A significant minority of British men and women have experienced physical violence in the form of punches, kicks and slaps
Britain is becoming less and less violent, new research from Cardiff University suggests. The report, which examines data from NHS hospitals, finds a 12% year-on-year drop in the number of injuries from violent incidents in England and Wales in 2013.
Violence is far from eradicated, however, with over 230,000 injuries reported. New research from YouGov also shows just how common violent experiences are in British life.
For instance, four in ten British men have been punched since they were 16 years old; over a quarter have punched someone. Among British women, 26% of the population has slapped someone.
The authors of the Cardiff University study believe the rising cost of alcohol has helped bring the level of violence down.
YouGov’s research also asked respondents whether they thought British culture had become less ‘macho’, and a third (34%) agreed it had, although many also thought British culture had become more macho (27%) or stayed about the same in this respect (25%). However, among men and under-40s, around four in ten believe British culture is less macho these days.
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