Public Perceptions of Crime
Released
by the Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage
January 23, 1996
Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (1995). Alaska Public Safety Statewide Survey: Component Two of Alaska Public Safety Project. Report prepared for the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage.
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A telephone survey of over 600 residents in five regions throughout the state (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Southeast, Valdez/Kenai/Mat-Su, and rural Alaska) indicates that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed never, or infrequently, worried about crime. In rural Alaska and in the Southeast region the percentage of those respondents who reported never, or infrequently, worrying about becoming victims of crime was over 75 per cent.
Over 52 per cent of those surveyed felt that crime in their neighborhood was remaining the same or decreasing. In rural Alaska 65.4 per cent of the respondents expressed these opinions.
Respondents were also asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement, "It's safe to be out on the streets of my community after dark." Statewide, over 80 per cent of respondents agreed with this statement, with 44 per cent strongly agreeing and 36.5 per cent agreeing somewhat. In rural Alaska there was 88 per cent agreement -- 57 per cent agreed strongly and over 31 per cent agreed somewhat. Even in the urban areas of Anchorage and Fairbanks the level of agreement with the statement was marked: in Anchorage 75 per cent agreed and in Fairbanks the percentage of respondents agreeing was 68.5 per cent.
Dr. John Angell of the Justice Center pointed out, "It is worth noting that while there does not seem to be a consistent relationship between the expressed fear of crime and the reported crime rates, it seems that the communities with the greatest fear of crime have the highest ratios of police officers and the greatest media activity."
Drugs, alcohol, and substance abuse were identified as the most serious problems affecting the quality of life in their communities by 25 per cent of the interviewees across the state; however, there was no clear public consensus related to this area. The problems identified ranged from substance abuse to rising utility or freight rates and cold weather.
Researchers also asked respondents to identify the most serious public safety problem in their community. Responses to this open question were classified into categories of similar responses. The category of alcohol abuse, drug use and other substance abuse was the most frequently cited public safety concern, named by 15.9 per cent of the interviewees. The second most commonly cited group of public safety concerns were those relating to streets and roadways, with 10.3 per cent identifying a broad range of street and highway-related deficiencies as the most serious problem in their communities.
Crime -- not further specified -- was the third most frequently mentioned public safety concern, at 9.1 per cent.
The study was conducted for the Alaska Department of Public Safety under a grant from the Office of Justice Programs. Copies of the report Alaska Public Safety Statewide Survey are available at the Justice Center Web Site, or for $6.00 from:
Justice Center
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Please make checks payable to Justice Center, UAA.