4524.0 - In Focus: Crime and Justice Statistics, December 2011  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 01/12/2011   
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Contents >> In the eye of the beholder: Perceptions of social disorder in Australia >> Effects of household crime victimisation on perceptions of social disorder

EFFECTS OF HOUSEHOLD CRIME VICTIMISATION ON PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL DISORDER

Persons residing in households affected by household crime perceive significantly higher levels of social disorder in their local area than persons residing in households unaffected by household crime.

A significantly larger proportion of respondents living in households affected by household crime perceived at least one social disorder issue in their local area (80.6%), compared to persons living in households unaffected by household crime (57.0%). Residents of households affected by household crime were significantly more likely than residents of households unaffected by household crime to perceive all of the social disorder issues. In particular, they were over twice as likely to perceive the issues presented in the following table.

Social disorder issues
Percentage of respondents identifying the issue (%)
Persons living in households affected by household crime
Persons living in households unaffected by household crime
People being insulted, pestered, or intimidated in the street
22.1%
10.7%
Public drunkenness
30.8%
14.3%
Rowdy behaviour
35.0%
17.0%
People hanging in groups
31.8%
15.3%
People using or dealing drugs
15.9%
6.6%
Intentional damage to property
30.4%
10.7%


PROPORTION OF RESPONDENTS IDENTIFYING EACH SOCIAL DISORDER ISSUE by HOUSEHOLD CRIME VICTIMISATION(a)(b)
Graph showing that persons residing in households affected by household crime in the 12 months prior to interview were significantly more likely than persons residing in households unaffected by household crime to report all of the social disorder issues

The largest percentage difference in the reporting of at least one social disorder issue was between respondents residing in households that were the victim of malicious property damage and respondents residing in households that were not the victim of malicious property damage (84.3% compared to 58.4%). This was followed by attempted break-in (85.3% compared to 60.2%), other theft (78.5% compared to 60.1%), break-in (77.2% compared to 60.3%), theft from motor vehicle (76.4% compared to 60.1%), and motor vehicle theft (74.3% compared to 60.6%).

PROPORTION OF RESPONDENTS IDENTIFYING AT LEAST ONE SOCIAL DISORDER ISSUE by SELECTED HOUSEHOLD CRIMES
Graph showing that residents of households affected by all of the household crimes were significantly more likely than residents residing in households unaffected by all of the household crimes to to report at least one social disorder issue

Respondents residing in households affected by household crime are significantly more likely to consider social disorder issues in their local area as large problems.

According to the survey, 43.3% of respondents residing in households affected by household crime that identified one or more social disorder issues in their local area, considered at least one issue to be a large problem, compared to 30.1% of respondents residing in households unaffected by household crime. Respondents residing in households affected by household crime were significantly more likely than respondents residing in households unaffected by household crime to consider all of the social disorder issues as large problems, with the exception of people being insulted, pestered, or intimidated in the street. In particular, they were more likely to rate the issues presented in the following table as large problems.

Social disorder issues
Percentage of respondents identifying the issue rating it as a large problem (%)
Persons living in households affected by household crime
Persons living in households unaffected by household crime
Noisy driving
24.9%
18.4%
Noisy neighbours
22.0%
16.4%
People using or dealing drugs
39.4%
31.3%
Graffiti
26.2%
20.1%
Intentional damage to property
19.6%
13.8%

PROPORTION OF RESPONDENTS RATING EACH ISSUE AS A LARGE PROBLEM by HOUSEHOLD CRIME VICTIMISATION(a)(b)
Graph showing that residents of households affected by household crime were significantly more likely to rate all of the social disorder issues as large problems, with the exception of people being insulted, pestered, or intimidated in the street

Persons residing in households affected by household crime are significantly more likely to be influenced by someone they know in the formation of their opinion about social disorder issues.

According to the survey, 30.6% of all persons residing in households affected by household crime that identified one or more moderate or large social disorder issues in their local area were influenced by someone they knew in the formation of their opinion of at least one social disorder issue, compared to 20.7% of respondents residing in households unaffected by household crime. Persons residing in households affected by household crime were significantly more likely to be influenced by someone they knew in the formation of their opinion about people being insulted, pestered, or intimidated in the street (37.3% compared to 27.1%) and offensive language and behaviour (25.4% compared to 16.5%).

PERCEIVED SOCIAL DISORDER ISSUES – PROPORTION OF RESPONDENTS INFLUENCED BY SOMEONE KNOWN TO THEM by HOUSEHOLD CRIME VICTIMISATION(a)
Graph showing that residents of households affected by household crime were significantly more likely to be influenced by someone they know in the formation of their opinion about social disorder issues



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