Crime and the Justice System

A recent National Angus Reid/CTV News Poll, conducted between May 28th and June 2nd among a representative cross-section of 1,516 Canadians, shows that most Canadians believe that crime in their communities has been on the increase, with this concern especially marked in western Canada. This survey also reveals significant public confidence in the police, somewhat less in the courts, and much less in the prison system, the Young Offenders Act and the parole system.

The highlights of the poll's findings on crime and the justice system include:

Crime on the Community Agenda

Crime is on Canadians' community agenda - overall, 22 percent of survey respondents named crime and related issues "top-of-mind" when asked to name the most important problems in their community. This figure ranges from a low of 10 percent in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, and rises steadily from east to west, peaking at 42 percent in British Columbia.

Is Crime on the Increase?

A solid majority of six in ten (59%) Canadians perceive an increase in the amount of crime in their community over the past five years. This is down only slightly from the two in three (68%) estimating an increase in 1994, and is in line with the public's 1990 perception (57%).

British Columbians (30% see a "great increase" in crime) and lower income Canadians (22%) are among the most concerned that there has been a dramatic increase in crime in their area.

Confidence in Pillars of Justice

The poll examined public confidence in six elements of the Canadian justice system:

The public expressed the highest level of confidence in the law enforcement authorities. Fully four in five respondents said they are at least somewhat confident in their local police (86%, 37% very confident) and the RCMP (83% and 33%).

A bare majority expressed confidence in the courts (52% overall vs. 47% not very/not at all confident).

By contrast, a modest majority surveyed expressed a lack of faith in the prison system (54% not very, not at all confident), while fully seven in ten they have little or no confidence in the Young Offenders Act (72%) or the parole system (72%).

Priorities for Crime Prevention

The poll's probing on Canadians' overall priorities for crime prevention strategies finds greatest weight attached to the "social development" approach. A slim majority (51%) said "much higher priority" should be given to social development projects as a means of crime prevention, and another 33 percent said "somewhat higher priority", for a total of 84 percent. Four in ten (41%) would place much higher priority on enhanced law and order efforts, and one in three (36%) would give much higher priority to community crime prevention programs.

Fear of Crime and Reported Victimization

Overall, one in five (21%) Canadians surveyed said they fear being a victim of crime in their own community (5% harbour a "great deal" of fear, 16% a "fair amount" of fear). This is consistent with 1990 figures (19%). Regionally, this fear has risen most sharply in British Columbia, Manitoba/Saskatchewan and Quebec, and among men and lower income earners.

One in four (25%) survey respondents reported being victims of a crime in the past two years. This figure mirrors 1994 totals (25%), which were up from one in five (20%) in 1990. Reported personal crime victimization rises in a westward direction across Canada, from one in seven Atlantic Canadians, to nearly four in ten British Columbians.

Survey Methodology

This National Angus Reid Poll was conducted by telephone between May 28th and June 2nd, 1997 among a representative cross-section of 1,516 Canadian adults.

The actual number of completed interviews in each region was as follows: B.C. - 200; Alberta - 150; Manitoba/Saskatchewan - 120; Ontario - 525; Quebec - 403; Atlantic - 118. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1991 and 1996 Census data.

With a national sample of 1,516, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within ±2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900

Darrell Bricker
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(613) 241-5802