Fear of crime and media: The moderating role of neighborhood perception in cultivation

• In Event: Crime in the Media: Perceptions and Reality

Abstract

This survey study aims to examine the relationship between media and fear of crime for nationwide South Korean sample. Specifically, the purpose of this survey study is to test the cultivation theory that the depiction of violence in media affects perception of viewers (Gerbner & Gross, 1976), controlling for socio-demographic variables. The independent will be defined how often they are exposed to crime-related media. The dependent variable will be defined as specific fear of crime in regard to eight types of crimes. To clarify link between media and fear of crime, resonance theory which hypothesize that there will be difference in media effects between people according to victim experience or victim likelihood will be further examined. The moderating variable derived from resonance theory will be defined as how they perceive their community and whether respondents have ever victimized.

Author

• Jaeyong Choi, Indiana University of Pennsylvania