Jodi Lane
Professor of Criminology and Law, University of Florida
Key Findings
- Women are more afraid of crime than men.
- Age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status impact fear of crime.
- Environmental factors such as witnessing crime, perceptions of diversity and indirect victimization from media play a large role in fearing crime.
Description
In the book, “Fear of Crime in the United States: Causes, Consequences, and Contradictions,” Lane and her coauthors examine the factors of crime that cause fear. The book also highlights the power of fear. The authors examined gender, age, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and consequences of fear of crime. Lane and her co-authors found that women are more fearful of crime and that an individual’s age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors are key in determining fear of crime. Many external factors like proximity to crime and the influence of media also affects fear of crime.