tryghet

Tryghet, commonly spelled trygghet in Swedish and Norwegian and tryghed in Danish, is a concept describing the sense of safety and security in everyday life. It refers both to actual protection from risk and to the feeling of being safe in various social environments.

The concept encompasses multiple dimensions: physical safety (freedom from violence or harm), economic security (stable income and access to essential services), social safety (trust in others and stable communities), and psychological safety (a sense of control and absence of threat). Objective indicators such as crime rates and hazard controls are often balanced with subjective indicators of perceived safety, which can be influenced by media, personal experience, and urban design.

In policy and research, trygghet is a central objective in Nordic welfare discussions and crime-prevention strategies. It is pursued through public services and social safety nets, affordable housing, unemployment insurance, healthcare, and policies aimed at reducing inequality. Urban planning measures that improve lighting, visibility, and maintenance—sometimes described as crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)—are also used to enhance perceived trygghet. Surveys measuring perceived safety are commonly used to assess well-being and to inform policy focused on fostering social trust.

Etymology: in Swedish and Norwegian, trygghet derives from the adjective trygg/trygg meaning safe or secure, with the abstract-noun suffix -het. In Danish, the closest form is tryghed, with a similar meaning.

See also: social trust, welfare state, public safety, urban planning, CPTED.