Asian Americans’ Reporting of Violent Crime Victimization to the Police

Abstract

This study examines the association between the characteristics of violent crime incidents and the reporting of victimization to the police among Asian Americans. While numerous studies have demonstrated the gap between reported and unreported violent crime victimization to the police, the role of race has received relatively recent attention in understanding and addressing why certain racial minority groups are less likely to report victimization. Specifically, the literature suggests that stereotypes, such as the model minority myth, and cultural values associated with Asian American communities may be linked to how their reporting behaviors are understood. This study utilizes a sample of Asian Americans from the National Crime Victimization Survey spanning from 2003 to 2022 and employs multivariate logistic regression to investigate the factors associated with violent crime reporting to the police among Asian Americans. The findings reveal that the seriousness of the incidents is a robust factor that increases the likelihood of reporting violent victimization across all models. Additionally, it is found that incidents occurring in private locations are linked to increased victim reporting of violent victimization, and incidents involving third parties increase the likelihood of third-party reporting of violent victimization. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.