Ethnic diversity is increasing in most Western societies. Research suggests that these increasing levels of diversity could result in less neighborhood cohesion and more fear of crime. In this article, we examine both hypothesized outcomes of ethnic diversity, using survey data of the Dutch Safety Monitor 2014 in combination with detailed register data. The effects of diversity on neighborhood cohesion and fear of crime are simultaneously assessed at 3 spatial levels: districts, neighborhoods, and streets. The results of the multilevel analyses show that ethnic diversity is modestly related to less neighborhood cohesion and more fear of crime at specific spatial levels. The patterns are largely similar for natives and nonnatives. We found, in addition, that recent increases in diversity are unable to explain differences in neighborhood cohesion and fear of crime. Altogether, our study provides a nuanced understanding of diversity effects in the Dutch context.

This study considers and simultaneously tests the role of ethnic diversity and out-group size in relation to individuals’ perceptions of neighborhood cohesion and fear of crime among natives in Dutch neighborhoods. We challenge the way the impact of diversity has been studied previously and propose an alternative measure to examine diversity effects. This results in a better understanding of how and why the ethnic composition of a neighborhood may impact levels of cohesion and fear, and thereby contributes to the literature on the societal effects of ethnic diversity. In addition, attention is paid to the association between cohesion and fear and whether neighborhood cohesion mediates the relationship between ethnic diversity and fear of crime. We apply multilevel equation modeling techniques to analyze the different relationships and use data of the Dutch Safety Monitor (N = 71,760) in combination with detailed register data. Our study is one of the first to detect a diversity effect on cohesion based on the modified diversity measure. We do not find support for the hypothesized diversity effect on fear of crime. Lastly, out-group size turned out to decrease cohesion and increase fear.

A central theme in criminology is how fear of crime is influenced by the residential context. Most researchers rely on administrative neighbourhoods to define context. These administrative units do not necessarily align with how inhabitants experience their local surroundings. The present study combines administrative neighbourhoods with a more innovative way to measure context. Using geocoded survey data (N = 14.620) in combination with detailed geographic information system data, we construct egohoods with different radii (ranging from 50 to 750 m). We find that crime, ethnic diversity, economic status, disorder and facilities all have an effect on feelings of unsafety. The contextual effects differ in size and are not detected in all spatial contexts, indicating that it matters how and to which scale data are aggregated.

There is little research on how resident perceptions of neighborhood unsafety develop over time and how changes in these perceptions relate to decreasing crime rates. The present study analyzes and explains trends in perceived neighborhood unsafety within the Dutch city of Rotterdam, based on survey and register data collected in the years 2003–2017 (N = 148.344, 62 neighborhoods). In addition to crime, we also assess to what extent (changes in) the economic status, level of ethnic heterogeneity, degree of residential mobility, and amount of disorder in the neighborhood play a role in how safe or unsafe inhabitants have felt in a 15-year period. We find that unsafety levels steadily declined in the years up to 2007. This decrease was best explained by changes regarding the economic status, victimization rates and disorder level of neighborhoods. After a sudden increase in feelings of unsafety between 2007 and 2008, explained by the shift towards using more self-administrated questionnaires, fear levels stabilized during the remaining years (2008–2017) although recorded crime levels continued to decrease in this period.

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