Who is affected by crime?

The chances of being a victim of a crime are not the same for every person. People from some groups are more likely to be victims of crime than others.

Young people face a higher risk of being a victim of crime compared to older people. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows:

• 16.9% of adults aged 16 or over were the victim of at least one crime in 2012/13
• 24% of 16-24 year olds were victims of crime
• only 9% of those aged 60 or older were victims of crime

The risk of being a victim of violent crime also decreases with age:

• 8% for 16-24 year olds
• 0.5% of those aged over 60 years

The risk of being a victim of any crime was slightly higher for males than for females. 18% of males had been the victim of at least one crime in 2011/12 compared with 16% of females.

Around 4% of males experienced violent crime in 2011/12 compared to only 2% of women.

The risk of being the victim of crime was much greater for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.