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Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey

The government is engaged in a major series of policy initiatives in order to deal with domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. This report presents the findings of an questionnaire included in the British Crime Survey (BCS). It provides the most reliable findings to date on the extent and nature of inter-personal violence in England and Wales. However, only a small fraction of incidents are reported to the police and recorded by them, and people are even reluctant to disclose such events in a confidential interview.

Title: Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey
Authors: Sylvia Walby & Jonathan Allen
Series: Home Office Research Study 276
Number of pages: 146
Date published: June 2004

Method

A nationally representative sample of 22,463 women and men aged 16-59 were asked, via a computerised self-completion questionnaire, whether they had been subject to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking during their lifetime and during the preceding year. Those who had been subject to such incidents were asked details about their experiences, enabling distinctions to be made between levels and overlaps of the 3 forms of violence, the identification of risk factors associated with such violence, the impact it had on people's lives, and the manner in which people sought help.

Summary of findings

• Over 1 third (36%) of people experience some of domestic violence (abuse, threats or force), sexual victimisation or stalking.

• A minority, largely women, suffer multiple attacks, severe injuries, experience more than 1 form of inter-personal violence and serious disruption to their lives.

• The BCS estimates that 13% of women and 9% of men had been subject to domestic violence (abuse, threats or force), sexual victimisation or stalking in the twelve months prior to interview.

• 4% of women and 2% of men were subject to domestic violence (non-sexual domestic threats or force) during the last year.

• Among women subject to domestic violence in the last year, the average number of incidents was 20, while 28% experienced 1 incident only. Of men subject to domestic violence in the last year, the average number of incidents was 7, while 1 incident was experienced by 47%

• 8% of women and 6% of men were subject to stalking during the last year. This means that over 1.2 million women and almost 900,000 men were affected.

• Overall, 45% of women and 26% of men aged 16-59 could recall being subject to domestic violence, sexual victimisation or stalking at least once in their lifetimes

• Women are the overwhelming majority of the most heavily abused group. Among people subject to 4 or more incidents of domestic violence from the perpetrator of the worst incident (since age 16), 89% were women. 32% of women had experienced domestic violence from this person 4 or more times compared with only 11% of men.

• Injuries were often sustained as a result of domestic violence, especially among women. During the worst incident of domestic violence experienced in the last year, 46% of women sustained a minor physical injury, 20% a moderate physical injury, and 6% severe injuries, while for 31% it resulted in mental or emotional problems. Among men, 41% sustained a minor physical injury, 14% a moderate physical injury, 1% severe injuries and 9% mental or emotional problems.

• 64% of women and 94% of men subject to domestic violence in the last year did not think that what had happened to them was a crime. However two-thirds of women who had been victimised many times did think it was a crime. These women were also more likely to think that what had happened to them was 'domestic violence'. There was a greater likelihood of applying the concepts of domestic violence and crime to the incident if injuries were sustained and the acts were severe and repeated.

• 37% of cases of aggravated stalking (with violence additional to the stalking) against women were by an intimate, 59% by other known persons and 7% by strangers. In such cases among men, 8% were by an intimate, 70% from other known persons and 30% by strangers.

• Leaving their violent partner led to the cessation of the domestic violence for the majority (63%) of women, for a significant minority (18%) it continued in another form, such as stalking or harassment. For 78% of men who left the violent partner the violence stopped.

• During the last year women in households with an income of less than £10,000 were 3.5 times more likely to suffer domestic violence than those living in households with an income of over £20,000, while men were 1.5 times more likely. The nature of the links between poverty and risk of inter-personal violence is unclear. It may be that poverty is associated with the onset of domestic violence, or it may be that in fleeing domestic violence women are reduced to poverty.

• 31% of female victims and 63% of male victims had not told anyone other than the survey about the worst incident of domestic violence that they had suffered during the last year.

• In less than 1 in 4 (23% women; 8% men) of the worst cases of domestic violence in the last year did the police come to know.

• Asked why they did not report the worst incident of domestic violence in the last year, 41% of women and 68% of men replied they thought that it was too trivial, 38% of women and 39% of men that it was a private family matter, 7% of women and 5% of men that they did not want any more humiliation, and 13% of women, but no discernible percentage of men, that they feared more violence or that the situation would get worse as a result of police involvement.

• In the worst cases of domestic violence against women during the last year where the police had been informed, as far as the women were aware, the police had arrested the perpetrator in 21% of cases, sent him to court in 10%, spoken to him in 42% of cases, and, in 29% of cases, not found the person, nor spoken to or arrested him, nor sent him to court. Of that minority of women who used the police service, 68% were fairly or very satisfied and 31% a bit or very dissatisfied.

Getting a copy

Download "Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey" from the Home Office RDS website PDF 561Kb

Last update: 21 June 2004