OVER 56 per cent of all persons interviewed cite crime and violence as the biggest problem that the country faces at this time.
This was one of the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of the Gleaner Company by Don Anderson and his team from Market Research Services Ltd.
Further, over 73 per cent of all Jamaicans interviewed are of the opinion that not enough is being done by the Government to fight crime, compared to 15 per cent who feel that a good effort is being made to tackle the problem.
This finding mirrors the results of successive polls commissioned by The Gleaner over the last five years which have indicated that there is a consistent level of concern about the crime problem in Jamaica. Unemployment concerns finished a distant second at 22 per cent.
NOT IMPRESSED
The poll, conducted between February 28 and March 20, involved interviews among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 persons across the island's 14 parishes. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 per cent.
Despite the official statistics for 2003, which suggested that there has been an overall decline in the number of major crimes such as murder, larceny, and robberies last year, Jamaicans are still not impressed with the efforts at containment.
Most Jamaicans remain concerned about the grisly murders reported in the local press, and the phenomenal increase in reports of rape and carnal abuse.
The prevailing opinion remains that crime and violence are on the increase, and this opinion is widely held by all demographic groups.
About 77 per cent of all persons interviewed in St. James feel crime is the number one problem, significantly more than the 56 per cent average across the country.
In Clarendon, 64 per cent of those polled perceive crime and violence to be the biggest problem, while 62 per cent shared this belief in the neighbouring parish of Manchester. Late last year, there was an explosion of violence and murders in Clarendon, especially drug-related killings.
EMPLOYMENT CONCERNS
It is to be noted that only persons polled in the parishes of St. Ann, Trelawny and Westmoreland believed that crime and violence was not considered the number one problem. Instead, unemployment is seen as more of a critical issue than crime and violence in these parishes.
Overall, 22 per cent of all persons interviewed cite unemployment as the second biggest problem the country faces at this time. This, too, is consistent with other surveys done over the last five years.
Despite the economic woes that the country is experiencing, just nine per cent rank this as the number one problem, while 4.4 per cent pointed to bad governance, and 3.3 per cent cited corruption as the principal problem.
There is also a very strong conviction that there has been an increase in the level of crime and violence when compared to the same time last year, a view held by 82 per cent of all respondents.
This perceived increase in crime and violence is felt by a significant number of persons to be directly linked to a fall-off in employment.
In fact, over 61 per cent of all persons interviewed feel there is a direct and traceable link to what they consider to be high levels of unemployment in the society, and increasing crime and violence.
While this was not the only link made, it was seen as the most telling issue, well above the 26 per cent of those who cited poverty as the reason, and the 22 per cent who blamed drugs.
Only six per cent of those polled thought that there has been a reduction in crime over the last year.
This they attribute to four factors, the main one being an increase in co-operation with the police.
About 32 per cent of all persons in this category cite this factor as their principal reason, while 30 per cent felt that the police are doing a good job and 29 per cent are of the opinion that the police are getting more help now from the public.
