Fear of victimization in Mexico

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the influence on Mexican citizens of several variables that have been reported as being important in the literature on fear of victimization. Sociodemographic variables such as gender, age group and socioeconomic level, together with perceived risk of victimization, perceived seriousness in the face of different acts, experienced victimizations and perception of control of violence and crime are included among these variables. One hundred and eighty-one people were interviewed in a cross-sectional field study. Multiple regression analyses were carried out in three fear of victimization dimensions: personal, property and general situations. On the whole, the findings confirm the influence of the aforesaid variables. Being a woman, feeling at risk of being the object of violent attacks and the seriousness with which moderately violent acts are perceived were some of the major variables considered to predict fear of victimization.

Unhappiness and Crime: Evidence from South Africa

“…For example, females tend to be more convinced that crime in their region had increased, to be more worried about being victimized (e.g. Giles‐Sims 1984; Lira and Andrade‐Palos 1993), to perceive more neighbourhood problems, to be less satisfied with their own and their family's safety in their neighbourhood, and to be less likely to walk alone in their neighbourhood at night than males (e.g. Gomme 1988; Sprott and Doob 1997; Michalos and Zumbo 2000).…”

On Social Equality and Perceptions of Insecurity

“…A consistent finding in research on fear of crime and perceptions of insecurity is that women fear crime more than men do and they also believe the risk of victimization to be higher when asked questions such as 'how safe or unsafe do you feel when walking alone outside in your neighbourhood at night?' (Bilsky and Wetzels 1997;Carcach et al 1995;Lira and Andradepalos 1993;Mesch 2000;Pantazis 2000;Saltijeral et al 1996). Various explanations have been presented for the difference between women's and men's fears (see, for example, Ferraro 1996;Hollway and Jefferson 2000;Pantazis 2000;Zedner 2002).…”

Discriminatory attitudes to people with intellectual disability or mental health difficulty

“…It suggests that one resents others because of one's fear (Ashmore and Del Boca, 1981;Livneh, 1984). Because the female tends to be more fearful of victimization than the male (Lira and Andrade-Palos, 1993), she may be more likely to discriminate against people with disabilities and mental health difficulty (Pearson and Yiu, 1993). An older person may be more discriminatory against people with intellectual disability and mental health difficulty than a younger one.…”