The (In)Stability of Punishment Preferences: Implications for Empirical Desert

Are public preferences for the type or amount of punishment stable? Instability over short periods would complicate empirical desert by undercutting the value of public preferences as policy guides. Using longitudinal, cross-national survey data from Central Europe, we examined within-person stabili...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Uhl, Andrzej (Autor) ; Pickett, Justin T. (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2025
En: The British journal of criminology
Año: 2025, Volumen: 65, Número: 4, Páginas: 878-897
Acceso en línea: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Palabras clave:
Public Opinion
Punishment
Sentencing
Punitiveness
Noise
Descripción
Sumario:Are public preferences for the type or amount of punishment stable? Instability over short periods would complicate empirical desert by undercutting the value of public preferences as policy guides. Using longitudinal, cross-national survey data from Central Europe, we examined within-person stability in punishment preferences along several dimensions: type, amount, and rank order. Individual-level instability was common; respondents frequently changed their punishment preferences across waves. In the aggregate, public opinion was more stable. Our findings support the ‘qualified public input’ model of policy making—aggregate preferences should provide loose guidance for policymakers, with individual-level instability suggesting the ‘latitude of acceptance’ or ‘zone of acquiescence’. Better-educated respondents exhibited more preference stability, thus greater weight should be given to informed public opinion.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azae088