Background

Dr. Monsuru Adepeju (PERU) worked alongside Dr. Meng Le Zhang of University of Sheffield to investigate the impact of public crime information on house prices in England and Wales, leveraging the geomasking in online crime maps as a natural experiment. The premise is that the publication of detailed crime data could negatively affect house prices and insurance premiums, especially in high-crime, disadvantaged areas. The unique aspect of this study is its focus on geomasking errors – deliberate inaccuracies in crime location reporting on public platforms – which creates a discrepancy between perceived and actual crime rates. Initial findings suggest a modest decrease in house prices (0.04% to 0.1%) for each additional crime reported, with the magnitude of impact varying based on the analytical approach. Despite the small effect size, which aligns with prior indirect assessments, the study emphasizes its methodological rigor and minimal bias. Future directions include enhancing the research design’s robustness and extending the analysis to other variables, such as the public’s fear of crime, utilizing the British Crime Survey for broader insights.

Outcomes

The main outcome of this study will be an academic paper providing a detailed discussion of findings. The project will run from 6th Sep 2021 to 24th Mar 2023.

Relevant Links

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