Fear Factor : A Cross-national Analysis of Fear of Crime Construction Among majority and Minority Populations

Abstract: This paper investigates the influence of individual level factors and social capital on fear ofcrime construction amongst citizens and non-citizens in a cross-national context. Regressionanalysis of the European Social Survey (Round 9) demonstrated that the relative importanceof socio-economic individual level factors is stable across countries and consistent withprevious research. Contradictory to theoretical assumptions, only marginal differences in fearof crime levels, social trust levels and attitudes were found when natives and non-nativeswere compared, even when controlling for confounding variables. Furthermore, the researchhighlights and confirms the explanatory power of social trust in explaining differing fear ofcrime levels. The relative importance of environmental factors and shortcomings ofmeasuring fear of crime with a single item indicator are emphasized.