Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2024/25: Main findings

Annex D: Changes to the survey questionnaire

Introduction

A key goal of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) is to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of users by reflecting changes in crime, victimisation and public experience in Scotland. Each year, this can involve minor amendments to question wording, the removal or rotation of existing questions, or the development and inclusion of new topic areas. These changes are informed by policy priorities, stakeholder engagement, methodological considerations and emerging evidence gaps.

This annex summarises recent changes to the SCJS questionnaire and sets out confirmed changes introduced for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 survey years.

Questions on non-fatal strangulation

In response to growing public concern, increased media interest and engagement from victim support organisations and other stakeholders, a new set of survey questions was developed to better capture experiences of non-fatal strangulation.

The questions were developed in collaboration with external organisations, victims’ groups and experts in survey design. Given the sensitive nature of the topic, additional quality assurance steps were undertaken. Internal and external stakeholders provided feedback, and the questions were cognitively tested with ten participants to assess understanding, acceptability and interpretation. The questions were refined in line with this feedback and included in the 2025/26 survey.

The questions measure:

• the proportion of adults who have experienced strangulation during sexual activity
• whether the experience involved coercion
• whether it occurred in the past 12 months
• any resulting impacts, including physical or mental or emotional harm

Findings from the self-completion module are typically published every two years. Initial results from these questions are expected to be included in the 2026/27 Main Findings Report, combining data from the 2025/26 and 2026/27 survey years, subject to analytical review.

Expanding questions on anti-social behaviour (ASB) for the 2026/27 questionnaire

An expanded set of questions on anti-social behaviour (ASB) has been included in the 2026/27 SCJS questionnaire, with fieldwork scheduled to begin in April 2026.

This update responds to sustained policy and stakeholder interest in strengthening the evidence base on perceptions and experiences of ASB, as well as recommendations from the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour.

The SCJS already includes a question (QAS) asking respondents how common different types of behaviours are in their local area. For the 2026/27 questionnaire, this question has been expanded to include two additional behaviours:

• vandalism, graffiti or other deliberate damage to property
• groups or individuals intimidating or harassing others

Building on this, a new set of follow-up questions have been introduced to provide a more comprehensive understanding of ASB. Respondents who identify that they have experienced or witnessed any of the behaviours included in the QAS question in the last 12 months are asked additional questions covering:

• which types of anti-social behaviours respondents have personally experienced or witnessed in their local area (using the same list as for the QAS question)
• the locations where these behaviours occurred (e.g. within the home, neighbourhood, public spaces, online, or workplaces)
• the extent to which these behaviours has negatively affected respondents’ quality of life
• actions taken as a result of anti-social behaviour (e.g. behaviour changes, avoidance, protective measures, or impacts on health and wellbeing)
• whether incidents were reported, and if so, to which organisations (e.g. police, local authorities, housing providers)
• reasons for not reporting, including perceived barriers and attitudes towards reporting

Together, these additions provide a more detailed and nationally representative picture of ASB in Scotland, including its prevalence, impact, and how individuals respond to and report such behaviour.

Inclusion of new question life satisfaction in 2026/27

A new question on overall life satisfaction has also been developed and included in the 2026/27 SCJS questionnaire, with fieldwork commencing in April 2026.

Respondents will be asked:

• Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?

Responses will be recorded on a 10-point scale, consistent with Personal well-being user guidance - Office for National Statistics.

This question is intended to enable analysis of the relationship between crime victimisation and wellbeing outcomes, supporting regression-based analysis to estimate the reduction in wellbeing associated with being a victim of crime. This in turn contributes to estimates of the social and economic costs of crime.

The life satisfaction question is intended to be included for a limited number of survey years to allow sufficient data to be accumulated for robust analysis, rather than as a permanent addition to the survey.

Removal of local community questions (Section 5.1)

To accommodate the expanded ASB module while maintaining overall questionnaire length, the Local Community section has been removed. This includes the removal of the questions QWALL2, LCPEOP, LCKNOW, and QHAPP.

This change reflects a prioritisation of emerging evidence needs relating to ASB, while ensuring the overall survey remains within acceptable length constraints. Further consultation will be undertaken as part of any future survey development. If any user has any concerns regarding this change, please do get in touch via a method given in the Tell us what you think chapter.