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Whites' Concern About Crime: The Effects of Interracial Contact

NCJ Number
228564
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 524-552
Author(s)
Daniel P. Mears; Christina Mancini; Eric A. Stewart
Date Published
November 2009
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This study examined factors that shape public opinion about crime and whether interracial contact increased or decreased Whites' concern about crime being a problem.
Abstract
The results highlight the potential role that interracial contact plays in Whites' views about crime and especially the possibility that among urban Whites such contact may increase concern about crime. In addition, it highlights the importance of developing more nuanced measures of contact and including information about the settings in which it occurs. Implications of these findings for theory, research, and policy were discussed. Public opinion about crime has received considerable attention from researchers, with one highlighting the racialization of crime as a factor central to public opinion and policy discourse. Drawing on this work and studies on the effects of interracial contact, this study sought to advance theory and research on public opinion about crime. Data were drawn from an ABC News and Washington Post poll to test competing hypotheses about the effects of interracial friendship among Whites on concern about local and national crime. Tables, figure, notes, and references