Different measures of fear of crime and survey measurement error

The measurement of fear of crime is acknowledged as a hot methodological issue. Many studies have focused on the cognitive and behavioural components of fear. The emotional affective component of fear of crime has been studied rather less, however. Traditional measures of fear of crime fail to address the complexity of this concept. Knowledge of prevalence, frequency and intensity of fear are largely absent in a quantitative design. Following an alternative question structure, previous research has shown that ‘old’-style questions overestimate the everyday experience of fear (see Farrall, 2004; Farrall and Gadd, 2004; Gray, Jackson and Farrall, 2008). Furthermore, gender differences in fear of crime seem to be influenced by socially desirable answers by men (Sutton and Farrall, 2005). In this paper, we study differences in outcomes when measuring fear of crime using ‘old’-style questions (’avoidance behaviour’) and an alternative question structure introduced by Stephen Farrall (three-part questions treating prevalence, frequency and intensity of fear). We conducted a survey (2008) in eighteen postal code areas and interviewed 750 key informants. Descriptive analyses by gender were conducted for both the traditional avoidance behaviour scale and the alternative question structure that measures the emotional affective component of fear of crime. Subsequently some correlational analyses were conducted to examine how different these fear of crime measures are from supposed covariates such as perceived sense of community, perceived disorder and previous victimisation. Furthermore, we assessed the effects of social desirability on measures of fear of crime components and on the gender-fear relationship in particular. In short, measuring the emotional affective component of fear with an alternative question structure presents a totally different picture than can be found by measuring the behavioural component of fear of crime with a traditional scale such as avoidance behaviour. Second, different measures of fear of crime are especially differentially related to previous victimisation. Third, we found rather surprising effects of social desirability on gender differences in fear of crime

A spatial analysis of Belgian national crime records, 2001-2005.

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Strategic market position of the European Crime Prevention Network

The activities and tasks of the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN), established in 2001, have significantly expanded over the past two decades. In view of the further implementation of its multiannual strategy, the EUCPN has commissioned a study into its current and future strategic market position, conducted with the financial support of the EU’s Internal Security Fund – Police. This book reflects the results. Whilst the EUCPN proves a well-equipped, versatile and multipurpose network in the EU crime prevention area, consolidation and further boosting are due. Key suggestions are to enhance outputs and visibility, to intensify existing partnerships, to broaden target and beneficiary audiences, including at local levels, to implement practice-oriented, multi-language and multimedia approaches, and to focus on the implementation, monitoring, coordination and evaluation of crime prevention policies or strategies, including through cooperation with academia

Study protocol: SWING – social capital and well-being in neighborhoods in Ghent

Background: Investing in social capital has been put forth as a potential lever for policy action to tackle health inequity. Notwithstanding, empirical evidence that supports social capital's role in the existence of health inequity is limited and inconclusive. Furthermore, social capital literature experiences important challenges with regard to (1) the level on which social capital is measured and analyzed; (2) the measurement of the concept in line with its multidimensional nature; and (3) the cross-cultural validity of social capital measurements. The Social capital and Well-being In Neighborhoods in Ghent (SWING) study is designed to meet these challenges. The collected data can be used to investigate the distribution of health problems and the association between social capital, health and well-being, both at the individual and at the neighborhood level. The main goals of the SWING study are (1) to develop a coherent multilevel dataset of indicators on individual and neighborhood social capital and well-being that contains independent indicators of neighborhood social capital at a low level of aggregation and (2) to measure social capital as a multidimensional concept. The current article describes the background and design of the SWING study. Methods/Design: The SWING study started in 2011 and data were collected in three cross-sectional waves: the first in 2011, the second in 2012, and the third in 2013. Data collection took place in 142 neighborhoods (census tract level) in the city of Ghent (Flanders, Belgium). Multiple methods of data collection were used within each wave, including: (1) a standardized questionnaire, largely administered face-to-face interviews for neighborhood inhabitants (N = 2,730); (2) face-to-face interviews with key informants using a standardized questionnaire (N = 2,531); and (3) an observation checklist completed by the interviewers (N = 2,730 in total). The gathered data are complemented by data available within administrative data services. Discussion: The opportunities and ambitions of the SWING study are discussed, together with the limitations of the database

Measuring social processes through surveys : inhabitants versus key informants

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