Table 2

Beliefs about risks associated with a gun in the home by respondent characteristic* (n=4138)

	Respondents who think home occupants are more safe or less safe with a gun (%)
Characteristic	More safe (n=1169)	It depends (n=971)	Less safe (n=1616)	Don't know (n=382)	p Value†
*Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding. Weighted per cents are provided to account for sampling design.
†p Values for likelihood ratio χ² test for ordinal predictor variables and one way analysis of variance for continuous predictor variables.
‡17% of respondents refused.
§Victimization of respondent, respondent's close friend, or family member.
¶Mean scores and standard deviations. Measured on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 = “not worried at all” and 10 = “extremely worried about members of your family or close friends becoming a victim of violent crime”.
Sex
Male	36	23	35	7
Female	22	23	45	10	0.001
Age group (years)
18–34	31	24	40	6
35–65	29	24	40	8
>65	25	22	41	13	0.001
Ethnicity/race
White	29	23	40	8
African American	28	26	36	10
Other	30	20	41	10	0.30
Education (years)
≤12	32	25	34	9
>12	25	21	47	8	0.001
Income ($)‡
<25 000	30	24	38	8
25–54 999	31	23	39	7
≥55 000	26	21	45	8	0.01
Children <18 living at home
Yes	27	22	45	7
No	30	24	37	9	0.001
Political party affiliation
Republican	36	25	32	7
Independent	28	23	40	9
Democrat	22	21	48	9	0.001
Handgun ownership among respondents
Yes	56	27	11	6
No	20	22	49	9	0.001
Violent victimization§
Yes	31	24	38	8
No	28	23	41	9	0.12
Gun related crime in the neighborhood
Never	30	25	36	9
Rarely	28	24	41	8
Occasionally	28	21	43	8
Frequently	32	23	38	7	0.06
Trust in the police to keep the neighborhood safe
A lot of trust	27	23	41	9
Some trust	27	23	42	8
Very little/no trust	36	24	32	8	0.001
Fear of violent victimization¶	5.6 (2.9)	5.9 (2.7)	6.0 (2.7)	5.7 (2.8)	0.003