Self-protection against crime victimization: Theory and evidence from university campuses

Economic analysis of self-protection against crime has a lengthy history, but we have not extensively investigated how people simultaneously engage in self-protection alongside routine activities that expose individuals to the risk of crime victimization in the first place – behaviors such as recreation and work. This paper addresses three essential questions along these lines: how people decide to self-protect, how they blend self-protection with the other activities, and the influence of the social and economic environment around them. Conceptually, answers emerge when we apply the classic state-preference theoretical framework and carefully consider the role of the probability of victimization, the presumed effectiveness of self-protection, and the outcome of the self-protection decision in the context of recreation and work. To investigate the empirical environment of self-protection, I use a unique data set containing detailed information about the self-protective, recreational, and employment practices of over 3000 U.S. university students. A series of statistical probes provides a profile of personal as well as wider social and economic circumstances that shape the individual self-protection decision; the empirical patterns illustrate how individuals selectively use social and personal resources when protecting themselves against crime as they go about their everyday lives.