An estimated 2.7 million Australian adults have experienced stalking since the age of 15, according to new results from the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
William Milne, ABS head of crime and justice statistics, said “We found one in five women and one in 15 men have been stalked.
“Women were almost eight times more likely to be stalked by a male than by a female, while men were stalked by a male and by a female at a similar rate.”
| Women | Men | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stalking by a person(a) | 20 per cent (2.0 million) | 6.8 per cent (653,400) | |
| Stalking by a male | 19 per cent (1.9 million) | 3.5 per cent (333,500) | |
| Stalking by a female | 2.5 per cent (242,900) | 3.6 per cent (342,000) | |
a. People may have experienced stalking by both a male and a female, they are counted separately for each type of stalking in the table but only once in the stalking by a person total.
The new analysis also identified socio-demographic characteristics that were associated with higher rates of stalking for women.
“Women who were more likely to experience stalking included young women, those who were studying or renting, and those under financial stress,” Mr Milne said.
The report also contained detailed information about the most recent stalking episode by a male in the last 10 years, with almost one million women experiencing stalking during that time.
Over three quarters (78 per cent) of women were stalked by a male they knew.
The perpetrator was most commonly an intimate partner (431,400 or 45 per cent), which included current or former partners.
“Half of the women who were stalked by a male intimate partner were assaulted or threatened with assault by that same partner,” said Mr Milne.
Common stalking behaviours women experienced by their male intimate partner included:
- Maintained unwanted contact with them online or by phone (78 per cent)
- Loitered or hung around their location, such as their home or work (60 per cent)
- Followed them in person or tracked them electronically (53 per cent)
| Most recent episode of stalking by a male intimate partner (%) | |
|---|---|
| Maintained unwanted contact by phone, postal mail, email, text messages or social media websites | 78.0 |
| Loitered or hung around location | 60.1 |
| Followed or tracked | 52.5 |
| Inappropriate online posting/impersonation | 26.4 |
| Interfered with or damaged any property | 24.1 |
| Gave or left objects where they could be found that were offensive or disturbing | 16.6 |
- Refers to the most recent episode of stalking by a male intimate partner that occurred in the last 10 years.
- Multiple stalking behaviours may have been experienced in the most recent episode.
“Half of the women who were stalked by their male intimate partner were stalked for more than a year. This included 115,900 women who said that the stalking continued for over three years,” Mr Milne said.
