Territoriality and Fear of Crime in Elderly and Nonelderly Homeowners

Abstract

Summary Recent studies have shown that fear of crime is a serious problem among older Americans. Newman (25) suggests that such fear can be reduced through manipulation of the designed environment in order to deter criminals. The present study, an extension of the work of Patterson (28), investigates the relationship between territorial marking and fear of theft and assault among elderly (N = 157) and nonelderly (N = 88) male and female homeowners. In contrast to the finding that territoriality is associated with reduced fear among the aged, in this study no such relationship was found for a nonelderly sample. Findings are discussed in terms of loss of “active mastery” and control of the environment with age.