It has been suggested (particularly in the 1980s) that individuals that listen to heavy metal are more likely to be commit a crime, as shown here and here. Have any studies statistically shown so?
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3[heavy metal] tag would be to ambiguous, as there are quite a few questions related to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_(chemistry)– vartecApr 3, 2012 at 20:47
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8I didn't downvote it, but I am not a big fan. You are asking if there is any correlation. Such a result would be largely moot. Correlation is not causation. If fans of some random product tend to be young and criminals tend to be young, or if the fans tend to be male and criminals tend to be male, you would expect a correlation, no matter what the product.– Oddthinking ♦Apr 4, 2012 at 1:55
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1Very true, but it is nonetheless a claim that has been made that could use debunking. The "more crimes on a full moon" and "programmers likely to be musicians" are both correlations, and yet they are statistically relevant, no...?– LanceLafontaineApr 4, 2012 at 15:28
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4Related: Can music incite murder?, Does listening to rap music increase violent behavior?, Backwards masking in music, Does listening to rap music increase violent behavior?, and Do violent video games cause violent behavior?.– dmckee --- ex-moderator kittenMay 22, 2012 at 22:13
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1@Oddthinking - Thinking as an insurer, if you are insuring people and there is a signifigant correlation between listing to a certian type of music and an increase in certian crimes (Espically violent and/or property crimes) then a correlation is important.– ChadMay 24, 2012 at 13:12
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2 Answers
There's a couple of studies on this:
Sadly, this study doesn't seem to differentiate between "rock" and "heavy metal". People who prefer "rock" have been arrested the most (13 times, but that's a fairly low number overall) and committed "arrestable" acts the third-highest, after Dance/House and Indie-fans. Check Table 16.
The relationship between heavy metal and rap music and adolescent turmoil: real or artifact?
Adolescents who preferred heavy metal and rap music were compared with those who preferred other types of music. Results indicated that adolescents who preferred heavy metal and rap had a higher incidence of below-average school grades, school behavior problems, sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, and arrests. However, when gender was controlled, only below-average current and elementary school grades and a history of counseling in elementary school for school problems remained significant.
A longer, good write-up is Music Psychology: Heavy Metal Music.
tl;dr: Metal itself doesn't cause crimes, but adolescents with problems (who are more likely to commit crimes) are drawn to it more than adolescents without problems
This topic featured today in the newspaper (The Times, Sat Nov 17 2012, page 43). The article mentions a new survey of "the nation's metal fans" by the British Phonographic Industry with 3700 respondents.
Being a piece of journalism rather than a scientific work, the article does not give me a reference to cite, but mentions that according to the study the average metal fan is "more sporty, sociable and musical than fans of other genres ... highly educated" and that metal "is seen as a positive force in the lives of those who listen to it".
I mention this in case anyone is interested in tracking down the original survey; the Times article itself is only available online behind a paywall (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/music/article3603301.ece).