It is estimated one in four adults have experienced some form of domestic abuse since the age of 16, an increase from previous figures which estimated the number was closet o one in five, after the the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it had ‘improved’ the way it collected data on victims of domestic abuse which now captures a wider range of abuse types and behaviours.
Questions in the Crime Survey for England and Wales have been updated to better align with new laws on coercive and controlling behaviour and the definition of domestic abuse introduced in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. This includes questions being added asking about health abuse and marital status-related abuse. As a result the ONS say the statistics on those impacted are higher.
“The way domestic abuse manifests is constantly changing and is difficult to measure. In developing these questions, we have listened to victims and survivors of domestic abuse alongside a range of users from charities to academics and other government departments.
Meghan Elkin, the ONS’ Head of Crime Statistics, said, adding
“These new questions are a positive step in better understanding domestic abuse and providing vital information to all those working to improve outcomes and support for victims.”
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), previously known as the British Crime Survey (BCS), is a face-to-face victimisation survey for people aged 16 years and over. People resident in households in England and Wales are asked about their experiences of a range of crimes. The main aim of the CSEW is to provide robust trends for the crime types and population it covers; the survey does not aim to provide an absolute count of crime and has notable exclusions. Domestic abuse was first included in the survey in 1996, and permanently included from 20024; although the ONS concede the questions have remained ‘largely unchanged’ since and acknowledge the definition used did not align with the Domestic Abuse Act (DAA) 2021; they excluded the offence of controlling or coercive behaviour# and they did not measure number of incidents or frequency of abuse.
“The new approach has resulted in a higher prevalence rate as we have introduced questions to ask about types of abuse not previously covered by the crime survey, such as health abuse and forced marriage. And for types of abuse that were covered, we are now asking about a wider range of behaviours that victims may be able to identify with. For example, more detail on economic abuse, such as someone deliberately getting you into debt or preventing you from getting a job.
“Given this, it’s not possible to make direct comparisons between the previous and the new estimates.”
added Elkin.
The latest survey for the year ending March 2024 8% of people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the last year (equivalent to 3.9 million people). When breaking the figures down by sex, the ONS estimates 9.5% of women (2.3 million) and 6.5% of men (1.5 million) have experienced domestic abuse in the last year.
Since the age of 16 the estimate jumps to 12.6 million people (26%); with nearly one third of all women (30%) and one fifth of all men (22%) equivalent to 7.4 million and 5.1 million, respectively.
Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, said:
“Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on the millions of lives it touches but for too long the scale of the problem and its pervasiveness – has remained hidden. Developing new ways to further our understanding of this terrible crime so we can put in place measures to tackle it and ensure survivors receive the support they need is absolutely vital.
“I welcome the ongoing focus on domestic abuse by the ONS, as only through knowing the full picture will we be able to rid society of it for good.”
The ONS says it plans to release more insight from the new questions by looking at both behaviours and the impact on victims later this year.
