TY - JOUR
T1 - Social Trust, Firearm Prevalence, and Homicide
AU - Rosenfeld, Richard
AU - Baumer, Eric
AU - Messner, Steven F.
PY - 2007/2
Y1 - 2007/2
N2 - Purpose: Past research suggests that Americans arm themselves when they do not trust one another. We reexamine the relationship between social trust and firearm prevalence with improved data and methods. We also control for conditions, including area homicide rates, that other research showed to be related to both social trust and firearm prevalence. Methods: We use structural equation models to assess reciprocal effects of social trust, firearm prevalence, and homicide rates for a nationally representative sample of counties and county clusters (n = 99). Results: We found no direct relationship between social trust and firearm prevalence. Social trust is related to firearm prevalence indirectly through its influence on homicide rates. Areas with low levels of social trust have high homicide rates, which, in turn, increase firearm prevalence. Conclusions: Americans arm themselves in response to high levels of firearm violence. Because greater social trust is related to lower homicide rates, public health researchers should be concerned with the community conditions that promote social trust.
AB - Purpose: Past research suggests that Americans arm themselves when they do not trust one another. We reexamine the relationship between social trust and firearm prevalence with improved data and methods. We also control for conditions, including area homicide rates, that other research showed to be related to both social trust and firearm prevalence. Methods: We use structural equation models to assess reciprocal effects of social trust, firearm prevalence, and homicide rates for a nationally representative sample of counties and county clusters (n = 99). Results: We found no direct relationship between social trust and firearm prevalence. Social trust is related to firearm prevalence indirectly through its influence on homicide rates. Areas with low levels of social trust have high homicide rates, which, in turn, increase firearm prevalence. Conclusions: Americans arm themselves in response to high levels of firearm violence. Because greater social trust is related to lower homicide rates, public health researchers should be concerned with the community conditions that promote social trust.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2006.07.016
DO - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2006.07.016
M3 - Article
C2 - 17178232
AN - SCOPUS:33846189010
SN - 1047-2797
VL - 17
SP - 119
EP - 125
JO - Annals of Epidemiology
JF - Annals of Epidemiology
IS - 2
ER -