Urban and Rural Attitudes toward Participating in an Auxiliary Policing Crime Prevention Program

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners have noted the importance of citizen crime prevention, but little attention has been focused on the crime prevention behavior of rural residents. This article compares urban and rural attitudes toward participation in an auxiliary policing program. Using data from the 1982 ABC News Poll of Public Opinion on Crime, a probit regression analysis reveals that the models explaining participation for urban and rural respondents are similar. Differences between the present results and those of past studies suggest that the present results are more reliable than past analyses.