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THE INDEPENDENT AND NON·PARTISAN STATEWIDE SURVEY OF
PUBLIC OPINION ESTABLiSHED IN 1947 BY MERVIN D. FIELD.
234 Front Streer
San Francisco 94111
(415) 39;:S763
COPYRIGHT 1978 BY THE FIELD INSTITUTE.
FOR PUBLICATION BY SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.
Release #985
For Release - FRIDAY, September 15, 1978
PUBLIC ALMOST EVENLY DIVIDED
ON WHETHER PATTY HEARST
SHOULD SERVE OUT HER PRISON
TERM OR BE SET FREE.
IMPORTANT: Contract for this service is
subject to revocation if publication or
broadcast takes place before release date
or if contents of report are divulged to
persons outside of subscriber staff prior
to release time.
By Mervin D. Field
The California public is almost evenly divided on whether Patty Hearst
should serve out her prison term or be set free by a pardon or parole.
A California Poll survey completed late in August found that 48% of
the public thinks she should serve her full prison sentence and 43%
thinks she should be either pardoned or paroled. Among this latter group
more think she should be paroled rather than pardoned.
Another 9% have
no opinion on this issue.
The Patty Hearst case has generated widespread public attention
during the past 4~ years.
In this current survey, 85% of the public say
they have either paid a great deal or some attention to the case.
During the long saga which started with Miss Hearst's kidnapping,
subsequent release of her tape recorded statements made public by her
captors, her later capture and court trials, The California Poll found
in several previous surveys that the public was not sympathetic to her
plight.
Early in 1975, a California Poll survey revealed that most of the
public felt that she was remaining with the SLA voluntarily, and they
felt that if this proved to be the case, she should be sent to prison.
In 1976 after her capture and trial, a large majority of the public
supported the guilty verdict handed down in the San Francisco bank
robbery trial and felt that she should be sent to prison rather than
put on probation.
Last year's probation sentence which Patty Hearst
got for her part in the Los Angeles sporting goods store shoot-out
incident was considered "too lenient" by a large majority of the public.
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The California Poll has operated continuously since 1947 as an independent, non·partisan media sponsored public opinion news service. The Poll is owned by
Field Research Corporation and since 1976 has been operated by The Field Institute, a non·prof'll, non·partisan research group engaged in conducting studies of
public opinion on issues of social significance. The Field I nstitute is dedicated to encouraging the widest possible dissemination of social survey findings to the
public and for the public benefit. The Institute receives its support from academic, governmental, media, and private sources.
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The California Poll
page 2
#985
However, today's findings appear to represent a diminishment of
the punitive attitude the public had and it may be that the public is
becoming more sympathetic to her.
Following the pattern of responses found in earlier surveys, women
and young adults in Miss Hearst's own age group display less sympathy
for her than do men and other age groups.
Where 49% of the men think
she should be paroled or pardoned, just 38% of the women think this.
Among adults in the 18-24 age group, just 30% think she should be
paroled or pardoned. Sentiment for a parole or pardon is about half
again higher among other age groups.
FEELINGS ABOUT PATTY HEARST
Serve
Full
Term
Should be
Paroled
Pardoned
No
Opinion
STATEWIDE
48%
27
16
9
Southern California
Northern California
50%
45%
25
30
15
17
10
8
Men
Women
42%
53
31
23
18
15
9
9
18-24 years of age
25-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 and older
62%
43%
47%
50%
42%
47%
27
34
28
29
29
20
3
12
19
13
20
24
8
11
6
8
9
9
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THE INDEPENDENT AND NON-P,L\RTiSAN STATEVv'IDF. SURVEY OF
PUBLIC OPINION ESTABLISHED IN 1947 BY MERVIN D. FIELD.
234 Front Street
San Francisco 94111
(415) 392-5763
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SURVEY
Release #985
DATES AND TIME OF INTERVIEWING
August 12 through August 26, 1978.
all day Saturday and Sunday.
Late afternoon and evenings,
POPULATION COVERED
Representative cross-section of California adult public.
INTERVIEWING METHOD
Personal face-to-face
SIZE OF SAMPLE
Statewide
Age
Total interviews
543
Southern California
Northern California
307
236
Men
Women
267
276
18-24
25-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 or over
68
73
122
82
82
113
QUESTIONS ASKED
How much attention have you paid to the Patty Hearst case during the
past two years? Would you say a great deal of attention, some attention
or little or no attention?
Well, as you know, after Patty Hearst was kidnapped and lat~r found in
1975, she was convicted of taking part in a San Francisco bank robbery and
was sentenced to a seven year term in prison. As of now she has spent
15 months in jailor prison.
Some people say that Patty Hearst ought now to be pardoned or paroled and
set free.
Others say that she should serve out her prison term. How do
you feel about this -- should Patty Hearst be pardoned, should she be
paroled, or should she serve her full term?
The California Poll has operated continuously since 1947 as an independent, non·partisan media sponsored public opinion news service. The Poll is owned by
Field Research Corporation and since 1976 has been operated by The Field Institute, a non·profit, non-partisan research group engaged in conducting studies of
,public opinion on issues of social significance. The Field Institute is dedicated to encouraging the widest possible dissemination of social survey findings to the
public and for the public benefit The Institute receives its support from academic, governmental, media, and private sources.
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SURVEY METHOD
Interviews in this survey were made with respondents in their homes.
Sampled homes
are drawn in accordance with a probability sample design that gives all areas of the
state and all neighborhoods a properly proportionate chance to be included.
Specific
cluster locations are determined by random selection of key addresses from current
telephone directories. Non-telephone homes are drawn into the sample by a special
method of cluster formation and are fully accounted for in the final sample. Up to
four calls are made to each number at different times to reach one adult in each
household. Adult respondent is selected for interview using an objective, self-weighted
procedure to provide a balance of age and sex.
SAMPLING RELIABILITY
The sampling reliability of data from this sample is shown below. These figures
represent an estimate of average sampling tolerances at the 95% confidence level; that
is, the chances are about 19 out of 20 that if the whole population of the state had
-l:.leen "SoW:'.v€ ¥ OO with the same questionnaire, ~,resuJ 't-S7-e.f.. tllJil....compJ ete"-eensJls __wou.l.cL not
be found to deviate from the obtained survey findings by more than plus or minus the
amount shown below.
Sample Size
1300
1000
Plus/minus sampling tolerance
(in percentage points)
3.0
3.5
800
3.9
600
400
4.5
200
100
50
5.5
7.7
11.0
16.0
POLL OPERATION AND SPONSORSHIP
The California Poll has operated continuously since 1947 as an independent non-partisan
media sponsored public opinion news service. The Poll is owned by Field Research
Corporation has since 1976 has been operated by The Field Institute, a non-profit,
non-partisan research group engaged in conducting studies of public opinion on issues
ofcSoc;ial..sa.gntiicance_ The J:nstitute receives its financial support from academic,
governmental, media and private sources.