Creator: Haas, Nicole
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Explaining Public Support for Vigilantism | This study aspires to reach a better understanding of support for vigilantism, which is commonly seen as an indicator of a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system. 'Just world' theory and identification processes are used to predict and explain support for vigilantism. The research incorporated two measuring moments, at which different questionnaires were presented: In September 2009, the LISS panel was presented a questionnaire about support for vigilantism. In October 2009, the second questionnaire was administered to the same panel members that were selected for the first questionnaire. The second questionnaire incorporated questions about general support for vigilantism, belief in a just world, and confidence in the justice system. |
| Explaining Public Support for Vigilantism > Part 1 | This study concerns the first measuring moment with the questionnaire about support for vigilantism. Panel members were assigned at random to one of 12 groups. This group assignment determined which combination of fictitious news items was presented to the panel member. Ten groups were presented two news items. The first item described a criminal offence – of variable seriousness – followed by a number of questions about the people portrayed in the news item. The second news item reported the formal punishment imposed on the offender – of variable harshness – and that the victim, not satisfied with the sentence, had decided to impose his own punishment on the offender. The remaining two groups of respondents served as control groups, and they were presented just a single news item that reported the offense, the formal punishment and the vigilantism all at once. This was also followed by questions about the people portrayed in the news item. |
| Explaining Public Support for Vigilantism > Part 2 | In October 2009, the LISS panel completed a questionnaire on general support for vigilantism, belief in a just world, and confidence in the justice system. This concerns the second measuring moment of the study 'Explaining Public Support for Vigilantism'. Panel members were assigned at random to one of two groups. This group assignment determined the order in which a panel member was presented three blocks of questions. The first group first answered questions about general support for vigilantism, then about belief in a just world, and finally about confidence in the justice system. The second group answered questions in the reverse order. In September 2009, the first questionnaire was administered to the same panel members that were selected for the second questionnaire. |