RT Article
T1 Sociodemographic Correlates of Knowledge About Elite Deviance
JF American journal of criminal justice
VO 40
IS 3
SP 639
OP 660
A1 Michel, Cedric
A2 Heide, Kathleen M.
A2 Cochran, John K.
LA English
YR 2015
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1764201310
AB Elite deviance is a complex social phenomenon whose understanding requires a modicum of knowledge about various disciplines (e.g., financial economics, accounting, politics, environmental law, etc.). Consequently, public awareness of this type of offense is expected to correlate positively with one’s general level of education. It is uncertain what other sociodemographic characteristics may be associated with knowledge about crimes of the powerful. In the present study, 408 participants completed an online questionnaire that measured (1) their sociodemographic characteristics and (2) their knowledge about elite deviance. Significant variation was found among participants in their level of knowledge about elite deviance, acceptance of “truths” and adherence to “myths” with respect to gender, race/ethnicity, education, political ideology, religious affiliation, and source of information. More knowledgeable subjects were found to be those who identified as Whites, with higher education levels, without any religious affiliation, and who used the Internet as their main source of information. In comparison, less knowledgeable participants and “myth” adherers turned out to be predominantly male, politically more conservative, Republican, conservative Protestant, and who relied on traditional media sources rather than the Internet. These findings and their implications are discussed.
K1 white-collar crime
K1 Elite deviance
K1 Knowledge
K1 Sociodemographic correlates
DO 10.1007/s12103-014-9276-0