Empirical Examination of the Link Between Fear of Crime and Quality of Life: Findings from a Study Conducted in the United States

Fear of crime has been studied extensively in the criminological literature, but this is one of the first studies that empirically examined the link between fear of crime and quality of life, as prior studies simply assumed that fear of crime diminished the quality of life of community members. Using a probability sample of 640 residents who reside in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia (the region has about 1.8 million people), I found that, compared to females, males were less fearful of a home-break-in, of being robbed or mugged on the street, or of being physically assaulted. Males were also less fearful of crime using the global measure of crime. I also found that older participants were more fearful of being robbed or mugged on the street or being physically assaulted. Moreover, educational level was significantly related to the three types of fear examined as well as to the global measure of crime. In addition, incivility was significantly related to the three types of fear examined as well as to the global measure of fear of crime. Finally, quality of life in the neighborhood, quality of life in the city, and quality of life in Hampton Roads all had varying relationships with the three specific types of fear as well as the global measure of fear. The implications of my findings for public safety and security, fear-of-crime research, and public policy are discussed.