Developing a model of perceptions of security and insecurity in the context of crime (original) (raw)

Fear of crime and feelings of unsafety in European countries

In this study, we set out to explain fear of crime and feelings of unsafety, using two waves of the European Social Survey (2006 and 2008) covering 25 European countries (N = 77,674). The results of our multilevel analyses showed varying effects of ontextual- and individual-level characteristics on our two utcomes. Higher crime levels in countries increase the fear of crime; however, they do not affect feelings of unsafety. Social protection expenditure proves to be an important determinant of both fear of crime and feelings of unsafety. Moreover, distrust in the police, generalized social distrust, and perceived ethnic threat induce fear of crime as well as feelings of unsafety. Finally, policy implications are discussed.

Perceived insecurity and fear of crime in a city with low-crime rates

Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2014

Fear of crime is one of the most important problems in our cities, even in low-crime-rate areas. The aim of this paper is to provide evidence of the issues involved in the perceived risk of victimization and fear of crime in these contexts using the Structural Equation Model (SEM) technique. Five hundred and seventy-one people living in a working-class neighborhood of Barcelona answered a 45-item questionnaire including the following 7 constructs: perception of insecurity, previous threat experiences, social representations of insecurity, personal control and coping skills, potential aggressors, urban identity, and perceived environmental quality. Findings confirm the theoretical model, in which fear of crime is structurally related to: a) environmental features, b) personal variables, and c) social representation of unsafe places. In addition, we found that the role of social aspects is as important as that of environmental and psychological ones. Residential satisfaction and urban social identity appear as relevant variables.

Neighbourhood, Crime and Fear: Exploring Subjective Perception of Security in Serbia

NBP. Nauka, bezbednost, policija, 2025

The perception of (in)security plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' interactions with their environment and can have significant implications for the prevalence and persistence of criminal activity within communities. Perceived insecurity can lead individuals to fear becoming victims of crime and can affect the willingness of individuals to report crimes to authorities. Furthermore, it can undermine social cohesion within communities by eroding trust and cooperation among residents. The subjective security experience in the neighbourhood is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by various determinants. Using data from the European Social Survey Round 10, the paper aims to scrutinise the potential factors contributing to feelings of security among the respondents in Serbia. We focus on the respondents' perceptions of security in four regions (Belgrade, Vojvodina, Šumadija and West Serbia, and South and East Serbia) operationalised through the question "How safe do you-or would you-feel walking alone in your neighbourhood after dark?". By examining determinants such as age, gender, daily activity, area (rural or urban), social capital, interpersonal trust and perceived quality of society, this paper aims to shed light on the complexities of security perception. The primary findings underscore the significance of individual vulnerability and social integration measures as critical indicators of security perceptions in the neighbourhoods. The study highlighted notable regional variations in predictors of security perceptions, emphasising the necessity of localised approaches to address security concerns. By comprehensively understanding the determinants of subjective security, policymakers and urban planners can develop targeted strategies to mitigate fear and enhance security perceptions.

Feelings and Functions in the Fear of Crime: Applying a New Approach to Victimisation Insecurity

This paper presents a new definition of fear of crime that integrates two conceptual developments in this enduring field of criminological enquiry. Our measurement strategy differentiates first between specific worries and diffuse anxieties in emotional responses to crime, and second between productive and counter-productive effects on subjective well-being and precautionary activities. Drawing on data from a representative survey of seven London neighbourhoods, these distinctions are combined into an ordinal scale that moves from the ‘unworried’, to low-level motivating emotions, to frequent and dysfunctional worry about crime. We demonstrate that different categories of ‘fear’ have different correlates and explain different levels of variation in public confidence in policing. We conclude with a call for more longitudinal research to uncover the dynamic nature of fear of crime over the life-course.

Validating New Measures of the Fear of Crime

This study assesses the scaling properties of some new measures of the fear of crime. The new conceptualization—a range of distinct but related constructs that constitute the fear of crime—comprises the interplay between emotion, risk perception and environmental perception. Data from a small-scale survey are analysed using confirmatory factor analysis showing good scaling properties of the multiple indicators. Two implications of the new conceptualization for the rationality of the fear of crime are discussed. First, perceptions of the risk of crime seem to be a product of how individuals make sense of their social and physical environment. Second, the fear of crime may constitute such evaluations of community cohesion and moral consensus as well as specific experiences of ‘fear’ of ‘crime’—a way of seeing as well as a way of feeling. The conclusions consider ramifications for the rationality of the fear of crime, particularly in the context of reassurance policing in England and Wales.

Different Measures of Vulnerability in their Relation to Different Dimensions of Fear of Crime

British Journal of Criminology, 2000

Vulnerability has, in research conducted over the last decade, been found to be significantly related to fear of crime. It seems to be particularly helpful in explaining seemingly disproportionate fear levels among women and the elderly, as well as in a few situational contexts. In the present research, a representative sample of Switzerland's population (N=726) was interviewed on various aspects of fear of crime in the public sphere. All respondents were asked how they assessed their own ability to escape or resist in case of an attack by a young assailant. In addition, interviewers rated several aspects of respondents' 'visible' vulnerability. In multivariate analyses, vulnerability, as assessed by respondents themselves, explained fears and worries about crime better than interviewer-assessed measures of vulnerability. It is concluded that, in comparison to demographic and contextual (neighbourhood) variables, physical vulnerability seems to play an important and consistent role in the genesis of fear of crime.

Fear of Crime in Urban Neighbourhoods: A Comparative Analysis of Six Capitals

Journal of Criminal Justice and Security, 2012

The purpose of this article is to present general findings of a survey on fear of crime in a sample of 2,377 respondents in the capitals of the republics and one autonomous region of the Former Yugoslavia in 2009. Design/Methods/Approach: A survey was conducted in households by trained interviewers. Statistical methods utilized are factor and regression analysis. Statistical tests show that the model used is valid and reliable and the sampling method was adequate as well. Findings: The main findings are consistent with other Western European and American studies on fear of crime. The results imply that fear of crime depends on weak social networks in a neighbourhood, worry about crime, probability of victimization in the next 12 months, severity of consequences of victimization, low ability of selfdefence, impact of victimization on one's life, preventative measures (precaution), gender (women), education, low position in a labour market, and the influence of recent victimization on one's fear of crime intensity. Research Implications: The research results have implications for policy making in the fields of crime control and crime prevention, and imply social and situational preventative measures to be undertaken. Practical Implications: The article is also useful for community policing in practice, especially in dealing with the elderly, women and the socially and economically marginalized. Originality/Value: The research presented in this article is the first comparative research using socio-demographic and social psychological model in the region of South Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, it is also a replication and test of models used for fear of crime research in Western Europe.

An Exploration of Safety from Crime

Journal of ASIAN behavioural studies, 2018

The feeling of safety from criminal threats has become a critical aspect on the quality of human life. One of the indicators in identifying fear of crime is the feeling of safety (POS) level. The objective of this study is to compare the POS in individual gated residential (IGR) and individual non-gated residential (INGR) areas. This study found that POS is higher in gated residential areas (M=0.90, SD=0.32) compared to IGR areas (M=0.57, SD=0.23). The results show that the rates of income, victimization, fields of employment and periods of residing in the residential areas were significant to the POS.