여성의 연령별 범죄 두려움의 차이에 관한 연구

Age difference of female fear of crime

Numbers of studies have suggested that gender and age are the most important factors explaining the levels of fear of crime. According to the studies in Europe and USA, women consistently report higher levels of fear than men and the elderly have higher levels of fear than the younger population. It is suggested that there is victimization-fear paradox. The Korean Crime Victimization Survey reveals that age difference of fear in Korea is contradicting to the results of western studies while sex difference of fear is consistent with them. The younger population have higher levels of fear than the elderly in Korea. The differences of fear by age groups are more obvious among women than men. The current study reviews theories explaining fear of crime and examines factors influencing fear of crime such as experience of victimization, concern about sexual assault, neighborhood incivility and social control in local area. It tests multiple regression models for three different age groups among Korean women using the 2008 Korean Crime Victimization Survey data. The result of analysis shows that the effects of independent variables on fear of crime differ between age groups. The effects of variables in the model for the youngest group among three age groups are less consistent with the theories than those for the other two groups. It discusses the implications of the study with special focus on the young women who are reporting high levels of fear.