Identifying Regional Factors Associated with Crime in South Korea: Synthesis of Social Disorganization and Routine Activities Theories

Abstract

As criminological theories play a significant role in providing insights to explain the crime phenomenon, some theories such as social disorganization and routine activity theories have been tested with various scopes and locations. In this study, factors related to the theories were tested to confirm any significant effect on crime rates at a regional level. By using hierarchical regression analysis, the study attempts to examine the relations among the socio-economic and environmental factors across the regions. The results indicate that the community heterogeneity (i.e., foreign population and single-person household) was a significant factor in regional crime rates, but the environmental factors had possible mediating effects, lowering the significance level. Moreover, the number of commercial places per area affected crime rates representing a higher criminal opportunity level with business areas.