A new survey has revealed a striking gap between how safe people feel in Dublin city centre and the levels of crime they actually experience
The City Centre Crime Victim Survey, commissioned by Dublin Inquirer and carried out by Amárach Research, found that 63 percent of people chose not to visit Dublin city centre in the past year because they felt it was too unsafe — despite three-quarters (75%) saying they had not experienced any violence or threats of violence in the capital over the last 12 months.
The online survey, conducted over a week in September, had a margin of error of 3.9 percent. It aimed to fill what researchers and policymakers describe as a long-standing evidence gap in understanding perceptions of safety in the city’s core.
“There’s no evidence basis behind policy regarding safety in the city centre,” said Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD and justice spokesperson. “It’s based on almost a humpty-dumpty approach.”
Debate about crime and safety in Dublin’s centre has intensified over the past five years, prompting talk of “rejuvenation” and new measures through the Dublin City Centre Taskforce, including high-visibility policing by Gardaí. Yet, as Gannon argues, policy has often followed high-profile incidents rather than consistent data.
According to the survey, 70 percent of respondents believe crime has increased in the city — a perception that far exceeds the actual levels of victimisation reported. Criminologists point to the availability heuristic, where frequent exposure to dramatic incidents in media or online can inflate public fears.
Police figures, meanwhile, offer a limited picture. Reported crimes often reflect changes in Garda activity more than real fluctuations in offending. A Garda press release on 5 October highlighted that thefts and robberies “from the person” are down about 30 percent, while shop thefts are up 6 percent, though it did not specify which period the data covered.
The Dublin Inquirer notes that crime victim surveys help capture not only reported offences but also the so-called “dark figures” of unreported crime. However, even these have limits — the survey, for instance, excluded questions about sexual assault after consultation with academics and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
“Something high-profile happens, Garda statistics are thrown about, but those aren’t that helpful,” Gannon added.
The publication hopes to repeat and expand the survey annually, building a clearer picture of how crime and fear evolve over time — and whether efforts to improve safety are having a real impact.
As it stands, Dubliners’ fear of the city centre remains far greater than the evidence suggests — a “huge gulf” that continues to shape public debate, policy decisions, and the future vitality of the capital’s heart.
