Nearly 8 in 10 women think government should do more to tackle VAWG

Eight months after the Labour government was elected on a mandate to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade, new YouGov polling finds that almost 8 in 10 women (79%) think the government should be doing more to tackle violence against women and girls.

The End Violence Against Women Coalition’s latest Snapshot report, released today (19th March 2025), finds that despite increasing violence against women and girls, particularly in its online forms, there has been a lack of government action to address its root causes. This is urgent as young people face a growing tide of misogyny online, shaping their attitudes and beliefs about consent and equality.

Our new YouGov polling finds:

• 52% of women (and 49% of people) think the UK has become more dangerous for women and girls in the last 5 years
• Nearly 8 in 10 women (79%) think the government should be doing more to tackle violence against women and girls
• Half (52%) of people polled by YouGov think the internet has become more dangerous for women and girls in the past 12 months
• 77% of people think tech companies should be doing more to tackle the issue of women and girls’ safety online
• Only 27% of people think that women are not responsible for keeping themselves safe from sexual violence

Roll back of tech accountability

The Online Safety Act passed into law a year ago, yet half (52%) of people polled by YouGov think the internet has become more dangerous for women and girls in the past 12 months. This figure rises to 58% when polling women.

There is also significant public support for stronger action to address online VAWG, with our YouGov polling finding 77% of people think tech companies should be doing more to tackle the issue of women and girls’ safety online.

The government must address the role of multi-billion pound tech companies in facilitating and profiting from violence against women and girls online, especially with advancements in technology like AI being used to harm. This means laws must go further to tackle image-based sexual abuse and deepfakes, and level the playing field for survivors by giving them more routes to support and legal orders to have their images taken down.

The regulator Ofcom recently published guidance for tech companies to reduce harm to women and girls online – something we’d successfully campaigned for. But adherence to this guidance is currently voluntary, leaving significant gaps in protection for women and girls online. The government can address this by making Ofcom’s guidance mandatory via a Code of Practice.

The growing presence of extreme right-wing ideologies in mainstream public and political discourse, has extremely worrying implications for women’s rights and our vision for a better world. Concerningly, we have seen tech giants play a significant role in the misinformation and anti-migrant narratives that drive violence such as the racist riots in Southport last year. From inflammatory comments about child sexual exploitation by the owner of X, Elon Musk, to the rollback of fact-checking and content moderation at Meta, the situation is set to worsen.

Regression in young people’s attitudes

Our new YouGov polling is the latest evidence of this trend. Worryingly, only 27% of people think that women are not responsible for keeping themselves safe from sexual violence. There is also a regressive shift in young people’s views in this time period, with a decrease of 17% in 18-24 year olds saying that women are not responsible for keeping themselves safe from sexual violence compared to polling in 2021 (53% to 36%).

This supports multiple studies finding young people becoming more regressive than older generations, bucking the normal trend of social progression and reflecting the sheer scale and influence of online misogyny. There is also a widening gap between men and women’s attitudes, with young men in particular becoming regressive in their attitudes to consent and equality.

These shifts come at a time of increasing numbers of recorded sexual offences and a financial crisis for the life-saving frontline services that support victims. Many services face a real-terms funding cut while demand for support rises, including victims with more complex needs as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Alarmingly, this situation is particularly acute for specialist services led by and for Black and minoritised women, migrant women, disabled women and others who are disproportionately impacted by VAWG.

Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said:

“The findings of our polling underscore the need for more robust regulation of the tech companies hosting and profiting from extreme misogyny online, and an urgent investment in quality relationships and sex education for every young person that is relevant to their lives in the digital age.

Nearly half (49%) of people think the UK has become a more dangerous place for women and girls in the last five years and it is evident that young people’s attitudes to consent and equality are regressing as misogynistic influencers grow in reach and impact. This should concern everyone. Significant efforts must be made towards tackling these root causes of violence against women and girls – including the attitudes that normalise and tolerate male violence and abuse.

Eight months into its term, the government has focused primarily on criminal justice measures as a way to meet its mission to halve violence against women and girls. But if we are to see true societal change, we need investment in preventing abuse and in the support services that provide a lifeline to survivors across the country, as well as stronger regulation of the online platforms shaping our lives in the modern world.”

ENDS

 Notes to editor

• All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,117 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th – 6th February 2025.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
• Full polling data can be found here: https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/EVAW_WomensSafety_250206.pdf
• Data for our prior polling in 2024 can be found here: https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/new-snapshot-report-finds-lack-of-trust-in-institutions-to-tackle-vawg/
• Data for our prior polling in 2021 can be found in two locations:
  • https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-admin/upload.php?item=3997
  • https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-admin/upload.php?item=3949

Media contact

Sinéad Geoghegan, Head of Communications, media@evaw.org.uk 07960 744 502