This study examined the concept of responsibilization and investigated variations in citizens' willingness to accept more responsibility for protecting themselves against crime.
To date, most discussions of responsibilization have been conceptual - suggesting what the term may mean, and what its impact may be. This study explores factors that influence people to accept more responsibility for protecting themselves against the risk of crime victimization. Using data from a random postal survey in an Australian jurisdiction, we explain variation in citizens' responsibilization for crime control. We find that people's views of police, particularly expectations of police attendance, satisfaction with police performance, perception of police responsiveness to calls for service, and attitudes to police legitimacy influence people's acceptance of responsibility for crime control. Findings also show responsibilization is associated with gender, education, and fear of crime. These findings are independent of people's experience of crime victimization. We highlight policy implications from our findings, including risks of responsibilization for future policing strategies. Figures, tables, references, and appendix (Published Abstract)