Predicting Immigrants’ Fear of Crime Based on Ethnicity, Acculturation, and Coping

Abstract

This research focuses on fear of crime and acculturation strategies in two immigrant groups in Israel: Ethiopians and those from the former Soviet Union (FSU). Relative contributions of various individual and social factors that predict fear of crime were examined. Five hundred and fourteen immigrants were interviewed, half from each group. All participants completed questionnaires on their fear of crime levels, perceived neighborhood disorder, social integration, coping styles, acculturation strategies, and prior criminal victimization. Both Ethiopian ( M = 4.44) and FSU ( M = 4.20) immigrants preferred integration to other acculturation strategies ( p < .05). However, for Ethiopian immigrants, their high integration scores coexist with separation from Israeli society. There were no significant differences between the two groups of immigrants as for fear of crime. Several explanations for these findings are discussed. These results challenge notions of a single acculturation strategy. Ethiopian immigrants show a pattern of “cultural ambivalence” where both integration and separation are used, while FSU immigrants demonstrate patterns of “cultural modularity,” where integration and assimilation strategies coexist.