Disorder and Perceptions of Insecurity in Urban Neighbourhoods – The Overrated Role of “Broken Windows” and the Challenge of Ethnic Diversity

Abstract

Disorder and Perceptions of Insecurity in Urban Neighbourhoods -The Overrated Role of "Broken Windows" and the Challenge of Ethnic DiversityAbstract According to the "broken windows"-approach, signs of physical and social disorder in public spaces are a major cause of insecurity perceptions and the subsequent decline of urban neighbourhoods. Yet, the empirical support is weak as many studies have relied on subjective perceptions of disorder which are closely correlated with fear of crime. Using independent and systematic social observations we investigate the individual and ecological factors influencing the 'perception bias' of disorder, and ask how strong the impact of disorder on fear actually is. Our analyses are based on a survey of ca 6500 respondents and systematic social observations in 140 neighbourhoods in Cologne and Essen. We show that both the perception of disorder and fear of crime are mainly driven by the percentage of visible minorities. For the first time, we show that this effect is strongly dependent on individual attitudes towards migration. Only in one city, Essen, does the amount of systematically observed disorder have a fear-inducing effect over and above the effect of ethnic diversity. These results highlight the challenges of increased migration for social cohesion, and at the same time pinpoint at the importance of social contexts for the impact of social problems on feelings of insecurity.

Hebt ein gesteigertes Vertrauen in die Polizei das kriminalitätsbezogene Sicherheitsbefinden?

“…Mit dem Ruf der Polizei im persönlichen Umfeld konnte ein theoretisch und statistisch brauchbares Instrument für das eigene Vertrauen in die Wissenschaftliche Kritik könnte sich an der Vernachlässigung der Bedeutung wahrgenommener Symbole physikalischer und sozialer Unordnung im Wohnviertel (sowie weiterer nachbarschaftlicher Merkmale) entzünden. Perzipierte Anzeichen von »Disorder« oder »Incivility« wurden in unzähligen Studien als maßgebliche Determinanten des kriminalitätsbezogenen Sicherheitsbefindens ausgewiesen (Häfele 2013;Lüdemann 2006;Oberwittler et al 2017;Skogan 1992). Eine Berücksichtigung dieser Variablen in den gerechneten multivariaten Regressionsmodellen scheiterte allerdings an der modularen Struktur des DVS.…”

“…Erst in jüngerer Zeit nehmen empirische Studien aus Deutschland das Thema in Angriff und gelangen dabei zu unterschiedlichen Ergebnissen. Befunden, wonach Personen mit Zuwanderungsbiographie häufiger von Kriminalitätsangst betroffen sind als die einheimische Bevölkerung(Birkel et al 2019;Oberwittler & Zirnig 2016), stehen Hinweise auf eine in Migrantenkreisen geringere kriminalitätsassoziierte Verunsicherung gegenüber(Janssen et al 2019;Oberwittler et al 2017).…”

Old age and fear of crime: cross-national evidence for a decreased impact of neighbourhood disadvantage in older age

“…Traditionally, fear of crime research has either focused on individual or on collective, neighbourhood-level characteristics, but the interplay between individual and neighbourhood factors has only slowly received attention. As examples of recent research, Brunton-Smith and Sturgis (2011) found that gender, ethnicity and personal victimisation moderate the effects of neighbourhood-level characteristics on fear of crime; Snedker (2015) looked at gender differences in neighbourhood effects on fear; and Oberwittler et al (2017) found that xenophobic attitudes moderate the effect of neighbourhood ethnic diversity on fear.…”

“…Stronger associations of localised fear with neighbourhood social disadvantage relative to crime and disorder have also been found in several studies in the United States of America (Scarborough et al ., 2010; Drakulich, 2013; Cossman et al ., 2016), Sweden (Mellgren, 2011) and Germany (Lüdemann, 2006; Oberwittler, 2008; Häfele, 2013; Janssen et al ., 2019). In previous analyses of the two surveys used in this paper, police-recorded neighbourhood crime rates had no effect on fear of crime after controlling for social disadvantage and other socio-demographic variables (Oberwittler et al ., 2017; Sargeant et al ., 2017). These findings have shifted away the attention from crime as the main cause of fear, lending support to an interpretation which stresses the broader, expressive meanings of fear of crime.…”

“…As examples of recent research, Brunton-Smith and Sturgis (2011) found that gender, ethnicity and personal victimisation moderate the effects of neighbourhood-level characteristics on fear of crime; Snedker (2015) looked at gender differences in neighbourhood effects on fear; and Oberwittler et al . (2017) found that xenophobic attitudes moderate the effect of neighbourhood ethnic diversity on fear.…”