Why Some Experiences Never Reach the Data

Written by The Real Count UK

Domestic abuse is measured in a number of ways across the UK. Police records tell us about incidents that have been reported. National surveys provide another important source of information. Together, they help us understand the scale of domestic abuse, but they cannot capture every experience.

Many people never report what has happened to the police. That doesn’t mean the abuse wasn’t serious, and it certainly doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It often reflects the difficult decisions people have to make while trying to keep themselves and their families safe.

There are many reasons why someone may choose not to report. Leaving an abusive relationship can mean losing a home, becoming financially unstable or facing an uncertain future. Some fear their children will become involved with Children’s Social Care. Others have been threatened, blackmailed or told that nobody will believe them. For some, coercive control has eroded their confidence to the point where reporting no longer feels like a realistic option. Others may have reported previously and felt unsupported by the response they received.

These barriers are rarely visible within the data itself, yet they are often central to understanding why abuse remains hidden.

The Real Count UK was established to help explore that gap.

Our anonymous survey allows people aged 16 and over to share their experiences of domestic abuse without providing their name, address or any identifying information. It also asks whether the abuse was reported and, if it wasn’t, what influenced that decision. This helps us build a better understanding of the barriers people face, alongside the experiences that never reach police records or national datasets.

The aim is not to replace existing statistics. Police data and national surveys remain essential sources of evidence. The aim is to complement them by capturing experiences that may otherwise never be reflected in the evidence used to shape policy, services and public understanding.

If we want to reduce domestic abuse, we first need to understand not only what is reported, but also what prevents people from reporting in the first place. The experiences that never reach the data are still experiences, and understanding them is an important part of understanding domestic abuse itself.

To learn more about The Real Count visit their website https://therealcount.org/