Home Security Survey: How Comfortable Are You with Security Cameras?

Overall Perceptions of Security Cameras

In general, survey respondents seem to have a love-hate relationship with security cameras. They realize how important they are, but they have some misgivings.

According to survey results, 86 percent believe security cameras are important for a home security system, with 53 percent selecting “very important” and 33 percent selecting “somewhat important.”

While the majority of respondents looked at security cameras as being an important part of a home security system, they had a concern about them. Some people worry that they can be hacked or that their security company can spy on them through their home security system.

There have been instances of this in the news, but the occurrences are extremely rare. Home security companies’ focus is to keep you safe. Any time you are thinking about purchasing a home security system with professional monitoring, be sure to read through their privacy policy. Here is a link to Cove’s Privacy Policy. Rest assured, the cameras Cove offers have military-grade AES-128 data encryption to ensure your footage is kept private on both transmission and storage.

Cove recommends placing security cameras in public areas of your home, including a doorbell camera and an outdoor security camera. These help keep an eye out for intruders before they come inside your personal space. For its indoor cameras, Cove recommends only placing these in public areas such as living rooms, kitchens, or basements. You can easily turn these on or off as necessary.

RELATED: Can Cove Be Hacked? Navigating Your Security Data

Homeowners should know that if a crime does occur, police may want access to the video footage as evidence. You may freely give it to law enforcement, or they may gain a warrant either through you or through the home security company.

Security Camera Comfort Level: Generation Breakdown

It’s interesting to note that the comfort level of survey respondents varied greatly by age.

The two younger generations of adults were more trusting of security cameras. Fifty-four percent of Millennials and 45 percent of Gen Z were “very comfortable” with security cameras in their homes, which makes sense since they grew up surrounded by technology.

These younger generations are already used to sharing a lot of their lives online, and some may even be influencers. Having yet another camera on them doesn’t seem to phase them much.

Meanwhile, the two older generations surveyed were less enthusiastic about the idea of security cameras. Only 38 percent of Gen X and 18 percent of Baby Boomers felt “very comfortable” with security cameras in their homes. That’s a marked difference from the outlook of the younger generations.

But again, it makes sense why these older generations think this way. Gen X and Baby Boomers came into this technology as adults. They remember a time when there weren’t cell phones or security cameras, and they’ve seen when those technologies first came out. As a result, they are more leery of the implications that technology can bring.

Security Camera Comfort Level: Gender Breakdown

Breaking it down even further, the survey also looked at the different perspectives of men and women when it comes to home security. For example, 47 percent of men were “very comfortable” with security cameras, compared to only 32 percent of women who felt that way.

Why is that the case? Perhaps men aren’t concerned about someone looking in on them and feel they can more easily protect themselves from safety concerns. Women, on the other hand, may feel more vulnerable and may even have experienced invasion of privacy before in other areas of their lives.

No matter where you lie on the spectrum of being comfortable or uncomfortable with security cameras, you can still benefit from having a home security system. A Cove system includes sensors that don’t have any cameras on them, meaning you can keep track of people coming and going without worrying about privacy.

Give Security Cameras a Try

If you’re still on the fence about using cameras in your home, perhaps start with a doorbell camera or an outdoor camera. Since these face outdoors, they are less intrusive and focus on people on the outside only. Once you have experience with these pieces of security equipment, hopefully you’ll feel more comfortable about how they can help keep you safe.

The ultimate question is, do the pros outweigh the cons? According to the FBI, a burglar is 300 times more likely to pass by a home that obviously has a security system installed. And even if the burglar does attempt to break into that home, the alarm will immediately alert the home security company and the homeowners.

Interested in learning how Cove can help protect your home? Take our quiz below to get started.