Those with lower educational attainments compared to their parents or neighbors may be more likely to commit crime as adults

Criminologists have long considered how perceptions of unfair disadvantage relative to others may lead to crime, but few have examined the simultaneous influence of social comparisons to one's parents and current neighbors. Christopher Dennison and Raymond Swisher used data from a nationally representative survey to examine the association between intergenerational educational mobility and crime, as well as the role of the type of neighborhood people live in as young adults. They found that downward mobility was associated with increases in crime, and most strongly for those living in more advantaged neighborhoods. They argue that these findings are significant given increasing concerns about downward social mobility and the growing importance of a college degree for economic stability.