Gender Gap Among Teen Survey Respondents: Why Are Boys More Likely to Report a Gun in the Home Than Girls?

• NCJ Number: 214471
• Journal: Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 61-76
• Author(s): Philip J. Cook; Susan B. Sorenson
• Date Published: March 2006
• Length: 16 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Joyce Foundation; David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the gender gap in reporting household guns in a sample of adolescent children, age 12 to 17 years.

Abstract

Data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) on marital households indicated that recreational gun use was positively associated with adolescents’ reports of having a gun in the home and that recreational gun use accounted for the gender gap in adolescents’ reports about household guns. In addition, the teen gap in reports of whether there was a gun in the home disappeared once personal experience with guns was taken into account suggesting that knowledge might account for much of the gap. A recent household survey found that there was a gender gap in reports of household guns in surveys of adolescents, with adolescent boys more likely than adolescent girls to report that there was a gun in the home. Utilizing the 2001 CHIS, the largest-ever State survey, this study extends this research on sex differences in knowledge of household guns to include adolescents, ages 12 to 17 years and attempts to understand why the differences exists. Tables, references