Sunset long shadows: daylight and safety perception

This study is among the first to examine the long-run effects of daylight on fear of crime and related behaviors. The empirical strategy exploits a natural experiment created by forty years of reforms that shifted the boundaries of Russia's eleven time zones. Unlike daylight saving time transitions, these changes are persistent, allowing for identification of their long-run impacts. Using longitudinal survey data, I show that the daylight regime—even after it changes—has a lasting effect on women's feelings of safety, whereas the effect on men is considerably shorter-lived. I further document behavioral effects—an immediate shift in utilitarian walking time and a medium-run adjustment in sleep patterns.