Local responses to collective and personal crime after school shootings

Abstract

This study examines how community members respond to collective and personal crime after unexpected violent, mass tragedies. Our main interest is in whether or not responses to personal and collective crime are similar in two local communities. Furthermore, we assess how socio-demographic and experiential factors and social solidarity associate with the fear of crime. Empirical analysis is based on cross-sectional data. Postal surveys were collected from the Finnish localities of Jokela (n = 330) and Kauhajoki (n = 319) 6 months after the respective school shooting tragedies. Descriptive analysis and multiple linear regressions are used as analysis techniques. The results indicate that the fear of collective crime was associated with a low level of social solidarity in Jokela. In Kauhajoki, socio-demographic and experiential factors were associated with the fear of collective crime, but social solidarity was not. In particular, female respondents and those who knew a victim reported higher levels of fear of collective crime. As with personal crime, responses between Jokela and Kauhajoki were relatively similar. The results confirm findings of previous criminological studies demonstrating the association between weak social solidarity and fear of personal victimization.