WAGCEVP
October 17, 2003, 06:16 PM
Utahns say they feel safe in their communities
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/oct/10162003/utah/102305.asp
By Ashley Broughton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Despite their belief that crime is a pressing problem in Utah and has increased over the past several years, most residents report they almost always feel safe in their communities, a statewide crime survey shows.
Of 2,170 Utahns surveyed, 86.2 percent said they feel always or almost always safe in the community where they live, according to the "Shedding Light: Crime Victimization Survey" conducted by the state Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.
The survey, covering crimes that occurred in 2002, is aimed at examining citizens' perceptions of crime and their experiences with it, the group says.
The percentage of those who said they always or almost always felt safe represented a slight increase over the 83.6 percent answering similarly in the previous survey. The margin of error for the survey, released last week, is about 0.7 of one percent.
More than 36 percent of respondents reported they were victims of at least one crime in 2002, a 5 percent decrease from 2000. The survey found minorities, young people and those with an income of less than $20,000 yearly were more likely to be victims of crime.
But many crimes go unreported, the survey found -- particularly domestic violence. Nearly 75 percent of domestic violence victims said they did not report the incident to police.
Only 2.5 percent of survey respondents reported they were victims of domestic violence, a decrease from 3.3 percent in 2002.
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/oct/10162003/utah/102305.asp
By Ashley Broughton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Despite their belief that crime is a pressing problem in Utah and has increased over the past several years, most residents report they almost always feel safe in their communities, a statewide crime survey shows.
Of 2,170 Utahns surveyed, 86.2 percent said they feel always or almost always safe in the community where they live, according to the "Shedding Light: Crime Victimization Survey" conducted by the state Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.
The survey, covering crimes that occurred in 2002, is aimed at examining citizens' perceptions of crime and their experiences with it, the group says.
The percentage of those who said they always or almost always felt safe represented a slight increase over the 83.6 percent answering similarly in the previous survey. The margin of error for the survey, released last week, is about 0.7 of one percent.
More than 36 percent of respondents reported they were victims of at least one crime in 2002, a 5 percent decrease from 2000. The survey found minorities, young people and those with an income of less than $20,000 yearly were more likely to be victims of crime.
But many crimes go unreported, the survey found -- particularly domestic violence. Nearly 75 percent of domestic violence victims said they did not report the incident to police.
Only 2.5 percent of survey respondents reported they were victims of domestic violence, a decrease from 3.3 percent in 2002.