(PS10-72) Individual and Community-level Factors Associated with Favorable Attitudes towards Crime among College Students

Previous research examining the Code of the Street (COS), an informal code characterized by favorable attitudes toward crime and deviant behavior, has primarily been conducted with marginalized or incarcerated groups. Very little work has assessed factors related to COS among college students, even though COS beliefs may uniquely impact college students’ interpersonal relationships and developmental trajectories. Regarding factors that may be related to COS beliefs, community violence (CV) exposure has been linked to favorable attitudes of, and engagement in, crime. Weapon ownership, a potential reaction to rising crime, may also be related to favorable attitudes toward criminal behaviors and delinquency. Considering community-level factors, such as community cohesion and community disorder, is also pertinent in understanding COS attitudes as systemic disinvestment in one’s community has been linked to criminal behavior. The current study aimed to investigate individual (i.e., CV exposure, weapon ownership) and community (i.e., community cohesion and disorder) level factors that may be associated with favorable attitudes toward crime as measured by COS. Participants (N=744; Mage=21.48, SD=4.14; White=56.0%; Female=80.5%) were recruited from two mid-sized universities in the Midsouth United States. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted to examine hypothesized associations. Block 1 of the regression included CV exposure, weapon ownership, and recruitment site. To understand the unique contribution of community-level factors, Block 2 added community cohesion and community disorder. The final hierarchical regression model was significant (F(5, 738)=14.02, p <.001, R2=.09). In this model, more exposure to CV (β=0.03, p <.001), owning a weapon (β=1.07, p=.033), site (β=1.00, p=.003), and less community cohesion (β= -0.11, p=.046) were associated with greater COS endorsement. Notably, the addition of community level factors in Block 2 contributed to a significant change in R2 (R2 change=.02, Sig. F change =.002). Findings indicate the importance of future research assessing multi-level factors when examining COS attitudes. High CVE exposure, owning a weapon, and low community cohesion may place university-enrolled students at risk for deleterious outcomes. Bolstering strengths, such as community cohesion, may reduce favorable attitudes toward crime and deviant behavior amidst exposure to violence and community deprivation. Although popular criminology theories, such as "Broken Windows” theory, assume that visible signs of disorder in one’s neighborhood contribute to higher crime, in the current study community disorder was not associated with COS.