One in five lesbian and gay people have been victims of homophobic aggression over the past three years, a survey of hate crime revealed today. Experiences ranged from beatings and sexual assault to persistent harassment and insults, often from neighbours and colleagues, according to The Guardian.

The gay rights charity Stonewall said the lives of Britain’s 3.6 million lesbian and gay people were overshadowed by the fear of homophobic crime. It commissioned YouGov to carry out the first comprehensive national survey into the problem, questioning more than 1,700 lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The poll found a homophobic crime or incident had been experienced by 12.5% over the past year and 20% over the past three years.

One in six of the victims had been physically assaulted and one in eight had been subjected to unwanted sexual contact. Almost nine in 10 had experienced homophobic insults and harassment.

Three-quarters of the victims had not reported the incident to the police, often because they did not think the complaint would be investigated. Only 1% of hate crimes that were reported to the police resulted in a conviction. Two-thirds of victims who reported incidents to the police were not offered advice or referred to support services.

Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, congratulated the charity for undertaking “this timely research”.

She said: “We are determined that lesbian and gay people should have the confidence to report crimes to the police knowing they will be taken seriously, the crime investigated and their privacy respected.”

She said the findings of the poll would be considered by the ministerial action group on violence, which is investigating further action on hate crimes.

The charity was prompted to commission the poll by the murder of Jody Dobrowski, a 24-year-old assistant bar manager who was beaten to death in a homophobic assault on Clapham Common, south London, in 2005.

Almost half the lesbian and gay people in the survey thought they were at greater risk of being physically assaulted than a heterosexual. One third said they altered their behaviour so as not to appear lesbian or gay in an attempt to avoid becoming a victim of crime.

One in 10 said being a victim of crime was their biggest worry, more than being ill or having financial debts.

The survey showed lesbian and gay people were more likely to report crimes in areas where the police were gay-friendly employers. Hampshire, South Wales and Lothian were praised for taking homophobic hate crimes seriously.

Stonewall said all police officers should be trained to recognise homophobic hate crimes. Other recommendations included stronger action against homophobic bullying in schools and a zero-tolerance policy against bullying in the workplace.