Alcohol outlets, social disorganization, and robberies: Accounting for neighborhood characteristics and alcohol outlet types

Abstract

We estimated spatially lagged regression and spatial regime models to determine if the variation in total, on-premise, and off-premise alcohol outlet1Alcohol outlets can be disaggregated into on-premise (i.e., places that sell alcohol beverages that are meant for consumption while visiting the place, such as bars or restaurants) and off-premise (i.e., places such as liquor or convenience stores that sell alcohol beverages meant for consumption elsewhere).1 density is related to robbery density, while controlling for direct and moderating effects of social disorganization.2This concept captures neighborhood level characteristics, such as ethnic heterogeneity, poverty, residential instability, and single-headed households, which taken together reduce social cohesion in the area and the ability of community residents to realize common goals.2 Results suggest that the relationship between alcohol outlet density and robbery density is sensitive to the measurement of social disorganization levels. Total alcohol outlet density and off-premise alcohol outlet density were significantly associated with robbery density when social disorganization variables were included separately in the models. However, when social disorganization levels were captured as a four item index, only the association between off-premise alcohol outlets and robbery density remained significant. More work is warranted in identifying the role of off-premise alcohol outlets and their characteristics in robbery incidents.