Valera, S., & Guàrdia, J.
APA
Valera, S., & Guàrdia, J. (2014). Perceived insecurity and fear of crime in a city with low-crime rates. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, 195–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.02.002
Keywords
Environmental Psychology
,
Fear Of Crime
,
Perceived Insecurity
,
Structural Equation Model Analysis
,
Urban Environments
Abstract
Fear of crime is one of the most important problems in our cities, even in low-crime rate areas. The aim of this paper is to provide evidence of the issues involved in the perceived risk of victimization and fear of crime in these contexts using the Structural Equation Model (SEM) technique. Five hundred and seventy- one people living in a working-class neighborhood of Barcelona answered a 45-item questionnaire including the following 7 constructs: perception of insecurity, previous threat experiences, social representations of insecurity, personal control and coping skills, potential aggressors, urban identity, and perceived environmental quality. Findings confirm the theoretical model, in which fear of crime is structurally related to: a) environmental features, b) personal variables, and c) social representation of unsafe places. In addition, we found that the role of social aspects is as important as that of environ- mental and psychological ones. Residential satisfaction and urban social identity appear as relevant variables.
Main finding
Fear of crime is an important dynamic in high- and low-crime cities. This study looks for relationships between (a) perception of insecurity, (b) previous threat experiences, (c) social representations of insecurity, (d) personal control and coping skills, (e) potential aggressors, (f) urban identity, and (g) perceived environmental quality.
Results indicate that fear of crime is related to (a) environmental features such as vandalism and patterns of use, (b) personal variables such as skills for dealing with threatening situations, and (c) social representation of insecurity such as previous experience and more general neighborhood identity. However, it seems social variables have a greater impact on perceptions of safety than strictly environmental characteristics.
Description of method used in the article
In-person surveys of of adult residents (N = 751) of the Zone Franca working- and middle-class neighborhood of Barcelona, Spain. The 45-item survey contains items related to (a) perceptions of insecurity, (b) previous threat experiences, (c) social representations of insecurity, (d) personal control and coping skills, (e) potential aggressors, (f) urban identity, and (g) perceived environmental quality, all on 4-point response scales. Relationships explored using a Structural Equation Model (SEM).
Verdict
Of some practical use if combined with other research