FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday June 4, 2001

Crime Worries Influence our Lives; Few Have Strong Ideas on Prevention

More Americans are worrying about crime, and many have experienced it - but relatively few feel they know a great deal about how to prevent it, an ABC News poll for Court TV has found.

Despite dropping crime rates, 57 percent of adults say concerns about crime influence the way they live their lives, up nine points in four years. Women in particular are affected; 66 percent say crime worries affect their lives, compared to 47 percent of men.

Do crime worries influence how you live?

The effect of crime worries is broader than it is deep. Just under a third of Americans, 31 percent, say concerns about crime have "a big influence" on their lives; 26 percent report "a small" influence, for the combined total of 57 percent. The rest, 43 percent, say crime worries don't affect their lives all that much.

There are a few possible reasons why crime worries are up even though crime rates are down. Previous ABC News polling has found that assessments of the crime problem are based largely on media reports; coverage of recent crimes, such as school and office shootings, may have heightened concern.

Lack of information may be another cause for concern: Just 29 percent in this national survey feel they know "a great deal" about ways to protect themselves and their families from crime. Another 42 percent, though, feel they know a "good amount" about crime prevention.

EXPERIENCE - And whatever the crime rate, there is a good deal of personal or family experience with some crimes. Forty-five percent of Americans - nearly half the public -say they or an immediate family member have had a home broken into or burglarized. Three in 10 also report car thefts and credit card fraud.

Though fewer report experiences with muggings (17 percent) or sexual assaults (15 percent), these still represent millions of Americans. A crime of the modern age is less prevalent: Four percent report having had a child threatened or stalked via the internet.

Happened to you or family member

PREVENTION - When it comes to crime prevention, simple steps are perceived as the most effective. Around six in 10 Americans feel it's "very effective" to exercise extra caution when alone at night, and to tell children not to talk to strangers. Nearly as many also feel that strong window and door locks are very effective in deterring crime.

Not surprisingly, these are the steps most often taken: Nine in 10 say they've told children not to talk with strangers, and about eight in 10 say they have strong locks and exercise extra caution at night.

Other steps are less likely to be perceived as effective, and are less likely to be used. A third of Americans see self-defense lessons as very effective against crime; a quarter think it's very effective to carry mace or a whistle; and nearer to one-fifth think it's very effective to carry a gun, knife or other weapon.

It follows that these tactics are less likely to be carried out. A third of Americans say they've carried mace, a whistle or similar protection; and a quarter say they've carried a weapon or had self-defense lessons.

Expense may be associated with some of these items. For example, more than four in 10 Americans think home burglar alarms are very effective, but nearer to a quarter have had them; cost might be a factor. By contrast, steps that are free or relatively inexpensive - exercising caution, warning children about strangers and having good locks - are much more widely practiced.

WORRIED - Worries about crime seem to reflect broad and general anxiety rather than specific and acute fears. This could be another reason (beyond the expense) that more people haven't taken specific anti-crime measures such as installing alarms.

Just two in 10 Americans, or fewer, are worried a "great deal" about having their home broken into, being mugged, sexually assaulted or murdered, having a child threatened online, or having their car stolen. A quarter report a great deal of concern about having a credit card stolen; 36 percent express a great deal of worry about having a child abducted - a result that probably reflects the enormity of that crime more than its likelihood.

MEN and WOMEN - While women are more likely to say crime worries in general affect how they live, men and women don't differ much when it comes to concern about the specific crimes mentioned above.

But there are some differences in what they do. Women are more likely than men to use extra caution at night and to carry mace or a whistle; men, on the other hand, are much more likely to have carried a gun, knife or other weapon.

OTHER GROUPS - Money can't buy you happiness, but it might buy a sense of security: People in higher-income families worry less about specific crimes, perhaps because they live in more secure areas and have more money to spend on crime protection.

For example, in $50,000-plus households, just seven percent worry a great deal about being mugged; in under-$25,000 households this worry jumps to 25 percent. There's a 16-point gap between these groups in worry about having a child abducted; a 14-point gap in worries about sexual assault.

Also, 52 percent of those with higher incomes have a car alarm; this drops to 23 percent in the lowest income group. Those with higher incomes are also more likely to have a home burglar alarm, and somewhat more apt to have taken self-defense lessons.

This poll was produced by ABC News for a Court TV special, 'Safety Challenge 2001,' airing on Court TV at 10 p.m. Tuesday, June 5.

METHODOLOGY - This ABC News poll for Court TV was conducted by telephone March 14-20, 2001, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work by ICR- International Communications Research of Media, Pa.

Analysis by Daniel Merkle.