General Social Survey on Victimization, Cycle 18: An Overview of Findings

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By Maire Gannon

In 2004, Statistics Canada conducted its fourth General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization – previous cycles were carried out in 1988, 1993, and 1999. This survey asks Canadians aged 15 years and older about their experiences of being a victim of crime and their fear, perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system. As with previous cycles on victimization, the 2004 survey introduced new questions on current justice issues.

This report provides a first look at the results of the 2004 General Social Survey by examining how Canadians¹ perceive crime and the criminal justice sectors. Descriptive statistics are provided for various measures of perception, with differences highlighted across sex, age groups, and provinces.² In addition, the report explores the public's fear of becoming a victim of crime and their general feelings of personal safety.

This report is divided into two sections. The first half examines Canadians' perceptions of crime in their neighbourhoods, their fear of crime and general satisfaction with personal safety from crime. The second section looks at the public's assessment of the criminal justice system, including the police, criminal courts, prison and parole systems.

Notes

1. Data collected in the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut as part of a pilot test are not included in this analysis.

2. These differences are statistically significant, unless otherwise noted. A significance level of p<.05 is used in this report. This means that there is less than a 5% probability that the survey (sample) data will suggest that two groups are significantly different, when no difference actually exists in the population.

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