How to Overcome Your Fear of Property Crime

Introduction 

The topic that this study seeks to examine is on fear of property crime. The topic focuses more on trying to understand fear of property crime where people often experience the fear of being victims of burglaries and robberies. This type of fear is a common occurrence considering that the number of property crimes are on a steady increase, especially within urban settings. The relevance of the topic can be seen from the fact that a significant number of people are experiencing an increase in fear with regard to property crime. That highlights the need for having to examine some of the key influential factors that push people towards developing the fear of property crime. That forms the basis through which to ensure that the study is effective in seeking to define the influential factors that define the fear of property crime.

Fear of crime has been noted as one of the leading issues that is considered as being on great national concern taking into account the number of people that find themselves being exposed to different types of crime. One of the leading types of crime that has elicited serious fear around the world has been property crime. Property crime refers to a form of crime that include aspects such as arson, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny among others. Recent studies have pointed to the fact that a significant number of people find themselves experiencing the fear of property crime, especially in cases where one has been exposed to this type of crime in the past. However, a majority of these studies have been criticized due to the fact that they fail to take into account the context of the crime to determine the measure of fear.

Cook & Fox (2011) argue that the fear of crime often leads to the development of behaviors that may be categorized as being avoidance or protective behaviors that seek to ensure that the persons do not find themselves being exposed to the possibility of such crimes. In some cases, a significant decrease in the social interactions is associated with fear of crime considering that it becomes much harder for persons to trust others within their immediate social environments. Consequently, this highlights the need for having to engage in an in-depth analysis of some of the key aspects that could be associated with fear of property crime, as well as, examining some of the underlying effects associated with such fears. The focus for this research will be towards understanding some of influential factors that contribute to the onset of fear of property crimes, as well as, reflect on gender differentiation.

One of the greatest challenges to note is that a majority of persons with higher risk perceptions often find it hard to interact with others socially attributed to their belief in the possibility or risk of some form of crime. In this case, the type of crime to consider is property crime; thus, meaning that the victims often live with the belief that they are likely to be exposed to the same type of crime in future. Ultimately, that builds on the fear of exposure that the victims may have considering that it becomes hard for them to actually feel free within environments that would be considered as being similar to their past exposure. That results in cases where the individuals often take measure that would allow them to avoid specific environments or engage in behaviors that show them as being notably cautious when around other persons. The long-term effect that this is likely to have is that it will help build on their perception of risk, which will then metamorphosize into fear.

The research questions that this study considers are:

What are some of the influential factors that determine the levels of fear of property crimes among individuals?

Does there exist a difference in levels of fear of property crime on the basis of gender?

Literature Review 

Fear of crime is often perceived as the distress associated with being victims of crime and not necessarily on the overall possibility of exposure to actual crimes. Lewis (2017) takes note of the fact that the fear of crime is often considered as a supposed risk of being exposed to crime regardless of the fact that one may not have been exposed to the actual crime. When focusing on the fear of property crime, it can be perceived as the fear that one develops with regard to his or her exposure to one or more forms of property crime. Chataway & Hart (2019) argue that the fear of property crime arises when an individual finds him or herself in a situation where he or she is exposed to feelings or thoughts of experiencing personal risk of criminal victimization.

Goody (2017) maintains that although a significant number of people may find themselves being exposed to the fear of property crime, some people tend to have a higher level of fear. That is often driven by a wide array of factors including past exposure to such types of crime or whether the individual is within a neighborhood that cannot be considered as being stable. On the other hand, Chadee, Ali, Burke, & Young (2017) conclude that the fear of property crime tends to have both functional and dysfunctional effects on the persons that experience such fears. An example of a functional effect of the fear of property crime is that persons often find themselves taking avoidance and protective behaviors.

In trying to understand some of the key factors associated with the fear of crime, Chadee, Ng Ying, Chadee, & Heath (2019) indicate that a significant number of people show the psychology of risk perception and perceptions on public environments as key factors that define their fears. That reflects on the fact that the fear that people develop with regard to the possibility of property can be quantified as a perception rather than being considered as fear associated with an actual outcome. Fear of property crime has had a profound effect within the United States taking into account that it has led to the development of new sentencing guidelines to help prevent exposure to possibility of crime (Chon & Wilson, 2016). The country has been facing a serious challenge in dealing with increased cases of property crime, which has instilled fear on Americans; thus, allowing them to call for the development of new sentencing guidelines.

Rühs, Greve, & Kappes (2017) indicate that the greatest impact of fear crime is the fact that it serves as a constrain for daily activity patterns, which tends to have a high level of influence on the quality of life that people lead. For example, when persons develop of fear of property crime with regard to a given neighborhood, they are much more likely to avoid the neighborhood regardless of the possibility that the fear may not be founded. Consequently, this builds on the perception that people’s lives are profoundly affected by the fear that they develop with regard to the possibility of property crimes. Rueda & Stegmueller (2016) indicate that the aspect of fear varies depending on gender where women tend to be more fearful compared to the men within a given social environment.

The main factor that defines the fear of property crime within the women population entails victimization considering that they find it challenging in trying to comprehend the possibility that they would be referred to as victims of such crimes. Zhao, Lawton, & Longmire (2015) build on the understanding that women tend to experience both physical and social limitations that lead to them feeling vulnerable to the overall possibility of such types of crime. The fact that women are much less likely to protect themselves when exposed to a burglary or robbery creates a sense of fear when in an environment that they perceive as being somewhat risky. The fear of property crime is equally seen as being somewhat equal in both men and women in cases where persons are exposed to neighborhoods that show notable incivility. That means that the crime rates in such neighborhoods is notably high; thus, serving as a constrain for daily life activities and behaviors leading to the crime fear.

Gender is a crucial aspect of consideration when seeking to evaluate the fear of property crime among individuals. Collins (2016) engages readers in an overview of fear levels when dealing with different types of crime leading to the conclusion that women have a higher likelihood to show fear when in environments that they perceive as being risky. From this understanding, it is clear that the fear levels may vary when dealing with both men and women considering that they tend to have different perceptions with regard to the risks that they are likely to be exposed to; thus, defining their levels of fear.

However, Chataway & Hart (2019) dispute the ideology that women have a higher likelihood to show fear when dealing with property crime when compared to men; suggesting that both men and women often show fear when dealing with specific types of property crimes. Although the study is able to show similar outcomes in terms of the levels of fear, what is clear is that both men and women experience fear of crime. In most cases, this is driven by the fact that exposure to property crimes is much more likely to result in instances where one would experience huge losses and, in some of the severe cases, bodily harm. Consequently, this builds on the fear that both men and women develop with regard to the overall possibility of property crimes while reflecting on the influential factors identified.

Chon & Wilson (2016) take note of the fact that the fear relates with a wide array of factors that define the level of fear that persons develop, especially when focusing on the environments within which they are exposed. When trying to understand the fear of property crime, what is considered is the factors that result in the development of such fears, as this is key towards trying to find viable solutions to dealing with such fears. The following is an overview of some of the key influential factors that have been identified when dealing with the fear of property crime:

Past Exposure 

When an individual has been exposed to property crime in the past, he or she is often more susceptible to fear of such crimes taking into account the impact that the crimes tend to have on the victims. Taylor (2018) indicates that approximately 85% of crime victims often show severe signs of fear of crime when in environments that are likely to expose them to the same types of crime.

Risk Perception 

People tend to have differentiated levels of risk perception, especially when dealing with the occurrence of crime. Risk perception reflects more on the fact that some of the individuals often find themselves perceiving risks even in areas or environments that are not likely to expose them to such risks (Taylor, 2018). The ultimate impact is that this works towards building on the fear of crime that the persons develop, which, in some cases, affects the way that they relate with others in their immediate environments.

Personal Victimization 

Personal victimization has also been noted as a leading influential factor on the overall possibility that one would experience a higher level of fear towards crime. That is especially common when dealing with property crimes such as burglary or robberies. In such cases, the individuals involved often find themselves creating the perception that they would be most likely victims of crime. Rollwagen (2016) argues that personal victimization when dealing with property crimes often reflects more on perceived risks and not necessarily on fear considering that the persons often see risks in every aspects of their everyday lives.

Vicarious Victimization 

An extension of the victimization model reflecting on fear of property crime has helped in formulating research that seeks to examine vicarious victimization. Vicarious victimization refers to the influence that an individual, who is experiencing fear of crime, may have on others within his or her immediate social environments to spread the fear or perceive risk of crime (Brands, Schwanen, & Van Aalst, 2015).

Neighborhood Stability and Breakdown 

Snedker (2015) considers neighborhood stability and breakdown as some of the key factors that determine the perception that people are expected to hold with regard to fear of crime, as the neighborhood serves as a determinant of the possibility of crime. An example can be seen for individuals living within suburban regions, who tend to have a higher level of fear, which is precociously similar when compared to the fear that people living within unstable neighborhoods experience.

Methodology 

Subjects/Data Sources 

The use of a systematic review allowed for the gathering of literature sources relating to the topic, fear of property crime, which are then reviewed with the sole focus being towards achieving the expected outcomes in the study. The use of a systematic review is seen as being effective attributed to the extensive research that has been conducted on the topic. The literature sources were selected from different sources including ProQuest and EBSCOhost with the sole focus being towards ensuring that they are relevant for the research study expectation. The total number of research articles selected for this study was 15, each of which was evaluated to ensure that it met the inclusion criteria. Some of the key influential factors identified when seeking to understand the fear of property crime include past exposure, risk perception, personal victimization, vicarious victimization, and neighborhood stability and breakdown.

Design 

Taking into account that this research study sought to examine fear as a key variable when dealing with property crime, the research design selected for the study was descriptive. The study sought to provide a clear description of how differentiated factors influence the levels of fear that persons develop with regard to property crimes. Additionally, the study sought to provide readers with an in-depth description of difference in levels of fear among men and women to determine the impact of gender on fear of property crime.

Variable Measurement 

The dependent variable that the study seeks to examine is fear with the specific focus being on property crime. The independent variables that the study takes into account are vicarious victimization and neighborhood stability. The challenge when dealing with vicarious victimization is the fact that such persons experience fear on a higher level towards different forms of crime may impact the fear on others without their understanding. That arises from the fact that the individuals tend to hold the view that indeed they face risks with regard to their immediate environments, which is an aspect that others may consider to serve as a determinant of the fear of crime that they, themselves, are experiencing.

Ethical Considerations 

The main ethical considerations associated with this research study was privacy and confidentiality. In the presentation of data, the researcher focused more on ensuring that no private or confidential data was included as part of the results.

Validity and Reliability 

To help in advancing validity and reliability, the study sought to engage in an evidence-based study using up-to-date literature sources. The intention was to create a link between the different studies gathered as a way of ensuring that the study would be able to meet the expected outcomes. The fear of property crime is driven by the perception that persons living within unstable neighborhoods are much more likely to engage in crime. The fear is seen from the fact that persons tend to experience a feeling of insecurity when they are within such environments attributed to the breakdown in societal values.

References

Brands, J., Schwanen, T., & Van Aalst, I. (2015). Fear of crime and affective ambiguities in the night-time economy.  Urban Studies ,  52 (3), 439-455.

Chadee, D., Ali, S., Burke, A., & Young, J. (2017). Fear of crime and community concerns: Mediating effect of risk and pragmatic fear.  Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology ,  27 (6), 450-462.

Chadee, D., Ng Ying, N. K., Chadee, M., & Heath, L. (2019). Fear of crime: the influence of general fear, risk, and time perspective.  Journal of interpersonal violence ,  34 (6), 1224-1246.

Chataway, M. L., & Hart, T. C. (2019). A social-psychological process of “fear of crime” for men and women: Revisiting gender differences from a new perspective.  Victims & Offenders ,  14 (2), 143-164.

Chon, D. S., & Wilson, M. (2016). Perceived risk of burglary and fear of crime: Individual-and country-level mixed modeling.  International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology ,  60 (3), 308-325.

Collins, R. E. (2016). Addressing the inconsistencies in fear of crime research: A meta-analytic review.  Journal of criminal justice ,  47 , 21-31.

Cook, C. L., & Fox, K. A. (2011). Fear of property crime: Examining the effects of victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk.  Violence and Victims ,  26 (5), 684-700.

Goody, J. (2017). Boys don’t cry: Masculinities, fear of crime and fearlessness. In  The Fear of Crime  (pp. 59-76). Routledge.

Lewis, D. A. (2017).  Fear of crime: Incivility and the production of a social problem . Routledge.

Rollwagen, H. (2016). The relationship between dwelling type and fear of crime.  Environment and Behavior ,  48 (2), 365-387.

Rueda, D., & Stegmueller, D. (2016). The externalities of inequality: Fear of crime and preferences for redistribution in Western Europe.  American Journal of Political Science ,  60 (2), 472-489.

Rühs, F., Greve, W., & Kappes, C. (2017). Coping with criminal victimization and fear of crime: The protective role of accommodative self‐regulation.  Legal and criminological psychology ,  22 (2), 359-377.

Snedker, K. A. (2015). Neighborhood conditions and fear of crime: A reconsideration of sex differences.  Crime & Delinquency ,  61 (1), 45-70.

Taylor, R. (2018).  Breaking away from broken windows: Baltimore neighborhoods and the nationwide fight against crime, grime, fear, and decline . Routledge.

Zhao, J. S., Lawton, B., & Longmire, D. (2015). An examination of the micro-level crime–fear of crime link.  Crime & Delinquency ,  61 (1), 19-44.