Abstract
Two approaches have dominated the study of crime using local government area-level analysis: one looks intensively at particular local areas and the other considers a set of population data derived from a number of local areas. This study is of the second kind. It is based on parametric data, and is thus a “population” study rather than a sampling one. Data on police-recorded crime rates and selected ethnicity variables were obtained from all local government areas (LGAs) in Victoria, Australia. The general findings suggest that high proportions of Australian-born residents were related to lower property crime rates and, perhaps more importantly, Australian citizenship was significantly related to lower crime rates across LGAs. Although interpreting official statistics presents problems, it is valuable to examine these comprehensive population data on crime and ethnicity. The clear but unexpected relationships between crime on the one hand, and birthplace and citizenship on the other is deserving of further study.
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