Crime remains top concern despite declining stats
National pride persists as Jamaicans grapple with violence, cost of living
Published:Sunday | October 20, 2024 | 12:10 AMErica Virtue - Senior Gleaner Writer
Despite year-on-year declines in all major categories across the island, crime and violence continue to be the foremost concern for Jamaicans.
Up to October 12, police statistics showed that murders have fallen by 19.2 per cent since January when compared to the corresponding period in 2023. Over the same period, shootings have also fallen by 6.6 per cent, rape by 29.7 per cent, robberies by 18.7, and break-ins by 2.1 per cent.
This news, however, seems to be of little comfort to 48 per cent of Jamaicans, who say crime and violence is the biggest problem facing the country at this time. A 47 per cent also said the high level of crime is what bothers them most. But despite the multiplicity of concerns and issues they identified, 80 per cent remain extremely proud or very proud to be identified as Jamaicans.
These are among the findings from a national poll conducted by Don Anderson and his team from Market Research Services Limited (MRSL), between September 27 and October 3, 2024. A total of 1,012 persons, aged 18 years and over, were interviewed across all parishes in a nationally representative sample with a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level.
MRSL has indicated that non-aligned, publicly traded private sector interests assisted in financing the research, the parameters of which were determined solely by MRSL.
“Despite the official reports that there has been a reduction in crime and violence across Jamaica, there is still the perception among a significant number of persons that crime and violence is the biggest problem facing Jamaicans today,” said MRSL CEO Anderson in his summation of the results.
With 48 per cent of all persons interviewed citing crime and violence as Jamaica’s biggest problem, Anderson said this was “far and above any other factor spontaneously identified by the respondents. The only other factor mentioned to any extent as the biggest problem we currently face is the high cost of living/high prices with 15 per cent singling this out”.
The findings also revealed that unemployment was seen as most pressing by eight per cent of the respondents, lack of opportunities for youth by seven per cent, and corruption by six per cent.
Dr Christopher Charles, professor of political and social psychology at The University of the West Indies, Mona, is not surprised by the findings.
“The very high homicide rate over many decades; ignoring domestic violence in dysfunctional homes that are the incubators for the killers; the absence of customer service and efficiency in the country; the press conference journalism phenomenon in which many journalists seem unwilling to ask searching questions of powerful people; the substandard high school graduates flooding our universities; and our inability to solve problems at the personal, organisational, community and national levels,” he cited, giving additional insights into the challenges facing the country.
Charles expressed his deep concern about the poor quality of customer service at all societal levels and the alarming deficit of problem-solving skills among the population, which he believes negatively impacts family life and community stability.
“We are unable to solve our problems in the country. We confuse degree holders with problem solvers. There is low quality of public discussion and low levels of integrity and rampant corruption in the country,” he lamented.
He also cited the absence of decent work that is fairly compensated and productive work in a safe environment among the things that bother him most.
Respondents to the question of what bothers them most highlighted various issues, including a stagnant economy, brain drain, poor infrastructure, prolonged recovery from natural disasters, and limited access to education and healthcare. Other concerns included high levels of corruption in government, societal issues like incivility and lack of unity, low wages, and the political culture of the country.
The education system has also faced scrutiny, with diminishing returns in science and technology subjects, exacerbated by a shortage of skilled staff due to overseas opportunities. This year’s external examination results for secondary students showed only 18 per cent of students passing five or more subjects, including mathematics and English – a three percentage point decrease from the previous year.
William Knibb Memorial High School Principal Linvern Wright shared his concerns about corruption’s pervasive influence in society.
“I’m concerned about the proliferation of persons who are comfortable with corrupt or illegal means of obtaining material gains. The notion that it is bad mind or envy that causes one to stand against such things makes the level of collusion with corruption and illegality by many of us, a horrifying phenomenon,” he said.
Despite their serious concerns about crime and the high cost of living, a significant majority of Jamaicans still express pride in their national identity. Eighty per cent of those interviewed reported feeling either extremely proud (44 per cent) or very proud (36 per cent) to be Jamaican, while 12 per cent described themselves as moderately proud.
Both Charles and Wright also expressed pride in being Jamaican despite the challenges.
“I’m proud of the quality music and the legacy of consciousness left by musicians like [Bob] Marley, [Peter] Tosh, [Louie] Culture and people like Burning Spear. The feats of people like Olympians [Usain] Bolt, [Donald] Quarrie, [Merlene] Ottey, [Shelly-Ann] Fraser-Pryce and all our great relay teams make me a proud Jamaican,” said Wright.
For Charles: “I am 100 per cent Jamaican not because of what we have achieved since 1962 (Independence) – just the basics – but because of what we can achieve.”