use of security checks at schools and universities as previously only at the airport, comprehensive video surveillance in public spaces, comprehensive use of facial recognition software, more presence of private security services, e.g. in supermarkets and public buildings, police checks on the street even without concrete suspicion, checks at German borders); opinion on video surveillance in public places in relation to personal sense of security; assessment of various political measures to protect citizens from crime and violence as sensible vs. excessive (Increased police presence on the streets and at train stations, expansion of video surveillance on public streets and squares, consistent and rapid deportation of foreign criminals, deportation of foreign criminals to non-secure countries of origin such as Syria or Afghanistan, recruitment of additional public prosecutors and judges, more state subsidies for private protective measures against burglars, e.g. alarm systems, stricter penalties for burglars, acceleration of criminal proceedings, ban on switchblade knives in pedestrian zones, shopping centers, public transport and around kindergartens and schools (split: ban on switchblades); trust in institutions (police, constitutional protection, public prosecutors, courts); advocating the use of internet surveillance and data retention by state authorities for the following purposes: Fending off cyber attacks, solving crimes, preventing the spread of anti-democratic content, preventing the spread of hate comments; messenger services should be obliged to automatically search private chats for depictions of sexualized violence.

Demography: sex; age; federal state; Berlin West/East; size of location; highest level of education; party sympathy; respondent born in Germany; parents born in Germany (migration background).

Additionally coded were: Respondent ID; weighting factor.