Logotyp: till Uppsala universitets webbplats

Personality and criminality constitute a well-established area of research, with previous studies demonstrating that personality traits such as Agreeableness can predict criminal behavior, were high Agreeableness correlates negatively with criminal behavior. However, less research has examined how personality influences attitudes toward criminal acts. Against this background, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between Agreeableness and attitudes toward crime. The study employed a quantitative approach in which 323 participants completed a questionnaire containing items measuring Agreeableness and attitudes toward different types of crime. The correlation and regression analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between Agreeableness and attitudes toward non-violent crimes, whereas no corresponding relationship was found for violent crimes. The results partially supported the hypotheses that Agreeableness would correlate negatively with attitudes toward crimes. The findings indicate that personality traits are associated with how individuals morally evaluate criminal acts, however, Agreeableness as a single predictor does not fully account for variation in these moral evaluations.The conclusion is therefore that personality traits such as Agreeableness should be understood as part of a broader framework together with other variables, rather than as an isolated explanatory model.