Percentage of respondents who think crime in their area has stayed the same or reduced in the past two years. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults saying that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years was 73% in 2019/20. This figure has risen from 69% in 2008/09 and is consistent with the finding in 2018/19 (73%).

In 2019/20:

• fewer women than men (69% compared to 76%) thought that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years
• no difference by age was detected in the proportion of adults who thought that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years
• people in the 15% most deprived areas were less likely to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years than those living elsewhere in Scotland (65% compared to 74%)
• people who had a disability were less likely to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years than those who did not have a disability (66% compared to 75%)
• those in urban locations were less likely than those in rural locations to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years (72% compared to 76%)
• victims of crime were less likely to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years than those who did not experience crime (59% compared to 74%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, disability, urban/rural location and victim status. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

To support social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 SCJS did not start as face-to-face, in-home interviews were not possible. Due to this there was no 2020/21 SCJS publication.

In 2020 the Scottish Victimisation Telephone Survey (SVTS) was developed as a discrete collection to the SCJS to collect data whilst face-to-face interviewing on the SCJS was not possible. The SVTS is a social survey which asked people about their experiences and perceptions of crime, safety, and policing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the SVTS covers similar topics to the SCJS, there are some key differences, outlined in the Main Findings report, which mean SVTS and SCJS results are not comparable.

In 2020, over half of adults (54%) believed that crime in their local area had stayed about the same since the virus outbreak (defined as since the start of the UK’s first national lockdown on the 23rd March 2020), with a further 23% thinking that crime in their area had gone down. This is a greater proportion than believed it had gone up (15%).

There were variations by demographic and area characteristics in the perceptions of local crime. Those living in rural areas were more likely than those living in urban areas to believe crime in their local area had stayed about the same since the start of the virus outbreak. Women, those aged 60 and over, those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland, and those who had been a victim of a crime were all more likely than comparator groups to believe that crime had gone up in their local area since the start of the virus outbreak. Conversely, women and those aged 60 and over were less likely to believe that crime had decreased in their local area since the start of the virus outbreak.

The SCJS restarted in November 2021 with a more resilient and flexible 2021/22 survey design. The 2021/22 SCJS has undergone significant development to enable the continuation of data collection during the pandemic. Therefore, although a central aim, it may not be possible to compare 2021/22 results to the SCJS time series. The results of the 2021/22 SCJS are expected to be published in mid-2023 when, in preparation for which, it will be determined if it is possible to update this indicator.