NCJ Number
48374
Journal
American Behavioral Scientist Volume: 13 Issue: 5 & 6 Dated: (MAY/JUNE, JULY/AUGUST 1970) Pages: 797-814
Date Published
1970
Length
18 pages
Annotation
TO EXAMINE POSSIBLE DEMOGRAPHIC AND ATTITUDINAL CORRELATES OF CRIME DEFENSE ORIENTATIONS (SELF- OR POLICE PROTECTION), DATA FROM BLACK AND WHITE NATIONWIDE MODIFIED PROBABILITY SAMPLES WERE ASSESSED.
Abstract
THE DATA WERE FROM A 1968 SURVEY BY OPINION RESEARCH CORPORATION AND WERE BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH 551 WHITES AND 468 BLACKS. OF THE BLACKS, 65 PERCENT INDICATED THAT THEY HAD TO BE PREPARED TO DEFEND THEIR OWN HOMES AGAINST CRIME AND VIOLENCE, WHILE ONLY 24 PERCENT FELT THIS SHOULD BE LEFT TO THE POLICE. OF THE WHITE SAMPLE, 52 PERCENT FELT SELF-DEFENSE WAS NEEDED WHILE 41 PERCENT WERE WILLING TO LEAVE PROTECTION TO THE POLICE. BLACKS UNDER 30 YEARS OLD WERE THE MOST LIKELY OF ALL RESPONDENTS TO SUPPORT A SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTATION. AMONG BLACKS, SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTATION DECREASES WITH AGE; AMONG WHITES THERE ARE ONLY SLIGHT AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN ORIENTATION. AMONG BLACKS, THOSE LIVING IN THE NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL REGIONS WERE MOST LIKELY TO BE HOME-DEFENSE ORIENTED, WHILE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN BLACKS WERE LEAST DEFENSE ORIENTED. HOWEVER, SOUTHERN WHITES WERE THE MOST LIKELY TO BE HOME-DEFENSE ORIENTED AND A MAJORITY OF NORTH-CENTRAL WHITES WERE SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTED. THE MAJORITY OF NORTHEASTERN AND WESTERN WHITES WERE WILLING TO LEAVE PROTECTION TO THE POLICE. FOR WHITES, SELF-PROTECTION ORIENTATION DECREASES WITH POPULATION DENSITY, WHILE THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE FOR BLACKS: RURAL WHITES AND BLACKS IN LARGE URBAN AREAS WERE MOST SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTED. AMONG BOTH BLACKS AND WHITES, THE HIGHEST SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS RESPONDENTS WERE THE LEAST LIKELY TO BE HOME-DEFENSE ORIENTED. BOTH BLACKS AND WHITES WHO WERE DEFENSE-ORIENTED WERE MORE LIKELY TO OWN A GUN AND MORE LIKELY TO KNOW OTHERS WHO HAD BOUGHT A GUN FOR SELF-PROTECTION THAN WERE THOSE WHO WERE POLICE-ORIENTED. IN GENERAL, SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTATION TENDED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH A FEAR OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE AND A CRITICAL ATTITUDE TOWARD POLICE CAPABILITIES OF PROVIDING ADEQUATE PROTECTION FOR THE HOME AND FAMILY. IN REGARD TO POLICE ACTIONS AGAINST RIOTING BLACKS, SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTED WHITES FELT POLICE WERE TOO SOFT, WHILE THE MAJORITY OF BLACKS FELT POLICE WERE TOO BRUTAL. HOME DEFENSE-ORIENTED WHITES WERE MORE LIKELY TO HOLD GENERALLY NEGATIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS BLACKS THAN WERE POLICE-ORIENTED WHITES. WHILE THERE HAS NOT AS YET BEEN LARGE-SCALE VIOLENCE OR WHOLESALE BREAKDOWN OF STABILITY AND LEGALITY DESPITE THE INCREASING EMPHASIS ON PRIVATE HOME-DEFENSE MEASURES AND PROTECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS, FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF LAW AND ORDER. REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)