‘Fear’ of Crime: Role of Defensive Personality Factors for Concern About Crime

Research into ‘fear of crime’ often interchangeably uses the terms ‘anxiety’, ‘fear’ and ‘worry’. However, neuropsychological and personality research makes a crucial distinction between fear, anxiety and worry. Theoretically, it is likely that anxiety (rumination on the past and worry about the future) rather than fear (i.e., immediate reaction to high intensity threat) is a better predictor of ‘fear’ of crime. We studied the relationship between anxiety, fear and anger (using measures from Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory) and concerns about becoming a victim of crime. We also investigated the relationship between responses to hypothetical threat scenarios and general concerns about crime. In our sample (N = 250), we found, contrary to our predictions, that personality traits related to general fearfulness were predictive of concerns about crime – more so than traits related to anxiety or anger. Responses to hypothetical threat scenarios were predictive of concerns about crime, but less so than trait fear. Overall, our results suggest that it may, after all, be correct to suggest that concerns about becoming a victim of crime are more to do with being afraid than anxious or angry and we discuss the theoretical implications of this effect.