General Social Survey, 1976 - Analysis
COURTS
In general, do you think the courts in this area deal too harshly or not harshly enough with criminals?
| Frequency | Percent | Cumulative Percent | Z-Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Too harshly | 47 | 3.1% | 3.1% | -0.97 |
| 2) Not harshly enough | 1210 | 80.7% | 83.9% | -0.30 |
| 3) About right | 148 | 9.9% | 93.7% | 0.37 |
| 8) Don't know | 89 | 5.9% | 99.7% | 3.72 |
| 9) No answer | 5 | 0.3% | 100.0% | 4.39 |
Sex (I-SEX)
| Male | Female | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too harshly | 3.4%23 | 2.9%24 | 0 | 3.1%47 |
| Not harshly enough | 81.8%547 | 79.9%663 | 0 | 80.7%1210 |
| About right | 10.2%68 | 9.6%80 | 0 | 9.9%148 |
| Don't know | 4.6%31 | 7.0%58 | 0 | 5.9%89 |
| No answer | 0.0%0 | 0.6%5 | 0 | 0.3%5 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 100%669 | 100%830 | 1499 |
Age (I-AGE)
| 18-30 | 31-44 | 45-59 | 60-74 | 75+ | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too harshly | 6.6%28 | 2.5%9 | 1.8%6 | 0.7%2 | 1.8%2 | 0 | 3.1%47 |
| Not harshly enough | 70.9%300 | 83.3%300 | 83.7%272 | 86.1%235 | 87.5%98 | 5 | 80.7%1205 |
| About right | 13.2%56 | 8.6%31 | 8.6%28 | 8.8%24 | 8.0%9 | 0 | 9.9%148 |
| Don't know | 9.0%38 | 5.0%18 | 5.5%18 | 4.0%11 | 2.7%3 | 1 | 5.9%88 |
| No answer | 0.2%1 | 0.6%2 | 0.3%1 | 0.4%1 | 0.0%0 | 0 | 0.3%5 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 100%423 | 100%360 | 100%325 | 100%273 | 100%112 | 1493 |
Education (I-EDUC)
| Less than high school | High school | Associate/Junior college | Bachelor's | Graduate | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too harshly | 2.7%14 | 3.6%26 | 8.3%2 | 2.0%3 | 3.3%2 | 0 | 3.1%47 |
| Not harshly enough | 82.0%433 | 82.7%602 | 62.5%15 | 73.7%112 | 72.1%44 | 4 | 80.8%1206 |
| About right | 9.1%48 | 8.7%63 | 20.8%5 | 13.8%21 | 16.4%10 | 1 | 9.8%147 |
| Don't know | 6.1%32 | 4.7%34 | 8.3%2 | 9.9%15 | 8.2%5 | 1 | 5.9%88 |
| No answer | 0.2%1 | 0.4%3 | 0.0%0 | 0.7%1 | 0.0%0 | 0 | 0.3%5 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 100%528 | 100%728 | 100%24 | 100%152 | 100%61 | 1493 |
Religion (I-RELIGION)
| Protestant | Catholic | Jewish | None | Other | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too harshly | 2.2%21 | 4.1%16 | 0.0%0 | 6.1%7 | 13.3%2 | 1 | 3.1%46 |
| Not harshly enough | 83.3%792 | 78.2%305 | 88.9%24 | 69.3%79 | 60.0%9 | 1 | 80.8%1209 |
| About right | 9.1%87 | 10.3%40 | 3.7%1 | 14.0%16 | 26.7%4 | 0 | 9.9%148 |
| Don't know | 5.3%50 | 6.7%26 | 7.4%2 | 9.6%11 | 0.0%0 | 0 | 5.9%89 |
| No answer | 0.1%1 | 0.8%3 | 0.0%0 | 0.9%1 | 0.0%0 | 0 | 0.3%5 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 100%951 | 100%390 | 100%27 | 100%114 | 100%15 | 1497 |
Region (I-REGION)
| Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too harshly | 3.2%11 | 2.6%11 | 3.1%15 | 3.9%10 | 0 | 3.1%47 |
| Not harshly enough | 82.4%280 | 80.2%340 | 81.5%392 | 78.0%198 | 0 | 80.7%1210 |
| About right | 8.8%30 | 11.6%49 | 8.7%42 | 10.6%27 | 0 | 9.9%148 |
| Don't know | 5.0%17 | 5.4%23 | 6.7%32 | 6.7%17 | 0 | 5.9%89 |
| No answer | 0.6%2 | 0.2%1 | 0.0%0 | 0.8%2 | 0 | 0.3%5 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 100%340 | 100%424 | 100%481 | 100%254 | 1499 |
Worship attendance (I-ATTEND)
| Never | Less than once a month | Less than once a week | Weekly or more | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Too harshly | 5.2%10 | 3.2%18 | 2.7%8 | 2.3%10 | 1 | 3.1%46 |
| Not harshly enough | 72.7%141 | 82.3%470 | 83.4%247 | 80.5%347 | 5 | 80.8%1205 |
| About right | 12.9%25 | 8.4%48 | 10.1%30 | 10.2%44 | 1 | 9.9%147 |
| Don't know | 8.8%17 | 6.1%35 | 3.0%9 | 6.5%28 | 0 | 6.0%89 |
| No answer | 0.5%1 | 0.0%0 | 0.7%2 | 0.5%2 | 0 | 0.3%5 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 100%194 | 100%571 | 100%296 | 100%431 | 1492 |
