NCJ Number
89388
Date Published
1979
Length
166 pages
Annotation
This study found that the most important of the independent variables influencing victimization in rural Ohio are the size of a household, income, and educational level of the head of the household.
Abstract
The data for this study were collected in 1974 through field interviews, as respondents were asked to report crime victimizations the households suffered from August 1, 1973 through July 31, 1974. The size of a household was significantly associated with property offenses and total victimization, and income was associated with vandalism and total victimization. The level of education of the head of the household was associated with fraud, vandalism, and total victimization. Variables significantly associated with vandalism alone were the length of residence, extent of knowing the neighbors, police patrol, and distance to town. The extent of knowing the neighbors and police patrol were also significantly associated with total victimization. With the exception of police patrol, a unit increase in the independent variable correlated with an increase in the rate of victimization; however, the proportion of variability in victimization explained by the independent variables was small, so the significance of the independent variables should be interpreted with caution. Because most of the independent variables showed a low correlation with victimization, the findings have little value for the development of crime prevention programs for rural communities. Further study is required. The appendixes contain the questionnaire used in the interviews, a depiction of the three geographical regions of Ohio and study counties, and a list of the Part I and Part II offenses of the Uniform Crime Report. About 70 bibliographic entries are provided. (Author summary modified)