Indicator 16.1.4 Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark

Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

Indicator 16.1.4: Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark

This indicator refers to the proportion of the adult population who feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood at night.

Victimization surveys (as dedicated surveys or as modules of household surveys) are usually restricted to the general population living in households above a certain age (typically 15 or 18 years of age), while sometimes an upper age limit is also applied (typically 65, 70 or 75 years of age).

There are several limitations associated with the wording of the survey question used to measure fear of crime (‘How safe do you feel walking alone in your area/neighbourhood after dark?’). First, the question assumes that respondents do the following: (1) go out, (2) go out alone, (3) go out in their neighbourhood, and (4) go out after dark. For many respondents, the reasons for not going out alone in their neighbourhood after dark may have nothing or little to do with crime and more to do with personal and circumstantial issues, such aslack of mobility, childcare commitments, or the use of a car that allows them to travel further afield. Second, the question does not define the meaning of “neighbourhood”, which may mean different things to different respondents, even those living in the same street. Third, the question does not explicitly refer to ‘crime’, but rather it is implicit in the question. There may be other reasons unrelated to crime (e.g. wild animals, traffic, etc.) why respondents may not feel safe walking around their neighbourhood after dark.

“Total population” includes population aged 15 years and over. “Visible minority” refers to whether a person is a visible minority or not, as defined by the Employment Equity Act. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.” The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese. Data for the category of “West Asian”, “Korean”, “Japanese”, “Visible minority”, “Not included elsewhere”, “Multiple visible minorities” and “Not Stated” are included in the “Total visible minority population”.

Data were readily available to report on this indicator as specified by the metadata. Please refer to the sources to access additional information on the metadata or source.