Safety Perceptions: Norway vs. U.S.

Here’s a difference people notice instantly: Norway feels incredibly safe… while the U.S.

often feels unpredictable. Same modern societies — totally different sense of safety. Why?

In Norway, a small country of 5.5 million people, social trust is high and inequality

is low. People know their institutions work, and the social safety net keeps most people

stable. Crime never builds up the same way. But the U.S., with 330 million

people, has massive inequality, huge population density differences, and a system that

reacts to problems instead of preventing them. Some areas feel extremely safe,

while others don’t — it depends on where you live. Norway feels safe because the system