Trends in Fear of Crime in a Western Canadian City: 1984, 1994, and 2004

Abstract

Criminologists have shown much interest in the distribution, causes, and consequences of fear of crime, but few studies have examined trends in fear. Using data from the Winnipeg Area Study from 1984, 1994, and 2004, and official crime data from the Winnipeg Police Service, we examine trends in fear of crime and compare them to reported crime. Fear of crime is evaluated by using an index compiled from five offence-specific indicators that asks how worried people are about becoming victims of theft, burglary, armed robbery, fraud, and sexual assault. Bonferonni procedures and regression methods are used to assess differences in fear of crime. The results show that respondents report low levels of fear of crime over the 20-year period. The results also indicate a lack of correspondence between fear of crime and official measures of crime. These findings challenge the use of fear of crime measures by policy makers seeking to evaluate criminal justice initiatives.