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.
In 2024-25, more than half (56.8%) of Canberrans felt safe walking around their neighbourhood at night.
Data source
National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP). Data are located at Report on Government Services, 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 2024-25. In 2024-25, 56.8% of ACT residents felt safe walking at night in their neighbourhood.
Technical notes
Due to a national change in the data collection methodology, the data for 2023-24 and later years are not comparable to previous years' results. The new methodology for collection has shifted for all jurisdictions to a mix of online and phone modes using a sample mix combination of mobile Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and online (through either a probability-based online panel or SMS push-to-web). This change has substantially impacted results as respondents' answers differ between CATI and online. Sampling mix also differs between jurisdictions. Accordingly, multi-year data is required to establish comparable trends within the jurisdiction.
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.
In 2024-25, 9 in 10 (92.0%) Canberrans felt safe walking around their neighbourhood during the day.
Data source
National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP). Data are located at Report on Government Services, 6 Police services.
Chart description
Line graph of percentage of ACT residents feeling safe walking during the day in their neighbourhood, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2024-25. In 2024-25, 92.0% of ACT residents felt safe walking during the day in their neighbourhood.
Technical notes
Due to a national change in the data collection methodology the data for 2023-24 and later years is not comparable to previous year’s results. The new methodology for collection has shifted for all jurisdictions to a mix of online and phone modes using a sample mix combination of mobile Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and online (through either a probability-based online panel or SMS push-to-web). This change has substantially impacted results as respondents' answers differ between CATI and online. Sampling mix also differs between jurisdictions. Accordingly, multi-year data is required to establish comparable trends within the jurisdiction.
