Over the past decade, most 10-15 year olds haven’t been overly concerned about becoming victims of crime – and that hasn’t really changed year to year. However, in 2021, we saw a drop of five percentage points in the number who say this is ‘not a worry at all’.

This change could be linked to the overall rise in anxiety during the pandemic, when young people experienced a range of uncertainties and disruptions brought on by COVID-19.

A survey conducted in April 2022 found that young adults, aged 18-24, seem to be more concerned about antisocial behaviour than the rest of the adult population.¹ Nearly 46% of young adults expressed concern, compared to 32% overall. However they were less likely to report these incidents to the police, perhaps because they lack confidence in the police's ability to respond well.
We’ll have to wait for more data, to find out whether this increase in concern continues.