A Chinese Birth Cohort: Theoretical Implications

Abstract

Research on delinquency has shown consistent results across Western industrialized countries. Few studies have been done in non-Western cultures. This study reports on the results of a birth cohort study in China, which was started by Marvin Wolfgang but never completed. The cohort, born in 1973, was traced through official and community files. The amount of delinquency is significantly low. However, significant differences were found between delinquents and nondelinquents in terms of peer influences, family influences, and school. Regression results show that the most important school factors associated with offending are those relating to level of education completed and dropout status and interactions between students and teachers. Offenders were found to be approximately five times more likely than nonoffenders to associate with delinquent peers. This study reinforces previous findings—there are critical sociological variables related to social integration, family, and school experiences that significantly differentiate between those who become offenders and those who do not.

The same the whole world over? A review essay on youth offending from the 1980s and youth justice in contemporary China

“…The findings of Bao and colleagues in China (2007) provided support for the application of the general strain theory. Recently, in the research on gang involvement and delinquency, the findings in China (see Friday et al, 2005; consistently parallel those from the USA and Europe, and support the Western theory of peer group pressure. They conclude that at the individual level the positive statistical relationship between gang involvement and delinquency is invariant despite the geographic, cultural, and political differences across regional contexts .…”

“…Parental expectations, especially those of fathers, are also associated with youth offending in China (Friday et al, 2005). Following the global trend, recent literature draws attention to the impact of the internet and computer games in China (see for example Bax 2013).…”

“…More young people under age 14 are taking their first steps in offending (Huang, 2012;Ju, 2007), and even those aged 10-13 were found to be committing crimes at a notably increased rate (Huang, 2012). Despite this new trend, the findings of Friday et al (2005) suggest that 37.7 per cent of the offending population commenced their criminal behaviour after age 18. This is consistent with findings in western contexts (see Sampson & Laub, 1993;Tracy, Wolfgang and Figlio, 1990).…”

Data sources in Chinese crime and criminal justice research

“…These findings are consistent with the general finding found in the western literature on the etiology of crime and delinquency. Details of analyses and findings can be found in Friday et al [13,14] and Taylor et al [19]. As illustrated in these findings, the data are useful in analyses of juvenile delinquency and testing of Western theories.…”

“…The cohort data contains a wide range of variables. For details, please see the Friday et al [13], Taylor et al [19] and Guo et al [15]. Nature, scope, and findings of the Wuhan birth cohort studies…”