A safe neighbourhood has physical features such as the presence of sidewalks and streetlights that make people feel safe. A safe neighbourhood also has low crime. Living in a safe neighbourhood is important for positive child and youth development and well-being.[1] Parents who have concerns about their child's safety tend to restrict outdoor play and active transportation.[2] Similar research shows that youth's perceptions of neighbourhood safety are linked to their physical activity levels.[3]
Youth who report feeling safe in their neighbourhood |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students about how safe they feel in their neighbourhood. Students who respond “extremely” or “very” are categorized as feeling safe. Students who respond “somewhat” or “not at all” are categorized as feeling unsafe. Key FindingsIn the 2017-18 Youth Survey, more males than females and non-binary students reported feeling safe in their neighbourhood. Fewer non-binary students in grade 10 reported feeling safe in their neighbourhoods than any other group. The percentage of students who reported feeling safe in their neighbourhoods was consistent for each of the three Youth Survey cycles (not shown). Data across time and at the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated September 5, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response bias and recall bias. It should be noted that this measure does not demonstrate the actual safety of a neighbourhood.
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Senior kindergarten parents who report living in a safe neighbourhood |
About the MeasureThis measure comes from the Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS), a questionnaire completed by parents of senior kindergarten students. The KPS provides parents with the statement, "It is safe for children to play outside during the day in my neighbourhood." Parents are asked to respond "true (Safe)," "sometimes true (sometimes safe)," or "not true (not safe)."Parents who responded "true (safe)" as categorized as feeling safe in their neighbourhood. The 2018 KPS was administered in Dufferin, but not Wellington and Guelph. If you would like to access 2018 KPS data for Dufferin, please contact Jane Hall at County of Dufferin Children’s Services: jahall@dufferincounty.ca Key FindingsThe majority of local senior kindergarten parents feel it is safe for children to play outside during the day. More parents from Wellington report their neighbourhood is safe (95.2%) compared to parents in Dufferin (89.5%) and Guelph (86.8%). Data at the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: Kindergarten Parent Survey, 2015. Prepared by the County of Dufferin and the County of Wellington. WDG Report Card Coalition (distributor). Last updated August, 2016. LimitationsThe KPS is completed voluntarily and may be subject to underreporting and response bias. Certain sub-groups of the population are less likely to respond to voluntary surveys. As a result, the data may not be representative of the entire population. It should be noted that this measure does not demonstrate how safe a neighbourhood is, but rather how safe parents feel their children are in their neighbourhood.
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[1] Curtis, L. J., Dooley, M. D., & Phipps, S. A. (2004). Child well-being and neighbourhood quality: evidence from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Social science & medicine, 58(10), 1917-1927.
[2] Carver, A., Timperio, A., & Crawford, D. (2008). Playing it safe: The influence of neighbourhood safety on children's physical activity--A review. Health & place, 14(2), 217-227.
[3] Janssen, I. (2014). Crime and perceptions of safety in the home neighborhood are independently associated with physical activity among 11-15year olds. Preventive medicine, 66, 113-117.