Word Homicide Survey - Global Research Report

Abstract

The World Homicide Survey is a research project centred on the idea that it is possible to gain insight into the causes of violence around the world by asking knowledgeable individuals their opinions on the social conditions in their country, the functioning of the criminal justice system, and the forms and prevalence of violence and homicide. This technical research report aims to leave behind a trace of information related to the methodology used in the study. It should help those interested in using the individual-level and country-level databases. This research report is comprised of three sections. The first section presents the World Homicide Survey in general terms, including its objectives and methodology. The second section presents the questions and descriptive results for 149 different countries, compiled from 1201 respondents. Results for eight regions are presented to offer an idea of the global variations. The dimensions covered are: 1) the varieties of homicides, 2) clearance and conviction rates, 3) public opinion of the criminal justice agencies, 4) rule of law, and 5) the importance of social factors related to violence and homicides. The third section examines the results, aggregated at the country level, their consistency, and for certain of the issues, to what extent they relate to similar sources of existing data. The fourth section presents the construction of the final data sets with dimensions and factors.