Are public misperceptions of crime trends a cause of criminality? Evidence from a randomized experiment
Economists and psychologists have found that people tend to follow descriptive norms (what others do). Accordingly, the view that an increasing number of people engage in crime may increase the acceptability of criminal choices to individuals. Utilizing a randomized experiment embedded in an origina...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
|
| In: |
Journal of crime and justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 43, Issue: 1, Pages: 49-64 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Economists and psychologists have found that people tend to follow descriptive norms (what others do). Accordingly, the view that an increasing number of people engage in crime may increase the acceptability of criminal choices to individuals. Utilizing a randomized experiment embedded in an original online survey, this study explores people’s willingness to offend as a potential consequence of perceptions of rising crime trends, and if providing people with accurate crime information reduces criminal intentions. Results suggest that though perceptions of rising crime trends and willingness to offend are not directly related, exposure to accurate crime information reduces willingness to offend among respondents who initially perceive rising crime trend in the short term. The effect is not significant among respondents who already perceive downward crime trends in both short and long terms. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2158-9119 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/0735648X.2019.1619616 |