In 2011, Gallup did a world-wide poll asking the following question: "Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?" Analyzing the results by region, Gallup found the people of Latin America and the Caribbean were most likely to answer "No."
Russia and the Middle East/North Africa were also places where people felt unsafe. By contrast, North America, Southeast Asia, and East Asia were the three most safe regions, all in the 75% or greater "yes" answer area.
I wonder to what extent the reported feelings are accurate reflections of actual freedom from attack and to what extent the feelings are culturally derived? Both factors must be at work in these self-reports.
