Criminal victimisationDefinitionThe proportion of the population aged 15 and over who had been a victim of one or more incidents of criminal offending as measured by the "2001 National Survey of Crime Victims". RelevanceThe criminal victimisation rate provides a broad measure of personal safety and wellbeing. Surveys of criminal victimisation generally provide a more comprehensive picture of victimisation than Police data, as not all offending is reported or recorded. Current level and trendsSurvey data shows that 30 percent of New Zealand adults aged 15 and over experienced victimisation during 2000. This is similar to the level in 1995 (31 percent). A breakdown by the type of offence shows that 9 percent of the adult population reported they had been the victim of violent offending in 2000, the same level as in 1995. A small number of people accounted for the vast majority of violent victimisations. Less than 2 percent of the adult population were victims of violence five or more times, but they experienced 55 percent of the violent victimisations. Violent victimisations comprised slightly less than half of the total volume of victimisations disclosed by the 2001 survey. Eleven percent of all people reported they had been subject to an individual property offence, such as theft or wilful damage, up from 8 percent in 1995. The proportion of all households which were the victim of a household property offence was 19 percent in 1995 and 17 percent in 2000. Figure SS2.1 Criminal victimisation prevalence rate, by type of victimisation, 1995 and 2000
Source: Morris et al (2003), Tables 2.6, 2.8 and revised 1995 figures Age differencesYoung adults are more likely than older adults to be a victim of crime. In the 2001 survey, 46 percent of the 15–24 year age group had experienced victimisation compared with 33 percent of those aged 25–39, 28 percent of the 40–59 year age group and 13 percent of those aged 60 and over. People aged 15–24 years were more than twice as likely to be a victim of violent crime as the 25–39 year age group, the next closest group. Young adults were also more likely than older people to experience an individual property offence, though the difference by age was less pronounced than for violent offences. Table SS2.1 Criminal victimisation rate, by major offence type and age, 2000
Source: Morris et al (2003) Tables 2.6, 2.8, 2.13 and additional data Sex differencesThe overall rate of victimisation did not vary by sex, with 30 percent of women and 29 percent of men reporting they had experienced victimisation in 2000. This is similar to 1995 when 31 percent of women and 32 percent of men experienced victimisation. While men and women were equally as likely to report being the victim of violence, more men than women disclosed violence by someone not well known to them (12 percent compared with 8 percent). Survey information on partner violence shows that more than one in four women (26 percent) and just under one-fifth of men (18 percent) had been abused or threatened with violence by a partner at some time in their adult life. Changes in methodology between the 1996 and 2001 surveys on criminal victimisation mean it is not possible to compare changes in partner victimisation over time. 83 Women's lifetime experience of sexual interference or assault was considerably higher than men's (19 percent compared with 5 percent). Ethnic differencesIn 2000, Māori were considerably more likely to be a victim of crime (41 percent) than Pacific peoples (28 percent) and Europeans (29 percent). The difference was greatest for violent victimisation, with one-fifth of Māori experiencing offending of this type, compared with 11 percent of Pacific peoples and 8 percent of Europeans. Māori were also more likely to experience individual property offences, though the difference was less marked than for violent offending. Pacific peoples were the least likely of any group to be victims of individual property offences. The proportion of Māori women who had been abused or threatened with violence by a partner at some time during their adult life was markedly higher (49 percent) than for European women (24 percent) and Pacific women (23 percent). Table SS2.2 Criminal victimisation rate, by major offence type and ethnicity, 2000
Source: Morris et al (2003) Table 2.14 |
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