Nearly nine in ten Britons are concerned about violence against women and girls (VAWG), according to a new report by the Health Equality Foundation. The poll of 4,007 adults, conducted by GGF Insights, found that 88% of respondents expressed concern about VAWG, placing it just behind the NHS (91%) and the cost of living (93%), but ahead of immigration (77%) and unemployment (72%).
The report warns that decades of underinvestment have eroded women's trust in systems designed to respond to VAWG. Over the past year, 44% of women avoided a place, route or situation due to safety fears, compared with 26% of men.
Health Equality Foundation founder Baroness Nargund, a Labour peer, said concern about VAWG is not abstract but reflects women feeling unsafe on streets, public transport and in their own homes. She urged the government to implement policies prioritising women's safety without delay, noting that while Labour has made progress with its VAWG strategy and Women's Health Strategy, delivery is now critical.
The government has pledged to halve VAWG within a decade, with a strategy unveiled in December. A Home Office spokesperson described VAWG as a national emergency and said the government is investing over £1bn in victim support over three years, strengthening policing, and teaching healthy relationships in schools.
The poll's findings come as Labour focuses heavily on immigration, which ranks lower in public concern. Baroness Nargund emphasised that rebuilding trust requires visible change in women's everyday lives over the next year.
