Taking Crime Seriously: Conservation Values and Legal Cynicism as Predictors of Public Perceptions of the Seriousness of Crime

Abstract

Public perceptions of the seriousness of crime have long been presented as an indicator of actual crime seriousness, which features prominently in contemporary criminal policy. However, doubts persist on the policy relevance of such perceptions, among others, because their predictors and the extent of consensus about them in our pluralistic societies are unclear. Against this background, we examine the extent to which conservation values, legal cynicism, and religiosity drive public crime seriousness perceptions and generate heterogeneity. A general population survey in Belgium eliciting 1,278 valid responses indicates a limited impact of these values, attitudes, and beliefs on crime seriousness perceptions, with exception of the “mala prohibita” considered. Of the three predictors, conservation values have the most consistent impact across different crimes. Moreover, our findings suggest that crime seriousness perceptions are still largely consensual, thus allaying one concern for their use for policy-making purposes.