Partners and Crime: Perceptions of Neighborhood Danger in Older Couples

James Iveniuk, University of Chicago

In this paper I examine older adults' perceptions of their neighborhood environment, specifically differences in perceived danger, which may have implications for overall quality of life at older ages. Drawing upon a nationally representative survey linked to geocoded crime data, census data, personality traits, and interviewer ratings, I first examine older individuals' reports of perceived danger, and then turn to the reports of matched romantic/sexual partners (912 marital and cohabitational dyads), where both partners in the dyad rated the same neighborhood environment. I find that even when controlling for crime rate, neighborhood ethnic composition and neighborhood social cohesion substantially impact perceptions of danger. Partnered men were more likely to perceive danger if they were more Neurotic, and women were more likely to feel safer if their husbands were more Conscientious.