Frequent Fliers Find Trouble at Home

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Frequent business travel can severely test a marriage. Nearly 74% of business travelers say their stay-behind spouse has expressed concern about being left home alone.  Moreover, 79% frequently worry about their significant other when traveling for business. (1)  These findings, among others, were revealed today in a national survey by Wakefield Research, commissioned by Logitech.

While business travel is hard, it's harder on the spouse who has decided to stay at home.  Managing alone the daily tasks of keeping a family and home, the stakes are higher when personal safety issues arise.  More than half of spouses have felt anxious when their significant other was away on a business trip.  There's reason to worry.  75% of business travelers know someone who has had their home broken into.

"My husband was on the road for work almost every week," comments Allison Travers, a home owner in Denver. "Our house is in an 'up and coming' neighborhood, and one morning I found a bullet hole in our guest room window. I was terrified every moment I was alone, and his absence played a role in our separation."

To ease the anxiety, more than half of stay-at-home spouses use conventional tricks to make them feel secure, such as leaving the TV on (56%) or turning on more lights than usual (53%).  Other coping mechanisms are more unusual:  15% of spouses talk to themselves, and nearly one in ten find security by sleeping with a stuffed animal.

Additional findings include:

• Travel may be taking its toll.   59% of business travelers will look for a job that requires less travel when the economy improves.  
• Travelers are eager to stay home.  Despite the tight economy, 54% would take a $5,000 pay cut if it meant they'd never have to travel for work again.

"When people are on the road, home security becomes a very real and intense concern," notes Evan Tree, a 25-year veteran of the home security industry and chief product officer for Logitech's Digital Video Security business.  "Most people don't realize that a video security system, with motion detection, remote viewing via the Internet and cell phone alerts is an affordable, easy-to-install option that can put their conscience at ease."

Nearly half of business travelers (46%) report having at least three "burglar bait" features in their homes, including a flat-screen TV or other valuables visible from the outside (48%), or high fences or shrubbery that provide cover for burglars (41%). 39% don't have deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.  "Whether they're too busy, or aren't aware of their vulnerability, many Americans aren't taking even the basic precautions," noted Tree.  

Tree offers several tips for homeowners to improve their security:

• Think of your home's security plan like an onion, not an egg. Multiple layers are the best deterrent and the best defense against break-ins.
• Use timers to turn lights and radios on and off when you're not at home to make your house appear lived-in at all times.
• Consider installing lighting with an infrared detector at the entrances to your home. Most thieves don't want to be observed trying to get in a door.
• Trees or shrubbery close to your home give burglars an easy place to hide.  Keep shrubs low and regularly trim larger bushes and tree branches to remove dark shadows that help hide intruders.
• Install a video security system.  Systems start at less than $300, and can take fewer than 15 minutes to setup, plus they offer live video feeds and e-mail alerts that notify you if there is motion at your property.

"People should consider the active steps they can take to help protect themselves," continued Tree.  "I'm amazed by how many crimes have been solved by police based on video captured by citizens' home security cameras."

About Wakefield Research:

Wakefield is internationally recognized as a leading research consultancy specializing in strategic and tactical research for corporate, non-profit, and political clients throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.  To learn more about Wakefield, visit the company's website at www.wakefieldresearch.com

About Logitech:

Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (LOGI).

Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company's Web site at www.logitech.com.

(1) The Logitech survey was conducted among 584 business travelers and 501 significant-others of business travelers by Wakefield between September 24 and October 1 2009 using an e-mail invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. population of travelers and their spouses, ages 18 and older.

SOURCE Wakefield Research