Online and Offline Stalking Victimisation in the Crime Survey for England and Wales: Its Predictors and Victim/Survivors’ Views on Criminalisation

Abstract

Over the past two decades, offline stalking, a repeated pattern of behaviours which causes fear and distress, has been complemented through online and digital means. Within this study, we use nationally representative Crime Survey for England and Wales data from 2012 to 2020 to determine the prevalence of cyberstalking and ascertain how these experiences impact participants’ perceptions of the events. Our analysis, involving weighted and multinomial logistic regression, shows that while cyberstalking is not as widespread, it is increasing in prevalence faster than its offline counterpart. Despite the impact on respondents, these experiences do not shape their perception of the event in the same way—suggesting that cyberstalking is viewed as less criminal than offline stalking.