NCJ Number
137182
Date Published
1985
Length
22 pages
Annotation
The findings of the 1981 Canadian Urban Victimization Survey reported here describe the incidence of criminal victimization of the elderly, the nature and consequences of victimization, and the attitudes and concerns of elderly Canadians toward crime.
Abstract
Survey data indicate that relative to other age groups in Canadian urban centers, elderly people are rarely the victims of the types of crimes measured by the survey. Apparently, however, the consequences of victimization are more severe for the elderly than for younger individuals; for example, the financial loss and injury that result from victimization are more severe for elderly people than for victims in any other age group. There are also preliminary indications that the emotional consequences of criminal victimization are especially severe for elderly people. The survey data are consistent with those from other countries in showing that, although rarely victimized, elderly people were more fearful of crime than any other group. Regarding attitudes toward police, elderly people rated police highly on approachability, promptness in responding to calls, and general enforcement of laws. The elderly did not rate the police highly on the provision of crime prevention information. Elderly Canadians were less likely than the young to have heard of, and to have participated in, community crime prevention programs. Appended information on the survey and on definitions and limitations