While previous synthesis research studies have found income inequality to be the most consistent predictor of crime at the cross-national level, recent comparative research studies in Europe have implied that the magnitudes of income inequality-crime association might be different in cross-national studies depending on sample composition. Employing a systematic review and meta-analysis, this study aimed to systematically estimate the strength and variability of income inequality-crime association in Europe across multiple published articles and to investigate the intervening role of regions in this relationship. Additional analyses were conducted to detect the regional differences within Europe using the official secondary data of 36 European countries. Income inequality in Europe had a small impact on crime (Mr = .171, k = 10), indicating that income inequality accounts for only 3% of the variance in crime outcomes. While the income inequality-crime association was significant in Eastern/Northern Europe, income inequality had little or no effect on crime in Western/Southern Europe. The small association between income inequality and crime in Europe may be due to the well-developed welfare system, which helps to buffer the adverse effects of being poor. This study’s findings highlight the importance of incorporating geographic characteristics into cross-national research using purposive sampling techniques.

虽然以前的综合研究发现收入不平等是跨国犯罪最一致的预测因素，但欧洲最近的比较研究表明，跨国研究中收入不平等与犯罪关联的程度可能不同，具体取决于关于样品组成。本研究采用系统回顾和荟萃分析，旨在通过多篇已发表的文章系统地估计欧洲收入不平等与犯罪关联的强度和可变性，并调查地区在这种关系中的干预作用。使用 36 个欧洲国家的官方二级数据进行了额外的分析，以检测欧洲内部的区域差异。欧洲的收入不平等对犯罪的影响很小（Mr = .171, k = 10)，表明收入不平等仅占犯罪结果差异的 3%。虽然收入不平等与犯罪的关联在东欧/北欧很重要，但收入不平等对西欧/南欧的犯罪影响很小或没有影响。欧洲的收入不平等与犯罪之间的关联很小，这可能是由于发达的福利制度有助于缓冲贫困带来的不利影响。这项研究的结果强调了使用有目的的抽样技术将地理特征纳入跨国研究的重要性。