Research Insights: Does the Framing of Information on Crime Rates Affect Citizens' Preferences for Anti-Crime Policies?

Anti-crime policy preferences can be swayed by the framing of crime rate information. Both framing information as an upward trend in crime or a downward trend in crime increased demands for punitive policies as opposed to social policies, when compared to a control group that received no information. Individuals with no previous information about crime rates were more affected by the treatments than those who were familiar with crime rates in the country.