NCJ Number
179547
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1997 Pages: 91-100
Date Published
1997
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper reports findings from an exploratory analysis of State differences in burglary victimization in Australia.
Abstract
Using data from the 1993 National Crime and Safety Survey (NCSS), the study investigated the extent to which some indicators of guardianship and social integration accounted for variation in burglary victimization, both within and across the five Australian mainland States. Findings show that guardianship was an important factor in predicting burglary victimization within the five States. Households with no member age 60 years or over, not comprised of a married couple, where no persons stayed at home during the day were consistently found to be more likely to be burgled than households with at least one member aged 60 years or over, comprised of a married couple, where at least one person stayed home during the day. Trends in high levels of long-term unemployment and increasing trends toward home-based small business will tend to "re-populate" the suburbs during the day. This should increase the guardianship of dwellings during the day. Although the variables included in the analysis were useful in accounting for some variation in intrastate differences in burglary victimization, they explained little about interstate differences. The available indexes of both guardianship and social integration provided little explanatory insight into differences in burglary victimization across the five States. Research design to address this issue is discussed. 4 tables, 7 notes, and 28 references