Is Fear of Crime Measured Consistently Over Time?: A Longitudinal Test of Measurement Invariance from Adolescence to Adulthood 

• In Event: From Adolescence to Adulthood: Longitudinal Research on Key Factors Associated with Criminal Behavior

Abstract

Fear of crime has been studied extensively criminology, yet there has been a lack of consensus regarding its measurement. The current study examines the measurement invariance of a fear of crime scale using long-term follow-up panel data from the national evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training program. The data include a panel of 3,820 students surveyed across multiple waves between 2006 and 2011, beginning when respondents were in middle school, along with over 1,100 respondents who participated in a long-term follow-up study in 2025 and 2026, when they were approximately 30 years of age. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to establish the baseline measurement model and evaluate measurement invariance across waves and demographic groups (e.g., gender and race). By assessing whether the fear of crime construct is measured equivalently across time and groups, this study contributes to improving the methodological interpretation of longitudinal change in fear of crime. 

Authors

• Minkyung Bae, Michigan State University

• Steve Chermak, Michigan State University

• Dena Carson, Indiana University Indianapolis

• Chris Melde, Michigan State University