Half of children in relationships say they’ve experienced violent or controlling behaviour

In 2024 the Youth Endowment Fund [YEF] partnered with Savanta to conduct its annual ‘Children, violence and vulnerability’ research, which explores how teenage children (aged 13–17) in England and Wales experience violence.

The YEF and Savanta surveyed over 10,000 teenage children, and the findings are detailed across five reports, each with a different focus.

The third report explores the difference between how teenage boys and girls experience violence in their lives. It examines how experiences of violence differ for boys and girls, the prevalence of relationship violence among teenage children and what schools are doing to promote healthy relationships between young people. Here’s what we found:

Report 3 – ‘How do boys and girls experience violence?’ – Headline findings

• Boys are more likely to be involved in any violence, but rates are high for girls as well. The majority of boys (68%) and girls (66%) are concerned about violence, but boys are more likely to be victims with 24% of boys and 16% of girls say they have been a victim of violence in the past year.
• Half of children in relationships say they’ve experienced violent or controlling behaviour. 27% of 13-17-year-olds say they’ve been in a relationship in the past 12 months. Half (49%) report experiencing violent or controlling behaviours from their partners.
• Younger teenagers report higher rates of violent and controlling relationship experiences. Among those in relationships, 28% of 13-15-year-olds say they’ve been hit, kicked or shoved, compared to 12% of 16-17-year-olds.

You can download the full report, designed by Savanta’s in-house Creative Team, by clicking here.

To view Report 1 – ‘Who is affected by violence’ – click here.

To view Report 2 – What role does social media play in violence affecting young people? – click here.