Fear of crime: measuring the phenomenon and exploring its predictors in São Paulo city

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to theoretical and methodological discussions about the conceptualization, measurement, and identification of predictors of fear of crime in the Brazilian context. Based on survey data collected in São Paulo city in 2015, we worked with a fear of crime construct covering emotional, cognitive and behavioral dimensions. Using Multiple Regressions and Structural Equation Modeling we verify the relation between each one of these components and explanatory variables informed by individual aspects (sociodemographic variables) experiences of victimization (direct and indirect) and contextual aspects (perceptions of disorder and social cohesion). The results highlight the complex and multidetermined nature of the phenomenon studied and support the importance of a broader measurement perspective. The analysis also reveals the influence of predictors such as gender, perceived neighborhood disorder, low social cohesion, indirect victimization, age, education, and socioeconomic status.

fear of crime; survey; measurement; violence