Social Insecurities and Fear of Crime: A Cross-National Study on the Impact of Welfare State Policies on Crime-related Anxieties

Hummelsheim, Dina; Hirtenlehner, Helmut; Jackson, Jonathan; Oberwittler, Dietrich

doi:10.1093/esr/jcq010

Cited by 117 publications

(125 citation statements)

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“…We cannot here engage in any depth with these sociological theories, but one important potential implication is that the vague and inclusive nature of fear of crime may be as much a strength as a weakness, as it may enable researchers to grasp a complex domain of social and psychological reality with a single measure. 49,78 In any case, it is clear that any attempt to synthesise the findings on fear of crime, and draw them into a more inclusive theory, will need to carefully distinguish the subconcepts that make it up and the different measures that may be used to investigate fear. Our model includes four subconcepts: perceived risk, or the individual's estimate of how likely he or she is to become a victim of crime; emotional responses, including the whole range of affective reactions to crime or the threat of crime; perceived vulnerability and individual attitudes.…”

Section: Review Of Theories and Pathways: Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…145,155 Hence, these perceptions may also be influenced by individuals' structural position within a community and their relationship to it, 70,73,155 and by the wider structures of socioeconomic, political and cultural relations within society. 78,103,156 The role of the media and social representations, therefore, inter-relates with that of national policy and social inequalities, as well as with local-level features of individuals' social networks and environments.…”

Section: -151mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study finds that more generous social welfare policies are associated with higher levels of perceived safety. 78 The potential for interventions at the level of the built environment is discussed further in Intervention pathways (logic model). Interventions at the level of the social environment may include crime reduction interventions such as Neighbourhood Watch, as well as broader programmes to promote social integration and cohesion.…”

Section: 214mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crime, fear of crime and mental health: synthesis of theory and systematic reviews of interventions and qualitative evidence

Lorenc

Petticrew

Whitehead

et al. 2014

Public Health Research

101

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BackgroundCrime and fear of crime may impact negatively on health and well-being. Interventions to reduce crime and fear of crime, particularly interventions in the physical environment, may be a promising way to improve population-level well-being.Project components(1) Mapping review of theories and pathways; (2) systematic review of effectiveness; (3) systematic review of UK qualitative data; and (4) focus groups and interviews with stakeholders.Methods(1) The mapping review was a pragmatic non-systematic review focusing on theoretical literature and observational quantitative studies and development of a theoretical model of pathways. (2 and 3) The systematic reviews followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance. In total, 18 databases including EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Science Citation Index were searched from inception to 2010. Studies presenting data on the built environment and the fear of crime were included. Quality assessment was conducted. Data synthesis was conducted narratively for the intervention review, with harvest plots to synthesise data on inequalities, and by thematic analysis for the review of qualitative evidence. (4) Semistructured interviews with nine stakeholders working in community safety and two focus groups with members of the public were conducted to inform the methods of the project and the dissemination of findings. Data were analysed thematically.Results(1) There are complex and often indirect links between crime, fear of crime, environment, and health and well-being at both individual and population levels. Fear of crime is associated with poorer health outcomes. There is considerable debate about the measurement of fear of crime. Both fear of crime and crime are associated with a range of environmental factors. (2) A total of 12,093 references were screened on abstract for the two systematic reviews. Of these, 47 effectiveness studies (22 controlled and 25 uncontrolled) were included in the systematic review of effectiveness, with 36 conducted in the UK, 10 in the USA and one in the Netherlands. There is some evidence that home security improvements and non-crime-related environmental improvements may improve some fear of crime outcomes. There is little evidence that the following reduce fear of crime: street lighting improvements, closed-circuit television, multicomponent environmental crime prevention programmes or regeneration programmes. The evidence on housing improvement is mixed. Very few data on the health and well-being outcomes of crime reduction interventions were located and the study quality overall is poor. (3) A total of 39 studies were included in the systematic review of qualitative data. Several factors in the physical environment are perceived to impact on fear of crime. However, factors in the local social environment appear to be more important as drivers of fear of crime. There is considerable evidence for limitations on physical activity as a result of fear of crime, but less for mental health impacts. (4) Stakeholders see fear of crime as harder to address than crime and as linked to health and well-being. Environmental interventions, such as Secured by Design, are widely used and positively regarded.LimitationsThe review is relatively restricted in its scope and a number of relevant interventions and themes are excluded. The underlying evidence base is of limited quality, particularly for the effectiveness review, and is heterogeneous.ConclusionsBroader social interventions appear more promising than crime-focused environmental interventions as a means of improving fear of crime, health and well-being. The qualitative evidence suggests that fear of crime may impact on physical activity. More broadly, crime and fear of crime appear to be linked to health and well-being mainly as aspects of socioeconomic disadvantage. This review indicates the following gaps in the literature: evaluation research on the health impacts of crime reduction interventions; more robust research on interventions to reduce fear of crime; systematic reviews of non-environmental interventions to reduce fear of crime and systematic reviews of qualitative evidence on other crime-related topics.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

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Section: Review Of Theories and Pathways: Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: -151mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 214mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crime, fear of crime and mental health: synthesis of theory and systematic reviews of interventions and qualitative evidence

Lorenc

Petticrew

Whitehead

et al. 2014

Public Health Research

101

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“…Poverty and lack of welfare benefits can therefore lead to fear of crime (Oberwittler 2008, Hummelsheim et al 2011.…”

Section: Fear Of Crimementioning

confidence: 99%

How fear of crime affects punitive attitudes

Armborst¹

2017

Eur J Crim Policy Res

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This article investigates different types of fear of crime as predictors for punitive attitudes. Using data from a Germany-wide representative survey (n = 1272) it examines the reliability and validity of survey instruments through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to explain variations in the level of respondents' punitive attitudes. The results show that different emotional and cognitive responses to crime have a distinctive effect on the formation of punitive attitudes. These effects vary significantly depending on socio-demographic factors and assumed purposes of punishment. A crucial observation of the study is that men's fear of crime works in a different way in the formation of punitive attitudes than women's fear of crime. The perceived locus of control for the crime threat is a possible explanation for this difference.

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“…Here, it serves as an explanation of the fear/risk paradox, namely that if you are not used to handling risks you become overtly fearful. However, such an assumption is contradicted by statistics showing that crime-related insecurity is lower in countries with a high degree of social expenditure and decommodification (Hummelsheim et al 2011). …”

Section: Working With and Discussing Safety Issues [Means] /…/ Runninmentioning

confidence: 99%

A policy problem that cannot escape its past – constraints on the reformation of safety policy

Persson

2015

Critical Policy Studies

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PostprintThis is the accepted version of a paper published in Critical Policy Studies. This paper has been peerreviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination.Citation for the original published paper (version of record):Persson, M. (2015) A policy problem that cannot escape its past: constraints on the reformation of safety policy.Critical Policy Studies, 9(2): 158-176 https://doi.org/10. 1080/19460171.2014.971038 Access to the published version may require subscription. AbstractWithin many current policy theories there is a tendency to first identify change and then explain it. A retrospective analysis of policy changes risks missing continuous processes and struggles for change as well as mechanisms of resistance to change. Taking this as a point of departure, this paper develops an understanding of the policy process as a struggle over meaning, as a way to allow for a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of policy change and continuity. This approach is illustrated by an analysis of the formation of public safety policy in Sweden. Alternative storylines giving 'new' meanings to the policy problem were strategically incorporated into the policy discourse. However, it is found that an ideational path-dependency of the policy constrains the possibility for problem reformulation and thereby also the possibility for policy change. The discourses that instantiated the policy problem not only affect the ways in which the problem is rendered thinkable for the purposes of its government, but also for policy analysts as well as the public. The analysis shows that it is crucial to understand the interrelations between different discourses (within policy, politics and research) to understand the mechanisms of policy change and continuity.

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Social Insecurities and Fear of Crime: A Cross-National Study on the Impact of Welfare State Policies on Crime-related Anxieties

Cited by 117 publications

References 47 publications

Crime, fear of crime and mental health: synthesis of theory and systematic reviews of interventions and qualitative evidence

Crime, fear of crime and mental health: synthesis of theory and systematic reviews of interventions and qualitative evidence

How fear of crime affects punitive attitudes

A policy problem that cannot escape its past – constraints on the reformation of safety policy

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