IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ausecp/v63y2024is1p59-69.html

The impact of COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders on domestic violence assaults: A study of New South Wales

Author

Listed:
  • Jake Graceffo

Abstract

Introduction of stay‐at‐home orders during the COVID 19 pandemic led to immediate disruption of individuals' daily routines with confinement to their households and changes in risk factors of domestic violence. Utilising data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), I estimate the causal impact of stay‐at‐home orders on domestic violence assaults in New South Wales. Since adoption dates for these restrictions varied across LGAs, I implement a staggered difference‐in‐difference (DiD) specification. I find a 21% decline in daily domestic violence assault incidents during stay‐at‐home order periods compared to pre‐restriction incidence levels. These results are robust under weekly frequency and extrapolated fixed effects models. I further utilise google search term data as a proxy of consistent reporting rates and unemployment data to identify household power dynamics. Analysis of both data sets support estimates of declines in domestic violence during stay‐at‐home order periods.

Suggested Citation

  • Jake Graceffo, 2024. "The impact of COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders on domestic violence assaults: A study of New South Wales," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(S1), pages 59-69, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ausecp:v:63:y:2024:i:s1:p:59-69
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-8454.12343
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8454.12343
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-8454.12343?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leslie, Emily & Wilson, Riley, 2020. "Sheltering in place and domestic violence: Evidence from calls for service during COVID-19," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Sonia Bhalotra & Emilia Brito & Damian Clarke & Pilar Larroulet & Francisco J. Pino, 2021. "Dynamic impacts of lockdown on domestic violence: Evidence from multiple policy shifts in Chile," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-189, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Dan Anderberg & Helmut Rainer & Jonathan Wadsworth & Tanya Wilson, 2016. "Unemployment and Domestic Violence: Theory and Evidence," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 126(597), pages 1947-1979, November.
    4. Solmaz Moslehi & Jaai Parasnis & Massimiliano Tani & Josephina Vejayaratnam, 2021. "Assaults during lockdown in New South Wales and Victoria," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 24(2), pages 199-212.
    5. Callaway, Brantly & Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C., 2021. "Difference-in-Differences with multiple time periods," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 200-230.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rocha, Fabiana & Diaz, Maria Dolores Montoya & Pereda, Paula Carvalho & Árabe, Isadora Bousquat & Cavalcanti, Filipe & Lordemus, Samuel & Kreif, Noemi & Moreno-Serra, Rodrigo, 2024. "COVID-19 and violence against women: Current knowledge, gaps, and implications for public policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    2. Marco Colagrossi & Claudio Deiana & Andrea Geraci & Ludovica Giua, 2022. "Hang up on stereotypes: Domestic violence and an anti‐abuse helpline campaign," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(4), pages 585-611, October.
    3. Gulesci, Selim & Puente–Beccar, Manuela & Ubfal, Diego, 2021. "Can youth empowerment programs reduce violence against girls during the COVID-19 pandemic?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    4. Beland, Louis-Philippe & Brodeur, Abel & Haddad, Joanne & Mikola, Derek, 2020. "Covid-19, Family Stress and Domestic Violence: Remote Work, Isolation and Bargaining Power," GLO Discussion Paper Series 571, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Koppa, Vijetha, 2024. "Can information save lives? Effect of a victim-focused police intervention on intimate partner homicides," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 756-782.
    6. García-Hombrados, Jorge & Martínez-Matute, Marta & Villa, Carmen, 2024. "Specialised courts and the reporting of intimate partner violence: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    7. Mohammad Amin & Asif M. Islam & Augusto Lopez‐Claros, 2021. "Absent laws and missing women: Can domestic violence legislation reduce female mortality?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 2113-2132, November.
    8. Elisabetta Calabresi, 2024. "“Don’t Leave Me Alone†: Unilateral Divorce and Intimate Partner Violence," Working Papers - Economics wp2024_17.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    9. Louis-Philippe Béladn & Abel Brodeur & Joanne Haddad & Derek Mikola, 2021. "Determinants of Family Stress and Domestic Violence: Lessons from the COVID-19 Outbreak," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 47(3), pages 439-459, September.
    10. Kyriakos C. Neanidis & Maria P. Rana, 2023. "Crime in the era of COVID‐19: Evidence from England," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(5), pages 1100-1130, November.
    11. Arenas-Arroyo, Esther & Fernández-Kranz, Daniel & Nollenberger, Natalia, 2020. "Can't Leave You Now! Intimate Partner Violence under Forced Coexistence and Economic Uncertainty," IZA Discussion Papers 13570, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Andrei Barbos & Minglu Sun, 2025. "Opioid Control Policies Can Also Reduce Domestic Violence," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 1295-1308, July.
    13. Veronica Grembi & Anna C. Rosso & Emilia Barili, 2024. "Domestic violence perception and gender stereotypes," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-32, March.
    14. Juan F Domínguez D & Johnny Truong & Jake Burnett & Lata Satyen & Hamed Akhlaghi & Julian Stella & Nick Rushworth & Karen Caeyenberghs, 2022. "Effects of the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Assault-Related Head Injury in Melbourne: A Retrospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    15. Perrotta Berlin, Maria & Gerrell, Manne, 2022. "Economic Determinants of Intimate Partner Violence: The Case of Sweden during Covid-19," SITE Working Paper Series 60, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics.
    16. Fabiana Rocha & Maria Dolores Montoya Diaz & Paula Carvalho Pereda & Isadora Bousquat Arabe & Filipe Cavalcanti & Samuel Lordemus & Noemi Kreif & Rodrigo Moreno-Serra, 2024. "COVID-19 and gender-biased violence: current knowledge, gaps, and implications for public policy," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2024_14, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    17. Roman, Soraya & Aguiar-Palma, Marina & Machado, Cecilia, 2023. "A tale of two cities: Heterogeneous effects of COVID-19 quarantine on domestic violence in Brazil," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    18. Kaitlyn M. Sims & Yang Wang & Barbara Wolfe, 2024. "Estimating impacts of the US EITC program on domestic violence," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1483-1513, December.
    19. Bilge Erten & Pinar Keskin & Silvia Prina, 2022. "Social Distancing, Stimulus Payments, and Domestic Violence: Evidence from the US during COVID-19," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 112, pages 262-266, May.
    20. Umair Ali & Chris M. Herbst & Christos A. Makridis, 2024. "Minimum quality regulations and the demand for childcare labor," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(3), pages 660-695, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ausecp:v:63:y:2024:i:s1:p:59-69. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0004-900X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.