Please someone be honest, is it really that bad?

[Coffeetimeagain]

In the uk now?

I’m British but live in another European country, I want to move back but Dh is adamant it’s too dangerous and wouldn’t be the best for Dd
All I keep seeing on my Ig is all these attacks and frightening things, is this realistic where you are??
I am seeing all of Europe is becoming more dangerous, including where we are and it makes me worried

For some reason I’m developing a bit of anxiety about this, so want honest answers if possible 🙏

I don't think there is any more violence or disaster than there was in, say, the 1990s. We aren't all living in a state of fear and danger. Violent attacks make headline news because they don't happen all the time to everyone.

Why is your algorithm on social media showing you the bad news stuff?

Life in the UK is fine in general. Some percentage of people will always complain that the government is shite and the food is too expensive, that education is going down the pan and crime is sky rocketing. Even in times of splendour.

Oh gosh honestly OP I am European (and from a very wealthy European country), I live in a beautiful part of the UK, life is great. We are sometimes thinking of moving back to my country but purely because my family is there- I love the UK and the people. If you can, take out some private health insurance so you can get faster screening etc. I think on a whole, Europe is in the midst of a COL crisis but that's the same everywhere.

I am more worried about the NHS than safety..

The area of Europe you are in, vs the area of the UK you would intend to move to, may be a key piece of the puzzle as to what contrasts you would notice.
I do think it's quite difficult to have a good memory of the UK 15-20 years ago and to be faced with the knowledge that that is not the same at all, and unlikely to change greatly (e.g. interaction with health services, the job and housing market, costs of a lot of things, and study opportunities. But it feels as if these are big things that are, at the same time, a nesting box around many little things). It seems to have turned a dial on general frustration and comfort in the use of public space of all kinds but this is not necessarily a danger flag.

Yes that's true, general satisfaction seems to have gone downhill but that's the same in almost every European country right now (have family abroad so follow the news services there as well)

Clicked yanbu bu accident. You are, it is fine..

I love it here, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Social media has a lot to answer for.

30 years ago - big saturday night in town, few people get very drunk and some twat throws a stone through a window. A few peopl hear about it via the grapevine.

Today? IUt's all over the "OldMarketDownLocalsOnly" facebook page, wth 500 comments "Our town used to be so lovely and safe and now it's just hooligans" from people who have never gone out on a Saturday night in the first place.

That's not to say that there aren't challenges, of course they are, but I feel no less safe walking home after work in the dark today than I did 15 years ago in the same house.

I have been well served by the NHS in my area.

We live in the Midlands, generally feel safe, can usually get a GP appointment, had to wait a while to change dentist but we’re in now. The job market is slow but moving in our industries, houses are taking longer to sell but the good ones that are priced well are selling. Cost of living is challenging, it does feel like we are paying more for worse services (particularly from the council!), trains to London seem to constantly be delayed/cancelled and we’ve had to go private as the state secondary education provision around here is dire. When we go into local big towns or any of the cities the increase in homelessness and those who are actively drunk/stoned/paralysed on the streets in noticeable and I am more vigilant walking around (this could just be my age!)
Politically the country is a polarised bin fire, any requirement for the electorate to have any ability to question, research, reason, apply logic or nuance has been removed and most people seem to form their political opinions based on 90 second tiktok videos/whoever shouts the loudest. Online misinformation is rife in all areas of life.

I love the UK.

how silly to go by what Instagram says and not actual data.

It’s media hysteria - I have lived in London for over 40 years and all this “Londonistan” rubbish is completely untrue. It’s a fantastic city with more stuff to do than you could fit into a lifetime, and more popping up every day. Yes, there is crime, but that’s the case in any large city. Statistically it is very safe

Outside of cities, the countryside is as it ever was

Cost of living and more litter than I’d like to see are the big daily problems. Then the flag wankers and their nonsense

I feel like political polarisation is not a UK specific issue- it’s a global issue so while I agree that the increasing political polarisation is an issue, it wouldn’t be a deciding factor in terms of where to live. Also we all need to recognise that we’re part of the problem there in terms of people refusing to engage/ be friends with people with different opinions to their own.

Crime in the UK is at an all-time low right now, unfortunately hysteria appears to be at an all-time high

Is it? I'm happy to hear that but would love to see where you found that statistics (not for me but for a relative who keeps banging on about how unsafe it is)

My local area - a decent part of London - has def gone downhill in recent years. I don’t feel unsafe, but it’s just not that pleasant any more. ‘Nice’ shops closed, too many vaping shops, dodgy barbers, convenience stores, weed everywhere etc.

Same. Also, if your Instagram is "constantly" showing videos of violence and whatever else, it's probably because you're obsessively watching them. My Instagram only shows dog videos, home renovations and funny clips. Anything else I swipe past. If you are watching this stuff it will show you more and more.

Yes it has:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025
https://policinginsight.com/feature/analysis/most-crime-has-fallen-by-90-in-30-years-so-why-does-the-public-think-its-increased/
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/crime-justice-commission-uk-rates-rise-police-38g7w5gw8

in some cases it appears higher as reporting is now more common and fraud has ramped up massively because of the internet, but violent crimes and theft have dropped off massively

Our place feels quite grotty and run down now with shops closed and boarded up, money laundering outfits and more rubbish. It's feeling overcrowded too with more traffic and people. Access to healthcare is variable. Prices are pretty high and we shop at Lidl, can't afford the other supermarkets and can't afford meat. The mood is quite downbeat, but people seem to just carry on as normal. Doesn't feel particularly unsafe apart from the odd drunk or druggie asking for money and staggering around.

A bit run down, roads in a bit of a state - yes. Dangerous - not from my experience.

Depends where you live. Past few months in my area have seen knife crime rising, I know one person who has recently died from knife crime personally.

Job market is shit in my area, but tbf it’s always been this way so not a recent thing.

Car theft has risen here, for some strange reason it seems to be that the Ford eco sport is top choice at the moment because that’s all I see is posts on social media about them going missing. It was fiestas a while back but clearly they had enough of them.

Can’t say I notice public services being better or worse because they’ve never been good in the first place.

I suppose it comes down to where you live, it’s always been rough where I am but the recent increase of knife attacks is the biggest worry for most in my area although on average in the UK they are apparently in decline so just do some research and pick your area wisely.

I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Yes, it really is that bad. There is a whole underworld, a shadow economy, operating with impunity (see the latest BBC story about the mini marts, then tie it in with the men arriving on boats, and the grooming gangs cover-up) while regular citizens can be jailed for tweets and Facebook posts.

No, that's stupid.

To build on what other posters have said, the biggest problem right now is the rise of divisive politics and the Reform idiots being given too large a mouthpiece.

Interesting that this is what's being publicised elsewhere. Looks to me like the UK appears to the far right billionaires and Russian disrupters to be a good target.

It's fine.
Obviously the media isn't going to print non-stories about the millions of people going about their normal everyday lives.
Obviously also, some places are more dangerous than others.
But for the most part, for most people, in most places, it's perfectly safe.