Seniors as Victims of Crime in Canada
- Based on information provided by respondents to the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization, one in every 10 seniors aged 65 years and over, experienced at least one victimization in the 12 months preceding the survey. This figure was unchanged from what was found in 1999, and was three times lower than the level of 31% for Canadians under the age of 65;
- Seniors are much less likely than younger age groups to experience a violent crime such as an assault, sexual assault or robbery. In 2004, there were approximately 12 violent incidents for every 1,000 seniors, a rate that was almost four times lower than that recorded for those aged 55 to 64 (45 per 1,000), and almost twenty times lower than the youngest group aged 15 to 24 (226 per 1,000). These findings are consistent with results from the 1999 GSS;
- Among the different types of police-reported violent crimes in 2004, common assault was the most prevalent offence committed against senior victims and non-senior victims, however, the senior rate was nine-times lower (51 incidents compared to 476 per 100,000). Similarly, rates for major assault were nine-times lower (17 compared to 153) and rates for robbery were 3.5 times lower for seniors compared to non-seniors (28 compared to 97 per 100,000);
- Senior males are more likely to be victims of violent crime than senior females. In 2004, overall rates of police-reported violent crime were 1.5 times higher among senior men than senior women (188 versus 121 per 100,000). Sexual assault was the only violent offence for which senior females had higher rates than males (5 versus less than 1 per 100,000);
- Seniors are more likely than their younger counterparts to report their victimizations to the police. For example, according to the GSS, about half (51%) of all violent incidents committed against seniors in 2004 were reported to the police, compared to 24% of violent incidents against the youngest age group (15 to 24);
- Although seniors may be perceived as being more frail and vulnerable than their younger counterparts, senior victims of violent crime are no more likely to sustain injuries. According to self-reported victimization data, over two-thirds (68%) of violent incidents involving seniors did not result in any physical injuries, a figure which was comparable to the proportion of incidents involving victims under 65 years of age;
- Seniors are less likely than their younger counterparts to experience violence at the hands of a spouse. Less than 1% of all seniors with a current or previous spouse reported experiencing any type of violence by a partner in the 12 months preceding the 2004 GSS, compared to 2% of those under the age of 65;
- Approximately 8% of seniors with a current or previous spouse reported having experienced emotional or financial abuse in the five years preceding the 2004 GSS, compared to 13% of those in the second oldest age group (55 to 64 years) and 31% of those in the youngest age group (15 to 24 years);
- According to the 2004 GSS, seniors’ feelings of personal safety have improved over the last five years, with 92% of older persons reporting feeling satisfied with their overall level of safety from crime, compared to 89% reported in 1999. This increase has narrowed the gap between seniors and younger Canadians, resulting in fairly consistent levels of safety between seniors and non-seniors (92% compared with 94%);
- Levels of fear varied only slightly between seniors and non-seniors when engaging in certain evening activities. For example, 17% of seniors expressed concern about being home alone in the evening compared to 20% of non-seniors, and 21% of seniors felt somewhat or very worried walking alone in their neighbourhoods after dark compared to 15% of non-seniors;
- While there are no national statistics on the extent of telephone fraud experienced by Canadians, it has been recognized that unlike other types of crimes, seniors are particularly vulnerable to telemarketing fraud. According to PhoneBusters, Canada’s anti-fraud call centre, between 1996 and 2003, 84% of the total dollar loss through telemarketing prize and lottery occurrences was accounted for by victims over 60 years of age; and,
- Some of the reasons cited for the increased risk of telemarketing fraud among seniors include: many seniors have substantial savings or assets, seniors are assumed by fraudulent telemarketers to be more trusting and polite towards strangers, and elderly persons are often home alone with little or no contact with family members.
