2020 Volume 30 Issue 1 Pages 29-36
In the field of fear of crime, literature has yet to confirm a causal relationship between people’s estimated damage of crime and fear of crime. This study examines this potential relationship by providing participants with information about the severity of crime victims’ injuries. Survey data were collected from 336 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: in the first condition, information about the severity of crime victims’ injuries was presented, and in the control condition, information unrelated to crime was presented. The results revealed that the participants who perceived a decrease in the amount of estimated damage had a diminished fear of crime. However, the experimental operation did not significantly affect the estimated damage.
