A fence partly closed off the main entrance to a parking lot. There was a narrow gap and a no-admittance sign that pointed out a new entry, 200 yards away. A second sign prohibited locking bikes to the fence.
When the fence was clear, 27 percent of people heading for their cars ignored the no-admittance sign and squeezed through the gap in the fence. But after several bikes were locked to the fence in defiance of that ban, 82 percent of people going to their cars squeezed through the prohibited entry.
This doesn't prove the broken windows theory, but it does make it more plausible. Public order matters.
1 comment:
What is your suggestion for maintaining public order in these situations? Should we hire more people to go around writing citations? Should we increase the penalty for breaking these ordinances?
Perhaps there is a better way: At church, when I see kids misbehaving, the best thing is often an adult--anyone--to say something. Sometimes I am frustrated by the congregation's lack of involvement in corralling poor behavior. Often, an adult is around when I am not, so to expect me alone to control behavior is unrealistic. Possibly, citizen involvement is the best method in your scenario.
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