A Reexamination of the Crime-Fear Linkage

Abstract

Various recent developments in the fear-of-crime literature have led scholars to the general conclusion that fear is a multidimensional concept. For instance, methodological work in the fear-of-crime tradition has recognized various dimensions of the concept of “fear,” suggesting that there are cognitive (e.g., risk perception) and emotional (e.g., being afraid) components that need to be theoretically and empirically distinguished from one another. Related to this, the fear literature has also established the value in examining crime-specific fears, recognizing that the proximate causes of fear can vary depending on the crime fear in question. This article extends the notion of “the multidimensional nature of fear of crime” by comparing multilevel models of fear of violence versus fear of burglary with a specific focus on the crime-fear relationship for each type of fear. Using data from 4,638 individuals living in 100 Seattle neighbor-hoods, hierarchical logistic models of fear of violent victimization and fear of property victimization are estimated. Findings suggest that individual- and neighborhood-level crime experiences have differential effects on fear of violence in comparison to fear of burglary, thus providing further evidence of the multidimensional nature of fear of crime.