No Place Like Home? Local Crime and Older Adults’ Time at Home

Abstract

ABSTRACT Home is a locus of everyday activity among a growing population of Americans who are “aging in place,” and for whom leaving the home is generally thought to benefit quality of life and well-being. Sociological and criminological theory has often assumed that higher levels of local crime constrain individuals’ activities to the residential environment, although few studies have empirically tested this assumption. We use longitudinal smartphone-based GPS data and ecological momentary assessments from 409 older adults in the Chicago Health and Activity Space in Real-Time study, linked with administrative crime data, to test this relationship through a series of multilevel linear regression models. Our findings suggest that older adults living in higher crime areas spend less time at home, on average, compared to older adults who live in lower crime areas. This association is especially evident among older adults who experience higher levels of unsafety at home. We discuss the implication that neighborhood characteristics can permeate the boundaries of the home, adversely affecting an already vulnerable population in ways that may exacerbate inequality in community engagement, collective efficacy, and health. Our findings prompt a more nuanced understanding of what leaving the home represents among the aging population.