The Empirical Study on Avoidance and Defensive Behaviors against Crime Victimization

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyzes on avoidance and defensive behaviors against crime victimization. We examine the relationships between victimization experience, perceived risk, fear of crime, avoidance and defensive behaviors, along with other demographic and community’s contextual variables. We tries to review the theory on defensive behaviors against crime victimization, such as risk interpretation model, threat of victimization and situational prevention theory, and to analyse the aspects of defensive behaviors in Korea. The data that we have analysed here were obtained from “Korean Crime Victim Survey in 2014” conducted KIC(Korean Institute of Criminology) in 2015. The data consists of a total of 6,960 households and 14,975 persons. We used Regression Analysis and Path Analysis etc. The results indicate that victimization experience has a directly positive effect on perceived risk and fear of crime, while victimization experience has no significant effect on defensive behaviors. Though the direct effects of victimization experience on defensive behaviors are not significant, they turn out to be mediated by perceived risk and fear of crime. And perceived risk and fear of crime were found to be positively related to the defensive behaviors. And we wish this study contribute to the understanding and explanation of defensive behaviors against crime victimization. From our study, it is implied that future research should attempt to develop a more considerable model on the defensive behaviors against crime victimization and to elaborate the measures and analysis methods.