Functional fear and public insecurities about crime

Jackson, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0003-2426-2219 and Gray, Emily (2010) Functional fear and public insecurities about crime. British Journal of Criminology, 50 (1). pp. 1-22. ISSN 0007-0955

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Abstract

Fear of crime is widely seen as an unqualified social ill, yet might some level of emotional response comprise a natural defence against crime? Our methodology differentiates between a dysfunctional worry that erodes quality of life and a functional worry that motivates vigilance and routine precaution. A London-based survey shows that one-quarter of those individuals who said they were worried about crime also viewed their worry as something akin to a problem-solving activity: they took precautions; these precautions that made them feel safer; and neither the precautions nor the worries reduced the quality of their lives. Fear of crime can therefore be helpful as well as harmful: some people are both able and willing to convert their concerns into constructive action.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://bjc.oxfordjournals.org/
Additional Information:	© 2009 The Authors
Divisions:	Methodology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2009 11:00
Last Modified:	20 Nov 2024 00:45
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/25537

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