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Fear of crime and behavioral restrictions in urban and suburban neighborhoods

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Abstract

Variations in fear of crime and behavioral restrictions were explored within city and suburban neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area. A random telephone survey (n=1,803) gathered information on fear and behavioral restrictions, other crime-related experiences and perceptions, perceptions of the neighborhood physical and social environment, and demographic characteristics. These data were supplemented by merging contextural information (from census and other archival sources) about each respondent's place of residence to the data set. Hierarchial step-wise regression analyses were performed separately for the city and suburban residents. Sets of predictor variables were found that accounted for more than 25 percent of the variance in the criterion measures. Implications of these findings for policy makers and future research are discussed.

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The research described in this paper was supported by Grant #78-NI-AX-0111 from the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice to the Center for Urban Affairs, Northwestern University. Points of view or opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the Department of Justice. I would like to thank Janice Normoyle for assisting in the preparation of the data set, and Elicia J. Herz for her helpful suggestions on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Lavrakas, P.J. Fear of crime and behavioral restrictions in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Popul Environ 5, 242–264 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01257073

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