Youth Crime and Community Safety Perceptions Survey

Thanks for taking a few minutes to share your views on youth crime and safety in your community. Your honest perspective helps local leaders decide where to focus resources. Your responses are completely confidential and anonymized. This should take about 6-8 minutes.

Over the last 12 months, how do you think youth crime (ages roughly 10-17) has changed in your neighborhood?

• Decreased a lot
• Decreased somewhat
• Stayed about the same
• Increased somewhat
• Increased a lot
• Not sure

How concerned are you about youth crime affecting safety where you live?

In the last 12 months, which of the following have you personally experienced? Select all that apply.

• Witnessed vandalism or property damage by youth
• Witnessed a physical altercation or fight
• Was the victim of theft or property crime by a young person
• Had a family member involved with the youth justice system
• Attended a community meeting about youth safety

How much of a cause do you think each of the following is behind youth crime in your community?

Which of these approaches to reducing youth crime do you think would be most and least effective in your community?

• More after-school and recreational programs
• Increased police patrols in neighborhoods
• Mentorship and role-model programs
• Restorative justice or diversion programs
• Job training and employment programs for youth
• Accessible mental health and counseling services
• Parenting support and family services
• Stricter sentencing and enforcement

How much do you trust local police and the justice system to handle youth crime fairly and effectively?

How much do you support diverting first-time, non-violent young offenders into community-based programs instead of formal criminal charges?

Explore the reasoning behind this respondent's top-rated intervention from the prioritization exercise and their view on diversion programs for young offenders — ask what a real-world example of that approach working (or failing) would look like to them. If they reported personally witnessing or being affected by an incident, have them walk through what happened and what response, if any, followed. If they expressed low trust in police or the justice system, probe what specifically drove that view.

What is your age range? (optional)

• Under 18
• 18-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• 55-64
• 65 or older
• Prefer not to say

Which best describes your connection to this community? (optional)

• Resident
• Parent or guardian of a young person
• Teacher or school staff
• Local business owner
• Local official or service provider
• Other
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for sharing your perspective. Your responses will be combined with others to help guide local priorities and funding for youth safety programs.