Most young people know a criminal - poll
2012-12-06 22:11
Johannesburg - About two-thirds of South African youth
claim to know a professional criminal, a survey revealed on Thursday.
Consumer insights company Pondering Panda conducted the
poll among 2 995 South Africans aged between 18 and 34.
"Young, black and coloured South Africans were more
likely to claim they knew people who were professional criminals, with 68% of blacks
and 69% of coloureds saying they knew people such as these," Pondering
Panda said in a statement.
"In contrast, 36% of whites and 4% of Indians
claimed they knew professional criminals."
Respondents in the North West were most likely to know
professional criminals, with 76% of people interviewed in the province saying
they did. It was followed by the Free State at 71%, and the Eastern Cape at 70%.
In Gauteng, 59% of people interviewed said they knew a
professional criminal.
Pondering Panda spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said the
poll showed that criminals operated openly in many communities.
She said 87% of the youth polled thought committing crime
was always wrong, even if they were not caught.
"This represents a huge opportunity for the
government, as a well-motivated reward system for information could have a
dramatic impact on current levels of crime," she said.
"It is encouraging that most young people think
crime is wrong under any circumstances, in spite of knowing criminals who are
getting away with it."
The interviews for the survey were carried out by
cellphone between 7 and 10 November and the results were weighted to be
nationally representative.
- SAPA
