Abstract

Most of the studies investigating individual factors determining the fear of crime (see Santinello, Gonzi, e Sacchi, 1998) have examined no more than one or two factors at one time, e.g., personal characteristics or personality traits, victimisation, coping strategies, and perception of life contexts. We believe developing a new conceptual framework is crucial for understanding the complex and joint roles played by these variables. The present study is based on a questionnaire administered to 319 residents from a neighbourhood in an Italian town, with the purpose of testing a general, explanatory fear of crime model. Results on the whole indicated that the fear of crime is connected by many processes, with the mutual influence of determinants. Hence, fear of crime is not only related to victimisation, but also to several other life context indicators and to diverse personal characteristics, such as prejudice towards peoples of different races.