We regularly conduct research on crime and community issues, ourselves or with partners. Below are some of our findings.

Cybercrime

  • Neighbourhood Watch Cybercrime Survey - 2023: Conducted by Neighbourhood Watch and Avast looking at respondents' online behaviour and knowledge/experience of cybercrime in the UK.  
  • From Neighbourhood to Cybercrime - 2022 Perceptions of Cybercrime in the UK: A Cyberhood Watch survey conducted by Avast and Neighbourhood Watch looking at people's views, experience and impact of cybercrime in the UK. Read it here.
  • From Neighbourhood to Cybercrime - 2021 Perceptions of Cybercrime in the UK: A Cyberhood Watch survey of 28,000 people conducted by Avast and Neighbourhood Watch looking at people's views and experience of cybercrime in the UK. Read it here.

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Crime and Community

  • Crime and Community Survey 2024 - open from 8 October until 31 October - have your say

  • Crime and community survey 2023 - conducted by Neighbourhood Watch, supported by Simplisafe - Neighbourhood Watch has supported the Home Office’s work this year in trialling new policing approaches to tackling antisocial behaviour across England. The findings of this survey highlight the need for further research into why antisocial behaviour remains a prevalent crime in the country. A total of 28,909 responses were received. This represents an increase on the responses for the 2022 survey (25,293). Open the survey below: 

  • Crime and community survey 2022 - conducted by Neighbourhood Watch - Shockingly, one-quarter (23%) of over 25,000 people who responded to the Neighbourhood Watch Crime and Community Survey 2022 (25,293 total responses) experienced a crime in the past year. Even more concerning than that is that the crime most experienced (36%) was being harassed, threatened, or verbally abused in the street – this is unchanged from the past two years (36% in 2021 and 33% in 2020). Over four-fifths (82%) of all respondents worry about street harassment as a national issue. Read the report here.
     
  • Crime and community survey 2021 - conducted by Neighbourhood Watch - The national survey was developed by Neighbourhood Watch Network, supported by University College London, to better understand levels of crime victimisation, fear of crime and feelings of safety, neighbourliness, community cohesion and loneliness, and the current impact, reach and diversity of Neighbourhood Watch. Read the report here.
     
  • Crme and community survey 2020 - conducted by Neighbourhood Watch - The national survey was developed by Neighbourhood Watch Network to better understand the impact of Neighbourhood Watch on levels of crime victimisation, fear of crime and feelings of safety, neighbourliness, community cohesion and loneliness, and the current reach and diversity of Neighbourhood Watch.Read the report here.
     
  • Impact of Covid-19 and crime - conducted by the Dawes Centre for Future Crime at UCL and Neighbourhood Watch, Dec 2020.  UK Research and Innovation funded this research, a collaboration between the Dawes Centre for Future Crime at UCL and Neighbourhood Watch. The study aimed to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected crime in the UK and the public's perception of it. The survey had a fantastic turnout, with 20,784 total respondents nationwide. Of those who participated, 14,741 (or 71%) answered every question. Read it here.
     
  • Neighbourhood Crime Unlocked - a report conducted by Co-op Insurance and Neighbourhood Watch, Nov 2019  A report highlighting a fifth of victims don't call the police, and one in three UK adults have been a victim of neighbourhood crime. Based on hundreds of thousands of insurance claims and a YouGov survey of 4,000 UK adults, the report looks at crime trends across UK neighbourhoods and the effect it has on those who have been victims. Over a third (38%) of UK adults have been a victim of neighbourhood crime, with two-fifths (41%) having had their homes broken into. However, a fifth (20%) of victims chose not to contact the police. Read it here.
  • A Neighbourly Nation: Through the Keyhole - conducted by Co-op Insurance and Neighbourhood Watch, Oct 2018 A report on neighbourliness showing that more than half of UK homeowners (54%) know most of their neighbours by name, and a quarter (29%) of homeowners would trust their neighbours with a key to their home. The joint report reveals it's not all quiet on the home front. Although 98% of people think they're good neighbours, with almost a third (30%) saying they get on better with neighbours now than they did five years ago, two in five Brits (45%) have disagreed with their neighbours. Read it here.

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Insights into our membership and impact

  • Neighbourhood Watch Insights Report 2024: read it here. Our survey of 25,657 people (7% volunteers, 44% members and 49% non-members) shared their thoughts on how they perceive our charity, how effective and useful our crime prevention information is, how valued their local Neighbourhood Watch groups are, and how we could improve as an organisation.
     
  • Neighbourhood Watch Insights 2023 - Perceptions Report - conducted annually by Neighbourhood Watch, May 2023 Our survey of 20,479 people (7% volunteers, 9% members, 43% supporters (receive information from us but are not a member), and 31% non-members) looked at the words people associate with us; the difference we make on crime and community; feelings of safety, connection and support from Neighbourhood Watch; attitude towards joining and understanding of what Neighbourhood Watch is. Read the Perception Report 2023 here. For a copy of the Satisfaction Report 2023 please contact us.
     
  • Neighbourhood Watch Member Market Research - conducted by ICM Unlimited, July 2019 To complement our work to provide a great service to current members, we must work at a national level to attract new members to Neighbourhood Watch to ensure growth, longevity and development for the charity. To help us do this, market research was conducted by ICM Unlimited, which consisted of a survey of 2,000 people fully representative of the population across England and Wales and two profiled focus groups. Read it here.
     
  • Evidencing the Impact of Neighbourhood Watch - conducted by the University of College London, June 2019 Like many non-profit organisations, Neighbourhood Watch is increasingly required to demonstrate the 'impact' of their activities by stakeholders and funders. As such, it is committed to moving towards being an evidence-based organisation. University College London was asked to undertake a project to support Neighbourhood Watch (and the individual Associations) in developing their knowledge and skills to monitor, evaluate and build evidence on the impact of their activities. In the Impact Survey Guidance document, we set out how groups can collect information from their members and residents by using various survey tools that will enable them to understand where they can make positive changes in their community and demonstrate the impact of this activity. Read it here.
     
  • Neighbourhood Watch Membership: Trends, obstacles, members' and potential members' profiles - conducted by Nottingham Trent University, March 2019 A study that gives a picture of Neighbourhood Watch membership, appetite for it and whether these are related to crime experiences and perceptions. It explores trends and patterns of membership, "drop-off", and demand, including members' and potential members' crime experiences and perceptions, across different household socio-economic groups, area types and Police Force Areas (PFAs). Read the full report here or the Executive Summary

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