THE INFLUENCE OF RESIDENTIAL INSTABILITY ON NEIGHBORHOOD CRIMES IN DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES

Aljun C. Cubero, Roberth Serge L. Gran, Sean Keefe T. Canopin, Exequiel R. Gono Jr.

Abstract


Crime within the neighborhood has a negative effect on residents' feelings of safety, increasing stress levels, decreasing community engagement, and damaging overall health and wellness. The research employs a quantitative predictive-causation design to explore how residential instability influences crimes in the neighborhoods of Davao City. Three hundred residents who were selected from a given barangay participated in the study. The level of neighborhood crime and residential instability was measured through descriptive statistical means, such as mean and standard deviation. The findings indicated that the most immediate problem with neighborhood crimes was the breakdown of social control. The most common indicator of home instability was voluntary, unforced moves. Individuals who had to stay in poor residential conditions showed a greater association with crime problems than individuals with stable housing, as indicated through multiple regression analysis, which revealed a moderate-to-strong positive predictive relationship between instability in residence and crime. Such results affirm that residential stability is an essential dimension of community safety. A secure city can be obtained by responding to residential instability through enhanced living conditions, additional community security programs, and housing assistance to low-income households. To fight neighborhood violence in Davao City, this study focuses on the importance of government intervention toward enhanced housing security.

 

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Keywords


perception of safety, fear of crime, living conditions, neighborhood crime, residential instability, housing stability

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v11i5.2082

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