Racial/Ethnic Composition of Neighborhood and Fear of Crime: A Testing a Minority Threat Perspective in Arizona

• In Event: Fear of Crime in Different Places

Abstract

A significant predictor of fear of crime is subcultural diversity in the neighborhood. Drawing from minority threat perspective, prior research on this relationship focuses on racial composition of the local population as a criminal threat. More recently, scholars argue that Hispanic population – one of largest and fastest growing minorities in the U.S. – may be another source of criminal threat. However, relatively little is known about the relationship between ethnic composition of neighborhood and fear of crime. Using data from the Arizona Crime Victimization Survey and Census ZIP-code level data, this paper will examine the influence of the objective size of Hispanic population as an indicator of minority group threat on individuals’ fear of crime among residents in Arizona. Further, this paper will also examine the community and social context of this relationship by comparing non-Hispanic White and Hispanic residents in Arizona. The results and implications of the findings will be discussed in light of theory and policy.

Authors

• Hyunjung Cheon, Arizona State University

• Xia Wang, Arizona State University

• Charles Katz, Arizona State University