Appendix: Descriptive Statistics: Survey of Anti-Violence Activists

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being not very important and 10 being very important, please rate the importance of hate crime issues to your group.

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 111

0%

0%

0%

2.7%

0%

1.8%

2.7%

13.5%

18.9%

12.6%

47.7%

8.70

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning weak and 10 being strong, please rate public support for your organization and its goals in your city.

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 110

0.9%

3.6%

8.2%

10.9%

6.4%

12.7%

10%

13.6%

20.0%

7.3%

6.4%

5.86

 

Does your city’s police department have a special officer, task force or unit to investigate and track bias or hate crimes? (by hate crimes we mean crimes committed because of the victims race, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation)

       55.4%  no

       44.6%  yes

 

Does your city’s police department require training for officers on the identification and reporting of hate or bias crimes?

       55.0%  no

       45.0%  yes

 

Does your city’s police department have a liaison officer for the following communities?

                                         No            Yes

              --African Americans        46.1%         53.9%

              --Hispanics                50.7%         49.3%

              --Any religious groups            75.4%         24.6%

              --Asian Americans          62.9%         37.1%

              --Native Americans         76.5%         23.5%

              --Lesbians and gays        65.4%         34.6%

              --disabled persons         72.1%         27.9%

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning poor and 10 being excellent, please rate your perception of your city police department’s efforts at enforcing laws for the following categories of crime:

                                  Mean

              Murder               7.94

              Rape                 7.14

              Robberies            7.02

              Aggravated Assault   7.05

              Burglaries           6.53

              Larceny-theft        6.38

              Hate or bias crimes  4.86

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning poor and 10 being excellent, please rate your perception of the District Attorney’s efforts at enforcing laws for the following categories of crime:

                                  Mean

              Murder               8.28

              Rape                 7.70

              Robberies            7.52

              Aggravated Assault   7.32

              Burglaries           7.01

              Larceny-theft        6.71

              Hate or bias crimes  5.34

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning not serious at all and 10 meaning very serious, please rate your perception of how seriously regular uniformed officers take hate crimes and the enforcement of hate crime laws

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N=103

10.7%

8.7%

5.8%

10.7%

12%

25.2%

2.9%

14.6%

5.8%

1.9%

1.9%

4.28

 

For the following questions please estimate your city police department's reported crime to arrest rate (clearance rate) and arrest to conviction rate, in percent.  We are interested in your rough estimate of these figures, not the actual figures.

Crime

Report/Arrest Mean; in percent

Arrest/Convictions Mean; percent

Murder

75.26%

70.93%

Rape

62.5%

59.56%

Robberies

55.46%

53.85%

Aggravated Assault

57.44%

55.45%

Burglaries

52.07%

50.53%

Larceny-theft

51.76%

47.78%

Hate crimes

36.41%

37.59%

 

From the perspective of your organization, please rate the importance of laws which increase the penalties for hate crimes on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning not at all important and 10 meaning very important.      

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 101

1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

1.0%

10.9%

16.8%

14.9%

48.5%

8.63

 

Does your city's police department participate in the voluntary federal program to collect statistics on hate crimes under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990?

       42.1%  no

       57.9%  yes

 

Please read the following hypothetical scenario and respond below.

       A white male is beaten and robbed near a gay bar in your city.  Officers arrive on the scene along with medical personnel.  The injured man tells the officers he believes he was attacked and robbed because he is a homosexual.  In fact, he heard both of his two assailants call him a "fag" as he was beaten.  Although evidence suggests the man was clearly robbed, the initial evidence related to the potential that the crime was motivated by bias towards homosexuals is limited to the statement of the victim.  The victim is able to give a description of both assailants.

       Now based on your perceptions of your city police department's policies and the attitudes of its officers, please rate the following on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating very unlikely and 10 indicating very likely.

 

How likely is it that the police officers on the scene will classify the crime as a hate crime?       

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 103

12.6%

5.8%

9.7%

11.7%

5.8%

9.7%

13.6%

14.6%

7.8%

4.9%

3.9%

4.6

 

How likely is it that an arrest under a hate crime law will be made in the case?

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 102

26.5%

4.9%

8.8%

11.8%

8.8%

12.7%

4.9%

9.8%

4.9%

2.0%

4.9%

3.61

 

How likely is it that the city prosecutor will pursue the case under a hate crime law?

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 102

25.5%

3.9%

8.8%

8.8%

5.9%

14.7%

7.8%

9.8%

5.9%

3.9%

4.9%

3.9

 

How likely is it that a conviction under a hate crime law will be made in the case?

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 100

30.0%

7.0%

8.0%

11%

5%

11%

10%

6%

6%

2%

4%

3.9

 

Based on your best guess, please estimate what percent of your city’s police department precincts could or should significantly improve their efforts at enforcing the laws related to the following types of crime:

                                  Mean percent

              Murder               43.8% 

              Rape                 51.1% 

              Robberies            51.1% 

              Aggravated Assault   54.3% 

              Burglaries           58.2% 

              Larceny-theft        57.5% 

              Hate or bias crimes  73.1% 

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning poor and 10 being excellent, please rate your perception of your city police department's effort to track, classify, and report hate crime incidents

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 101

11.9%

11.9%

7.9%

9.9%

13.9%

12.9%

5.0%

9.9%

8.9%

4.0%

4.0%

4.23

 

Please rate the degree to which your group attempts to influence your city police department's activities related to hate crimes:

        5.7%  Never try to influence their activities related to hate crimes

       19.0%  Almost never try to influence their activities

       29.5%  Sometimes do not sometimes do try to influence their activities

       34.3%  Often try to influence their activities

       11.4%  Always try to influence their activities

 

Please rate your group's success at influencing your city police department's activities related to hate crimes:

       17.3%  Very little success or influence

       40.3%  Some success or influence

       29.8%  Unsure

       12.5%  A lot of success or influence

        0.0%  Successful virtually all of the time

 

Based on your experience, how much impact do you think hate crime laws have on reducing the number of hate crimes in your city?

        7.8%  No impact

       28.9%  Very little impact

       44.4%  Some impact

       14.4%  Quite a bit of impact

        4.4%  A very large impact

 

How strongly do you agree with the following statement "Hate motivated crimes are more serious than other, similar but non-bias motivated crimes."

        2.9%  Strongly disagree

        4.9%  Disagree

        7.8%  Neither disagree or agree

       45.1%  Agree

       39.2%  Strongly agree

 

How much of a problem is lack of funding in your city police department's efforts to enforce hate crime laws and collect statistics on hate crime?

       21.1%  Not a problem

       38.9%  Slight problem

       28.9%  Problem

        3.3%  Severe problem

        7.8%  Severe and continuing problem

 

How much of a problem is lack of training in your department's efforts to enforce hate crime laws and collect statistics on hate crime?

        7.2%  Not a problem

       35.1%  Slight problem

       28.9%  Problem

       13.4%  Severe problem

       15.5%  Severe and continuing problem

 

How much of a problem is resistance from regular officers in your department's efforts to enforce hate crime laws and collect statistics on hate crime?

        9.9%  Not a problem

       24.2%  Slight problem

       35.2%  Problem

       19.8%  Severe problem

       11.0%  Severe and continuing problem

 

How concerned have local politicians in your city been about the issue of hate crime in the past three years?

       16.2%  Not at all concerned

       50.5%  Somewhat concerned

       21.0%  Concerned

       12.4%  Very concerned

 

Would you say that your city police department's efforts to enforce hate crime laws and statistics collection in the past three years have:

        2.0%  Decreased quite a bit

        5.9%  Decreased a little

       45.5%  Remained the same

       37.6%  Increased a little

        8.9%  Increased quite a bit

 

How does your group try to influence police activity in your city on hate crimes?

       94.2%  participating in any activity

       20.2%  street protests, marches

       55.8%  meeting directly with police leaders

       73.1%  meeting with local politicians

       50.0%  meeting with state politicians (e.g. the governor)

       31.7%  meeting with state officials (e.g. state attorney general)

       20.2%  meeting with non-elected federal officials (e.g. FBI, Dept. of Justice)

       28.8%  holding press conferences

       37.5%  collecting statistics on hate crimes or incidents independent from

                     the police

       37.1%  other

 

Does your group have any kind of documentation program to collect statistics on hate crime or hate incidents?  In other words, do you have a system, such as a phone hotline, where victims of hate crime can report incidents to you and you build a database of such incidents?

       60.4%  No

       39.6%  Yes

 

Does your organization engage in any of the following (check all that apply)?

       29.2% provide hate crime victim assistance

       35.8% conduct educational campaigns for the general public

       38.7% conduct educational campaigns for targeted communities

        4.7% set up volunteer street patrols

 

In the past 10 years, has their been a bias-motivated crime committed in your city that seems to stick out in your mind?

       33.6%  No

       65.4%  Yes

 

Do you cooperate or form coalitions with other organizations on the issue of hate crime?

       26.9%  No

       73.1%  Yes   

 

Do you cooperate or form coalitions with other organizations on any other issues?

       16.2%  No

       83.8%  Yes

 

We would like you to compare the views of your members with those of your leadership. On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning poor match and 10 being excellent match, please rate your perception of how closely the views of the leadership match those of the membership.

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 91

0.0%

1.1%

2.2%

0.0%

2.2%

1.1%

12.1%

13.2%

26.4%

18.7%

23.1%

7.95

 

What was your organization's total budget in 1998? Median: $33,500

 

What percent of your budget was spent on: (note: the overlap between these questions may mean that the sum total will be greater than 100%): mean percent

                                         lobbying             10.6%

                                         salaries             19.5%

                                         office/supplies      21.4%

                                         directly providing other services

                                         to the community     50.7%

 

How many paid full-time staff members does your organization have? Mean 8; Median 0

 

How many paid part-time staff members does your organization have? Mean 3; Median 0

 

How many volunteer workers does your organization have? Mean 59; Median 23

 

Please list the percent of your budget that comes from the following sources:

       mean percent         47.1%  small individual donations

                           15.1%  large individual donations

                           16.0%  grants from non-profit groups/foundations

                           17.6%  grants from government

 

Is your organization a local branch or chapter of a state or national group?

              Yes 40.0%  no 60.0%

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning weak and 10 being strong, please rate your perception of your organization’s internal cohesion. 

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 103

0.0%

1.0%

0.0%

5.8%

4.9%

8.7%

13.6%

8.7%

24.3%

16.5%

16.5%

7.32

 

On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning liberal and 10 being conservative, please rate your organization’s overall ideology (that of the leadership and rank-and-file combined). 

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mean

N= 104

13.5%

7.7%

21.2%

15.4%

10.6%

5.8%

5.8%

2.9%

8.7%

7.7%

1.0%

3.70