Auckland Council carries out surveys on public perceptions of safety every few years to engage with Aucklanders and find out more about how they feel about Auckland.The survey is called 'Public Perceptions of Safety from Crime in the Auckland Region' and was carried out in 2012. Residents were asked to comment on how safe they feel in different locations of in the region. The complete report is available on the Auckland Council website.
The findings of the survey revealed that people from some ethnic groups, such as Maori or Chinese, were more concerned about their safety in particular locations. People in their 20s were the group who expressed the greatest concerns for their safety, and not surprisingly, females were the most cautious and concerned about their safety in all groups.
Although the general perceptions of safety was relatively high, with 81% of people feeling safe in the Auckland region and 85% in their local neighbourhoods, places such as local bus stops or public toilets in parks were locations people had more concerns for their safety. For example, there was a drop in the public's confidence about their safety at local bus stops after dark. This shows the importance of factors such as the location of the bus stops, their surrounding activities and the level of lighting.
The findings of the survey can be broadly categorised as the following:
- General perceptions of safety from crime
- Experience of crime for different people at different locations
- Impact of crime and safety on daily life
- General perceptions of safety in locations such as neighbourhood, local shopping and town centres