Benchmarking attitudes towards knife crime in Essex for the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit

Knife crime amongst young people is a growing concern in Essex and an increasing worry for many parents in the area. Recognising this, the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (EVVU) launched a campaign to raise awareness among parents about the dangers of knife violence and to support their conversations with children. To evaluate the campaign’s effectiveness, it was vital to measure parents’ awareness of knife crime prior to the campaign as well as afterwards.

Approach

To benchmark attitudes toward knife crime and assess the campaign’s impact, a pre- and post-campaign quantitative survey was conducted online. Employing a post-campaign evaluation ensured the EVVU were able to measure levels of awareness of knife crime at different stages of the campaign, meaning the response from the campaign could be accurately captured.

Outcome

In response to the concerns identified by our research, the VVU has created four short films and supportive literature to assist parents in discussing the dangers of carrying a knife with their children. Additionally, the campaign allowed the EVVU to identify the most effective promotional strategies for encouraging these crucial conversations within families.

For more information please contact:

Georgina Culliford   Research Manager
georgina.culliford@qaresearch.co.uk
01904 632039

Photography: Pixabay on Pexels