Ethnic and racial minority groups in urban areas pay closer attention to crime news than other groups, according to a new Pew Research Center report.
The study examined interest in crime across resident populations in Denver, Colo., Macon, Ga., and Sioux City, Iowa. In all the cities, crime news is popular, Pew Researchers Paul Hitlin and Katerina Eva Matsa wrote in a blog post about the research.
“In each city at least three-in-ten people follow crime very closely and more than half of residents often discuss crime with others,” they wrote.
But in Denver, Hispanic residents follow crime news “at nearly twice the rate of white, 49 percent versus 26 percent.” About 60 percent of black residents in Macon follow crime news closely, while about 43 percent of white residents do.
“It is important to note that these three demographic variables are related to each other: Blacks in Macon and Hispanics in Denver report lower levels of income and education,” Hitlin and Matsa write.
Read the full report HERE.