In the year 2000, the Canadian Public Safety branch of the federal government conducted a case study in order to explore the relationship between fear of crime and views of the criminal justice system in the country. According to criminologists who conducted this study, much of the cultural fear of crime is a result of the manipulation of the subject by various forms of media, most notably newspaper and television. The study attributes this misrepresentation of crime and criminal justice to a lack of expert knowledge concerning the issue within the media, as well as the influence of popular opinion (mainly influence by the government).
However, despite finding results that reinforced a cultural fear of crime, many participants in the study were also asked if they felt that public funding put towards law enforcement were a priority in Canadian society. Crime ranked fifth on a list of social concerns, proving that although the social fear of crime exists, it perhaps has not reached the point where it is cause for major concern, falling behind education, health care and the economy.
Crime as a Government Priority, 2000
% of respondents identifying issue as the most important priority
Health care=33
Education=9
Economy=9
Unemployment=8
Taxes=7
Debt=6
Poverty=5
Social programs=3
Environment=2
Immigration=2
Crime and Justice=2
National Unity=2
Other=12
Source: Canada Information Office, 2000a
