[WillPostForFood]

The study posted cites this study on racial stereotypes.

http://sci-hub.tw/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2011.00255.x

And this is the survey data on white perception of crime:

“When you think about people who break into homes and businesses, approximately what percent would you say are Black?”

40.4% Mean Perceived

31.7% Actual

“When you think about people who rob other people at gunpoint, approximately what percent would you say are Black?”

43.4% Mean Perceived

42.0% Actual

“When you think about people who sell illegal drugs, approximately what percent would you say are Black?”

40.2% Mean Perceived

33.6% Actual

“When you think just about juveniles who commit crimes, approximately what percent would you say are Black?”

40.8% Mean Perceived

31.3% Actual

Given that blacks are about 12% of the US population, these numbers show both that blacks commit a disproportionately large percentage of crimes, and that whites slightly over perceive this. It might be more valuable for blacks to focus on ways to lower the actual crime rate than the perceived crime rate.

[antisthenes]

It's interesting that they don't pose the same questions for other races.

I'd venture to say a bad thing like crime is always going to be overperceived in occurrence compared to what it actually is.

Unfortunately, for some crimes, like robbing people at gunpoint, the reality seems to come dangerously close to the overperception.

[skh]

It might be more valuable for blacks to focus on ways to lower the actual crime rate than the perceived crime rate.

Oh definitely this is needed. Poor city black culture has some very negative aspects to it that this community needs to address. This fact coupled with the environment of political correctness makes it hard to have honest discussions about race.