Replication data for: Policy Preferences after Crime Victimization: Panel and Survey Evidence from Latin America

Can crime victimization increase support for iron-fist crime-reduction policies? It is difficult to assess the political effects of crime, mainly because of the presence of unmeasured confounders. I use panel data from Brazil and strategies for reducing sensitivity to hidden biases to study how crime victims update their policy preferences. Additionally, I use survey data from 18 Latin American countries to improve the external validity of the findings. I find that crime victims are more likely to support iron-fist or strong-arm measures to reduce crime, such as allowing state repression. Also, I show that affected citizens attach less value to democracy, and that might explain their willingness to accept the erosion of basic rights in favor of radical measures to combat delinquency. These results reveal that exposure to crime can change what people think the state should be allowed to do, which can have important political implications.

犯罪受害经历是否会提升民众对强硬派犯罪治理政策（iron-fist crime-reduction policies）的支持度？评估犯罪的政治影响颇具难度，其核心诱因在于未观测混淆变量（unmeasured confounders）的存在。本文采用巴西的面板数据（panel data）与降低隐藏偏倚敏感性的研究方法，探究犯罪受害者如何调整其政策偏好。此外，本文还借助18个拉美国家的调研数据，提升研究发现的外部效度（external validity）。研究结果显示，犯罪受害者更倾向于支持用于打击犯罪的强硬或强力治理举措，例如允许国家实施强制压制措施。同时，本文还发现受犯罪影响的民众对民主的重视程度有所降低，这或可解释为何他们愿意接受基本权利遭到侵蚀，以换取采取激进举措打击犯罪行为的做法。上述研究结果表明，亲身经历犯罪会改变民众对国家权责边界的认知，这一效应具备重要的政治意涵。