An increase in crime is caused in part by economic stress

 

How are people who don't have jobs because of automation going to be able to buy the products and services?

 This article is relevant to both the increased crime rate during Covid, and increases in voting for people like Trump by frustrated people.

 I suggest reading the whole article, which I don't include because of respect for copyright.

https://www.gpb.org/news/2023/01/25/how-high-inflation-pressures-companies-automate-jobs

January 25, 2023 3:06 PM
By:     Peter Biello
Heard on : All Things Considered
 

Research shows an increase in crime is caused in part by economic stress, and that stress is caused by a variety of things. Right now in Georgia two things are major contributors: inflation and the automation of jobs that were once performed by people.

Dr. Patrick Dicks has been researching the connection between automation, inflation, poverty and crime. He spoke with GPB's Peter Biello.
 

Transcript:

Peter Biello: I want to start first with the connection between economic stress and crime. How would you connect those things?

Dr. Patrick Dicks: When you don't have money — with the price of everything? I was looking at statistics: The average one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta is $1,936. The average American only makes about $40,000 a year. So when you don't have the correct funds or enough money to pay, people are going to go out by any means necessary to fill that void so they can have shelter, food, etc. for their families. So that definitely influences the rise in crime.

Peter Biello: You have also done some research on automation. I want to ask you about that, in part because this has been a concern for economists for quite some time now. Can you talk a little bit about the concerns about the rise in jobs becoming automated and the rise in crime.