Feeling safe
Perceived safety can be as important to wellbeing as the actual rate of crime in our city. The perception of safety contributes to a safe and secure community that enables people to undertake their lawful pursuits confidently and safely.
Perception of safety in the neighbourhood at night
This measure shows the percentage of people who feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood at night. Perceived safety can be as important to wellbeing as the actual rate of crime.
In 2022-23, more than half (57%) of Canberrans felt safe walking around their neighbourhood at night. This is higher than the national figure (53.7%).
This outcome suggests that the feeling of personal safety in the ACT is above the national level.
Over the past decade these results have remained stable.
Data source
National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP). 2021-22 data are located at Report on Government Services 2022, 6 Police services.
Chart description
Line graph of percentage of ACT residents feeling safe walking at night in their neighbourhood, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2022-23. In 2022-23, 57% of ACT residents felt safe walking at night in their neighbourhood compared to 57.9% in 2021-22.
Technical notes
These results were drawn from the National Survey of Community Satisfaction by Police (NSCSP) conducted annually by the Social Research Centre. The study aims to monitor levels of satisfaction with policing services and feelings of public safety. At the time of publishing, data for other jurisdictions were only available for 2021-22.
Perception of safety in the neighbourhood during the day
This measure shows the percentage of people who feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day. Perceived safety can be as important to wellbeing as the actual rate of crime.
In 2022-23, over 9 in 10 (93.6%) Canberrans felt safe walking around their neighbourhood during the day. This is slightly higher than the national figure (91%).
This outcome suggests that the feeling of personal safety in the ACT is above the national level.
Over time these results have remained stable over the last decade.
Data source
Data source
National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP). 2021-22 data are located at Report on Government Services 2022, 6 Police services.
Chart description
Line graph of percentage of ACT residents feeling safe walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2022-23. In 2022-23, 93.6% felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day compared to 95.1% in 2021-22.
Technical notes
These results were drawn from the National Survey of Community Satisfaction by Police (NSCSP) conducted annually by the Social Research Centre. The study aims to monitor levels of satisfaction with policing services and feelings of public safety. At the time of publishing, data for other jurisdictions were only available for 2021-22.
