More adults likely to experience domestic abuse than previously thought
The estimates have been produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are the first to use an improved method for measuring the prevalence of domestic abuse among the population.
A new set of questions has been added to the ONS's long-running Crime Survey for England and Wales in order to better capture a wider range of abuse types and behaviours.
They include questions about health abuse and forced marriage – areas not previously covered by the survey – as well as reflecting recent changes in the law regarding coercive and controlling behaviour.
More detail on economic abuse, which can take the form of someone deliberately getting a person into debt or preventing them from getting a job, has also been included.
The ONS now estimates that in the year to March 2024, 26.1% of adults – around one in four – had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16, the equivalent of 12.6 million people.
Under the old method, which is not directly comparable with the new survey, the ONS estimated that one in five (20.5%) questioned in the 12 months to March 2024 had experienced abuse since 16.
The new estimates suggest 30.3% of women and 21.7% of men surveyed in this period had experienced domestic abuse at some point since the age of 16, equivalent to 7.4 million and 5.1 million people respectively.
Meghan Elkin, ONS head of crime statistics, said: '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.
'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 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.'
Health abuse includes anything from depriving a person of daily essentials, such as food and sleep, to forcing someone to terminate pregnancy or denying someone medical assistance.
Marital status-related abuse includes forced marriage and the prevention of marrying someone of your choice.
The new figures also suggest that an estimated 8.0% of people aged 16 and over (3.9 million people) surveyed in the year to March 2024 were likely to have experienced some kind of domestic abuse in the previous 12 months, with a higher figure for women (9.5% or 2.3 million) than men (6.5% or 1.5 million).
Responding to the findings, 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.'
Sarika Seshadri, head of research and evaluation at Women's Aid, said: 'The new questions will provide insight into victim-survivors' experiences of domestic abuse since the age of 16, including detailed profiles of which victim-survivors are experiencing the highest impact and highest harm forms of abuse
'By understanding not only prevalence but impact, and how this is affecting different groups of the population, we will be able to identify to what extent policies and practice are either reducing or exacerbating experiences of domestic abuse, and in particular for whom, so that we can develop targeted and meaningful interventions.'
In developing the new questions, the ONS worked with a consortium led by the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol, that also involved the College of Policing, the Women's Aid Federation of England, Men's Advice Line, Imkaan and Welsh Women's Aid.
While the updated questions are better aligned with the offence of coercive and controlling behaviour, it is not possible to separate out an estimate for victims of this offence, the ONS said.
More detailed findings from the new survey will be published later in the year.
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Scotsman
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The Independent
3 days ago
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'The colours, sounds and smells can provide a welcome distraction, allowing us to switch off from everyday pressures,' he says. I've seen people roll their eyes at the rise of run clubs in recent years, and many will have scrolled past this feature with a groan. But I can't help but feel their disparagement is misplaced. If a group delivers the physical perks of exercise and the mental health benefits of a social setting, surely it's a positive thing? This is particularly true if younger generations are turning their back on nights out. In the eyes of experts like Wigfield, interaction is a human need, so social alternatives are a must. Is the pub on its way out? Now I realise that, as a fitness writer, I'm inclined to enjoy gyms and run clubs more than the average person – exercise is a hobby for me rather than an obligation. 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By the time I left, my cheeks housed deep divots from laughing and I had a raft of new stories in my back pocket – any thoughts of loneliness were off the radar. Combatting loneliness Wigfield explains that chronic loneliness can change our perception of others, making it harder to socialise. 'If you've been lonely for a long time and someone smiles or says hello to you in the street, you're more likely to see that in a negative way. That changes your behaviour, so when you walk past people you might look away rather than looking at them. There tends to be a spiral with chronic loneliness and it's harder to get out of.' After spending plenty of time trying to figure things out following my move to Brighton, I was fortunate to meet some amazing people through work, sports clubs and the gym. But these relationships didn't just happen, as social media suggested they might – I had to push outside my comfort zone to find them, then work to maintain them. Run clubs provide a container of sorts for friendships to germinate, in the same way your local bar or pub might. They streamline the socialising process and set us up for success, providing a powerful potential tonic to chronic loneliness. Both run clubs and pubs provide a sense of belonging to a place, and connection to the people there, Wigfield says. By talking to others, you're also more likely to receive positive messages and build a better sense of connection to yourself. Running naturally offers the bonus benefits of exercise, both physically and hormonally, but for combatting loneliness she struggles to pick a winner. 'The mechanisms are different, but I don't see one as more beneficial than the other; it just depends on the individual and what you like to connect to,' concludes Wigfield. It's also important to recognise that, if you're feeling lonely, there are other options on the table. 'The most important thing is to find a type of activity you love and can stick with,' concludes Buckley. 'A run club might be best for you if you like running socially with others, but it's okay if you try it and it's not the right fit. Don't feel that you have to stick with something that's not working for you – you're much more likely to keep doing it if it's fun.' In my mission to discern whether the pub might soon be replaced by groups of social runners, I learned a few important things – Social interaction is a must, and it's important to find a form that works for you. Social media can't always (or arguably, often) be trusted to give us a realistic image of what our social circle should look like. We can't just expect friendships to appear – it's likely you'll have to put yourself out there to find them, and work hard to maintain these relationships. Tips from mental health charity Mind 1. Be patient and avoid comparisons Try to be gentle and patient with yourself. Take things at your own pace and try not to compare yourself to other people. 2. Make new connections This could be online or in person. Some people join groups that focus on a hobby they enjoy, or meet up to do specific activities. These may provide a space to meet new people and find support. 3. Open up to people you know Try and open up to people you know. Many of us have experienced loneliness, but it can be a scary thought to tell other people about it. It might be helpful to think about what you want to say in advance. You may find that they've experienced similar feelings before. 4. Join an online mental health community A prime example of this is Mind's Side by Side. It's a safe space where people with experience of a mental health problem can share their story, connect and learn from others, and give support in return. 5. Try talking therapies. Talking therapies can help you explore what feeling lonely means to you. Your therapist can help you develop different ways of managing your feelings Mind has several helplines available for advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem:
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Why Labour should target happiness alongside economic growth
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Given the shadow the pandemic cast over so many people's lives, it feels intuitively right that on none of these four metrics has wellbeing in the UK returned to the pre-Covid equilibrium. Just as wellbeing might (wrongly) seem unmeasurable, it is also tempting to think that it is not something policy can target directly. Perhaps a bleak mood just settled on us all as we watched those grim Covid press conferences ('Next slide, please') and hasn't quite lifted? Yet the economics of wellbeing, pioneered by academics including Richard Layard at the LSE and the former monetary policy committee member Danny Blanchflower, allows us to pinpoint some of the causes of this malaise, instead of dismissing it as some kind of national vibe shift. As the PBE analysis makes clear, these causes include the persistence of poor physical health, poor mental health, and loneliness. Government policy is already firmly pointed at tackling the shortcomings in the NHS that seem to have contributed to the public's ongoing health struggles. The state of the health service came up consistently in last year's general election campaign, and the Treasury is concerned about the impact of continued high rates of economic inactivity on the labour market. Mental health is relatively high on Labour's agenda, too, with promises to install more mental health professionals in schools, for example. Tackling loneliness is a more complex proposition in policy terms, however, with no single lever to pull. Plans in Rachel Reeves's spending review to invest in neighbourhood-level projects to improve 'community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm,' may help here, albeit on a relatively small scale. Recent work by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods has underlined the importance of institutions such as parks, community centres and libraries, for fostering all-important human connections. If the Department for Work and Pensions gets its planned overhaul of back-to-work support right, meanwhile, it should help people to overcome barriers to finding a job, as the best local schemes already do – and these will often be barriers to wellbeing, too. I vividly remember the beaming faces of successful clients of Manchester's Working Well scheme, whose Bolton outpost I visited two years ago, who had been helped to tackle huge challenges such as anxiety and find a place for themselves back out in the world. Projects like these have a hard-nosed economic objective, of course; but there should be no shame in saying they are also aiming to make people happier and more satisfied with their lives. PBE's chief economist, Jon Franklin, also points to social prescribing: an approach that can involve health professionals dispatching patients to clubs or activities, that might then help them to form bonds with others. There is a powerful case study in the PBE research that underlines the fact that good policy can improve wellbeing, despite it perhaps seeming to lie outside the realm of things politicians can affect. The research shows that private renters are especially likely to be in what PBE defines as 'wellbeing poverty'- scoring 4 points or less on the life satisfaction question. One underlying factor they tease out is the anxiety-inducing insecurity that tenants experience. Recent legislation in Scotland that improved security of tenure, has already started to close the wellbeing gap between private renters and everyone else, PBE finds. The Renters' Rights Bill currently passing through parliament south of the border should have a similar impact: though it won't tackle another major cause of discontent for this group – unaffordable rents. There is nothing to prevent officials weighing up the wellbeing impact of proposed policies – indeed, there is Treasury guidance from 2018 that suggests it is one factor that should be taken into account. But there is no mention of repairing voters' life satisfaction, or happiness, in Labour's missions, or the Plan for Change. That's understandable, when the government is operating in straitened fiscal circumstances, and urgently needs to rekindle economic growth. And secure jobs and rising real wages are undoubtedly good for wellbeing. But a more direct focus on making the UK a happier place might help to improve decision-making. Franklin and his colleagues argue the data is now clear and consistent enough to make that possible. Instead, there is endless polling and focusing grouping of specific policies, discussion of which can become oddly detached from what they are likely to achieve. Labour has struggled to articulate its purpose to the public, and its number one mission, economic growth, is worthwhile but abstract (and judging by the past two months' data, currently absent). Perhaps alongside the spreadsheets, it's time to try a little happiness.
