Hsieh CC, Pugh MD. Poverty, income inequality, and violent crime:  a meta-analysis of recent aggregate data studies.   Criminal Justice Review 1993;18:182-202.

This important study from criminology pools the data from previous studies (meta-analysis) and finds that poverty and income inequality are critical factors associated with violent crime, especially homicide and assault.  A good meta-analysis requires the investigators to consider all studies done, even those that were unpublished.  The data analyzed here went back to 1967, and included nations, states, counties, standard metropolitan areas (SMA), cities, census tracts, neighborhoods, and police districts.  The bulk of the studies were since 1980 which used standard measures of these variables.  There appear to be stronger effects of income inequality at larger units of aggregation, that is at county or SMA levels, rather than at neighborhoods which is consistent with the Kennedy et. al. 1998 paper above.

Abstract

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, several important reviews of the literature failed to establish a clear consensus on the relationship between economic conditions and violent crime.  The research presented here applies the procedures of meta-analysis to 34 aggregate data studies reporting on violent crime, poverty and income inequality.  These studies reported a total of 76 zero-order correlation coefficients for all measures of violent crime with either poverty or income inequality.  Of the 76 coefficients, all but 2 or 97 percent, were positive.  Of the positive coefficients, nearly 80% were of at least moderate strength (>.25).  It is concluded that poverty and income equality are each associated with violent crime.  The analysis, however, shows considerable variation in the estimated size of the relationships and suggests that homicide and assault may be more closely associated with poverty or income inequality than are rape and robbery.

Keywords

homicide, poverty, violent crime, income inequality, meta-analysis, socioeconomic status, crime