Fear of crime
Fear of crime refers to the apprehension individuals feel about becoming victims of criminal activity, a phenomenon that has garnered attention from criminologists and policymakers since the mid-1960s. Interestingly, research indicates that there is often a disconnect between people's fear of crime and their actual risk of victimization. For example, women and the elderly tend to report higher levels of fear, despite evidence showing that younger individuals and men are statistically more likely to be crime victims. This discrepancy is sometimes referred to as the "risk-fear paradox," where public fear remains high even as crime rates decline.
Factors influencing this fear include sensationalized media coverage of violent crimes, which can amplify public anxiety, and the political climate surrounding crime, often characterized by aggressive law enforcement rhetoric. Additionally, fear of crime is more pronounced in urban and low-income areas, correlating with visible signs of social disorder. The consequences of such fear can be significant, leading to reduced community interaction and social cohesion, while also prompting individuals to invest in security measures that do not necessarily alleviate their fears. Conversely, in safer neighborhoods, increased fear may foster community cooperation as residents unite to engage in local safety initiatives.
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Fear of crime
People’s fear of being the victims of crime has been a topic of criminological research since the mid-1960s. Though its precise definition and how to measure it are subjects of debate, fear of crime is of considerable interest to criminologists, police, and government officials, because it affects people’s quality of life and therefore their social behavior and political decisions.
Overview
Numerous studies show that people’s fear of crime, as measured by surveys, does not correlate with their actual risk of being victimized. For example, fear of crime is considerably more common among women than men, though men are more likely to be crime victims; similarly, the elderly have a higher rate of fear than younger people, although younger people also run a greater risk of victimization. Furthermore, studies show that although the incidence of every category of serious crime has declined significantly in the United States between 1990 and 2010, people’s fear of crime has not declined accordingly. The same pattern has been identified in the United Kingdom and other developed countries. Some researchers have called this the “risk-fear paradox.”
A number of explanations for the risk-fear paradox have been suggested. Among these is the behavior of the news media, which tends to give the greatest coverage to the most sensational stories—such as incidents of violent crime—based on the dictum “If it bleeds, it leads.” While tragic and shocking incidents such as kidnappings or murder-suicides may be rare, their prominence in the media whenever they occur, it is theorized, can serve to heighten people’s fear of crime. Another factor in fear of crime that has drawn scholarly attention is its political uses: get-tough-on-crime campaigns by elected leaders are traditionally popular and can have a circular effect, as the fear and the political rhetoric it inspires reinforce one another.
Some trends in the fear of crime, however, are rational. Fear of crime is higher in geographic areas with higher crime rates. Thus, fear of crime is greater in cities and low-income areas than in rural areas and more affluent areas. Other studies have shown that people’s fear of crime is affected by their neighborhood environment, with the presence of abandoned buildings, graffiti, litter, and other signs of social disorder correlating with higher rates of fear. A more visible police presence in an area correlates with lower levels of fear of crime, which is one motivation for the growth in many police departments of “community policing” efforts, in which police establish partnerships with individuals and groups in the community in order to build trust and collaborate on solving problems.
Fear of crime has many consequences for people’s behavior, some positive and some negative. In areas where fear of crime is high, people spend less time outside their homes and have fewer interactions with their neighbors, and social cohesion declines. This in turn can result in more crime, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break. Also, people who fear crime may invest in defensive measures such as home security systems or acquire weapons for self-defense. These measures have not been shown to reduce people’s fear of crime, though. In contrast, an uptick in fear of crime in generally safer neighborhoods may result in greater social cohesion, as community members work together to address perceived issues by such actions as forming neighborhood watch groups or reaching out to police.
Bibliography
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