Approximately 10% of adult women and 5% of adult men report being a victim of spiking, and almost half of spiking victims feel systematically let down, finds new report.
A partnership between Cardiff University's Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute and Stamp Out Spiking has conducted a report into the victims of spiking in the UK, unveiling new insights into spiking.
Professor Simon Moore, Director of the Violence Research Group at Cardiff University, said: "Spiking is a crime that predominantly targets young people, anyone could become a victim of - it can be carried out by people you know and strangers. With the various forms of spiking and the motivations behind spiking, we must get an in-depth understanding of who is being impacted by spiking and how people are being spiked. This will allow us to work with law enforcement, government, policy-makers and business-owners to prevent it from happening.

We partnered with Stamp Out Spiking to understand spiking trends in the UK, to gain new insights into the victims of spiking, and inform practical solutions that could help protect people from spiking in the future.
Co-Director of the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute
Director of Violence Research Group
Dawn Dines, Founder and CEO of Stamp Out Spiking, said: "We are delighted to partner with Cardiff University to understand the complexity of these invisible crimes. Our research finds that 91% of UK spiking victims are female. Whilst this is a crime that predominantly impacts women, we also need to ensure that male victims don't go under the radar. Working together will ensure we give an equal platform to everyone who has been affected by these issues."
Stamp Out Spiking surveyed over 1,534 people between 1 March 2023 and 18 June 2024, including 619 survivors and 138 witnesses. The team investigated how victims were spiked (drink, vape, or other), the percentage that suffered no other crime, how many victims reported it to the police, and how many of those cases made it to court.
The research found that an overwhelming 91% of survivors were female and 55% of survivors were between 18 and 25 years old, and 84% were drink spiked.
Over 90% of spiking incidents occurred in licensed premises – with 38% of incidents of spiking happening in nightclubs, 27% in pubs, 17% in restaurants and 2% at festivals. The report also found that 34 incidents occurred at the home of a friend or relative.
At the time of spiking, 94% of survivors were drinking alcohol at the time - however, 88% had consumed six or less units of alcohol, or less than three medium-sized glasses of wine.
Of the survivors, 77% have been spiked once and 23% had experienced spiking more than once.
Survivors of spiking reported:
- Over 60% of survivors experienced a loss of consciousness and 17% were subsequently sexually assaulted.
- Only 24% noticed any signs that their drink had been spiked, such as an unusual taste, excessive bubbles or a foggy appearance.
- Most survivors were unsure why they had been spiked (46%), 39% believe it was for sexual assault, 7% for a prank and 4% for robbery.
- When spiked, 13% of survivors were taken somewhere against their will.
The report showed that 74% of victims didn't report the incident to police. 60% of survivors have experienced disbelief or victim blaming, including 24% experiencing disbelief or victim blaming from the police or other emergency services. 53% of survivors did not reach out for any further support for their mental health at all.
When it was reported to the police, data shows:
- Where survivors reported the incident to the police, only 29% were followed up promptly (less than a day) with 28% of survivors having no follow up from the police.
- When asked whether a perpetrator was convicted, 75% of survivors have been left with no answer as to who the perpetrator was, and 0% of perpetrators were convicted.
- Regarding the law, it remains unclear and unjust, with 40% of survivors being unsure on what the laws are.
Our report showed that only 26% of victims of spiking reported the incident to the police. Whilst the majority of victims don't report the incident to the police, we found an increase and we are pleased to see an uptake on victims reporting these crimes to the police.
Dawn Dines added: "This will give us a true measure of the extent of these crimes and if for any reason victims do not want to report these crimes to the police, they can anonymously report to Stamp Out Spiking or Victim Support.
"We understand that over 90% of incidents reported happened in licenced premises and we are keen to share that training is taking place for the hospitality and security industry, so whilst the stats are high, this is still the safest place for people to go out and enjoy themselves with CCTV and training to safeguard you against these crimes."
Professor Moore added: "The UK Government does intend to introduce legislation to make spiking a specific offence. However, the current legislation means that premises in which spiking occurs are not working to the highest standard to prevent spiking from happening and ensuring public safety. There is an urgent need to consider how premises could work to prevent spiking - including CCTV and ID scans to ensure perpetrators are banned from all premises in a nighttime environment.
"The Stamp Out Spiking survey, although limited in scope and participant sampling, highlights three important features that contribute to spiking: an offender typically motivated to commit a sexual offence, a victim who is typically young and female, and a lack of suitable guardians. The guardians - licensed premises - must do more to educate their serving and door security staff to deter offenders and protect victims.
"However, the large number of survivors unwilling to seek support means this crime remains invisible. Through engaging with statutory services victims can receive support if needed, the circumstances of the assault can be recorded, and the visibility of this crime will receive the attention it deserves."
This report provides an initial insight into the impacts and demographics of spiking in the UK, but further research is needed to investigate why survivors are not coming forward, and the impact on their health and wellbeing. The findings underscore the complexity of spiking and gaps that remain in understanding its full scale and consequences.