Public opinion cannot be quantified or identified as a single entity. Corrections officials can best examine public opinion by determining what different groups think about different topics. Mass media have a significant effect on public opinion about corrections but, unfortunately, few reporters are thoroughly familiar with corrections activities, and most media outlets are willing to provide coverage only of dramatic corrections incidents or of isolated news stories on specific topics. Little coverage is given to ongoing activities. Generally, public opinion about corrections in Scandinavia is positive; however, negative reactions have occurred. In one Danish town, local media coverage highlighted the incidence of crime and linked it to escapes from nearby prisons, and attempts to prove that the crime rate was no higher than in other Danish cities were ineffective. Using corrections officials to provide positive information to the public through informal contacts, assisting crime victims, and using volunteers are all methods for improving public opinion about the corrections system. In Scandinavia, a taxpayer's mentality (which leads citizens to believe that services should be provided by, but not the government) might limit the effectiveness of volunteers. Volunteers have been used more extensively in the United States than in Scandinavian countries.