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What do security cameras provide for society? The influence of cameras in public spaces in Japan on perceived neighborhood cohesion and trust

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Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to examine the association between security cameras in public spaces in Japan with residents’ perceived neighborhood social cohesion and trust.

Methods

The present study used a postal questionnaire mailed to randomly sampled residents aged 20 and 74 years, residing in Ichikawa City, in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Data from 618 respondents in 39 neighborhoods were used. We used the instrumental variable method in our analyses to strengthen our causal inference. Using probit models, we examined the association between instrumented security camera awareness and perceived neighborhood social cohesion and trust.

Results

Security camera awareness was negatively related to perceived neighborhood cohesion and positively associated with trust in others.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the potential causal relationship between security cameras and perceptions of communal society; i.e., a positive effect on trust in others and a negative effect on perceived social cohesion. These findings suggest the importance of considering positive and negative social aspects when implementing security camera policies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Daisuke Takagi

  2. Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

    Mamoru Amemiya

  3. National Research Institute of Police Science, Kashiwa, Japan

    Takahito Shimada

Authors
  1. Daisuke Takagi
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  2. Mamoru Amemiya
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  3. Takahito Shimada
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Correspondence to Daisuke Takagi.

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Takagi, D., Amemiya, M. & Shimada, T. What do security cameras provide for society? The influence of cameras in public spaces in Japan on perceived neighborhood cohesion and trust. J Exp Criminol 18, 129–147 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-020-09437-8

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