Moonlit stroll a no-no for poor and elderly

Low-income earners are more afraid of their own neighbourhoods after dark than are people on higher incomes.

People on lower salaries also feel the threat of everyday violence more.

Of those earning less than $19,000, 41.8 per cent say they never walk their streets alone at night, and 50.8 per cent of those earning between $19,000 and $28,000 say they never would.

These figures, from a Herald-DigiPoll survey at the beginning of the month, compare with 35.2 per cent of those earning between $28,000 and $44,000 who do not walk alone after dark and 30.1 per cent for those earning between $44,000 and $67,000.

And 10 per cent of those earning under $19,000 say they never feel safe, compared with only 3.4 per cent of those earning between $44,000 and $67,000. Pakeha are more likely to never walk alone at night (38.8 per cent) than are Maori (21 per cent) or Pacific Islanders (21.4 per cent).

Maori (38.7 per cent) and Pacific Islanders (35.7 per cent) are most confident about being alone on their streets at night.

More National voters (32.8 per cent) will venture out alone than voters for any other party.

New Zealand First voters (42.1 per cent) lead the field of those who will never stroll after dark. But they have the highest score (26.3 per cent) for always feeling safe from the threat of everyday violence.

At 10.8 per cent, the elderly feel the threat of everyday violence twice as much as any other age group.

However, most people aged over 55 feel safe either most of the time or always.