CRIM 1125 Lecture : The Fear of Crime.docx
Document Summary
Fear of crime is disproportionate to the actual amount of crime. Fear is difficult to define, and just as difficult to measure. 95% of men and 92% of women express general satisfaction with their personal safety. Women are about twice as likely as men to be fearful: on public transit alone at night, home alone at night, walking alone after dark. Fear could be because women are smaller or weaker than the average male offender, or they have been socialized into regarding themselves as such. Rate of violent victimization is quite similar for men and women: men are more likely to be physically assaulted or robbed, women are five times as likely to be victim of a sexual assault. Violent victimization rates lowest for people over age of 65, and highest for those between ages of 15 to 24. Older people continue to express concerns about their personal safety.
