Exploring Heterogeneous Effects of Victimization on Changes in Fear of Crime: The Moderating Role of Neighborhood Conditions

Abstract

A growing research body shows that victimization increases victims’ fear of crime. Typically, this research estimates average effects, which may conceal that people respond differently to victimization or that ecological contexts shape the experience of crime. The current study is among the few that attempt to uncover potential heterogeneities in victimization effects by ecological contexts. It explores whether the victims’ neighborhood conditions (levels of crime, disorder, and concentrated disadvantage) moderate the impact of violent victimization close to home on fear of crime. For this purpose, longitudinal multilevel models were estimated using data from a two-wave panel survey of about 3300 adult respondents nested in 140 neighborhoods in two large German cities. The results suggest that individuals from more disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to increase their fear of crime more strongly after victimization than those from more advantaged areas. For the other neighborhood conditions, victimization effects were estimated to be more homogenous.