A new poll by market research company DemosAU has revealed 84% of Queensland women say they would feel unsafe walking or running alone at night, prompting calls for improved safety measures across Queensland.

The DemosAU poll of 1,657 Australian adults found women were much more likely to feel unsafe walking or running alone at night (78%) compared to 40% of men. 

In Queensland, this rose to 84% of women compared to 47% of men.

The poll also asked respondents whether they would avoid certain situations at night due to safety reasons. Nationally, 77% of women (83% in Queensland) say they would avoid walking home at night compared to 41% of men (41% in Queensland).

This was even higher when age was taken into account: 85% of women nationally aged 18 – 24 said they would avoid walking home at night compared to only 27% of men of the same age. 83% of women aged over 55 would also avoid this situation.

DemosAU spokesperson Casey-Ann Seaniger said the evidence showed safety in public places was still a major concern experienced by Australian women.

“Our poll was very clear that huge numbers of women say they would feel unsafe walking or running at night,” Ms Seaniger said.

“The gender difference on this issue is quite clear and it also shows that younger women and women aged 55 are particularly concerned about safety, actively avoiding walking home or catching public transport because they don’t feel safe.

“Safety concerns are something women experience often in their day-to-day lives. This feeling of being unsafe is much more pronounced for women than men.”

Queensland Walks, which advocates for better planning and policy to make Queensland more walkable and liveable, said the research highlighted the importance of designing and maintaining cities where people feel safe walking at nighttime. 

Anna Campbell, Queensland Walks Executive Officer said, “DemosAU’s data confirms exactly what women are telling us through our citizen science research: that many women want to feel safer walking and running at night.

“The good news is that simple and low-cost upgrades make a big difference to everyone feeling safer,” Ms Campbell said.

“It is essential to provide high-quality, walkable connections that are direct, activated, and most importantly, well-lit and well-maintained for women to feel safer.” 

Queensland Walks is also advocating for active nighttime spaces and improved venue safety ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

“We can cleverly design our future Games and transport precincts with everyone in mind, including women, and create active nighttime spaces which will provide both economic and safety benefits for the whole community.” 

Queensland Walks ‘Safe Cities | Safe Streets for Women and Girls’ project engages with University of Queensland researchers and the Zonta Club of Brisbane women’s advocacy organisation. They focus on areas with entertainment precincts and public transport hubs which play an important role for shift work employment and transportation to events.

Deputy Leader of Brisbane City Council Opposition Cr Lucy Collier said: “This data proves that we still have a long way to go when it comes to community safety.

“We should be doing everything we can to ensure women can enjoy Brisbane’s incredible lifestyle without feeling unsafe.

“I will continue to call on Council to improve security measures like increased lighting and walking connections. There is so much work still to do.

Queensland Walks agrees “We can all benefit from the investment of activated nighttime precincts that feel safe for women to run and walk, particularly in the hotter seasons and in key precincts,” Ms Campbell said.

Notes:

The DemosAU poll of 1657 Australian adults was conducted online via internet panel between 15 February and 18 February 2025. The effective margin of error was +/- 3.1%. 
Queensland Walks is jointly hosting a night walk on 1 May at 5pm by walking around the Suncorp Stadium precinct whilst collecting citizen science data before the women’s State of Origin. For more information on the night walk visit: https://queenslandwalks.org.au/events/rescheduled-event-international-womens-day-safe-cities-safe-streets-night-walk/