What are the unit and level of analysis in a study of which metro regions in the USA have more crimes.
a. Crimes
b. Criminals
c. Metro regions
d. USA
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is c. Metro regions.
Unit of Analysis refers to the primary entity being studied or the level at which data is collected. In this case, the focus of the study is on metro regions in the USA, which means the units being analyzed are these geographic areas. Each metro region is being compared to others in terms of crime rates, making it the unit of analysis.
Level of Analysis refers to the scale or scope at which the data is examined. In this study, the level of analysis is at the macro or regional level. This means that the study looks at larger geographical entities (i.e., metro regions) rather than individual criminals or crimes. The study aggregates data on crimes across entire metropolitan regions, rather than focusing on individual acts of crime or individual criminals.
If the study had focused on individual incidents of crime, then the unit of analysis would be crimes, and if it had focused on individual criminals, the unit of analysis would have been criminals. But since the study is comparing the crime rates across different metro regions, the unit and level of analysis is best described as metro regions, which are geographical aggregates.
The study aims to understand differences in crime across different regions, rather than examining individual crimes or criminals. Hence, the correct answer is metro regions, and the level of analysis is macro.