ABSTRACT
As outlined by Cohen and Felson (1979), changes in our routine activities have an impact on crime rates. Cohen and Felson (1979) were concerned with long-run changes in the nature of routine activities to explain the substantial increases in crime rates during the 1950s and 1960s. They hypothesized, and found support, that our increasing amount of time spent outside the relatively protective environment of the home increased risk of victimization because of increased opportunity for crime: empty homes for residential burglary and more people outside who may be victims of violent crime. The increased amount of time people spent outside the relatively protective environment of the home had a number of sources: increased incomes led to more spending on dining out and going to shows; the economic development of small, light-weight, and valuable consumption goods; and the increased role of women in the workplace and post-secondary institutions. These were indeed widespread societal changes impacting not only the United States, but also Western societies more generally.
