UNEQUAL BURDEN
Experience of alcohol-related domestic violence is up to 14 times more common in the lowest socioeconomic groups , say Lucy Bryant and Carly Lightowlers
Figures from the Crime
Survey for England and Wales ( CSEW ) show that almost two of every five violent crimes in 2017-18 were committed under the influence of alcohol , as was more than a third of domestic violence in 2013-14 . Inequalities in alcohol-related health harms have also been repeatedly identified , so while alcohol-related violence places a significant burden on the public and criminal justice system , its socioeconomic distribution – including subtypes like alcoholrelated domestic violence – remains under-examined .
To investigate this , CSEW data from 2013-14 to 2017-18 were combined , linking victims ’ demographic information with details of violence experienced . Patterns of victimisation were analysed by first creating socioeconomic status ( SES ) specific incidence and prevalence rates for alcohol-related violence ( including subtypes domestic , stranger , and acquaintance violence ). Then regression modelling was performed to test whether the likelihood of experiencing these incidents was affected by SES when controlling for other preestablished violence risk factors . Findings show that lower socioeconomic groups experience higher prevalence rates of alcoholrelated violence overall , as well as higher incidence and prevalence rates for alcohol-related domestic and acquaintance violence . Indeed , the most deprived groups were found to experience as much as 14 times as many incidents of alcohol-related domestic violence every year , compared with the least deprived . Even when controlling for other violence risk factors , SES
remained a significant predictor for this victimisation .
As well as disparities in victimisation by SES , the higher incidence and prevalence rates of alcohol-related domestic violence experienced by these lower SES groups suggests there is also a gendered dimension to these findings , as women are disproportionately impacted by domestic violence . These findings also raise concerns around children and young people , as the detrimental effects of violence in the home have been well catalogued . The findings suggest that provision of publicly-funded domestic violence services must be urgently revisited , alongside the potential of alcohol pricing and availability of interventions to disproportionately benefit lower SES groups .
The government ’ s ongoing alcohol duty review provides an opportunity to reform alcohol pricing to reduce alcohol harm , in a way that benefits those of lower SES the most . The Alcohol Health
‘ Provision of publicly-funded domestic violence services must be urgently revisited , alongside the potential of alcohol pricing and availability of interventions ...’
Alliance is currently calling on the government to raise alcohol duty by 2 per cent in the forthcoming budget – a move that could not only shrink the inequalities outlined in this article , but lower many other alcohol-related harms , including mortality . The Alcohol
Health Alliance is encouraging all those that agree to write to their MP sharing their support .
This work has taken on new urgency in the current climate . COVID-19 has seen SES inequalities widen , and reports of domestic violence incidents have risen dramatically under the ongoing lockdown restrictions alongside an – at times exclusive – national shift to home drinking . Not only may this be an important juncture for researchers to examine , but it is yet another indication that we must shift to addressing structural inequality and proactive protection of victims , such as measures to address the availability and affordability of alcohol .
Full report available at https :// bit . ly / iasalcvctm Video summary at https :// vimeo . com / 419529248
Lucy Bryant is research and policy officer at the Institute of Alcohol Studies . Dr Carly Lightowlers is senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Liverpool
Deprivation is a strong contributor to violence
‘ We started this work because it ’ s well recognised that alcohol harm isn ’ t spread across society evenly ,’ Lucy Bryant told the recent Drugs , Alcohol and Justice Cross- Party Parliamentary Group , in a meeting about alcohol , violence and anti-social behaviour .
‘ The link between alcohol and alcoholrelated violence is well established but we realised we didn ’ t know much about how alcohol-related violence was spread across socio-economic groups .’
Previous work from the UK using crime surveys and hospital records showed conflicting findings to international work , she explained , and also previous work hadn ’ t really separated different types of alcoholrelated violence – specifically alcohol-related domestic violence , and the role of risk factors such as age and gender .
‘ Other work I ’ ve been doing looks at police data to look at the geographic distribution of violence ,’ added Dr Carly Lightowlers .
‘ Both alcohol availability and area level deprivation affect trends in violence – there is more violent crime in areas that are more deprived and with more alcohol availability . The interesting parallel [ between the two pieces of work ] is that deprivation is a really strong contributor to the trends in violence .’
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