Collective Efficacy Theory and Perceptions of Crime

Battin tests collective efficacy theory by accounting for additional measures of informal social control and social ties. Past social disorganization theory and collective efficacy theory research utilized community members to measure community levels of informal social control and social ties. Battin's work deviates from the previous methodology and incorporates real estate agents as resident proxies to test collective efficacy theory and its relationship with perceptions of crime. The data provide support for collective efficacy theory and the use of resident proxies.