A Study on the Development of the Korean Crime Harm Index: A Public Perception Model

• In Event: Measuring and Interpreting Perceptions of Crime

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a Korean Crime Harm Index (CHI) by assessing public perception of the harm severity of 64 crime categories. The Crime Harm Index (CHI) has been considered a more effective method for evaluating regional crime levels (Sherman et al., 2016). Research on CHI has identified three major approaches to its development. As the first study on the development of a Korean CHI, this research adopts the public perception model.
A nationwide survey was conducted with a sample of 1,000 respondents, selected based on regional, gender, and age group population proportions. Socio-demographic variables were set as independent variables, while the perceived harm severity of each crime category served as the dependent variable. A regression analysis was performed, and the coefficient of determination from the regression model was used to calculate the weighted harm severity for each crime category. Based on the analysis results, a Korean Crime Harm Index was developed.
Using South Korea’s 2023 crime statistics, this study calculates regional crime harm levels and examines the differences between the traditional five-serious-crime approach and the crime harm index approach.

Authors

• Hyunseok Jang, Kyonggi University

• Yeondae Jung, Joonbu University

• DOWOO KIM, Kyungnam University

• Junho Park, Kyonggi Univ.

• Minkyeong Kim, Kyonggi University