Revisiting Public Opinion: Replication of a Public Opinion Survey on Sex Offender Housing

• In Event: Advances in Sexual Offense Policy Research: Residency Restrictions and Housing

Abstract

This project is a replication of an earlier experimental survey to compare citizen attitudes about housing various stigmatized populations, including sex offenders, in a motel in their community. In this replication, we used a nationally representative YouGov survey to ask respondents to view hypothetical vignettes and then answer a series of questions measuring their support for policies that would positively or negatively affect the lives of sex offenders. These policy options concerned improving living conditions of the motel, or moving the motel to a more isolated location, and varied the amount of personal sacrifice (i.e., tax dollars) required to implement the policy. Results and policy implications in light of the replication will be discussed.

Authors

• Kelly M Socia, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Christopher P Dum, Kent State University

• Jason Rydberg, University of Massachusetts, Lowell