Fear of crime in Brisbane city: revisiting the importance of ‘context’ in the development of fear of crime

Abstract

Fear of crime can have significant consequences for physical and mental wellbeing. Although our understanding of the causes of fear of crime has improved over the years, there remains a lack of research examining the connections between individual, situational, and social factors that may contribute to concerns about crime within an individual’s immediate environment. The current study examines fear of crime as a context dependent experience, in order to better understand these connections. Data are collected from a sample of N = 180 residents living and working in Brisbane City, Australia. Using Factor Score Path Analysis, we show that signals of crime (i.e., physical and social disorder) in the immediate environment increase the likelihood of worry about crime. Results of this study indicate that in order to reduce concerns about crime researchers should consider dynamic signals of disorder in the immediate environment when designing interventions.