CONTRIBUTION OF ALCOHOL OR ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE TO SELECTED PERSONAL CRIMES ^Endnote1

The Crime Victimisation Survey asks persons who experienced physical assault and face-to-face threatened assault whether they believed alcohol or any other substance contributed to their most recent incident of assault. ^Endnote2, ^Endnote3

PHYSICAL ASSAULT (Table 16)

In the 12 months prior to interview in 2016-17, an estimated 59% of persons aged 18 years and over who experienced physical assault (246,700) believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to their most recent incident. Men were more likely than women to believe that alcohol or any other substance contributed to their most recent incident of physical assault (66% compared to 51%).

Alcohol or any other substance was believed to have contributed to the most recent incident for the majority of persons experiencing physical assault across all age groups, except for persons aged 45 to 54 years (49%) and 65 years and over (44%).



The proportion of persons who believed alcohol or any other substance contributed to the most recent incident of physical assault varied depending on the relationship of the person to the offender. Where the most recent incident was perpetrated by a:

• previous partner - 57% believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to the incident
• a stranger - 59% believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to the incident
• a friend - 77% believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to the incident.

FACE-TO-FACE THREATENED ASSAULT (Table 16)

Nationally, half (56% or 260,600) of all persons aged 18 years and over who experienced face-to-face threatened assault believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to their most recent incident. This included:

• 59% of men who experienced face-to-face threatened assault
• 52% of women who experienced face-to-face threatened assault

More than half of persons across the different age groups who experienced face-to-face threatened assault indicated that alcohol or another substance was involved in their most recent incident, except for those aged 55 to 64 years (48%) and 65 years and over (47%).



The proportion of persons who believed alcohol or any other substance contributed to the most recent incident of face to face threatened assault varied depending on the relationship of the person to the offender. Where the most recent incident was perpetrated by a:

• previous partner - 58% believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to the incident
• friend - 60% believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to the incident
• stranger - 64% believed that alcohol or any other substance contributed to the incident.

ENDNOTES

Endnote 1 All comparisons discussed have been tested for statistical significance with a 95% level of confidence that there is a real difference in the two populations being tested. Only data with a relative standard error (RSE) of less than 25% are referred to in the text of this publication and these estimates are considered sufficiently reliable for general use. To determine whether there is a statistical difference between any other two estimates, significance testing should be undertaken. For further information, refer to the Technical Note.

Endnote 2 As information is only collected in relation to the most recent incident, the findings are not necessarily representative of all incidents experienced by persons in the last 12 months prior to interview (see Technical Note).

Endnote 3 Questions relating to the involvement of alcohol or other substances in the most recent incident of physical or face-to-face threatened assault are only available for persons aged 18 years and over.