Intergenerational Transmission of Victimization

Abstract

Using four decades of individual linked administrative data from Denmark, we provide the first estimates of intergenerational transmission of victimization, focusing on violent crime. We find that, if a parent was victimized then the chances that a son is victimized double and the chances that a daughter is victimized treble. These associations hold for fathers and mothers and are stronger when the mother is victim. Introducing controls for cohort and neighbourhood fixed effects, parent’s socioeconomic status, parental cohabitation and whether the parent was a crime perpetrator explains about 60% of intergenerational transmission. The intergenerational link is significantly attenuated among families with above-median income, particularly for daughters.