Gender and the Behavioral Impacts of Fear: Students’ Use of Precautionary Strategies in Two Campus Contexts

• In Event: Responses to Fear of Crime

Abstract

One of the most important predictors of fear of crime is gender, such that women are more fearful of crime than men despite their lower risks for victimization. Given that crime on college and university campuses has become a pressing social problem in the United States over the past two decades, it is important to understand the threats that exist, the sources of students’ fears, and exactly how their fears influence their daily routines and behaviors. Utilizing 73 in-depth interviews with undergraduates attending a suburban and an urban university on the east coast of the U.S., this study examines the role of gender in students’ use of precautionary and avoidance strategies on campus. Specifically, how does gender influence the behavioral strategies that students use to cope with their fear of crime on campus, while also attempting to lessen their likelihood of victimization in these two contexts? This research aims to inform policymakers at institutions of higher education, particularly as administrators and campus police departments strive to make students feel safer and more free to engage in the educational opportunities that will make their futures successful.

Author

• Shannon K. Jacobsen, Rutgers University