1 in 7 Australians have been stalked
An estimated 2.7 million Australian adults have experienced stalking since the age of 15, according to new results from the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
William Milne, ABS head of crime and justice statistics, said “We found one in five women and one in 15 men have been stalked.
“Women were almost eight times more likely to be stalked by a male than by a female, while men were stalked by a male and by a female at a similar rate.”
| Women | Men | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stalking by a person(a) | 20 per cent (2.0 million) | 6.8 per cent (653,400) | |
| Stalking by a male | 19 per cent (1.9 million) | 3.5 per cent (333,500) | |
| Stalking by a female | 2.5 per cent (242,900) | 3.6 per cent (342,000) | |
a. People may have experienced stalking by both a male and a female, they are counted separately for each type of stalking in the table but only once in the stalking by a person total.
The new analysis also identified socio-demographic characteristics that were associated with higher rates of stalking for women.
“Women who were more likely to experience stalking included young women, those who were studying or renting, and those under financial stress,” Mr Milne said.
Experiences of stalking in the last 10 years
The report also contained detailed information about the most recent stalking episode by a male in the last 10 years, with almost one million women experiencing stalking during that time.
Over three quarters (78 per cent) of women were stalked by a male they knew.
The perpetrator was most commonly an intimate partner (431,400 or 45 per cent), which included current or former partners.
“Half of the women who were stalked by a male intimate partner were assaulted or threatened with assault by that same partner,” said Mr Milne.
Common stalking behaviours women experienced by their male intimate partner included:
- Maintained unwanted contact with them online or by phone (78 per cent)
- Loitered or hung around their location, such as their home or work (60 per cent)
- Followed them in person or tracked them electronically (53 per cent)
- Refers to the most recent episode of stalking by a male intimate partner that occurred in the last 10 years.
- Multiple stalking behaviours may have been experienced in the most recent episode.
“Half of the women who were stalked by their male intimate partner were stalked for more than a year. This included 115,900 women who said that the stalking continued for over three years,” Mr Milne said.
The majority of women (83 per cent) who were stalked by a male intimate partner had at least one area of their life impacted. This included impacts on social life (e.g. building or maintaining relationships), home life (e.g. eating or sleeping), work or school life and having to change contact details.
“We would like to thank those who took part in this survey by sharing their experiences and helping inform our understanding of stalking in Australia,” Mr Milne said.
If you or anyone you know is in need or crisis, please call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline (13 11 14).
Media notes
- Stalking involves various behaviours, such as loitering and following, which the person believed were being undertaken with the intent to cause them fear or distress. To be classified as stalking, more than one type of behaviour had to occur, or the same type of behaviour had to occur on more than one occasion.
- Financial stress was assessed in the PSS using two questions: Ability of the household to raise $2,000 within a week for something important, and whether the household had experienced cash flow problems in the last 12 months. Cash flow problems include situations such as not being able to pay bills on time, being unable to heat or cool your home, or seeking financial assistance from friends or family.
- Intimate partner includes current partner (living with), previous partner (has lived with), boyfriend or date, and ex-boyfriend (never lived with).
- Followed or tracked you includes: followed or watched in person, using electronic tracking device (e.g. GPS tracking system, computer spyware), or hacked or accessed email, social media or other online account without their consent to follow or track them.
- Inappropriate online posting/impersonation includes: posted offensive or unwanted messages, images or personal information on the internet about them, or impersonated them online to damage their reputation.
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