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RAPPAPORT POLICY BRIEFS Instituterappaport for Greater Boston INSTITUTE Kennedy Schoolfor of Government, Greater Harvard University Boston June 2008 RAPPAPORT POLICY BRIEFS InstituteRAPPAPORT for Greater Boston INSTITUTE Kennedy Schoolfor of Government, Greater Harvard University Boston June 2008 Reducing Youth Violence: Lessons from the Boston Youth Survey By Renee M. Johnson, Deborah Azrael, Mary Vriniotis, and David Hemenway, Harvard School of Public Health In Boston, as in many other cities, aggressive behavior, assault, weapon Rappaport Institute Policy Briefs are short youth violence takes an unacceptably carrying, feelings of safety, and overviews of new scholarly research on important issues facing the region. This high toll. Reducing the burden of gang membership. It also inquired brief reports on the results of the Boston youth violence is a priority for the about risk and protective factors for Youth Survey 2006 (BYS), an in-school survey of Boston high school youth conducted City’s policymakers, civic leaders, violence (e.g., alcohol and drug use, biennially by the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center in collaboration with the and residents. To date, however, depressive symptoms, family violence, City of Boston. More information is available little information has been available developmental assets, academic at www.hsph.harvard.edu/hyvpc/research/. about the prevalence, antecedents and performance, perceptions of collective Renee M. Johnson impacts of youth violence in Boston. effi cacy within one’s neighborhood), Renee M. Johnson is a Research Associate at the Harvard School of Public Health and The Boston Youth Survey (BYS) and health behaviors (e.g., nutrition Core Faculty at the Harvard Youth Violence and physical activity). Although 1,233 Prevention Center. addresses this gap in knowledge. It is Deborah Azrael students took the survey, the analytical an in-school survey of Boston high Deborah Azrael is a Research Associate at the school students conducted by the sample includes only the 1,215 who Harvard School of Public Health. She leads completed at least 80 percent of the the Boston Data Project, of which the Boston Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Youth Survey is a component, at the Harvard Research Center (HYVPC) in items. Youth Violence Prevention Center. Mary Vriniotis collaboration with the Mayor’s Offi ce, The respondents came from Mary Vriniotis is a Research Specialist at the the Boston Public Health Commission, neighborhoods throughout Boston, Harvard School of Public Health and is Project and Boston Public Schools. The BYS and mirror the considerable racial Manager for the Boston Youth Survey. was fi rst administered in 2004, and and ethnic diversity of both the City David Hemenway David Hemenway is Professor of Health Policy was subsequently administered in and its schools (see Table 1). For at the Harvard School of Public Health and 2006 and 2008. (Administration of the example, 30 percent of the students serves as the Director of the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center. 2008 survey was recently completed, were born outside the U.S., and 48 Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston data will be available in the fall of percent reported that one or both of The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston 2008.) This Policy Brief summarizes their parents were born outside the aims to improve the region’s governance by fostering better connections between key fi ndings from the 2006 BYS and U.S. Almost half (44 percent) of the scholars, policy-makers, and civic leaders. The discusses the practical and policy foreign-born students were from the Rappaport Institute was founded and funded by the Jerome Lyle Rappaport Charitable implications of those fi ndings. Caribbean countries of Haiti, Jamaica, Foundation, which promotes emerging leaders or the Dominican Republic. in Greater Boston. Methodology & Sample © 2008 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. The contents refl ect the Data for the 2006 BYS come from Results views of the authors (who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the research herein) a random sample of students in 18 Aggressive Behavior: Students were and do not represent the offi cial views or of the 38 high schools in the Boston asked about their perpetration of policies of the Rappaport Institute . Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston Public Schools system. The BYS aggressive behavior in the 30 days John F. Kennedy School of Government focused on youth violence, including preceding the survey. This included 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Reducing Youth Violence: Lessons from the Boston Youth Survey RAPPAPORT INTITUTE POLICY BRIEFS Table 1: Description of the Study Sample (n = 1,215) Gender Male 43.4% Female 56.6% Age, y < 14 6.4% 15 23.4% 16 27.2% 17 25.2% > 18 17.8% Grade 9th 29.2% 10th 26.9% 11th 28.6% 12th 15.3% Race White 13.3% Black/African American 53.3% Bi/Multi-Racial 3.2% Asian 6.5% Other 1.6% Hispanic, No Race Specifi ed 22.1% Hispanic/Latino 29.9% minor aggression (e.g., pushing, shoving, within the past year. A smaller proportion had or slapping someone), moderate aggression been attacked with a fi rearm (9 percent), or (e.g., hitting, punching, kicking, or choking with a weapon other than a fi rearm (9 percent). someone), and severe aggression (e.g., Although boys were signifi cantly more likely attacking or threatening to attack someone with Perpetration of minor and a weapon). Perpetration of minor and moderate aggression was common (49 percent and 37 moderate aggression was percent, respectively), whereas the prevalence common, whereas the of severe aggression was much lower (10 prevalence of severe aggression percent). Somewhat surprisingly, males and was much lower. females reported similar rates of minor and moderate aggressive behavior, a fi nding that highlights the growing trend of increased to report having been assaulted or attacked with aggression among girls (see Table 2).1 a fi rearm or other weapon, 16 percent of girls Victimization: Twenty percent of students had been physically assaulted in the past year, reported having been physically assaulted and 5 percent had been attacked with a weapon. (e.g., punched, kicked, choked, or beaten up) White students were more likely to have 2 Reducing Youth Violence: Lessons from the Boston Youth Survey RAPPAPORT INTITUTE POLICY BRIEFS Table 2: Prevalence of Aggressive Behavior in the Past Month, By Selected Characteristics, n = 1,215 Minor Agression Moderate Physical Aggression Severe Aggression Pushed, shoved, or slapped Hit, punched, kicked or choked Attacked, or threatened to someone someone attack, someone Total 48.8% 37.2% 10.1% Age < 16 years 52.6% 39.4% 10.6% >17 years 43.5% 34.0% 9.6% P<0.05 Sex Male 46.9% 39.0% 13.0% Female 49.6% 35.7% 8.3% P<0.05 Race/Ethnicity Hispanic 46.9% 35.3% 10.9% Black (Non- 52.5% 40.6% 11.3% Hispanic) White (Non- 50.3% 33.8% 7.8% Hispanic) Other* 36.0% 31.6% 6.3% P<0.05† Nativity U.S. Born 53.1% 39.5% 11.4% Foreign Born 38.4% 31.6% 7.3% P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05 Note: Chi-square tests were computed to assess the statistical signifi cance of associations. * Includes bi- and multi-racial students, Asians, Native Americans, and students who were neither Hispanic/Latino nor were able to classify themselves into a race category. † A multiple comparisons analysis showed that the “Other” category was signifi cantly diff erent from the other three groups; there were no other pairwise statistically signifi cant diff erences. been physically assaulted (29 percent) than Although males were Hispanics (15 percent), Blacks (18 percent), or substantially more likely those in the “Other” race category (22 percent). than females to carry a knife The high prevalence of minor and moderate or a gun, the proportion of aggression is not unexpected. Adolescent armed young women was not development theory identifi es adolescence as insubstanital. a developmental period marked by heightened risk behavior, including aggressive behavior with peers, that begins to decline by young percent) of Boston youth reported having adulthood.2 Our fi nding that the prevalence of carried a knife in the past 12 months, and 6 aggressive behavior decreases as student age percent reported having carried a gun over that increases is consistent with this theory. same time period. U.S. born youth were more Weapon Carrying: Nearly one-third (31 likely than immigrants to carry weapons. In 3 Reducing Youth Violence: Lessons from the Boston Youth Survey RAPPAPORT INTITUTE POLICY BRIEFS Figure 1: Perceptions About the Seriousness of Gang Violence terms of race, Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks activities in their school or neighborhood were had similar rates of knife carrying (31 percent, somewhat (33 percent) or very (49 percent) 33 percent, 34 percent vs. 13 percent for those serious/dangerous (see Figure 1). Compared to in the “Other” race category). Although males Hispanics (48 percent), Blacks (57 percent) and were substantially more likely than females to those in the “Other” race category (47 percent), carry a knife (43 percent vs. 23 percent), or a Whites were less likely to perceive gangs as gun (10 percent vs. 3 percent), the proportion a serious problem. Despite perceptions of the of armed young women was not insubstantial. seriousness of gangs, few students (10 percent of boys and 3 percent of girls) reported being a Most students indicated that member of gang. gang activities in their school or Fear of Violence: We asked students whether neighborhood were somewhat they felt safe in seven different types of public or very serious or dangerous. locations, including school, on the MBTA, and in their neighborhood (see Figure 2). Of these, school—where only 10 percent said they rarely Among those students who had not carried a or never felt safe—was reported to be among gun in the past year, 56 percent of boys and 36 the safest places while buses, trains, and MBTA percent of girls said that acquiring a gun would stops—where 28 percent said they rarely or be fairly or very easy.
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