Digital Boundaries: Examining Differences in Perception Between Online and Offline Crime

• In Event: Myths, Media, and Perceptions of Crime

Abstract

Despite the rise in cybercrime incidents, very little research has been conducted into how these crimes are perceived and responded to by potential victims, especially compared to traditional crimes. We conducted five between-subjects surveys, four of which served to directly compare perceptions of offline and online crimes (burglary vs. cyber-theft, and stalking vs. cyberstalking) and one of which looked at perceptions of a purely online crime (distributing malware). The attitudes explored included: perceptions of how harmful and wrongful the crime is, victimisation likelihood, perceived responsibility of victims, crime reporting likelihood, likelihood to take preventatives measures and police capability in responding to the crime. UK residents were recruited via SurveyMonkey. We find distinctions made by policymakers between cyber and traditional crimes may not accurately reflect public perception. Crimes seem to be differentiated between in terms of their impact, and clarity of commission. Burglary, cybertheft and malware therefore were consistently treated very similarly, while stalking and cyberstalking were also treated similarly. We did observe, however, that people seem to be more concerned and proactive towards malware threats. Our findings have implications for effectively designing public engagement programs, in order to increase reporting rates and the adoption of preventative measures.

Authors

• Anna Mattalia, University College London

• Jamie Andrews, University College London

• Natalie Arnett, University College London

• Fryni Kostara, University College London

• Sarah Meiklejohn, University College London