Response Generalisation in Crime Prevention Campaigns

Bibliographic Data

ID8403243
AuthorsFrans Willem Winkel (Oaksterdam University, corresponding author)
Year1987
Volume27
Issue2
Pages155-173
Publication date1987-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal of Criminology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0955 • E-ISSN: 1464-3529
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a047660
OpenAlexW2340982264
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited3

Mass media campaigns are increasingly being used as a crime control strategy. Some of these are campaigns designed to encourage potential victims to take simple prccautions to reduce opportunities. Generally, this strategy has been considered innocuous: at worst, it has been thought that campaigns will fail to produce their intended effects. Response generalisation theory, developed here, contradicts this notion. The core of the theory is that communication might also result in unintended and unwanted effects, e.g. by stimulating the extent of public agreement with undesirable reactions to crime. Experimental results confirm this hypothesis. Those exposed to such messages show high communicative and emotional involvement with crime, or a high risk-assessment. The implications of response generalisation for crime prevention campaigns are discussed and strategies for avoiding thcse side-effects proposed

Advertising · Business · Computer security · Control (management) · Core (optical fiber) · Crime prevention · Criminology · Mass media · Political science · Unintended consequences · Computer Science · Media Influence and Health · Psychology

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