Gun and knife culture was our eighth highest worry in 2007 but a year later it had swept to encompass general crime. As a nation becomes more desperate, with more unemployed than before, levels of petty criminal activity have soared.

The biggest dread for parents was the prospect of their children becoming a victim of bullying, taking drugs or receiving as ASBO. However, youngsters aged between 16 and 24 were actually the biggest worriers overall.