UCLA

Fear of violent crime is common among adolescents in urban settings; however, little is known about individual- and neighborhood-level determinants of fear. A generalized ordered logit model was used to analyze individual- and neighborhood-level variables among 2474 adolescents. Seeing violence significantly reduced the probability of feeling unafraid, as did higher levels of social disorder. The more block faces where police were visible, the higher the probability of feeling unafraid and lower the probability of feeling very afraid. Reducing fear could affect more people than just reducing crime. Fear-reduction strategies should target those most at risk of becoming fearful.