A community safety organisation has said that more must be done after its research revealed that one in seven Brits has considered moving home because of antisocial behaviour (ASB).

Headline figures from Resolve’s YouGov research show that ASB has made more than one in four people (28%) feel unsafe where they live, whilst 14% of say ASB has impacted on their mental health, and 15% say that it has made them not want to go to their local shop.

Furthermore, more than one in ten people (11%) say they experience ASB at least once per week.

Chief Executive of Resolve, Rebecca Bryant OBE, said: “Left unresolved, anti-social behaviour devastates the lives of victims, wreaks havoc on communities and can often be a precursor to more serious crime.

“Despite the fact that there were an estimated five million incidents of ASB nationwide last year, and despite our understanding of the pernicious harm that ASB can cause, many victims still find themselves completely unable to access victim support.

“It is therefore sadly no surprise that 60% of people think more needs to be done to tackle ASB, and that ASB has forced more than 1 in 7 (16%) of us to consider moving home.”

The latest report from Resolve was published on this week to coincide with the launch of ASB Awareness Week 2024.

Taking place from 18–24 November, ASB Awareness Week is a full week of action supported by national stakeholders, including the government, all police and fire forces, the Local Government Association, the Welsh Local Government Association, Historic England, the Premier League ‘Kicks’ Foundation, the College of Policing, Neighbourhood Watch, ASB Help,  the APCC, the NPCC and hundreds of housing providers, third-sector agencies and community groups from across the UK.

The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, Dame Diana Johnson said: “Anti-social behaviour is not ‘low-level’ crime or just a nuisance. It has real life consequences, corroding people’s freedom, damaging their mental health, and ultimately undermining their sense of home.

“This government will not accept this. As part of our Safer Streets Mission we will deliver thousands of extra neighbourhood police and community support officers and bring in tougher measures to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour.

“Too often when these incidents are reported there is the feeling that no one comes, and nothing is done. That is why initiatives like ASB Awareness Week really matter – we want victims to know that they can report anti-social behaviour, that it will be acted upon and that they are not alone.”

The official definition of ASB is “behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person”. This covers a wide-range of behaviours, such as verbal abuse, intimidation, threatening behaviour, vandalism, fly tipping, uncontrolled animals, nuisance involving vehicles, excessive noise and other potentially harmful behaviours.