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Temperature, routine activities, and domestic violence: a reanalysis
Violence and Victims
|May 10, 2001
Summary
Domestic violence appears to decrease at high temperatures due to a reporting bias. Fewer domestic violence (DV) complaints occur in the afternoon, the warmest part of the day, creating a false temperature-DV link.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Environmental Criminology
- Sociology
Background:
- A nonlinear relationship between temperature and domestic violence has been previously reported.
- This study investigates the role of base rate differences in complaint reporting during different times of day.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that temporal reporting patterns, not temperature itself, explain the apparent nonlinear relationship between temperature and domestic violence.
- To identify the influence of temporal variables on calls for service.
Main Methods:
- Moderator-variable regression analyses were applied to Minneapolis calls for service data from 1987-1988.
- Analyses controlled for time of day, day of week, season, holidays, school closings, and other weather variables.
Main Results:
- Temporal variables accounted for 75% of the variance in calls for service.
- A base rate artifact explained the apparent decrease in domestic violence at higher temperatures.
- Fewer complaints were recorded during afternoon hours, the warmest part of the day.
Conclusions:
- The previously observed nonlinear relationship between temperature and domestic violence is likely an artifact of reporting times.
- Routine activity theory provides a framework for understanding these findings regarding temporal influences on crime reporting.