Analysis of citizen security and its impact on quality of life in the Dominican Republic 91 31

Abstract

This study analyzes citizen security in Greater Santo Domingo from the perceptions of participants linked to the institutional and community context of security during 2020-2022. The manuscript was methodologically revised to distinguish the empirical component from the documentary review used to contextualize the problem. A quantitative approach was adopted, with a non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional design. The reference population consisted of 100 people and the sample included 50 participants. Primary information was collected through a structured questionnaire and processed using descriptive statistics, frequencies, and percentages. Results indicate a critical perception of security management: 64% identified the lack of comprehensive governmental leadership as the main challenge; 48% considered strengthening the judicial and penitentiary system the main challenge to reducing crime; 54% rated the overall implementation of citizen security plans as regular; 64% considered neighborhood police patrols to be of low effectiveness; 56% perceived emergency response as slow; and 40% perceived a slight decrease in crime in their communities. On the 1-to-10 compliance scale, the most frequent score was 5, with 30%. The findings suggest perceived progress but also a gap between the existence of security policies and citizens' assessment of their implementation. Because the available instrument does not permit estimation of a causal effect on quality of life, the study avoids causal claims and treats quality of life as a contextual dimension associated with security and citizen well-being.