NCJ Number
216766
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 211-227
Date Published
2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between exposure to two types of crime news and fear of crime in Finland.
Abstract
Results indicated that exposure to tabloid front page stories was significantly associated with avoidant behavior and higher levels of fear of violent victimization. Moreover, people who exposed themselves to many different sources of crime news were more likely to fear violence than those exposed to fewer crime stories. These findings remained significant after controlling for personal and vicarious victimization experiences. Other findings revealed that unemployment status was significantly associated with fear of violence. This last finding lends support for a “vicarious fear theory” in which fear of crime anxiety may be created and propelled by other stressful life situations, such as unemployment. Data were drawn from the 2003 Finnish National Crime Victimization Survey, which included a representative sample of 8,163 individuals aged 15 years or older. Bivariate and multivariate regression models were used to examine the impact of two types of crime news exposure--exposure to crime-related tabloid headlines and the scope of exposure to different sources of crime news--on individuals’ avoidant behavior and fear of violent victimization. Future research should focus on the development of new indicators of crime news reception in order to better examine the relationship between different media products and fear of crime. Limitations of the study are discussed and include the exclusion of factors related to the personal characteristics of respondents. Tables, footnotes, references, appendix