Measuring Violence Against Womenin Australia

Horst Posselt Director

Family & Community StatisticsAustralian Bureau of Statistics

UNECE Work Session on Gender Statistics 18-20 October, 2004

Key question

Can a small survey module be used to produce ‘reasonable’ data of the prevalence of violence against women compared with a specialised survey?

Possible answers• From Australian experience there is no certain answer• Reason tells us that special procedures should be used to

collect good data (ie highly trained interviewers, private interviews, detailed questioning about incidents, not introduced by concept of being a crime)

• However, less expensive methods have been used too.• Exercise of data collection and dissemmination is important in its

own right, vital to raising awareness of the issue of concern.• Depending on sample size, surveys provide an opportunity for

identifying high an low risk of victimization.• May be possible to monitor progress if collection instrument-

questions etc are kept the same

Describe available data sources Compare results

Discuss reasons for differences

Concerns and future work

Overview

Administrative data• Recorded Crime, (annual since 1993)

National Surveys ABS

• National Crime Safety Survey, 1978 ..... 2002

• Women's Safety Survey,1996

• General Social Survey, 2002

Non ABS• International Crime Victims Survey, 1989 .... 2000

• International Violence Against Women Survey, 2003

VAW data sources - Australia

National Crime and Safety Survey

1975, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2002 Recurrent, now at 3 yearly intervals Nationwide 45,000 households Mail back questionairre All persons aged 15 years and over in selected hholds Sexual assault in seperate module for females aged 18 years and over

Content • Household and personal crimes• Break and enter, motor vehicle theft• Robbery, physical and sexual assault• Feelings of saftey• Demographic characteristics • Levels of reporting police

Women's Safety Survey

1996, ABS Measure women’s safety in the home and the community Supported by the Office of the Status Of Women Based on Canadian model Nationwide survey, females aged 18 years and over 6,333 in sample Highly trained interviewers, only female interviewers Personal/private interviews Voluntary, give respondents opportunities to opt out if too sensitive

Content• main focus on experiences of physical and sexual assault by

relationship to perpetrator• most recent experience of violence, lifetime experience of violence,

experience of partner violence (including emotional abuse from current partner), experience of stalking and sexual harrasment.

• actions taken and consequences related to last incident.

General Social Survey

Multi-topic survey 2002 to be repeated 4 yearly National sample Persons aged 18 years and over Personal interview, but not private

Content Variety of issues, education, health, employment, financial stress, family and community engagements, personal safety

Physical assault only, not sexual assault The question on assault was worded as in the NCSS to ensure alignment of concepts across collections and so to support comparison of data across sources.

International Crime Victims Survey

Co-ordinated by Australian Institute of Criminolgy Conducted in 1989, 1992, 2000, .... 2004 is currently in field Nationwide, persons aged 16 years and over in selected h'holds 3,031 persons in 2000 Computer assisted telephone interview

Content • Like NCSS: various household and personal crimes• Break and enter (attempted and completed), motor vehicle theft, • Robbery, physical and sexual assault• Demographic characteristics

Issue • Small sample size, so estimates for crimes with low prevalence have

high RSEs.

1996 WSS 2000 ICVS 2002 NCSS 2002 GSS

Scope 18 years +All h'holds

16 years + All h'holds

15 years +All h'holds

18 years + All h'holds

Mode Personal interviewensuringprivacy

Telephone interview

Mail back self completion

forms

Personal interview

Size 6,333 females

3,031 persons

41,000 persons

15,510 persons

Type Voluntary Voluntary Compulsory Compulsory

Response Rate 76% 57% 76% 91%

Recent surveys with published measures of VAW

1996 WSS

2000ICVS

2002 NCSS

2002 GSS

Physical assault 5.9% *9.2% 4.0% *7.2%

Sexual assault 1.5% 3.3% 0.4% na

Violence prevalence ratesWomen aged 18 years and over - Australia

* Difference not significant at 95% level of confidence

Use of NCSS module questions in the GSS to measure the prevalence of physical assault (actual, attempted and threatened)

2002 National Crime and Safety Survey (NCSS)

In the last 12 months did anyone, including, people you know, use physical force or violence against you?

1. Yes 2. No

In the last 12 months did anyone, including, people you know, try to use or threaten to use physical force or violence against you?

1. Yes 2. No

2002 General Social Survey (GSS)

As above

With lead in statementThe next few questions are about crimes that may have happened to you.

1996 WSS

2000ICVS

2002 NCSS

2002 GSS

Physical assault 5.9% 9.2% 4.0% 7.2%

Sexual assault 1.5% 3.3% 0.4% na

Violence prevalence ratesWomen aged 18 years and over - Australia

Factors affecting comparability

Concepts - definitions - question wording?

Mode effects?

Privacy? Context effects?

Non-response biases?

Sample size?

Others? Timing of surveys

Conclusions/observations

Key Findings• Different surveys provide quite different measures of prevalence

of VAW. • There is no certainty as to true levels of violence experienced by

women.• Even when using same questions in different vehicles the results

differ(prevalence of physical assault among women aged 18 years and over in 2002, 4.0% in NCSS vs 7.2% in GSS )

Future action• Undecided .. more research• Standardise/harmonise questions/collection activity• Nominate preferred series • Give explanations in explanatory notes about data comparability

and possible reasons for differences