Comparing Public Perceptions of Crime and Victimization Risk Across Two High Crime Michigan Cities

• In Event: Fear of Crime in Different Places

Abstract

There is a long history of research on public perceptions of crime and victimization risk, dating back to the President’s Commission Report in the mid­20th Century. This body of work has unearthed a number of findings that reflect inconsistent and incongruent associations between a number of dimensions of victimization risk – including actual experiences of fear and victimization, individual predictions concerning the risk of victimization, and self reported fear of such occurrences. The current study compares several correlates of those different dimensions of victimization risk in the recent past—using data from two household samples in two high crime cities in Michigan.

Authors

• Carrie Li, Michigan State University

• Chris Melde, Michigan State University