Problem
The Problem Addressed:
The study investigates whether the type of crime map (dot maps vs. density maps) affects public perceptions of safety, police performance, and neighborhood quality. It explores the influence of cartographic design decisions on public perceptions.
General Impact:
Crime maps are widely used for transparency and public outreach. Misrepresentations or poor design choices can shape perceptions about crime, community trust, and police legitimacy. Understanding these effects is critical for law enforcement's communication strategies.
Research Questions:
- How do dot and density crime maps influence perceptions of safety and victimization risk?
- Does the type of crime (violent vs. property) affect these perceptions?
- What are the broader implications for neighborhood cohesion, quality, and police performance?
Method and Analysis
Program Evaluated:
The study extends previous research on crime mapping by focusing on the impacts of cartographic decisions (dot maps versus density maps) on public perception.
Data and Sample Size:
A sample of 230 participants was recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: dot map-property crime, dot map-violent crime, density map-property crime, and density map-violent crime.
Analysis Used:
The study used a two-by-two factorial design and ANOVAs to assess the effects of map type and crime type on various perception metrics, such as perceived safety, victimization risk, and neighborhood quality.
Outcome
Key Findings:
- Dot maps led to perceptions of less safety, higher victimization risk, lower neighborhood cohesion, and poorer police performance compared to density maps.
- Violent crime maps resulted in lower perceived safety and neighborhood quality than property crime maps.
- Dot maps were perceived as more accurate in reflecting crime incidents but raised more privacy concerns.
- Density maps were favored for identifying high-risk areas and reduced fear of crime.
Implications or Recommendations:
- Agencies should align map design with communication goals. Dot maps might encourage proactive safety measures, while density maps may reduce fear of crime.
- Police departments must critically evaluate outsourcing map design to private entities, as design decisions significantly influence public perception.
- Future research should address interactive and data-rich maps, and explore the impact of other cartographic elements like color and symbol choice.
This study underscores the importance of intentional design in crime mapping to effectively balance transparency, safety awareness, and community trust.