Fear of crime on campus: Gender differences in use of self-protective behaviours at an urban university

Abstract

Research establishes that female college students are more fearful of crime on campus and are more likely to believe they will be victimized than male students. However, little is known about how students’ fear of crime and their perceptions of risk influence their use of self-protective behaviours. Undergraduates at an urban university were surveyed about fear and perceived likelihood of being the victim of various crimes and their use of self-protective behaviours. This study examines students’ use of self-protective behaviours and compares sex differences in fear, perceived likelihood of different types of crime and score on a self-protective behaviours index. Results suggest that women engage in self-protective behaviours more than men, and do so based upon their fear of crime and perceived likelihood of victimization; in addition, women are more likely to engage in self-protective behaviours than men even after fear and perceived risk are held constant.