A proximity hypothesis is a prediction asserted by a scientist or researcher indicating that a subject is influenced by the particular conditions of the subjects' surroundings. Thus, a given subject is influenced by certain factors within a close vicinity, whereas other subjects that are further away from the same factors are less influenced. This hypothesis emphasizes a direct relationship between influence and distance, with shorter distances and closer proximities indicating stronger influences. The theory has been applied to describe many different patterns that address a diverse range of issues.
Many proximity hypothesis concepts have been applied to help explain high crime levels in certain urban areas. For example, the proximity hypothesis has been used to suggest that properties within a close proximity to housing projects are more likely to experience higher violent crime levels than other areas further from the projects. However, many researchers refute this hypothesis and dispute any relationship between crime levels and distance from projects. Some researchers use the proximity hypothesis to claim that people within a close proximity to housing projects are likely to become criminals, whereas other researchers argue against this concept as well. Furthermore, a proximity hypothesis used in criminology suggests that criminals and their respective victims tend to physically live within a close vicinity to each other.
Many research projects were conducted to test the hypothesis proximity regarding desegregation. Before the 1960's white people and black people were often separated and segregated by being designated completely separate neighborhoods, schools, churches and buildings. When, because of the civil rights movement, black and white people were suddenly being assigned to the same schools and when neighborhoods and buildings were suddenly desegregated, some people and families supported the change while others resisted the shift. A 1979 research report conducted by Robert Serow and Daniel Solomon supported a proximity hypothesis. According to the report, parents in the study who lived in areas with successfully integrated schools had more favorable attitudes towards desegregation than parents living in areas without integrated schools.
The proximity hypothesis can also be applied to help explain patterns for other scientific and natural phenomena. For example, many researchers have suggested that an area's proximity to past earthquakes can determine the likelihood of the given area being struck with an earthquake. Thus, the closer an area is to land previously shaken by an earthquake, the higher the chances are of that area also experiencing earthquakes in the future. The proximity hypothesis can also be used to help predict other natural disasters such as storm surges, volcanic eruptions and tsunami tidal waves.