Paul J. Lavrakas PhD is a Research Psychologist and Research Methodologist consultant. He served as Chief Research Methodologist for Nielsen Media Research from 2000-2007. Before joining Nielsen he was a Full Professor at Northwestern University (1978-1996) and Ohio State University (1996-2000) as well as the founding faculty director of the survey centers at both universities. He is the author of Telephone Survey Methods: Sampling Selection and Supervision (2nd Edition SAGE 1993) and four other books covering election polling and the news media as well as numerous other methodological and substantive publications and conference papers.
This accessibly written book presents a case study of a major United States initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of how citizens can protect themselves and others from crime. It examines the development and content of the 14-year long campaign and evaluates its impact on the public. The state-of-the-art data presented from this extensive survey on the public's perceptions, attitudes and behaviours with respect to crime leads to the authors providing excellent recommendations for future campaigns.