Running Head: CRIME, FEAR, AND THE MEDIA’S INFLUENCE

Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 1

Running head: CRIME, FEAR, AND THE MEDIA’S INFLUENCE

Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence

Evelyn Nuñez

Rutgers University—Camden

Abstract This study examined the correlation between the amount of television watching and the increased perception of crime. This report has three focal points: (1) Does television viewing affect perceptions of crime, (2) What other factors perhaps contribute to an increased perception of crime (3) Are these additional factors important in understanding the perception of crime and thus, fear of it. The findings indicate that television watching is perhaps associated with fear of crime; however, other factors must be accounted for in order to appropriately examine the relationship between the two variables. The media’s over-exposure of criminal activities can influence increased perception of crime. This is most likely to occur with individuals who are characterized by significant factors (e.g. poor females) than with other groups in the general population. Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 2

Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence

Introduction

Crime is one of the most interesting topics reported in the media, especially on television. Various television dramas depict fictional court cases and more popular crime scene investigations. A more important source is the television news programs. In a 1994 survey of American respondents, crime was the “number-one issue of concern”;

90% of Americans saw it as a “serious problem” (Russell, 1995, p.1). Thus, the issue of crime is a highly intriguing topic, which arguably attracts many readers’ and viewers’ attention.

Cultivation theory “suggests that widespread fear of crime is fueled in part by heavy exposure to violent dramatic programming…” (Romer, Jamieson, & Aday, 2003, p.1). Romer, Jamieson and Aday (2003) seek to explain how the creation of fear is in part associated with the consistent display of various criminal stories on television news, as a result validating cultivation theory. Furthermore, their research seeks to demonstrate a correlation between viewing television and the concern about crime in society.

Weitzer and Kubrin (2004) examine the media as the source of increased fear of crime as well. They take into account demographic factors, such as sex, race and location. Moreover, their research is different from past works in that it studies more than one “medium” examining the effects of several—local and national television, Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 3 radio, newspapers, and the Internet” and their influence on “fear and insecurity among viewers” (Weitzer & Kubrin, 2004, p.1).

Dorfman’s and Schiraldi’s report focuses on the media’s negative affect on one particular societal group: youth minority. ABC News found that 76% use the media to help “form their opinions about crime” (1996, as cited in Dorfman & Schiraldi, 2001).

Additionally, their research examines “stereotyping” by the media and its effects on the perception of youth minority crime and its implications on policies influencing the juvenile justice system. According to Males & Macallair, California residents voted to implement the age minimum so that 14 year old juveniles may be tried as adults, regardless of the decline in youth crime (1999, as cited in Dorfman & Schiraldi, 2001).

Finally, Cheryl Russell’s (1995) study examines how the media provides a “fuel for fear” (Russell, 1995, p.2). This research also emphasizes the increased perception of crime due to the media’s coverage of criminal events. Moreover, Russell argues that the aging population is another factor contributing to the increasing concern about crime. “People in the huge baby-boom generation, now aged 31 to 49, are more concerned than young adults about crime” (Russell, 1995, p.2).

This paper will examine factors that influence television watching and fear of crime. The abovementioned published researches help the focus of the paper by providing theoretical background information about the topic. This report has three focal points: (1) Does television viewing affect perceptions of crime, (2) What other factors perhaps contribute to an increased perception of crime (3) Are these additional factors important in understanding the perception of crime and thus, fear of it. Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 4

Results

We will begin with a trend analysis of fear of crime and watching three or more hours of television. All variables were measured with data from the General Social Survey. This analysis is of trends recorded from 1977 to 2002.

Trends in Television Viewing and Fear of Walking at Night

40 TV VIEW 30 FEAR WALK 20

Although trends in fear of walking alone at night slightly fluctuated between the

1970s and 1980s, it has remained fairly linear, declining in 2002. Trends in TV viewing have also remained fairly stable, peaking in the late 1980s and early 1990s, increasing in 2002. There is no correlation between the trends of individuals who fear walking alone at night and those who watch television more than three hours daily. The fear of crime may be affected by factors such as living conditions (e.g. rural versus urban settings) or other demographic factors. Whereas, in an urban setting there are more people in regular contact and arguably crime is more prone to happen in this type of environment. Therefore, individuals residing in large cities might be more afraid of crime than those who live in rural areas where there are less people in regular contact and Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 5 thus, less fear of crime. Additionally, the urban environment might be more heterogeneous than the rural area and produce criminality because of varying conflicts.

While, a rural community might be more homogonous and have less conflict, thus less fear of crime as well.

Path Analysis

Sex Fear of Crime

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Taking into consideration other demographic factors, the above item is a path diagram of possible causation. Included in it are factors that may or may not contribute to the fear of walking alone at night, such as socioeconomic status. An individual who watches four or more hours of television may be exposed to exaggerated amounts of crime reports on the news or other television programs. If this individual is older and a female, living under the poverty level and in a big city they are more likely to fear walking alone at night, thus fear crime. A younger male of high socioeconomic status, living in a small town might be less likely to fear walking alone at night than the former Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 6 example. Firstly, males are socialized to be perceived as the stronger sex therefore females are more likely to feel vulnerable because they are deemed the weaker ones.

An older individual might fear victimization because they too have become weaker with age and lack the potential strength of a youthful attacker. Thus, younger individuals might not fear crime because they are sure they can protect themselves physically.

Socioeconomic status might influence an individual’s perception of crime by where they reside: a poor neighborhood where crime is likely versus a wealthy neighborhood where there is more cohesion and less crime.

The following is a set of cross-tabulations between demographic factors and fear of walking in one’s neighborhood by those who watch television more than four hours daily.

Fear Walk Control: Watch TV: Yes No 4+Hours

Age <30 21.4% 25.9%

30-49 27.3% 33.7%

50> 51.3% 40.4% (P=0.000) (V=0.109)

Community Type (Big City?) Yes 28.1% 10.9%

No 71.9% 89.1% (P=0.000) (V=0.216)

Race White 76.6% 84.9%

Black 23.4% 15.1% (P=0.000) (V=0.105) Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 7

Family Income $1K-14999 54.3% 41.4%

$15K-24999 20.3% 24.1%

$25K> 25.4% 34.5% (P=0.000) (V=0.130)

Sex Male 21.1% 50.5%

Female 78.9% 49.5% (P=0.000) (V=0.305)

The data indicate that for age, individuals who watched more than four hours of television and were 50 years old and over were more likely (51.3%) to fear walking alone at night compared to individuals 30 years old and under who were less likely

(21.4%) to fear walking alone after dark. This was statistically significant with a moderate relationship. The community type variable surveyed respondents and asked if they would describe their living place as a big city. The data show that respondents who did not describe their town as a big city and watched four and more hours of television were more likely (71.9%) to be afraid to walk at night. Individuals who described their living place as big city were less likely (28.1%) to fear walking alone at night. The moderate relationship was statistically significant. In reference to race, data indicate that

White respondents who watched four or more hours of television were more likely

(76.6%) to fear walking alone at night; compared to Black respondents who were less likely (23.4%) to be afraid to walk alone at night. This relationship is moderate and statistically significant. Data on family income shows that households that watch four and more hours of television and had an income level of $25,000 or more were less likely (25.4%) to fear walking alone at night. Respondents with a family income of less Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 8 than $14,000 were more likely (54.3%) to fear walking alone after dark. The relationship is moderate and statistically significant. Lastly, for the sex variable, females who watched four or more hours of television were more likely (78.9%) to fear walking at night alone, than males. Male respondents were less likely (21.1%) to be afraid to walk alone at night. The relationship is strong and also statistically significant. The findings in this analysis indicate that other social characteristics need to be analyzed with television viewing in order to appropriately examine the relationship between fear of crime and television viewing.

Discussion

Fear of crime is related to social characteristics such as sex, sizes of cities, and income. Arguably, television can affect perception of crime if an individual feels vulnerable to victimization such as females, and thus increase the fear of crime.

Contrary to popular belief, males are more likely to become victimized by crime because they are more likely to be in a setting where conflict may occur (e.g. a bar).Older individuals are likely to feel this vulnerability as well due to their lack of physical strength and thus incapability to protect themselves if need be. However, as before younger people are likely to be in settings that crime can likely occur, such as parties. As the data indicate, individuals who live in smaller cities are likely to fear crime more than the big city dwellers; crime is uncommon for them, however, when they are exposed through the media to an otherwise perception of increased crime, they fear living in these areas and move outward in the suburbs or perhaps rural area. The city, arguably a very heterogeneous environment is prone to conflict because of its diversity. The amount of people residing there is also a factor that can add to the amount of existing Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 9 conflict that later turns into crimes. Individuals, who live in crime prone areas in big cities, are likely to be low income families. These areas are likely to have environmental characteristics that encourage crime (e.g. abandoned, unoccupied buildings) where criminal activity takes place. It is likely that individuals who reside in these areas are minorities. The data did not survey all minorities group; it indicates that Blacks were less likely as compared to Whites to fear crime. This can be associated with the number of people who actually watch more than four hours of television. Blacks who are likely to have low socioeconomic status are likely to have jobs with unconventional hours, thus, limiting their availability to watch many hours of television. Whites are likely to have the conventional eight to five job and have the available time to watch more television than

Blacks.

Although not all previous research focus on the significance of additional factors, the findings indicate that it is essential that demographic characteristics are accounted for in order to appropriately examine television viewing and fear of crime. To examine the variable alone will provide an insufficient examination of the entire situation. The included factors help describe the social situation and therefore how television watching can perhaps predict who will fear crime. Future trends are likely to be very similar to the findings described in this research. Television watching is likely not to decrease anytime soon, and exposure of criminal events is likely to continue to be televised because “if it bleeds, it leads” (p. 7, as cited in Dorfman & Schiraldi, 2001). For future research on the topic, additional factors should be included in order to produce a realistic examination of the situation and better understand how television watching can influence the fear of crime002E Crime, Fear, and the Media’s Influence 10

References

Dorfman, L., & Schiraldi, V. (April 2001). Off Balance: Youth, Race & Crime in the

News. Retrieved April, 2006, from

http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/media/media.html.

Romer, D., Jamieson, K. H., & Aday, S. (2003). Television News and the Cultivation of

Fear of Crime. Journal of Communication, Volume 53, Number 1, Pp. 88-104.

Russell, Cheryl. (1995). True Crime. American Demographics, Volume 17, Issue 8.

Weitzer, R., Kubrin, C. E. (2004). Breaking News: How Local TV News and Real-World

Conditions Affect Fear of Crime. JQ: Justice Quarterly, Volume 21 (Issue 3), Pp.

497-520.