Study reveals worrying lack of awareness about the realities of domestic abuse

A woman is safer down a dark alley than she is in her own home.

It is a stark truth, long backed up by facts – but despite one in four women experiencing domestic abuse, new data from Refuge exposes wide gaps in the public’s understanding of this ‘national emergency’.

More than two million women suffered domestic abuse in the year to March 2025. In the same period, 75 women were killed by a current or former partner, with even more victims taking their own lives.

Additionly, more than seven times as many women are killed by a current or former partner than by a stranger.

However, the poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the charity, shows that most UK adults still believe home is where women feel safest.

While more than half of UK adults (57%) acknowledged that women are most at risk behind closed doors, 85% believe most people feel safe in their own home.

When asked where women are most commonly abused, 14% cited outdoor public spaces such as parks, 10% said in the street, 5% said on public transport, 4% suggested in the workplace, while 10% were unsure.

The most common form of domestic abuse experienced by victims in the last year was emotional abuse by a partner or ex-partner.

Most often taking the form of coercive control, it can include threats, humiliation, manipulation, ‘gaslighting’, intimidation, isolation and generally monitoring or controlling the victim’s day-to-day life.

Refuge’s survey also highlights gaps in awareness around how abuse is evolving inside the home.

Four in 10 adults (42%) say they have heard nothing about abusers monitoring, manipulating, or controlling someone through technology such as smart devices, while only a small minority (6%) report knowing a lot.

Refuge says domestic abuse is a crisis hiding in plain sight and is seeking to confront it head-on with a powerful new campaign.

Home is Where the Hurt is subverts the familiar ‘house tour’ content often seen from estate agent influencers, gradually revealing subtle but unsettling signs of abuse.

Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, said: ‘Too often we are taught to fear strangers, when the reality is that the most dangerous place for a woman is often her own home.

‘This survey shows a public belief in safety that masks a deadly truth. Abuse happens behind closed doors – and for too many women, it is fatal.

‘Our campaign is shining a light on these hidden harms, and the fact specialist services like ours need urgent, sustained funding to support survivors and, ultimately, save lives.’

Refuge Ambassador Sharon Gaffka said: ‘I hope this campaign helps people recognise the warning signs of abuse in their communities and empowers more women to seek help.

‘No woman should ever feel unsafe in her own home.’

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