Perceived risk of terrorism, indirect victimization, and individual-level determinants of fear of terrorism

Abstract

This paper tests the pertinence of individual-level theoretical framework of fear of crime to explain fear of terrorism and underscores the significance of the nexus between fear of terrorism and perceived risk of terrorism. It reviews the literature on conceptualization of terrorism and crime, focusing on individual-level determinants of fear of crime and terrorism through victimization and vulnerability perspectives. The study explores the impact of individual-level predictors and of perceived risk of terrorism on fear of terrorism through three complimentary multiple linear regression models on the basis of results of a web-based survey conducted in Spring semester of 2013 among 504 undergraduate and graduate students from Kent State University between the ages of 19–36, directly following the Boston Marathon Bombings. The study concludes that perceived risk of terrorism on future attacks is a robust indicator of fear of terrorism and the influence of individual-level predictors of fear of crime literature, media exposure, and indirect victimization should not be underestimated.