NCJ Number
82292
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1981) Pages: 249-252
Date Published
1981
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from a study that examined attitudes toward shoplifting among four groups representing different segments of Australian society, and the relationship between social alienation and these attitudes was measured.
Abstract
Australian citizens have traditionally had sympathetic attitudes toward criminals, particularly minor offenders, because of the British use of Australia as a repository for convicts. This has been called the Ned Kelly syndrome, named after a highway robber who has become a folk hero because of his skill in eluding capture. To test whether the Ned Kelly syndrome is still strong in Australia, four different segments of society were questioned about their attitudes toward shoplifting. The sample consisted of 54 members of tennis and bowling clubs (the bourgeois), 32 shop assistants, 36 high school students, and 43 Lebanese immigrants. The questionnaire used contained 32 items covering a range of attitudes toward shoplifting, with 16 of the items being proshoplifting and 16 antishoplifting. The Ray (1974) alienation scale was used to measure social alienation. Overall, all groups were strongly disapproving of shoplifting. Higher degrees of social alienation correlated with sympathetic attitudes toward shoplifting in the club and student groups. One note, four references, and the questionnaire are provided.