Risk of Violent Crime Victimization During Major Daily Activities

Abstract

Exposure to risk of violent crime is best understood after considering where people are, what they do, and for how long they do it. This article calculates Americans’ exposure to violent attack per 10 million person-hours spent in different activities. Numerator data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey (2003–2008) estimates of violent incidents occurring during nine major everyday activities. Comparable denominator data are derived from the American Time Use Survey. The resulting time-based rates give a very different picture of violent crime victimization risk. Hour-for-hour, the greatest risk occurs during travel between activities. This general result holds for demographic subgroups and each type of violent crime victimization.