Title: The effect of socioeconomic factors on property crime offending

Independent variable
 Education
 Previous offending experience
 Peer characteristics
 Family status
 Employment status

DV- property crime offending

 Definitions
Conceptual definition of IVs
IV1. Education: Education: the transmission of knowledge by either formal or informal
methods (Bhushan 1991).
IV2. Marriage: a socially sanctioned relationship involving two or more people of the opposite
sex, whose relationship is expected to endure beyond the time required for gestation and the
birth of children.( Bhushan 1991)

Operational Definition of IVS:

IV1. Educational status: is measured by level of education from ‘no formal education’ through
“writing and reading” to grades completed in the formal schooling system.
IV2. Marital status: measured in terms of whether the individual is married, unmarried and
divorced or widowed)

Conceptual and operational definition of the Dv.

Conceptual definition of the DV: Property crime is an act of obtaining by illegal means the
wealth of another person Andagachew 1988). It involves either the theft or the destruction of
property. It can be theft, robbery, burglary or vandalism.
Operational definition of DV: property crime offending is operationally defined as the
psychological state of a person and his/ her motivation to engage in property crime. It will be
measured by accused and self-reported engagement of offender’s in property crimes (example
burglary, robbery theft, arson, fraud, etc) in their life time.
Type of Data
IV1 and IV2 – will be quantitative data mainly categorical
DV- will be also quantitative data, which is frequency of engagement in their life time
Research Hypothesis

IV 1.
Ho. There is no relationship between educational status and one’s property crime offending
H1. There is a relationship between Educational status and property crime offending
IV2.
H0. There is no relationship between marital status and one’s property crime offending
H1. There is a relationship between marital status and property crime offending.

3. Rival hypothesis
IV 1.
Ho. There is no relationship between educational status and one’s property crime offending
H1. There is a relationship between Educational status and property crime offending
Rh. Educational status and marital status has interactional effect on property crime offending
IV2.
H0. There is no relationship between marital status and one’s property crime offending
H1. There is a relationship between marital status and property crime offending.
Rh. Marital status and level of education has interaction effect on property crime offending.