The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Fighting, Shoplifting and Vandalism in Young Adults

Ieuan Evans, Jon Heron, Joseph Murray, Matthew Hickman and Gemma Hammerton
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Ieuan Evans: Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
Jon Heron: Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
Joseph Murray: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul 96020-220, Brazil
Matthew Hickman: Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
Gemma Hammerton: Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Experimental studies support the conventional belief that people behave more aggressively whilst under the influence of alcohol. To examine how these experimental findings manifest in real life situations, this study uses a method for estimating evidence for causality with observational data—‘situational decomposition’ to examine the association between alcohol consumption and crime in young adults from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Self-report questionnaires were completed at age 24 years to assess typical alcohol consumption and frequency, participation in fighting, shoplifting and vandalism in the previous year, and whether these crimes were committed under the influence of alcohol. Situational decomposition compares the strength of two associations, (1) the total association between alcohol consumption and crime (sober or intoxicated) versus (2) the association between alcohol consumption and crime committed while sober. There was an association between typical alcohol consumption and total crime for fighting [OR (95% CI): 1.47 (1.29, 1.67)], shoplifting [OR (95% CI): 1.25 (1.12, 1.40)], and vandalism [OR (95% CI): 1.33 (1.12, 1.57)]. The associations for both fighting and shoplifting had a small causal component (with the association for sober crime slightly smaller than the association for total crime). However, the association for vandalism had a larger causal component.

Keywords: alcohol; crime; situational decomposition; ALSPAC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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