NCJ Number
186971
Journal
Criminology Volume: 38 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 1173-1206
Date Published
November 2000
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This study examined Korean Americans’ perceptions of incivilities, crime risk, and fear of crime, using an explanatory model that combined perceived group threat theories of racial hostility and Ferraro’s risk interpretation theory of fear of crime.
Abstract
The data came from a purposive sample drawn from Korean ethnic Christian churches in Chicago and three suburban Illinois counties (Cook, DuPage, and Lake) in the Chicago metropolitan area. One researcher distributed 3,195 questionnaires to adults aged 18 years and older who attended church services. Participants returned 780 responses by postage-paid mail. The data analysis used hierarchical linear modeling. Results revealed that greater English proficiency, greater length of residence in the United States, lower preference for ethnic Korean media, greater perceived risk of future rioting by black persons, and greater prejudice against black persons strongly increased fear of crime. In contrast, self-employment and the number of close American friends were not significant predictors in explaining fear, nor were community-level variables such as poverty or percent black or Hispanic. Findings indicated the importance of cultural factors and the dynamics of racial and ethnic conflicts in explaining fear of crime. Tables, footnotes, and 56 references (Author abstract modified)