5 Perceptions of insecurity and crime
5.3 Avoidance behaviour (conative dimension)
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While there is a slight correlation between fear of specific offences and the community size, there are slightly stronger links between the community size and the perception of risk. The perceived risk of falling victim to assault, burglary or sexual harassment increases in line with the size of the place of residence.
Compared to fear of crime, there are fewer pronounced differences between the federal states with regard to the perceived risk of falling victim to a crime, although a statistically significant difference between east and west Germany can be noted. Respondents in east Germany are not only more concerned about falling victim to robbery or a terrorist attack, they also perceive the actual risk to be higher than those from west Germany.
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and squares, and the less frequented they are, the more unsafe they seem. Such places also largely look neglected and pose a challenge to urban planners.
Figure 33: Avoidance behaviour by sex, 2017
The 2017 survey findings show that the vast majority of the population avoids places or situations at least occasionally in order to minimise the risk of being victimised, and that a much larger number of women do this compared to men. Roughly half of men and three quarters of women at least occasionally avoid certain streets, squares and parks, and also avoid walking alone at night (see Figure 33). Slightly more women and men take detours and avoid people who look threatening.
However, such behaviours are only routine for a much smaller number of respondents: only 21% of men and 39% of women either often or always avoid certain streets, squares and parks, and 13% of men and 45% of women often or always avoid being out alone after nightfall (see Figure 33). Almost half of women limit their everyday activities due to their feelings of insecurity. As can be seen in tables 12 and 13, the gender gap is especially pronounced with regard to the number of men and women who avoid being out alone after nightfall.
54.5 21.9
43.0 25.0
27.2 14.2
43.8 25.6
22.9 17.5
26.0 21.1
24.4 17.9
22.8 17.5
9.7 15.2
12.6 19.8
21.1 18.2
12.5 18.0
7.4 19.8
9.9 15.1
14.5 20.0
12.5 21.3
5.6 25.6
8.4 19.0
12.9 29.6
8.4 17.6
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
Never Occasionally Sometimes Often Always ... avoid people who look threatening.
... take detours.
... avoid being out alone after nightfall.
To avoid falling victim to crime, I ...
Note: Based on the Chi-Square test, all differences between men and women are statistically significant at a probability of error below 5%.
n = 6,079 ... avoid certain streets, squares and parks.
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Table 12: How often respondents avoid walking alone at night, by age and sex (in %), 2017
Sex Total
n = 6,079
Age (in years)
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 > 74
Never Men 54.5 53.7 66.0 57.0 54.7 51.7 51.4 43.3
Women 21.9 18.7 19.6 15.8 25.9 23.0 25.2 23.2
Occasionally/
sometimes
Men 32.6 34.0 29.6 32.0 31.5 36.8 30.5 33.9
Women 32.7 35.8 36.4 37.7 37.8 32.5 28.0 20.7
Often/always Men 13.0 12.4 4.5 11.1 13.9 11.5 18.1 22.8
Women 45.4 45.6 44.0 46.5 36.4 44.5 46.8 56.2
Note: The differences between men and women are statistically significant at a probability of error below 5%.
Table 13: Avoidance of certain streets, squares or parks, by age and sex (in %), 2017
Sex Total
n = 6,079
Age (in years)
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 > 74
Never Men 43.8 49.2 51.6 41.9 40.7 44.5 39.4 39.7
Women 25.6 27.9 21.3 19.9 23.7 24.8 25.5 36.3
Occasionally/
sometimes
Men 35.3 32.6 34.3 37.2 37.1 32.2 34.7 39.0
Women 35.6 33.6 46.6 34.7 30.5 35.3 34.5 30.8
Often/always Men 20.9 18.2 14.2 20.9 22.3 23.4 25.9 21.3
Women 38.9 33.6 32.1 45.4 45.8 39.9 40.0 32.9
Note: The differences between men and women are statistically significant at a probability of error below 5%.
If these results are compared with those for fear of crime, the avoidance behaviour is more prevalent among men and, especially, among women than feelings of insecurity in the
neighbourhood and the affective fear of assault and robbery. Even among women who feel very safe in their neighbourhood, more than half avoid being out alone after nightfall; one fifth stated that they do so regularly or always. This underlines the fact that for many women, restricting their movement is a fact of life.
There is no evidence of a trend towards more pronounced avoidance behaviour among older respondents. Although the proportion of men and women who frequently or always avoid being alone in a public place at night is increasing in the middle-aged groups, and is at its highest among those aged 75 and over, this trend is not very pronounced, and it does not apply to the avoidance of certain streets, squares and parks. Here, there is no statistically significant age difference among men, while women in the middle-age groups (35–54) exercise the most caution. When these results are compared with the age distribution of affective fear of crime, it is notable that although younger persons are those who most fear violence and sexual assault, they are less likely to avoid potential dangers. This is possibly linked to younger people having a subjectively lower sense of vulnerability and a more active lifestyle.
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Figure 34: Avoiding being outside alone after nightfall, by community size and sex (often and always, in %), 2017
Even a differentiation based on the community size does not reveal any obvious differences in avoidance behaviour. Respondents in medium-sized towns of 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants are most likely to state that they often or always avoid being alone in a public place at night, which tallies with their feeling of insecurity. However, these differences are only slight and not statistically significant (see Figure 34). Only men in medium-sized towns show a greater, statistically significant tendency towards avoiding certain streets, squares and parks.
40.1 9.7 46.6 11.5 47.0 11.8 49.3 20.0 43.2 14.9 40.9 12.1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
< 2,000 2,000-10,000 10,000-50,000 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 > 500,000
in %
Community size (inhabitants) Women Men
Note: Based on the Chi-Square test, all differences between men and women are statistically significant at a probability of error below 5%.
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Figure 35: Avoidance of certain streets, squares and parks, by social cohesion in the neighbourhood and sex (often and always, in %), 2017
Feelings of insecurity in the neighbourhood and avoidance behaviour are closely linked to the levels of trust and social cohesion among residents. Those who hold a positive view of social cohesion in the neighbourhood are far less likely to avoid certain places, and this particularly applies to women (see Figure 35). Avoiding areas at night is – for both men and women – strongly linked to a
perceived lack of social cohesion. The DVS measured social cohesion in the neighbourhood by asking respondents a series of questions on perceived willingness to help, adherence to norms and mutual trust.
49.4 23.2 47.0 27.3 39.6 19.4 33.0 19.4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Very weak Weak Strong Very strong
in %
Perceived social cohesion in the neighbourhood
Women Men
Note: Based on the Chi-Square test, all differences between men and women are statistically significant at a probability of error below 5%.
n = 6,079
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