Young Voices Matter - youth survey results

How safe do you feel in Arun?

Very safe	17%
A bit safe	44%
Neither safe nor unsafe	24%
A bit unsafe	11%
Very unsafe	3%

Q2. How safe do you feel in these spaces during the day?

Place	Very safe	A bit safe	I don't go to these places	A bit unsafe	Very unsafe
Leisure or sports centres	42.4%	26.8%	25%	4.7%	1%
Youth clubs	23.1%	15.3%	57%	1.4%	3.1%
In the street	12.5%	39.7%	1.9%	33.9%	12%
Onboard busses	19.1%	39.1%	22.8%	13.7%	5.2%
Bus stops	11.7%	40.2%	21.2%	20.5%	6.4%
Onboard trains	16.2%	39.8%	10.1%	25.6%	8.3%
Train stations	10.3%	32.7%	11.3%	32.7%	13%
Town centres	13.7%	40.7%	29.2%	12.2%	4.2%
Parks and open spaces	14.1%	48.9%	3.3%	28.3%	5.4%
School or college	32.3%	50.4%	1.9%	12.3%	3%

Q3. How safe do you feel in these spaces when it's dark?

Place	Very safe	A bit safe	I don't go to these places	A bit unsafe	Very unsafe
Leisure or sports centres	23.8%	29.2%	28.5%	10.6%	7.8%
Youth clubs	17%	15.3%	56%	4.9%	6.8%
In the street	4.9%	15.7%	4.7%	30.1%	44.7%
Onboard busses	9.7%	26.3%	24%	22.6%	17.4%
Bus stops	4.5%	16.9%	23.1%	25.4%	30.1%
Onboard trains	8.3%	27%	12.5%	29.4%	22.8%
Train stations	4.5%	21.6%	12.3%	25.2%	36.3%
Town centres	5.7%	19.5%	7.7%	28.9%	38.3%
Parks and open spaces	6.8%	13.7%	6.6%	33.2%	39.7%
School or college	19.1%	34.6%	12.9%	17.7%	15.7%

Q4. Which of the following make you feel safe in these spaces?

CCTV (security cameras)	347
Youth workers around	167
Bright and well lit areas	418
Shelters or places to sit	143
Police patrolling regularly	314
Train or bus conductors	153
A friendly and supportive community	331
Adults nearby	325
Other young people around	182
Shops nearby	254
Busy places with lots of people around	219
None of the above	28
Other	43

Q5. Which of the following make you feel unsafe in these spaces?

Dark or unlit areas	434
People drinking on the street	436
Adults acting in a scary or unsafe way	464
Groups of young people (wearing hoodies etc.)	388
Drugs in the area	428
Worried about knife crime	417
Worried about violence	400
Graffiti or vandalism	121
Being harassed or bothered	447
None of the above	32
Other	25

Of the 415 people who answered this question, 67% referred to their home or house as a place where that they feel safe.

Other common phrases or locations where respondents said they feel safe include:

• 10% with friends or at a friend's house
• 5% shops, cafes, and restaurants because other people are nearby
• 5% sports clubs and extracurricular activities, plus attending youth clubs
• 3% being with a trusted adult

The 359 responses to this question generally reflected the same concerns as at question 5 with comments about town centres, drugs, unlit places, train stations, and older people repeatedly stated.
Other commonly mentioned locations where respondents feel unsafe include:

• 12% anywhere after dark or at night
• 8% alleyways
• 3% Barnham and/or Yapton

365 people answered this question with 14% including the word 'people' in their response. Examples of phrases using this word include:

• less people drinking in public
• safe places where people can help you
• trusted people around
• friendly people
• being around people I know
• teachers treating us like actual people
• if there were more people in town that can make you feel safe

10% more people about / patrolling.

8% more / better street lighting.

3% other security officers.

2% reduce street drinking.

2 people felt that the presence of Jedi and Batman would make them feel safer.

• 'Adults acting in a scary or unsafe way' received the highest response as to why children and young people feel unsafe in public spaces (Q5). Of note, however, is the common reference made about the presence of adults as also being a factor in making them feeling safer, along with a strong and supportive community. This would indicate that adults and the wider community have a leading role to play in protecting children and young people in Arun.
• It is welcome news that such a large percentage of children and young people noted that their home is a place where they feel safe (Q6). Significant efforts were made to encourage completion of the survey from a wide range of individual backgrounds and personal experiences, including those engaged with youth justice and children's services. This survey does not identify whether respondents are engaged and services and whether this influences how they view their home as safe or unsafe.
• Sports and extracurricular clubs, and youth clubs are referenced as being safe spaces by those who participate. In addition, scouts, cinema, and dance studios are also included.
  Q2 and Q3 indicates that a high number of children and young people do not attend youth clubs, however. As a question for partner agencies, what support can be given to encourage greater attendance at local youth clubs as they can offer both safe and social spaces?
• Several children and young people stated that they feel safer in Chichester or Brighton because of there being more people around.
• Q5 indicates that the presence of CCTV is a strong element in making public spaces feel safe for children and young people. The local authority is responsible for public facing CCTV as a means of detecting and preventing crime and ASB. Although completed in 2023, a further audit should be encouraged to ensure that the cameras are in the correct locations based on police access and the prevalence of reports.
  Other public services who utilise CCTV may also be encouraged to consider whether the locations and use of cameras is appropriate to improve the feeling of being safe in such spaces.
• Town centres, train stations, and park areas have all been identified as feeling unsafe, especially at night. The follow-up contextual safeguarding mapping exercise should give priority to these locations and time period and consider the repeated reference to a lack of effective lighting.
• 'Being harassed or bothered' received the second most clicks at Q5 as something that makes children and young people feel unsafe.
  • 92% of female respondents included this in their response.
  • 62% of male respondents included this in their response.
• Greater analysis of the responses given by gender and ethnicity to Q5 will be completed to determine whether there are any further differences in what particular groups perceive as being unsafe elements to their use of public places.
  Survey observations and considerations