Abstract
In a national sample of the Italian population, surveyed four times between October 2002 and January 2007 (N = 2,008), we performed a multilevel longitudinal study aimed at predicting the increase in crime risk perception as a function
of three families of independent variables, respectively lying at the within individual level (direct victimization and indirect
victimization), at the between-individuals level (being a woman, being an older person, being a poorly educated person and
size of area of residence) and at the ecological level (county’s crime rate, unemployment rate and immigration rate). Direct
and indirect victimization, being a woman, being an older person, living in a large town and in a context characterized by
high crime and unemployment rates positively influenced the change in crime risk perception, while the other individual and
ecological predictors we used in our predictive model did not. Strengths, limitations, implications and future developments
of this research are discussed.
of three families of independent variables, respectively lying at the within individual level (direct victimization and indirect
victimization), at the between-individuals level (being a woman, being an older person, being a poorly educated person and
size of area of residence) and at the ecological level (county’s crime rate, unemployment rate and immigration rate). Direct
and indirect victimization, being a woman, being an older person, living in a large town and in a context characterized by
high crime and unemployment rates positively influenced the change in crime risk perception, while the other individual and
ecological predictors we used in our predictive model did not. Strengths, limitations, implications and future developments
of this research are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-14
- DOI 10.1007/s11205-012-0050-8
- Authors
- Silvia Russo, Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Turin, Italy
- Michele Roccato, Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Turin, Italy
- Alessio Vieno, Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Belzoni 80, 35131 Padua, Italy
- Journal Social Indicators Research
- Online ISSN 1573-0921
- Print ISSN 0303-8300