Most adults are concerned about interpersonal violence nationwide, but far fewer are concerned about it in their own neighbourhoods. This factsheet explores what might be driving this, and suggests that personal, economic, and societal factors, along with the influence of the media, all affect perceptions of crime.
How do concerns of violence differ across groups? [PDF, 871 KB]
Fear of crime is not uniformly experienced across the New Zealand population. This factsheet explores differences across population groups. It suggests that for most people, fear of crime is less about crime itself and more about their broader experiences across social, economic, and health domains.
How does fear of crime differ across groups? [PDF, 833 KB]
Perceptions of what causes crime vary across different groups. This factsheet shows that the general population tends to attribute crime to personal factors such as drug and alcohol misuse, whereas Māori and LGBTIQ+ are more likely to highlight broader systemic and structural factors such as poverty, colonisation, and access to mental health services.
How do beliefs about the causes of crime differ across groups? [PDF, 691 KB]
Māori adults have consistently lower levels of trust and confidence in the justice system compared to non-Māori. This factsheet explores potential contributing factors to the lower levels of trust, and finds deeper, more system issues may be a play.
Why do Māori have lower levels of trust in the justice system? [PDF, 960 KB]
Victims have significantly lower trust in the justice system than non-victims. This factsheet explores the reason for this low trust and finds that improving victims’ belief that the system is fair and effective should in turn build trust in the justice system.
Why do victims have lower trust in the justice system? [PDF, 1 MB]