The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Criminal Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Abstract

Usually, people with low socioeconomic status (SES) are less educated, they do not have a good employment situation, and their income is not good. These people are at a higher risk of suffering from illnesses and do not have money to pay for medical treatment. They are also more likely to occur anti-social behaviours as they mostly live in an underprivileged community. In both youth and adulthood, they are more prone to participate in deviant activities and exhibit less self-control. There's a lot of pressure on them, and their survival is threatened, so crime may become a last resort. Families with high SES usually provide teenagers with adequate learning resources which can support their educational attainment. On the contrary, domestic violence has a negative impact on the growth of youths, making them more likely to conduct criminal behaviors. For drug related crimes, people with high SES can buy high-quality drugs with less harmful consequences. In cross-cultural contexts, countries such as South Africa and Pakistan experience colonial or religious influences, racial discrimination, and low economic performance. In India, which has a special caste system, there are unbalanced distribution of resources and the privileged positions of high castes. In addition, hot weather can directly affect citizens in some large agricultural countries to resort to criminal behaviors in order to survive. Low educational level leads to an increase in unemployment and a decrease in personal income, thus reducing SES and driving criminal behaviors.