The Effect of Static, Dynamic, and Perceptual Measures of Minority Threat on Fear of Crime

Abstract

Research on the fear of crime has focused on a variety of possible causes, including prior victimization, media consumption, and racial threat. However, little research has examined the sources of crime fear for separate racial/ethnic groups. The present study addresses this limitation by assessing fear of crime among diverse racial/ethnic groups utilizing multiple indicators of minority threat. Using data from the Houston Area Survey, this study assesses the effect of static measures of threat (the size of a minority population at 1 point in time), dynamic measures of threat (the change in the size of a minority population), and perceptual measures of the size of a minority population. Results indicate that, overall, the relationship between threat and fear of crime varies based on the sample used and the type of threat assessed (racial or ethnic). Theoretical implications and prospects for future research on fear of crime and the minority threat perspective are also discussed.