SA: Gun Homicide Linked to Poor Social Mobility

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A new study from Northeastern University has found a negative association between social mobility and gun homicide rates; in United States counties where social mobility is higher, gun homicide rates are lower. The study also examined the interaction of gun homicide rates with social determinants of health such as income inequity, welfare spending, racial segregation, etc. Daniel Kim, author of the study and associate professor of social epidemiology, identified gun violence as having social causes at the root of the issue such as ability to climb the social ladder. He emphasizes that these causes can be altered through public policy and research. A major finding of the study was that with increased social mobility, there was a 25% decrease in gun homicide rates. Also, there were higher rates of gun homicide in communities with higher proportions of residents in poverty and higher proportions of males living alone. These findings emphasize the role that inequity plays in gun violence.

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