SOCIAL CLASS AND DELINQUENCY AN EMPIRICAL UTILIZATION OF RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY WITH CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA OF THE 1990 AND 2000 GERMAN GENERAL POPULATION SURVEYS (ALLBUS)

The frequently predicted relationship between social class and criminal behavior is theoretically vacillating and empirically exiguous. We present an extended rational choice model which inte-grates the effects of an individual’s social status on his or her subjec-tive evaluations of (1) costs, (2) utility, (3) the probability of apprehension, (4) the selective incentives, and (5) the internalization of social norms. We test the model against the offences of shop-lifting and tax-evasion. The data source derived from the German General Social Survey empirically supports the theoretical model. There exists no prevalent relationship between an individual’s social status and his or her incentives towards criminal comport-ment. However, the social status of an individual affects the type of offences committed. The subjectively expected probability of either failing or succeeding in a criminal act takes greater precedence over the fear of retribution or the expected utility. Additionally, internalized norms decrease the probability of committing a crime