Studies of fear of crime in Europe associate country-level income inequality with fear of crime. However, by considering only income inequality these studies do not account for the effects of poverty. This article provides a more comprehensive perspective through multiple country-level indicators of income inequality and poverty and thereby provides important insights into fear of crime. The research data consist of the European Social Survey, Round 7 (2014), and country-level indicators provided by Eurostat. The results show that the Gini coefficient, S80/S20 ratio, and material deprivation are positively associated with fear of crime. The association is statistically significant but is moderate at best. However, the association between the relative median at-risk-of-poverty risk gap and fear of crime is not statistically significant. Education and income only appear to be mediators between material deprivation and fear of crime. Trust appears to be a mediator between the country-level indicators and fear of crime.

There is a lack of knowledge about fear-of-crime-related place avoidance in Finland. International studies have examined different aspects of fear of crime and avoidance. However, examinations of the association between feelings of unsafety and place avoidance are rarer. This study takes on a less-researched perspective and examines the association between feelings of unsafety and avoidance of local central areas in Finland in 2001-2016. It conducts a gendered assessment of the association and distinguishes between different degrees of urbanization. As a methodological contribution, this study conducts cross-sectional time-series analysis. The research data consist of Finnish survey data from 2001 to 2016. The results show that levels of feelings of unsafety and avoidance in local central areas remain relatively stable during the examined period. Furthermore, the considered association is stronger among women than among men, regardless of the degree of municipality or neighbourhood urbanization. Interestingly, the strength of the considered association is more stable among women than among men. Furthermore, of all the considered independent and contextual factors, gender is the most consistently relevant factor in all areas of different degrees of urbanization. Implications of the results are discussed.