NCJ Number
221061
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 47 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2007 Pages: 918-937
Date Published
November 2007
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study used the integrated, multilevel framework developed in the West in order to explain variation in the risk of household burglary within the city of Tianjin, China.
Abstract
The study found that in Tianjin, as in Western cities, the risk of household burglary varied significantly across neighborhoods. The increasing diversity of neighborhoods in Chinese cities has been accompanied by spatial differentiation in levels of burglary. Selected household variables were related to burglary in a manner consistent with the routine activities/lifestyle framework. A common indicator of target attractiveness, i.e., household income, was positively associated with the risk of household burglary; whereas, two indicators of guardianship--length of residence and someone at home--were negatively associated with this risk. As predicted by social disorganization theory, neighborhood processes of collective action and cooperation and public control affected burglary risk. Still, the interconnections between neighborhood structures and urban crime in China involved different dynamics from those observed in the West. This may be because poor urban neighborhoods in China are not as likely to experience "social disorganization" as are Western urban neighborhoods. This may be because decentralized government agencies, including neighborhood police stations, are widespread and influential in the organization and services provided across neighborhoods of varying economic status. Study data were obtained from a household survey of approximately 2,500 respondents 18 years old and over living in Tianjin in 2004. The sample was drawn from the six traditional districts located in the central urban area of the city. Fifty-one households were selected in each of the 50 selected neighborhoods. The dependent variable was self-reported victimization by household burglary within the last 5 years. Eight household variables reflected target attractiveness, guardianship, and target exposure. Other independent variables pertained to neighborhood structure and forms of social control. 2 tables, 53 references, and appended statistical model (hierarchical logistic regression)