Interaction Effect between Poverty and Income Inequality on Burglaries

• In Event: Roundtable: Social Structure and Crime

Abstract

Burglaries are crimes that all home owners and renters have to worry about. Although some have better means of protecting their property, those that live in poverty do not. Poverty and income inequality has been an indicator for crimes. The belief is that criminals burglarize because they are in need of money. This should be more rampant in areas with high poverty. Also with high income inequality, those that are lower in income will burglarize those that have more income. To test if they are significant variables for burglaries, we would look at the interaction effect. This is done through linear regression graphing and analysis. The findings show that as poverty level increases, the amount of burglaries also rises. Interestingly, as levels of income inequality rises, the increase in burglaries slows down. This can be due to those with higher incomes being able to protect their homes better with security measures such as fences and home security systems.

Authors

• Atsuhito Saito, University of Memphis

• Bert Burraston, University of Memphis

• James McCutcheon, University of Memphis