Self-Protection, Routine Activities, and Victimization: Studying Arab Americans in Metro-Detroit

Abstract

Despite continued publicity after 9/11, knowledge on Arab Americans' experience with criminal victimization remains limited and narrowly focused. Based on face-to-face interview data collected from a random sample of residents in the Detroit metropolitan area, this study compared the prevalence and covariates of property and violent crime victimization between Arab and non-Arab Americans. The main finding was promising as Arab and non-Arab American respondents reported similar victimization risks across six crime types. Less encouraging was that Arab Americans were significantly less likely than their counterparts to use self-protective measures, which were found to have a significant risk-reduction effect regarding property crime victimization. In addition, there was a significant, negative correlation between the likelihood of moving in the next 5 years and risk of victimization. Finally, regularly carrying a large amount of cash was associated with a higher risk of violent victimization for non-Arab Americans, but not Arab Americans. Implications for future research and policy are provided.