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Fear of Crime and Terrorism Among Israeli and Swedish Citizens

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Refugees and Migrants in Law and Policy

Abstract

The objective of the chapter is to broaden the understanding of the determinants of fear of crime and fear of terrorism while expanding the existing literature. Israel and Sweden provide case studies of two countries with a relatively similar population size, whereas their cultures are inherently different in their attitude toward terrorism and refugees. Several conclusions can be drawn from this study. The findings show higher rates of fear of crime and terrorism in the Israeli group than among the Swedes, despite the similar rates of actual exposure to crime. This finding could be explained by the Israeli society’s higher exposure to terrorism. In addition, the comparison between the Israeli and Swedish samples may indicate the significance of cultural explanation in accounting for differences between the two groups, especially with regard to fear of being a victim of crime. It is suggested that the diverse perception of the government’s responsibility for preventing the negative effects and of the “other” as a source of harm may account for the higher rates of fear of crime among Israelies explain this finding.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A multivariate analysis of covariance is a method to test statistical significance differences between groups (several dependent and continues variables), by grouping an independent variable while removing the effect of a third variable which is called the covariate (in this case, duration of residence in the area). Such tests enable to see if differences between groups are random or not.

  2. 2.

    In this study we addressed only two countries. The above mentioned survey included more countries, yet these are not in the scope of the current study.

  3. 3.

    NIMBYism—“Not in my back yard” syndrome, is a communal protectionist positions signalizing resistance to changes and communal developments in the neigborhood and areas in its proximity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Criminology Department, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel

    Mally Shechory-Bitton

  2. Linneaus University, Institution of Social Work, Kalmar, Sweden

    Esther Shachaf Friedman

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  1. Mally Shechory-Bitton
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  1. University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Helmut Kury

  2. Vienna Liaison Office, Academic Council on the United Nations System, Wien, Austria

    Sławomir Redo

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Shechory-Bitton, M., Shachaf Friedman, E. (2018). Fear of Crime and Terrorism Among Israeli and Swedish Citizens. In: Kury, H., Redo, S. (eds) Refugees and Migrants in Law and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72159-0_25

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