A Comparative Study of Fear of Crime between Mongolian Immigrants and Native Born Koreans in South Korea

• In Event: Mixed Topics: Immigrants; Assessing Insecurity and Safety

Abstract

Scholars implicitly assume that conceptual models of fear of crime discovered in the extant literature are also applicable to populations of different culture and ethnic backgrounds. To investigate whether such an assumption is valid, this study analyzed the survey data collected from the sample of Mongolian immigrants in Korea and native born Koreans. The result indicated an unexpectedly higher level of fear among native born Koreans than Mongolian immigrants. The subgroup analysis of the integral model revealed predictors unique to Mongolian immigrants and native born Koreans. Acculturation was also a salient variable in explaining Mongolian immigrants’ fear of crime, hence yielding implications for policies and future research.

Authors

• Sharkhuu Chuluunbat, Kyonggi University

• Sohee Kim, Washington State University

• EuiGab Hwang, Kyonggi University