Explaining the Fear of Crime among International Students from Developing Countries: A Revised Model

Abstract

This article examines thefear ofstreet crime among international students enrolled in a large urban university. The purpose of the article is to report whetherfactors generallyfound to be associated with thefear of crime in the United States (U.S.) are the samefor international students studying here, or if there are characteristics or experiences unique to international students that add to a model which attempts to explain the fear of cime. The results from a multiple regression analysis show thatfour variables were strongly correlated with feelings of safety in one's neighborhood. Two of them are unique to international students: number of months in the U.S. andfrequency of participation in cultural events and activities. The other two were comparative danger of one's neighborhood and perceived likelihood of local protection.