The Neighborhood Context of Hate Crime: A Comparison of Violent and Property Offenses Using Rare Events Modeling

Abstract

Many studies into the antecedents of hate crime in the neighborhood combine offense categories, meaning that it is unclear whether or not there are distinct contextual factors associated with violent and property hate offenses. This study uses rare events modeling to examine the household and neighborhood factors associated with violent and property offenses. Using the Australian Community Capacity Study, the study focuses on the neighborhood characteristics influencing self-reported violent and property hate crime for 4,396 residents in Brisbane. Findings demonstrate important differences between the offense types. Violence is predicted by household renting and non-English language, whereas property offenses are predicted by household non-English language, neighborhood median income, and change in non–English-speaking residents. In both offense types, neighborhood place attachment acts as a protective factor. These findings highlight the theoretical implications of combining distinct hate crime types for methodological reasons.