No. 11 - Criminal victimization and fear of crime among Canadian seniors

Seniors are generally much less likely than people in younger age groups to be the victims of a crime. For example, in 1999, there were 1.3 homicide victims per 100,000 people aged 65 and over, compared with 2.3 among those aged 15-24 and 2.6 among 25-44 year-olds.

While the victimization rates for seniors are lower than those for people in younger age ranges, seniors are more likely than younger people to feel vulnerable when outside their homes. In 1999, 21% of seniors who go out at night said that they felt very or somewhat unsafe when walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, compared with 18% of those aged 45 to 64 and 16% of those in age groups under age 45.

Among seniors who go out at night, women are considerably more likely than their male contemporaries to feel unsafe when walking alone in their neighbourhoods after dark. In 1999, 32% of these women reported feeling unsafe compared with only 12% of senior men.

Seniors, on the other hand, are somewhat less concerned than their younger counterparts about being victimized when they are home alone at night. Still, in 1999, 17% of all people aged 65 and over were somewhat or very worried when they were home alone at night. Again, senior women were more likely than their male counterparts to be concerned when home alone at night: 21% versus 13%.

Percentage feeling very or somewhat unsafe when
walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, 1999

Source: Statistics Canada