Impact of Victimization on Residential Mobility: Explaining Racial and Ethnic Patterns Using the National Crime Victimization Survey

The study found that criminal victimization was less strongly associated with moving among Blacks and Hispanics compared with White households. Under certain circumstances, however, victimization can significantly increase the likelihood that minority households will move after victimization. This was particularly the case for Black households that had suffered a property loss in their victimization. Moving behavior was also related to housing market conditions; residential racial segregation reduces housing opportunities for minority residents, particularly Black households. For Hispanic households, the analysis of the victimization mobility pattern produced estimates with relatively large standard errors. This suggests the need for larger samples and attention to the sub-group diversity among Hispanics. The author predicts that as the U.S. population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, as has been projected by the U.S. Census Bureau, the patterns of Black and Hispanic mobility observed in this study will be more significant in influencing national population flows. 8 tables, 1 figure, 85 references, and appended map of metropolitan areas in the study sample, and information of the dissemination of research findings