Specific crime fear linkage: the effect of actual burglary incidents reported to the police on residents' fear of burglary
In the past four decades, most studies examining fear of crime have focused on the relationship between the overall crime phenomenon and general fear of crime. Wilcox Rountree argued that fear of crime is a multidimensional concept, suggesting that different types of crime/victimization may lead to specific crime fear linkages. This study tested Wilcox Rountree's thesis by examining the association between actual burglaries reported to the police and residents' fear of burglary. Using data from a random telephone survey of 737 respondents living in Houston, Texas, the findings suggest that burglary incidents surrounding each respondent's residence had a significant impact on their expressed fear of burglary, while the numbers of violent and/or disorder incidents were not correlated with burglary specific fear. In addition, the results show that fear of burglary was significantly associated with respondents' race (i.e. African American) home ownership, victimization experience, and satisfaction with police work.