After a long period of decline in juvenile delinquency, there was a surprisingly sharp rise in the number of cases recorded by the police in Germany in 2022, following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation prompted the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia to commission the state government to conduct an independent study to examine potential causes and develop recommendations for action.
At the Department of Sociology and Social Psychology of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences and within the framework of the ECONtribute Cluster of Excellence, my team and I have taken on this task. Between 2013 and 2016, we had already conducted a large-scale survey on the issue of juvenile delinquency within schools in the Ruhr area. A follow-up survey at the same schools allowed us to analyse trends over a ten-year period. One advantage of these “dark field” studies, which record offences that may or may not have come to the attention of the police, is that all young participants are asked about these offences in a strictly confidential, computer-based survey.
More than 3,700 pupils in 7th and 9th grade from 27 secondary schools in the cities of Gelsenkirchen, Herten and Marl took part in the new survey in 2024. Our study shows that the proportion of young people surveyed who report having committed property offences or violent crimes has increased significantly compared to ten years ago. In 7th grade, for example, the percentage of those who have committed violent crimes has risen from 20 to 27 per cent. This increase is particularly notable among girls. Compared with the survey conducted ten years ago, we also observe a decline in self-assessed self-control, commitment to school norms and the expectation that breaking the rules will result in consequences. Furthermore, more young people in the region surveyed reported having experienced physical violence from their parents in the past twelve months (an increase from approximately 15 to 23 per cent).
The findings of the study were presented to the State Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee in April and October 2025 and formed the basis for a topical debate in the State Parliament’s plenary session in early November. We are currently contributing to deliberations across ministries on suitable measures, including the introduction of social skills training in schools. We are also continuing our surveys as part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation to better understand how juvenile delinquency develops across different cohorts – for example, whether the age at which certain groups experienced primary school closures during the pandemic has contributed to long-term deficits in the development of social-emotional skills.
However, despite the need for action and research, it is crucial to note that in both our recent surveys and those conducted ten years ago, the vast majority of adolescents reported no involvement in property or violent offences within the past twelve months. Looking back at the 1990s serves as a reminder to avoid alarmist conclusions: back then, certain aspects of juvenile delinquency were much more prevalent than they are today.
You can find the final report and a summary article here:
https://www.econtribute.de/RePEc/ajk/ajkpbs/ECONtribute_PB_069_2025.pdf
https://www.dvjj.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ZJJ-4-25_Kroneberg-et-al.pdf