Violent crime in England is having a direct impact on the amount that people are walking, according to a report published today.

The researchers found that if crime were to double on average in a local area, this would reduce by around 5 percent the number of days people walk for at least 30 minutes in a month. This is equivalent to the effect that a 6^°C drop in average minimum temperature would have on people’s walking habits, say the team.

In particular, the team found that an increase in violent crime influenced non-leisure walking such as walking to work or for daily activities, after factoring in controls for weather, other socio-demographic factors, and physical features of the local area.

The researchers suggest that people may be walking less because of their concerns for personal safety.

The study was jointly led by researchers at Imperial College Business School and the Universities of Bristol and Monash.

Carol Propper, Professor of Economics at Imperial College Business School, said: “These findings demonstrate the wider consequences of crime in society and the impact this has on people’s behaviour. These findings are important as policies that help reduce the amount of violent crime in society can have positive effects well beyond the direct effect of having fewer victims of crime.”

Professor Propper discusses the study in more detail here.

Professor Carol Propper discusses her study on the impact of violent crime on walking

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Changes in crime rates were shown to have a larger effect on post-retirement age adults and those without access to a car.  The researchers suggest this is because older people have been shown to be more fearful of crime and people without access to a vehicle feel more exposed to the conditions in their local area, making them nervous and anxious, which leads to them walking less.

The researchers also explored the effects of the 2011 England riots, which led to a sudden increase in crime, had on physical activity. They found that after the riots, women reduced the amount they walked by 30 per cent. However, in contrast, men increased the amount that they walked.The researchers suggest the reason for this may be because women take steps to avoid crime, while men appear more prone to confronting danger, citing a previous study in Mexico, which showed evidence of men displaying this behaviour.

The researchers analysed data from the Active People Survey (APS), which measured levels of participation in sport and active recreation. More than 800,000 adults in 323 local authority areas in England participated in the survey.  The results were mapped to police recorded violent crime offences over a six-year period, to determine whether an increase in violent crime affects people’s decision to undertake physical activity.

They looked at walking as this is the most common, and often only, form of exercise for most adults.

See the press release of this article