Measuring 'Fear of Crime'

• NCJ Number: 89246
• Author(s): T L Baumer; D P Rosenbaum
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-NI-AX-0124
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Prepared for presentation to the Special National Workshop on Research Methodology and Criminal Justice Program Evaluation, March 17-19, 1980, Baltimore, Maryland

Annotation

Fear of crime is an ambiguous term which cannot be measured adequately and which should be defined and measured in terms of three of its most important components: the perceived threat of individual victimization, assessments of neighborhood crime problems, and self-reports of behavioral adaptations in response to the possibility of victimization.

Abstract

Local crime prevention efforts aim to reduce both crime and fear of crime, but little attention has focused on the conceptual and operational development of measures of fear of crime. The relative absence of standardized measures and evaluative data on the adequacy of such measures results from conceptual ambiguity and inattention to conceptual development. The ambiguity and multiple uses of the term 'fear of crime' suggest that it should be avoided whenever possible. Instead, researchers should use the three proposed measures. These dimensions use the most relevant factors from previous research and pinpoint reactions which may be affected by crime prevention programs. In addition, they properly restrict the areas of study to the individual's perceptions of threat, perceptions of the local neighborhood, and crime-related behavioral adaptations. Current research efforts are focusing on translating this reconceptualization of the topic of fear of crime into multi-item scales which will be assessed for validity and reliability. Twenty-nine references are included.