NCJ Number
74787
Date Published
1978
Length
37 pages
Annotation
The results of a survey of citizen perceptions of crime in the State of Illinois are reported, with emphasis on the extent, distribution, and characteristics of criminal activity in the State.
Abstract
Questionnaires on criminal activity were completed by nearly 10,000 State residents, providing one response for each 914 citizens. Of those citizens surveyed, 16.6 percent had been a crime victim during 1977; 2.4 percent were victims of violent crimes. Residents of Chicago were much more likely to be victims of violent and property crimes than were residents of nonmetropolitan or suburban areas. Respondents who were young, nonwhite males with low incomes and educations terminating at the eighth grade or lower were most likely to be victims. Persons living in trailer courts or apartments were also more likely to be crime victims. The incidence of property crimes was high among higher income respondents. Property crime victims appeared to be evenly distributed around the State; however, about 20 percent of all property crimes occurred in nonmetropolitan areas. The incidence of violent crime decreased with advancing age until age 65, then rose again, especially among Chicago respondents. The incidence of property crime declined steadily as respondent age increased, and was lowest for those over 65. About 33 percent of all respondents felt that police protection was a medium to serious problem in their community. Over half of the Chicago respondents classified police protection as a moderate to serious problem. Nonvictims of violent crimes from Chicago were more dissatisfied than victims; this result suggested that urban dwellers perceived considerable risk. Appendixes include methodology details and a profile of respondents. Tabular data is included.