Views of Formal and Informal Crime Control and Their Correlates in China

For thousands of years, traditional China relied on a morality-based system of informal, socially enforced control. After its 1978 economic reforms, China embraced a more Western model of social control, based on laws and enforced by official governmental controlling organizations. However, few studies have examined correlates of formal and informal social control in a quantitative manner. This study analyzed data from 109 purposively selected residents in Hubei province and found that increased mobility was related to a belief that formal control was more effective. Collectivism was inversely related to the attitude that formal sanctions are a powerful deterrent to crime. Finally, satisfaction with police was positively related both to the belief in the deterrent value of formal sanctions and of informal sanctions.