Fear of crime in young people. An integrated approach towards a forgotten social group.

In recent years theres been a shift regarding the causes and determinants of fear of crime. From a narrow link with crime and victimization, researchers now see fear of crime as an expression of more fundamental and abstract feelings of insecurity. This insecurity makes people eager for safety. People look to the government to guarantee their safety by means of an integral safety policy. Despite its rhetoric of inclusivity, this policy has an exclusive character: theres a narrow focus on youth ascause of fear of crime, what makes them the main target. Consequently, no attention is given to the feelings and views of young people themselves. If a safety policy wants to be democratic and inclusive as it pretends to be, it is necessary that these elements are taken into account. The first main research question is What are basic elements of a truly inclusive integral safety policy, taking the views and feelings of young people into account? Before this question can be answered, a more comprehensive insight in the causes and determinants of fear of crime among juveniles is necessary. The second research question is: Which variables influence the fear of crime of young people?. The research part designed to answer this question consists out of two parts. In the first part, statistical analyses will be conducted on the Youth Monitor 2,a survey with a sample of 4000 12- to 30- year old respondents. Secondly, qualitative in depth interviews of 60 youngsters will be conducted. In a third part these results will be presented to a focus group consisting out of experts in the field of safety policy development.

Keywords:fear of crime, integral safety policy, postmodernity, youth

Disciplines:Criminology, Law, Other social sciences

Project type:PhD project