NCJ Number
204191
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2004 Pages: 66-91
Date Published
January 2004
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study provided a cross-national comparative test of routine activities and lifestyle theories in relation to burglaries in England and Wales, the United States, and the Netherlands.
Abstract
The main research question asks whether indicators derived from routine activity and lifestyle theory affect household burglary incidence similarly across all three countries. In order to test this question, and perhaps contribute to methodological knowledge, national victimization surveys from roughly the same time period were analyzed: the 1994 British Crime Survey, the 1994 National Crime Victimization Survey, and the 1993 Police Monitor. Comparative negative binomial models were developed on the basis of routine activities theory. The two main advantages to using negative binomial models in this study were that they account for the role of repeat victimization and they allow for an examination of the extent of unexplained heterogeneity between households in different countries. Also, all available indicators of routine activities and lifestyle theories were incorporated into the models and statistical controls for the demographic characteristics were included. The results indicate that compared to the two European countries, the United States has more idiosyncratic patterns of burglary victimization. However, variables that measure lifestyle characteristics on burglary victimization reveal similar effects across the three countries. Particularly predictive of the chances for burglary victimization were the variables of age, lone parent household, urbanization, and the presence of security measures. Variables displaying effects in opposite directions included rental accommodations, which indicated that rented accommodations were associated with increased rates of burglary in the United Kingdom but lower rates of burglary in the Netherlands. Similarly, household affluence increased burglary rates in the United Kingdom but decreased burglary rates in the United States. Thus, despite some differences in the survey designs and datasets that were examined, the cross-national patterns revealed by the analysis generally support the routine activity and lifestyle theories. Limitations of the study include a lack of information on neighborhood level data pertaining to burglaries. Implications of the findings suggest that current formulations of routine activity and lifestyle theory may only partially explain the occurrence of repeat victimization. Tables, references