Prevalence, trends, and predictors of victimisation and polyvictimisation among children in England and Wales

Abstract

Childhood victimisation and polyvictimisation (experiencing two or more distinct crime types) can have lasting developmental, psychological, and social consequences. Yet there is limited research on victimisation and polyvictimisation in England and Wales using robust data sets. This study addresses this gap by investigating prevalence, trends, and individual, household, and area-level predictors of non-sexual non-familial violence, personal theft, household theft, and criminal damage and polyvictimisation using the 10- to 15-year-old Crime Survey for England and Wales (2011/2012–2019/2020; N = 25,415). A series of binary logistic regressions was performed, supplemented by visualisations. The weighted percentage of children experiencing a single type of victimisation ranged from 1.1% (criminal damage) to 5.8% (violence), while 1.1% were polyvictimised. Although most victimisation types and polyvictimisation declined over the 9-year period, reductions in polyvictimisation varied depending on socioeconomic status. Both individual (sex, ethnicity, disability) and area-level (deprivation) factors predicted polyvictimisation and individual victimisation types. Implications of the findings are discussed.