In recent years, a growing proportion of the population has moved into gated
communities in response to an increasingly pandemic fear of crime. While a sizable
body of research has addressed fear of crime and perceived safety in gated communities,
few studies have investigated actual rates of victimization. The studies that do compare
victimization in gated and non-gated communities tend to be localized assessments and
present mixed findings on the effectiveness of community gating as a form of protection
from crime.
The present study utilizes a cross-section of National Crime Victimization Survey
data to investigate the micro-level effects of living in gated communities across the
United States. Additionally, a routine activities approach is used to determine whether
increasing levels of guardianship exhibit differential effects in gated versus non-gated
communities. Findings from logit and rare events logit regression analyses generally
suggest that living in a gated community does not significantly influence the likelihood of
victimization, although in some cases the odds either increased or decreased. Other
measures of guardianship exhibit a variety of positive and negative effects on
victimization likelihood.
Suggestions for future research on gated communities and victimization include
more comprehensive measurement of community- and household-level security as well
as taking account of community characteristics such as informal social control and
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residential solidarity. Policy implications from this research include greater attention to
gated community design and layout in order to reduce the likelihood of residents being
victimized. In addition, residents may benefit from education on the actual risks of crime
and realistic steps to reduce the likelihood of being targeted by potential offenders.