Crime statistics - sociological perspectives

Question 1

Functionalists

Answer 1

Believe in social facts and fixed consensus societal structures so they are always happy to trust and use official statistics

Question 2

New Right

Answer 2

Believe structures can change but criminals are always “bad people”
They are happy to use statistical methods but want to update them as society changes

Question 3

Right Realists

Answer 3

Believe in moral structures rather than societal structures They use statistics to understand the demographics of C&D but don’t usually trust large-scale surveys because they can’t capture individual motives

Question 4

Interactionists

Answer 4

Statistics are useless because C&D are just social constructs that can’t be measured with objective or quantitative techniques
They will only accept statistics which help understand stereotypes

Question 5

Traditional Marxists

Answer 5

Statistics are gathered by those in power and used in ways that benefit them
They are useful to understand oppression and inequality but can’t be taken at face value

Question 6

Neo-Marxists

Answer 6

More interested in manipulation of the population than power
They distrust statistics because they’re often used to support arguments that harm people

Question 7

Feminists

Answer 7

Don’t trust official statistics because they don’t get good coverage of common crimes by/against women
These issues are often embarrassing or emotionally difficult to report in surveys

Question 8

Left Realists

Answer 8

Statistics are useful to see general trends and gauge public opinion
They miss key disadvantaged groups like ethnic minorities and lower-SES communities