YEAR 10 - RACIAL ATTITUDES – Focus on Crime and Punishment

DATA CODEBOOK

DATA COLLECTION – August 15, 2012 – October 22, 2012

REPORT DATE:  March 28, 2013

 

This study is based on a survey conducted by the UALR Institute of Government Survey Research Center.  Interviews are conducted by telephone using a dual frame landline RDD and cell phone sample.  Spanish and English-speaking residents 18 years old and older living in a private residence in Pulaski County, Arkansas are eligible for the study. The sample is stratified to permit oversamples of specific racial and geographic groups (referred to as Ňgeo-racial groupsÓ), which for our research purposes include five geo-racial groups: black respondents living in the City of Little Rock (LR-blacks), white respondents living in the City of Little Rock (LR-whites), black respondents living in outside the city limits of Little Rock (OLR-blacks), white respondents living in outside the city limits of Little Rock (OLR-whites), and Hispanic respondents living in Pulaski County (Hispanic). The oversamples of OLR-blacks and Hispanic are intended to generate more reliable results for these subgroups and thus, provide greater opportunities for more robust analysis.  Due to oversampling, each geo-racial group has nearly equal numbers of interviews; as such, the stratified samples are not adjusted to reflect a proportional representation of the general population in Pulaski County. The black and white geo-racial groups contain between 395 and 427 respondents, providing a margin of sampling error of ±5 percent at the conventional 95 percent confidence level. The Hispanic group contains 171 respondents, providing a margin of sampling error of ±7.4 percent at the conventional 95 percent confidence level. The data are weighted to approximate selected demographic proportions for Pulaski County for each geo-racial group; for this survey, these demographic weights are imposed for age and gender. The 2009-2011 American Community Survey provide sample estimates that form the basis for calculating these weights.  There are a total of seventy weighted groups.  Weighting factors ranged from 0.24 to 10.09.

 

GROUP2 - Geo-racial Group

1          LRBlack (n=395)

2          LRWhite (n=403)

3          OLRBlack (n=427)

4          OLRWhite (n=421)

5          Hispanic (n=171)

 

Q1       Would you say that most of the time people try to be helpful, or that they are mostly just looking out for themselves?

1          Try to be helpful

2          Looking out for themselves

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Q2       How much trust do you have in the judicial system and courts? A great deal, quite a lot, not very much, or none at all?

1          Great deal

2          Quite a lot

3          Not very much

4          None at all

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

Q3       How much trust do you have for the police in your area? A great deal, quite a lot, not very much, or none at all?

1          Great deal

2          Quite a lot

3          Not very much

4          None at all

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q4       Do you think most people would try to take advantage of you if they got the chance, or would they try to be fair?

1          Try to be fair

2          Would take advantage

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Q5       How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community will do a good job of enforcing the law --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence?

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q6       How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community will do a good job of dealing with gangs  --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence? 

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q7       How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community will treat people fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence? 

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 


VERSION - RESPONDENT IS HISPANIC

Q8ASBLKS    How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community will treat BLACKS fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence?

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

VERSION - RESPONDENT IS HISPANIC

Q8BSHISP      How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community will treat HISPANICS fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence? 

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

VERSION - RESPONDENT IS WHITE OR OTHER RACES

Q8COBLH     How much confidence do you have that police officers in your community will treat BLACKS and HISPANICS fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence? 

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

And now, thinking about the our local court system,

 

Q9       How much confidence do you have that the courts in your community will treat people fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence?

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 


VERSION -  RESPONDENT IS BLACK

Q10ASBLKS  How much confidence do you have that the courts in your   community will treat BLACKS fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just some or very little confidence?

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

VERSION - RESPONDENT IS HISPANIC

Q10BSHISP    How much confidence do you have that the courts in your   community will treat HISPANICS fairly --- a great deal, a fair amount, just           some or very little confidence?

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

VERSION I- RESPONDENT IS WHITE OR OTHER RACES

Q10COBLH   How much confidence do you have that the courts in your   community will treat HISPANICS and BLACKS fairly --- a great deal, a fair         amount, just some or very little confidence?

1          Great deal

2          Fair Amount

3          Just Some

4          Very little

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q11     If you were the victim of an assault, rape, robbery or other violent crime, would you call the police?  Do you think you definitely would, probably would, probably would not or definitely would not?

1          Definitely would

2          Probably would

3          Probably would not

4          Definitely would not

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

 

If Definitely would not

Q12OPEN  Why do you say that?

Open-ended question

 


Q13     If you were the victim of a burglary or property crime would you call the police?  Do you think you definitely would, probably would, probably would not or definitely would not?

1          Definitely would

2          Probably would

3          Probably would not

4          Definitely would not

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

 

If Definitely would not

Q14OPEN  Why do you say that?

Open-ended question

 

We are interested in how much contact people have with the police, the courts and the criminal justice system. For this next set of questions, please think of you and your immediate family. By immediate familyÓ we mean your parents, spouse or partner, your siblings and children.

 

 

In the last five years have you or anyone in your immediate family . . .

 

Q15J   Served on a jury?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q16W Been a sworn witness in court?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q17C  Attended court on a criminal matter, excluding minor traffic violations and jury duty?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q18Q  Been questioned by the police for any reason?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q19A  Been arrested?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q20P   Been on probation or parole?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q21JA            Served time in jail or prison?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q22     During the last 6 months, did you call the police to report something that happened to YOU which you thought was a crime?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q23     During the last 6 months, did anything which you thought was a crime happen to YOU, but you did NOT report to the police?

1          Yes

2          No

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q24     How would you rate the crime problem in your own community where you live? Would you say it's very bad, bad, not too bad or not bad at all?

1          Very bad

2          Bad

3          Not too bad

4          Not bad at all

7          DonŐt know

9          Refused

 

Q25     In your opinion, what should be the MAIN purpose of sending a person to prison:  [ROTATE]  to PUNISH the individual, to REHABILITATE the individual so he might become a productive citizen, to keep him locked up in order to PROTECT SOCIETY from future crimes he might commit, or TO DETER others who might commit crimes?

1               To punish

2               To rehabilitate

3               To protect society

4               To deter others

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 


Q26  All in all, should illegal drug use be treated more like a crime or more like a disease?

1          A crime

2          A disease

3          Both (VOL)

4          Neither (VOL)

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q27     Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?

1          Yes, legal

2          No, not legal

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q28     Regardless of what you think about the personal non-medical use of marijuana, do you think doctors should or should not be allowed to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes to treat their patients?

1          Should be allowed

2          Should not be allowed

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q29     Some states are moving AWAY from the idea of mandatory prison sentences for non-violent drug offenders. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?

1          Good thing

2          Bad thing

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Keeping in mind that all of your answers in this survey are confidential and you donŐt have to answer any question you donŐt want to.

 

Q30MARI      Have you, yourself, ever happened to try marijuana?

1          Yes

2          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q31     Have you, yourself, ever tried powder cocaine?

1          Yes

2          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q32     Have you, yourself, ever tried crack cocaine?

1          Yes

2          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q33     Have you, yourself, ever tried crystal methamphetamine?

1          Yes

2          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Note [Q34 and Q35 are left blank]

 

Now, I am going to read you a couple of statements, and please tell me which one comes closest to your point of view. Please listen carefully as I read each statement.

 

Q36     How concerned are you, if at all, about becoming a victim of a crime?  Are you very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not at all concerned about this?

1          Very concerned

2          Somewhat concerned

3          Not too concerned

4          Not at all concerned

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q37     Have you or a member of your immediate family been a victim of a violent crime?

(IF YES, ASK:) And does that apply to you, to someone else in your household or both?

1          Yes – Self

2          Yes – Member of your immediate family

3          Yes – Both self and family

4          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q38     Have you or a member of your family been a victim of a nonviolent crime?

(IF YES, ASK:) And does that apply to you, to someone else in your household or both?

1          Yes – Self

2          Yes – Member of your immediate family

3          Yes – Both self and family

4          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

Q39     Are you or someone in your immediate family active in Law Enforcement such as a police officer, administrator, or judge,?  (IF YES, ASK:) And does that apply to you, to someone else in your household or both?

1          Yes – Self

2          Yes – Member of your immediate family

3          Yes – Both self and family

4          No

7          Don't know

9          Refused

 

HISPANIC AND BLACK RESPONDENTS ONLY

Now thinking about your own personal experiences . . .

Can you think of any occasion in the last 30 days when you were treated unfairly because you were HISPANIC/BLACK

 

Q40     In a store where you were shopping?

1          Yes

2          No

3          Not Applicable (VOLUNTEERED)

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Q41     At your place of work?

1          Yes

2          No

3          Not Applicable (VOLUNTEERED)

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Q42     In a restaurant, bar, theater, or other entertainment place?

1          Yes

2          No

3          Not Applicable (VOLUNTEERED)

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Q43     In dealing with the police, such as traffic incidents?

1          Yes

2          No

3          Not Applicable (VOLUNTEERED)

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Q44     While getting healthcare for yourself or a family member? 

1          Yes

2          No

3          Not Applicable (VOLUNTEERED)

7          Don't Know

9          Refused

 

Racial attitudes may differ depending on age, income or other personal factors. Please remember your answers are strictly confidential.

 

Q45AGE What is your age?

_______ Enter years

777 – DonŐt Know

999 – Refused

 


Q46SEX And I need to verify that you are a . . .GENDER

1          Male

2          Female

 

Q47MAR Are you currently . . .

1               Married

2               Divorced

3               Widowed

4               Separated

5               Never been married, OR

6               A member of an unmarried couple

7               DonŐt Know

9          Refused

 

Q48EDUC What is the last grade or class that you completed in school?

1          None, or grade 1-4

2          Grades 5, 6 or 7

3          Grade 8

4          High school incomplete (Grades 9-11)

5          High school graduate, Grade 12 or GED

6          Associate Degree/Technical, trade, or business after high school

7          College/university incomplete

8          College/university graduate or more

77        Don't Know

99        Refused

 

Q49CHILD How many children under the age of 18 are living with you right now? This includes not only your own children through birth or marriage, but also those who may be living in your home for other reasons such as foster care or other relatives.

_______ Number of children

888      NONE

777      DonŐt know

999      Refused

 

Q50HISP The terms Hispanic and Latino are both used to describe people who are of Hispanic or Latino origin or descent. Do you happen to prefer one of these terms more than the other? (Get answer, then ask:) Which term do you prefer, Hispanic or Latino?

1          Hispanic

2          Latino

3          No Preference

7          DonŐt Know

8          other (specify)

9          Refused

 

Q50SP             Other (Specify)

 


Q51EMP   Are you currently employed or unemployed? Are you ...

1          Employed for wages (full or part-time)

2          Self-employed

3          Out of work for more than 1 year

4          Out of work for less than 1 year

5          Homemaker

6          Student

7          Retired

8          Unable to work

77        Don't Know

99        Refused

 

Q52 And the last question – if you added together the yearly incomes, before taxes, of all the members of your household for last year, 2011, would the total be . . .

1          Less than 10,000

2          Less than 15,000

3          Less than 20,000

4          Less than 25,000

5          Less than 35,000

6          Less than 50,000

7          Less than 75,000

8          Less than 100,000

9          More than 100,000

777      DonŐt Know

999      Refused

 

CELLORLL– Interview conducted on type of phone

1 Landline

2 Cell

 

LANG – Interview conducted in language

1 English

2 Spanish

 

WEIGHT – Weighting factor

 

UNIQUEID – Unique Identifier

 

ZIP

77777 – DonŐt Know

99999 -  Refused