Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Despite the growing importance of cybercrime, its severity compared to offline crime is unclear. This study used data from the representative International Self-Report Delinquency Study (N = 28,325) to compare four cybercrimes—hacking, cyberfraud, cyberhate, and online sexual abuse—with offline crimes among 13–17-year-olds in Europe and South America. Item Response Theory was used to analyze the criminal behavior indicated by cybercrimes compared to offline crimes and their effectiveness in distinguishing between young individuals with high and low levels of delinquency. The results show that although cybercrime offending indicate relatively serious criminal behavior, traditional crimes more accurately differentiate between young people with different levels of criminal behavior. These patterns are observed in both continents, with some differences. This study has implications for anti-cybercrime policies.
Paper Number
1717
Recommended Citation
Vepsäläinen, Janne Joonas; Kaakinen, Markus; Oksanen, Atte; Savolainen, Iina; Markina, Anna; Løvschall Langeland, Camilla; Meško, Gorazd; Povh, Iza Kokoravec; and Valdimarsdóttir, Margrét, "Does cybercrime indicate serious offending behavior? A cross-national comparative analysis of cybercrime severity" (2025). AMCIS 2025 Proceedings. 37.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2025/sig_sec/sig_sec/37
Does cybercrime indicate serious offending behavior? A cross-national comparative analysis of cybercrime severity
Despite the growing importance of cybercrime, its severity compared to offline crime is unclear. This study used data from the representative International Self-Report Delinquency Study (N = 28,325) to compare four cybercrimes—hacking, cyberfraud, cyberhate, and online sexual abuse—with offline crimes among 13–17-year-olds in Europe and South America. Item Response Theory was used to analyze the criminal behavior indicated by cybercrimes compared to offline crimes and their effectiveness in distinguishing between young individuals with high and low levels of delinquency. The results show that although cybercrime offending indicate relatively serious criminal behavior, traditional crimes more accurately differentiate between young people with different levels of criminal behavior. These patterns are observed in both continents, with some differences. This study has implications for anti-cybercrime policies.
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.
Comments
SIGSEC