research commissioned by Ultion, a high-security lock manufacturer, has revealed the growing safety concerns faced by women across the UK as winter nights draw in. 69% of women feel less safe outside after dark in the winter months, while 23% of women report feeling much less safe. This is in comparison to just 50% of men who report feeling less safe.
The findings highlight a significant rise in safety-led behaviour during winter, affecting women’s everyday routines and decision-making with 76% of women modifying their behaviour in a range of ways to feel safer. 43% of women avoid going out at certain times, 26% call someone while walking home, and 21% take longer, better-lit routes. Meanwhile, 26% of women book taxis or take public transport to avoid having to walk home and 23% have left events earlier than they would have liked to, to avoid feeling unsafe. 1 in 10 women have cancelled plans entirely due to safety fears. The research also reveals that 15% of women carry personal safety devices.
These concerns are particularly prominent among younger adults. The study shows that 44% of 18–24-year-olds avoid going out after dark during winter, while 36% phone someone while walking home and 15% have cancelled social plans due to safety fears. Despite decades of focus on street safety, Ultion’s research reveals a lesser-discussed form of anxiety: the time spent getting to, and unlocking, the front door.
Amongst women:
· 33% have feared someone is watching them or following them to their door
· 15% say unlocking the door in the dark is the moment they feel most at risk
· 22% say they’ve felt unsafe approaching their own home in the past 12 months
For comparison, only 9% of men say unlocking the door causes them anxiety.
The research also uncovers that searching for keys is a major safety gap, with 40% of women saying they would feel safer if they didn’t have to fumble for keys in the dark — whether through keyless entry, smart access, or a more secure system.
Annabel Mantel, Managing Director of Ultion said, “Women are adjusting their daily routines and travel behaviours simply to feel safe after dark. When over 69% of women report feeling unsafe in winter, this represents a significant and persistent social issue. Ensuring people feel secure the moment they reach their front door must become a priority, particularly as the darker months place additional pressure on personal safety.”
“Women are doing everything they can to stay safe — changing routes, booking taxis, calling friends on their walk home — yet the moment they should feel safest, when they reach their front door, is when anxiety peaks. Our research shows it is time to close this overlooked safety gap and make arriving home feel secure, not stressful”, Mantel added.
The research also identified notable regional variations in winter safety perceptions. Cities including Wolverhampton, Bristol, Southampton, and Liverpool showed some of the highest levels of reported concern, with around two-thirds of residents feeling less safe after dark. By contrast, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Wrexham the report the lowest levels of anxiety.
Despite 85% of respondents saying they feel safe inside their home after dark, confidence in home security systems remains mixed. Only 21% of women report feeling “very confident” that their front door lock would protect them, compared with 32% of men. Additionally, almost half of UK adults admit they sometimes forget to lock their back door, indicating a gap between perceived and actual home security practices.
The study also found that 41% of adults think about home safety weekly or more, with higher rates among women and younger people, demonstrating the ongoing relevance of domestic security during the winter period.
As part of its ongoing commitment to improving home security, Ultion offers smart locking solutions that directly address some of the challenges highlighted by the research. The Ultion Nuki 2025, Ultion’s latest smart access upgrade, provides keyless, app-controlled, and auto-unlocking technology designed to remove the need to search for keys and allow people to enter their homes more quickly and confidently. The Ultion Nuki 2025 supports many safety needs expressed by women in the research by reducing the time spent outside the front door and eliminating the risk associated with fumbling for keys.