Self-protection against crime victimization: Theory and evidence from university campuses

W. David Allen

International Review of Law and Economics, 2013, vol. 34, issue C, 21-33

Abstract: Economic analysis of self-protection against crime has a lengthy history, but we have not extensively investigated how people simultaneously engage in self-protection alongside routine activities that expose individuals to the risk of crime victimization in the first place – behaviors such as recreation and work. This paper addresses three essential questions along these lines: how people decide to self-protect, how they blend self-protection with the other activities, and the influence of the social and economic environment around them. Conceptually, answers emerge when we apply the classic state-preference theoretical framework and carefully consider the role of the probability of victimization, the presumed effectiveness of self-protection, and the outcome of the self-protection decision in the context of recreation and work. To investigate the empirical environment of self-protection, I use a unique data set containing detailed information about the self-protective, recreational, and employment practices of over 3000 U.S. university students. A series of statistical probes provides a profile of personal as well as wider social and economic circumstances that shape the individual self-protection decision; the empirical patterns illustrate how individuals selectively use social and personal resources when protecting themselves against crime as they go about their everyday lives.

Keywords: Self-protection; Crime; Victims; College (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:irlaec:v:34:y:2013:i:c:p:21-33

DOI: 10.1016/j.irle.2012.11.002

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