Domestic
violence a fact of life for nearly one quarter of Britons, according
to BBC News Online poll
Domestic violence
is a fact of life for nearly a quarter of British people, according
to an ICM poll carried out on behalf of BBC News Online.
The
poll suggests that almost one in four people have had some involvement
in domestic violence either as a victim or as a perpetrator.
The
survey comes out as the BBC launches its Hitting Home
season which runs from Saturday 15 February through to 23 February.
The
season features programmes across all BBC services (TV, radio and
BBCi) aimed at raising public awareness about domestic violence
and breaking down taboos which surround the subject.
The
ICM poll for BBC News Online indicates that domestic violence is
still a prevalent problem. It revealed that people were more likely
to take action to prevent their dog being mistreated than a partner.
It also showed that a fifth had been forced to have sex against
their will.
Twenty-seven
per cent of women surveyed had been involved in some form of domestic
violence. The figure for men was 21 per cent.
Of those who
had been involved in domestic violence, 37 per cent of women had
reported an incident to the police, compared with 19 per cent of
men. In cases where the police had been called in, four out of five
women said the relationship had broken down. Yet half the men said
it had continued.
Nearly 80 per
cent of people said they would intervene or call the RSPCA or police
if someone was kicking or mistreating their dog. But when it came
to mistreating a partner, only 53 per cent said they would intervene
or call the police.
The
survey suggested that one person in twenty was in, or had been in,
a relationship where one partner had been forced to have sex against
their will. This was reported by five times as many women as men.
One woman in ten said they could accept a single instance of forced
sex, but very few would tolerate it on a regular basis. Almost nine
out of ten said it would end the relationship
More than a
third of the sample said they knew someone who had experienced domestic
violence but women were more likely than men to tell a friend to
go to the police.
Nearly three
out of ten people believe that the police should always be called.
But twice as many feel they should not be routinely involved.
Six
out of ten of those questioned said that domestic violence was not
acceptable under any circumstances.
When
it came to domestic violence at the hands of someone they loved,
about two thirds said they could put up with occasional name calling,
and one woman in five would accept an isolated slap or punch. But
eight out of ten thought that repeated violence would spell the
end of the relationship.
Notes
to Editors
Any
use of the above release must include a credit for BBC News Online
domestic violence ICM poll.
More
detailed information about the ICM poll results is available at
bbc.kongjiang.org/www.bbc.co.uk/news.
The
poll marks the beginning of the BBC's Hitting Home
season which looks at the issues around domestic violence across
TV, radio and online.
More
details are available at bbc.kongjiang.org/www.bbc.co.uk/hittinghome
or freephone 0800 934934.
ICM
interviewed a random sample of 1020 adults aged 18+, face to face,
between 25 and 31 February 2003.
Interviews
were conducted across the country and the data has been weighted
to the profile of all adults.
Related
Stories
Hitting
Home – press pack (17.01.03)
Hitting
Home - a BBC campaign tackling domestic violence head-on
(12.12.02)
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