Victimization, Fear, and Reactions to Crime in Three American Cities
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Document Title: Coping with Crime: Victimization, Fear, and Reactions to Crime in Three American Cities Author(s): Wesley G. Skogan Michael G. Maxfield Northwestern University Center for Urban Affairs Document No.: 85506 Date Published: 1980 Award Title: Reactions to Crime Project Award Number: 78-NI-AX-0057 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. VOLUME I - -- COPING WITH CRIME : /- VICTIMIZATION, FEAR, AND REACTIONS TO CRIME IN THREE AMERICAN CITIES by Wesley G. Skogan Michael G. Maxfield REACTIONS TO CREE PROJECT CENTER FOR URBm AFFAIRS June 1980 NORTHWESTERN wIVERSITY 2040 Sheridan Road Evanston, Illinois 60201 Prepared under Grant Number 78-NI-AX-0057 from the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, U.S. Department of Justice. The principal survey reported upon in this volume also was supported in part by Grant Number ROLMH29629-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The Chicago Metropolitan Area Survey used for this volume was conducted by Dr. Paul J. Lavrakas, supported by Grant Number 78-NI-AX-0111 from LEAA. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. THE AUTHORS WESLEY G. SKOGAN is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Urban Affairs at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. MICHAEL G. MAXFIELD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. PREFACE This volume is based on a great deal of labor by many persons, and a great deal of tolerance by a few more. It stems from a larger project conceived of and organized by Fred DuBow and managed for many years by Dan A. Lewis. Without either of them there would have been no Reactions to Crime Project. We received a great deal of advice and assistance from colleagues at the National Institute of Justice, including Winifred Reed, Richard T. Barnes, Fred Heinzelmann, Lois Mock, and Richard Rau. They held their administrative reins loosely. Our activities have been reviewed on occasion by Gerald Suttles, Peter Manning, Richard Taub, Jack Fowler and Gilbert Geis. Their comments were always taken seriously, and occasionally to heart. Other research projects at Northwestern have contributed generously to this volume. Margaret T. Gordon and Stephanie Riger supported some of our survey work, and Paul J. Lavrakas made available his data on the Chicago metropolitan area. Robert Kidder, Louise Kidder, and Ellen Cohn made great intellectual contributions at the time when our research plans were being drawn up. Terry Baumer got the work done. Final preparation of this volume was supervised by Marlene B. Simon, and Sandy Levin did the graphics. A number of dedicated people have typed at its various versions, but Kumi K. hoe, Martha Malley and Kathryn McCord produced the final copy. The tolerance was contributed by our families, who survived the days when this report was being written. In their various ways Barbara, Susan, Mary, and Molly made it worth doing. -ii- TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface .................... i Table of Contents ............... ii List of Tables ................. viii List of Figures ................ xii SECTION I: ................... xiv Chapter One: Introduction Introduction ............ Crime, Fear, and Reactions to Crime This Research ........... Data Collection .................. City and Neighborhood Sites ............ Chapter Two: Crimes and Victims Introduction .................... Crime in Three Cities ............... The Victims of Crime ................ Crime as a Rare Event ............... Chapter Three: Fear of Crime Introduction .................... What is Fear of Crime? ............... LevelsofFear................ ... Is This Fear of Crime? .............. ., Page Chapter Four: Victimization and Fear Introduction .................... 70 The Frequency of Victimization and Fear ...... 71 The Impact of Victimization Clarified ....... 78 Chapter Five: Vulnerability and Fear Introduction .................... 89 The Concept of Vulnerability ............ 89 Vulnerability and Fear of Crime .......... 97 The Paradox: Vulnerability. Victimization and Fear ............... 103 SECTION 11: Crime and Fear in Community Context ........ Chapter Six: Neighborhood Conditions Introduction .................... Extent of Crime Problems .............. The Distribution of the Burden of Crime ...... Signs of Disorder ................. The Prevalence of Disorder ............. The Distribution of Disorder ............ Neighborhood Integration .............. The Distribution of Integration .......... Neighborhood Integration and Crime ......... Summary ...................... Page Chapter Seven: Neighborhood Conditions and Fear Introduction .................... 152 Crime. Signs of Disorder. and Fear ......... 154 Integration and Fear ................ 163 Factors Moderating the Impact of Neighborhood ... 166 Summary Analysis .................. 174 SECTION 111: Learning About Crime ............... 178 Chapter Eight: Crime in the Media Introduction .................... 179 Media Coverage of Crime .............. 185 Attentiveness to Crime News ............ 200 Potential Consequences ............... 204 Chapter Nine: Crime and Neighborhood Networks Introduction .................... 208 Models of Networking ................ 211 Networks in Neighborhoods ............. 219 Learning About Local Crime ............. 221 Profiles of Local Victims ............. 229 Potential Consequences ............... 235 Chapter Ten: The Impact of Media and Neighborhood Networks on Fear Introduction .................... 238 Neighborhood Events and Fear ............ 243 Page Chapter Ten .(cont.) Victim Proximity and Fear ............. 256 Media Exposure and Fear .............. 261 Vulnerability and the Impact of Indirect 266 Victimization ................... Summary of Section 111 ............... 268 SECTION IV: The Neighborhood as a Locus For Action ...... 272 Chapter Eleven: Personal Precaution Introduction .................... 273 Personal Caution and Exposure to Risk ....... 277 Fear. Local Conditions. and Personal Precaution . 287 Personal Vulnerability and Precautions ....... 290 Victimization and Precaution ............ 294 Constraints on Individual Action .......... 301 Summary Analysis .................. 307 Chapter Twelve: Household Protection Introduction .................... 311 Protective Measures ................ 312 Vulnerability. Crhe Conditions. and Household Protection ................ 321 Neighborhood Integration and Household Protection. 329 Summary Analysis .................. 333 .Page Chapter Thirteen: Community Involvement Introduction .................... Levels of Participation .............. Neighborhood Conditions. Fear of Crime. and Participation ................... Integration and Participation ........... Vulnerability and Participation .......... Summary Analysis .................. Chapter Fourteen: Flight to the Suburbs Introduction .................... Flight in Metropolitan Chicago ........... Flight and Center-City Crime ............ The Consequences of Flight ............. A Return to the City? ............... Conclusion ........,............ Chapter Fifteen: Conclusion Introduction .................... TheBasis of Fear .................. Victimization ................. Vulnerability ................. Vicarious Experience ............. Neighborhood Conditions ............ Page Chapter Fifteen .(cont .) Reactions to Crime ................. Personal Precaution .............. Household Protection ............. Community Involvement ............. Suburban Flight ................ Conclusion ..................... Citations .......................... -viii- LIST OF TABLES -Page Victimization Rates for Cities. ........... 27 Fear of Crime and Related Attitudes ......... 66 The Effect of Victimization and the Distribution of Victimization in the PopulationonFear. ................. 73 Victimization and Fear of Crime, by Type of Victim .................. 76 Frequency and Relative Seriousness of Crimes. ..................... 79 Fear of Crime for Major Population Groups.. ...................... 99 Fear of Crime Among Detailed Population Subgroups... ................... 102 Crime as a Problem in the Neighborhood, by Type of Crime and City .............. 112 Relationship Between Crime Problems. at the Individual and Neighborhood Level. ...... 115 Official Local Crime Rates and Ratings of Neighborhood Crime Problems, for Chicago Residents ................... 119 Disorder as a Problem in the Neighborhood, by Type of Problem and City ............. 131 Relationship Between Local Disorder Problems at the Individual and Neighborhood Level. ................. 136 Relationship Between Neighborhood Integration Measures at'the Lndividual and Neighborhood Level. ................. 141 Neighborhood Conditions and Fear of Crime.. ..................... 158 Net Effects of Neighborhood Conditions onFear ....................... 161 Official Local Crime Rates and Fear of Crime, for Chicago Residents. ............ 162 Interaction Between Personal Vulnerability and Neighborhood Crime Conditions,