Experiences of violence, crime and safety: Findings from the GCRO’s Quality of Life survey 7 (2023/24)

This Data Brief presents results from the GCRO's Quality of Life 7 survey (2023/24) on variables that relate to violence, crime and safety in Gauteng.

HEADLINE FINDINGS

• In the Quality of Life 7 (2023/24) Survey (QoL 7), more than half of all adults indicated that they had experienced physical abuse during childhood, while one in every 16 adults reported that they had been subjected to sexual abuse when they were children. Together, 56% of respondents reported that they had been subjected to physical or sexual abuse when they were children (see Figure 1).
• One out of every 27 adults reported that they had been raped in the year prior to the interview. One out of every 13 respondents said that they had experienced technology-facilitated violence (photos or messages that insulted, shamed or threatened them, or being pressured into sharing sexual photos or information, or being hacked). One out of every seven respondents reported that they had experienced past-year physical trauma. Over a quarter of respondents said that they had experienced psychological violence (they had been humiliated or threatened) in the year prior to the interview (Figure 4).
• A third of respondents reported experiencing some form of violence in the year before they were interviewed for QoL 7. The proportion is higher for male respondents aged 18–24 years, of whom almost half experienced violence in the year prior to the survey (see Figure 7). For one in ten respondents in Gauteng, the experiences of violence were perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner. Additionally, respondents who were economically vulnerable were more likely to report experiencing intimate partner violence in the year prior to the survey interview (Figure 9).
• In 2023/24, 15% of respondents are at high risk of depression, which is higher among those who reported experiencing some form of violence in the year prior to QoL 7 compared to those who did not (Figure 11).
• The percentage of respondents saying that they had been victims of crime in the year before they were interviewed increased from 19% in 2020/21 to 21% in 2023/24 (Figure 12).
• Satisfaction with safety and security services has decreased, and a lower proportion of respondents feel safe walking in their neighbourhoods or at home compared to 2020/21 (Figure 14).