Crime Victims’ Demographics Inconsistently Relate to Self-Reported Vulnerability

Abstract

Previous research has found a discrepancy between the number of individuals who self-report as vulnerable and official prevalence estimations. Both this discrepancy and victims' views about their vulnerability need addressing as they may identify further training needs for Criminal Justice System agencies and to ensure victims receive appropriate support. Using data from the Metropolitan Police User Satisfaction Survey (n = 47,560) the present study explored 1) crime victims' self-reported vulnerability and its association with demographics; 2) police identification of vulnerability and; 3) whether the needs of vulnerable victims were catered for. Results indicated that 38% of the sample self-identified as vulnerable, a considerably higher percentage than estimated in previous literature.Although associations existed between vulnerability and demographics these were negligible or had weak effect sizes. The findings are discussed in relation to the current definition of a vulnerable victim and highlighting the role of personal circumstances in self-identification.