Research Methods
The purpose of this exercise is to develop a short survey. Complete Part I on this sheet. Part II is the questionnaire itself. Read and follow the instructions below. When finished, upload your assignment, to the class web site drop box by 10:59 p.m. Central time (Evansville) on Sunday, November 27th. This project is worth 100 points.
Criminal justice research questions
Part I (20 points)
1. Select a topic related to crime.
Association between the crime rate and the variables, income status of individuals in the different states of the US, seasons and the average age of the state population
2. The questionnaire shall be administered to the senior officials at the police headquarters of the various police stations in the US. They’ll provide the data on the number and types of crimes reported in their respective states. The questionnaire shall also be administered to the US Census bureau to provide information on the income statuses and the age groups of the various states in the US.
a) The survey shall be by one on one interview at the various police stations in the different states of the US. The questionnaires to be filled by the US census Bureau shall be partly sent to the mails of the bureau and the others collected one on one from the Bureau staff.
3. Identify one dependent variable relevant to your topic.
Crime rate of a given state
4. State two hypotheses relevant to this.
Hypothesis 1:
: There is no association between the crime rate of a state and the income status of the residents.
: There is association between the crime rate of a state and the income status of the residents.
Hypothesis 2:
: There is no association between the crime rate of a state and the average age of the residents of that state.
: There is association between the crime rate of a state and the average age of the residents of that state.
Criminological research questions
For the general public
1. What’s your age?
2. For how long have you been in this state? (Tick appropriately)
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Less than 1 year |
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1 year |
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2 years |
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3 years |
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4 years |
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Over 5 years |
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3. How do you rate the security of California on a scale of 1- 10.
4. What is the major type of crime you’ve witnessed in the past 1 month in this state.
Research questions for criminal justice
For the police Commissioners
1. How many cases of robbery did you report in the past 1 month?
2. How many cases of murder were reported in the past 1 month?
3. What are the monthly crime distributions for the past 1 year?
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Month |
Number reported |
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Jan |
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Feb |
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March |
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April |
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June |
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July |
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August |
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September |
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October |
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November |
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December |
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4. What is the average age of the criminals arrested in this state?
5. Specific crimes in the past 1 month.
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Crime type |
Number |
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1 |
Population |
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2 |
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter |
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3 |
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate |
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4 |
Forcible rape |
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5 |
Forcible rape rate |
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6 |
Robbery |
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7 |
Robbery rate |
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Information from the US Census bureau
1. What is the average age of the residents in the specific states?
2. What is the average household income of residents in the specific states?
