- Half of Batswana (50%) say they felt unsafe walking in their neighbourhoods at least once during the past year, and almost as many (45%) report fearing crime in their homes. Both numbers reflect the highest levels of insecurity recorded in Afrobarometer surveys in Botswana over the past decade (Figure 1).
- Feeling unsafe in the neighbourhood is far more common among citizens experiencing high levels of lived poverty (64%) than among those who are economically well off (38%) (Figure 2).
- Fear of crime in the home shows the same pattern: 54% among those with moderate or high lived poverty vs. 31% of economically well-off citizens (Figure 3).
- Men are somewhat more likely than women to say they feared crime in the home (48% vs. 42%), as are urban residents compared to their rural counterparts (46% vs. 41%).
Half of Batswana say they felt unsafe walking in their neighbourhoods at least once during the past year, while about the same proportion feared crime in their homes, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates.
Crime/insecurity ranks second, behind unemployment, among the most important problems that Batswana want their government to address, and citizens give the government poor marks on reducing crime.
Respondents with high levels of lived poverty are most likely to report feeling unsafe in their communities.
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