A Socioeconomic Dimension of Crime: A Spatial Study of Firearm-related Violence in Malmö

Sammanfattning

Sweden has seen a rise in firearm-related violence in recent years, and Malmö is one of three cities that has experienced a significant increase in these crimes. This study isolates the role of socioeconomic variables as determinants of firearm-related violence, exploring whether socioeconomic disadvantage independently influences the spatial distribution of these incidents in Malmö. The spatial clustering of firearm-related violence in Malmö from 2018 to 2022 and the statistical relationship between these crimes and socioeconomic disadvantage were investigated. Firearm-related violence incidents were examined through a Getis Ord-Gi* statistics hot spot analysis in GIS, followed by a visual interpretation of the socioeconomic disadvantage characteristics in the areas identified as hot spots. The final part of this study investigated the statistical relationship between firearm-related violence and a socioeconomic disadvantage index constructed from the variables of unemployment, low economic standard, lower education and income support through a negative binomial regression model. The results revealed statistically significant firearm-related hot spot areas in Malmö, which did not share any distinct socioeconomic disadvantage pattern. The hot spots did, however, share higher socioeconomic disadvantage values than the entire city. The regression model revealed a statistically significant relationship between firearm-related violence and socioeconomic disadvantage. The findings suggested that greater socioeconomic disadvantage contributes to higher rates of firearm-related violence. However, socioeconomic disadvantage is not a dominant factor and does not necessarily predict where the most severe clustering of firearm-related violence occurs.