Security Systems More Popular With Affluent

Only 6% of all American households have any sort of electronic security system, compared with 10% of the group surveyed representing the top two-thirds in terms of income. But no more than 3% have systems that include interior motion detection.

That was one of the findings of a survey conducted by STAT Resources, a Boston research firm, for the Santa Monica-based Security Equipment Industry Assn. in conjunction with the association’s participation in the International Security Conference & Exposition in New York late in August.

The survey was based on questionnaires completed by almost 1,000 households selected from the 64% of American households with a combined annual income of $15,000 or more, according to Albert S. Janjigian, president of the security association.

“Three out of four households surveyed have installed smoke detectors outside of bedrooms,” he added. “Other security measures reported by more than 25% of those surveyed are door peepholes, dogs that will bark at intruders, ownership of weapons and special window locks.

“The typical professional security alarm system installation today costs about $1,500 and averages about $20 a month for monitoring,” he continued. “Purchases of alarm systems have been motivated most strongly by the value of possessions and by neighborhood burglaries and families with incomes above $75,000 a year are 10 times more likely to own security systems than those with incomes of $15,000 to $24,999.”