April 21, 1998 For Immediate Release

A first-ever survey of crime and quality of life in Prince George has found that criminal victimization and feelings about safety have relatively little impact on people's life satisfaction or happiness in Prince George.

The survey of 730 residents was conducted in November and December, 1997, by University of Northern British Columbia professors Alex Michalos and Bruno Zumbo. Some of the highlights include:

• 38% had been a victim of crime in the past year. Of those, most people had been victims of theft under $5000 (22%) or a break-and-enter (11%).
• 78% of respondents feel that crime had increased in the City in the past two years. 74% feel crime has increased in local schools.
• The most-mentioned worry is that a thief will break into the respondent's home while he/she is away.
• Misbehaving youth was the most commonly cited neighbourhood problem.
• 54% feel safe or very safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark.
• There is overall satisfaction with personal and family safety in the neighbourhood.

A previous survey of the quality of life in Prince George cited crime as a major concern among residents. "We wanted to go beyond recognizing it as an issue and actually explain the impact of crime-related issues on people's life satisfaction," says Dr Michalos. "While it's an important issue, we found that crime is simply displaced by other measures such as family life, health, friendships, etc., when people measure their personal quality of life."

The survey was conducted in conjunction with the local detachment of the RCMP.