News From NCPC

McGruff the Crime Dog, Known and Respected Across America

A survey conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. for the National Crime Prevention Council has shown that nearly three-quarters of adult Americans recognize McGruff the Crime Dog and better than nine in ten know him once his name is mentioned. 

Since his first televised appearance in 1980, McGruff has been widely recognized as the nation’s crime prevention symbol and has maintained a strong positive image.  Three studies by Harris dealt with the relevance of the McGruff character in modern times. 

Key Findings-Adults

• McGuff is a widely recognized figure among adults. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) recognize him simply by looking at his picture.  Better than nine in ten (94 percent) know him once his name is mentioned.
• Those who said they knew McGruff by his picture could also correctly identify his name (77 percent unaided), profession (78 percent identified him as a “crime fighter”), and slogan (89 percent were aware of “Take a Bite Out of Crime”).
• McGruff was correctly identified with his parent organization (National Crime Prevention Council) by over six in ten adults (61 percent).
• McGruff sustains a strong positive image. More than 90 percent of adult Americans agree that the following attributes accurately describe McGruff:
  • He is seen as informative, helpful, trustworthy, effective, respected, caring, approachable, and relevant.
  • Also 72 percent say that he is “cool.”
• Two-thirds (67 percent) of adults feel that McGruff did not need updating even though McGruff is 26 years old.
• Adults see McGruff as a widely effective communicator. A majority of adults feel that McGruff’s image and messages are applicable to adults as well as children. Six out of ten adults (59 percent) say they are “very likely” or “likely” to act on his advice.
• Less than a quarter (22 percent) of adults think that McGruff’s messages are only for kids. These respondents believe that this is largely because he is a cartoon or fictional character – in keeping with typical genres for children.
• Most adults believe that kids (88 percent), followed closely by teens (68 percent), are the appropriate audience for McGruff and his messages. In addition over half (55 percent) of adults of prime parenting years (ages 30 to 64) think parents are a suitable audience, and nearly two-thirds of adults over 65 (65 percent) believe that seniors would benefit from McGruff’s messages as well.
• Adults see McGruff as a reliable source for crime prevention information. Retirees (67 percent) and homemakers (70 percent) are the most likely to say that they would act on McGruff’s advice. Also, adults who view McGruff as a credible spokesman (62 percent) are more likely to act on his advice.

Key Findings-Teens

• Teens show strong recognition of McGruff, with 79 percent knowing who he is without being prompted with his name. When prompted with his name 92 percent of teens recognize McGruff.
• Of those that recognized McGruff by his picture alone, 72 percent know his name, and 70 percent correctly associated him with his job as a crime fighter.
• Teens, though notorious for not listening to authority figures, would listen to McGruff. Seven out of ten (69 percent) would be “likely,” “very likely,” or “extremely likely” to listen to his important information, tips, or advice.

Key Findings-Kids

• Children ages 8 to 12 show a strong recognition of McGruff. Nearly eight in ten (78 percent) said they knew who he was without being prompted with his name. When prompted with his name, 93 percent reported that they knew McGruff.
• Of those who were able to recognize McGruff from his picture alone, 76 percent were able to correctly identify his name, and 69 percent correctly identified his occupation as a crime fighter.
• Kids are very likely to listen to McGruff’s advice. Eight in ten (80 percent) acknowledge that they would be “likely,” “very likely,” or “extremely likely” to listen to his advice on important crime prevention issues.