NCJ Number
84596
Journal
Impact Issue: 1 Dated: (1982) Pages: 11-20
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
While some polls suggest that Canadians are concerned about crime and delinquency and feel punitive toward criminals, other polls, in combination with more indepth studies, suggest that Canadians may not be extremely disturbed about crime in their daily lives and may be considerably more tolerant.
Abstract
Some polls show that Canadians worry about crime, believe it is on the increase, and would like the courts to be more severe with criminals. In a national study of public priorities in urban Canada, Canadians ranked the reduction of crime as the third urban priority, after inflation and unemployment. Other polls provide data supporting the statement that crime is a serious concern of Canadians. This concern about crime may be related to the belief, shared by most Canadians, that crime is increasing. However, other surveys, which have attempted to break down the simple yes/no responses of the polls to allow for a wider range of answers, suggest that Canadians may be considerably less punitive. A poll on social issues yielded a very low percentage who mentioned crime. More systematic research on attitudes is required. It must focus on conceptualizing concepts such as crime, criminals, concern, and fear; on developing indices of tolerance; on measuring the importance of criminal justice issues to Canadians; and aim at unearthing the configuration of attitudes about various types of criminals and criminality. A total of 20 references are provided.