The inequality of victimization: trends in exposure to crime among rich and poor

Over the past decade, western societies have witnessed an increasing divergence in living standards of different social groups. This article examines whether increasing differences in living conditions are reflected in increasing inequality of victimization. Using data from Statistics Sweden’s Surveys of Living Conditions (1984–2001) the study shows that exposure to crimes of theft and violence has followed different trends for poorly resourced and well-resourced groups re-spectively. The proportion experiencing victimization, first and foremost in the form of violence and threats but also to some extent in the form of residential burglaries, is significantly greater among the poor than among the rich. Fur-thermore, the difference between these two groups has become greater