What does Young (1999) attribute rising crime rates to?

Young (1999) attributes rising crime rates to rising living standards and increased awareness of relative deprivation. This perspective emphasizes that as living standards improve, individuals become more conscious of social comparisons, particularly regarding wealth and status. When people perceive a disparity between their own situation and that of others, feelings of frustration and resentment can emerge, leading to increased criminal behavior as a way to cope with or address these feelings.

This idea connects to the concept of relative deprivation, which suggests that it is not just absolute poverty or lack of resources that leads to crime but rather the awareness of inequality and the desire to attain a better social standing compared to others. In this context, as society becomes wealthier while disparities persist, individuals may resort to crime as a means of achieving similar standards of living or as a reaction to perceived injustices.

The other choices either focus on factors that do not directly contribute to the understanding of rising crime in the same way or emphasize aspects that do not relate to Young's analysis. For instance, political representation or educational opportunities may affect social structures but do not specifically address the psychological impacts of relative deprivation in relation to crime rates. Similarly, higher rates of incarceration reflect a response to crime rather than a direct cause of rising crime rates.