Gendered Responses to Fear of Victimization? A Comparative Study of Students' Precautionary and Avoidance Strategies in Suburban and Urban Contexts

The purpose of this study was to understand how gender shapes women's and men's behavioral responses to fear of crime and whether their use of these strategies varies by context. Interviews were conducted with 70 undergraduates attending universities in two distinct community settings. Regardless of campus context, the findings revealed that women and men at both institutions used similar types of precautionary and defensive behaviors to manage their fear of crime and perceptions of risk; however, the prevalence with which they used these strategies was quite gendered. More complex patterns were revealed for women's and men's use of avoidance behaviors.

Anti-Asian Xenophobia, Hate Crime Victimization, and Fear of Victimization During the COVID-19 Pandemic

While the World Health Organization advised against referring to COVID-19 using racial overtones, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, many disparagingly called it the "Wuhan virus," the "Chinese virus," and other terms. In this context, the FBI warned police agencies about an expected increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the early months of the pandemic. But, while some researchers and media outlets discussed these potential increases at length, very few studies have been able to directly assess the nature of anti-Asian hate and bias victimization during the pandemic. Following this, the current study directly examines variation in anti-Asian bias and victimization in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this research presents results from two studies using a survey of 3,163 non-Asian and 575 Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents, respectively. The first study examines the prevalence of anti-Asian xenophobia among the non-Asian sample and assesses differences in these prejudicial attitudes across respondent characteristics, while the second study examines variation in experiences with bias during the pandemic among the Asian sample. The results illustrate the ubiquity of anti-Asian sentiment, suggesting that those who indicate greater fear of the pandemic report more prejudicial attitudes, as well as important racial differences in these patterns. The results also demonstrate the extent to which the pandemic has impacted individual experiences with anti-Asian bias victimization, such that more than one-third of Asian respondents report bias victimization during the pandemic, and more than half of Asian respondents report that they know someone who has been victimized. These patterns have important implications for addressing COVID-19-related hate crime moving forward.

"Next, it will be you": Women's Fear of Victimization and Precautionary Safety Behaviors in Informal Settlement Communities in Nairobi, Kenya

Around one billion people live in informal settlements globally, including over half of Nairobi, Kenya's 3 million residents. The purpose of this study was to explore women's fear of victimization within Mathare, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya and how fear of victimization influences women's behaviors. Fifty-five in-depth interviews were conducted with women in 2015-2016. A modified grounded theory approach guided data collection and analysis. Findings suggest fear of victimization is a serious concern in informal settlements, but women have found ways to adapt their behaviors to cope and to continue to function and protect their children despite fearing victimization.

Behind Closed Doors: The Role of Risky Lifestyles and Victimization Experiences on Fear of Future Victimization Among South Korean Inmates

Criminologists have long considered the extent to which victimization experiences influence fear of future victimization. As a result, some scholars have proposed risky lifestyles theory as a theoretical framework linking individuals' lifestyles and experiences to their fear of victimization. This study contributes to and extends this line of research by exploring whether risky lifestyles and prior victimization influence fear of future victimization among a large sample of incarcerated felons in South Korea. Results show that although risky lifestyles heighten fear of sexual assault and fear of property theft among inmates, risky lifestyles are not predictive of fear of violent assault. This finding expands the scope of risky lifestyles theory and provides an understanding of why fear of victimization occurs within the prison context.

The Use of Social Networking Sites and Pro-Environmental Behaviors: A Mediation and Moderation Model

Climate change poses a huge threat. Social networking sites (SNSs) have become sources of human-environment interactions and shaped the societal perception of climate change and its effect on society. This study, based on the extended parallel process model, aims to examine the effect of exposure to climate change-related information on SNSs on the pro-environmental behaviors of individuals. The study examines the mediation effect of fear of victimization from climate change between the exposure to climate change-related information on SNSs and pro-environmental behaviors, including the moderation effect of attention deficit and decision-making self-efficacy with the help of appropriate instruments. A total sample of 406 reliable questionnaires were collected from students using SNSs in China, and data were analyzed through SPSS and AMOS. Results indicate that the exposure to climate change-related information on SNSs has a direct positive effect on users' pro-environmental behaviors (β = 0.299, p < 0.01). Fear of victimization from climate change also mediates the relationship between exposure to climate change-related information on SNSs and pro-environmental behaviors (β = 0.149, SE = 0.029, p < 0.01). In addition, attention deficit moderates the relationship of exposure to climate change-related information on SNSs with fear of victimization from climate change (β = -0.090, p ≤ 0.01) and pro-environmental behaviors (β = -0.090, p ≤ 0.05). Similarly, the relationship between fear of victimization from climate change and pro-environmental behaviors is moderated by decision-making self-efficacy (β = 0.267, p ≤ 0.01). The findings offer implications for media organizations and government policy makers, who should post or spread environmental information through the most trustworthy media, with trustworthy sources, in an effective manner, and without exaggerated adverse impacts.

Prison Strains, Negative Emotions, and Deviance Among Prisoners in South Korea: A Latent-Variable Modeling Test of General Strain Theory

This article examines the applicability of general strain theory to correctional samples by testing whether prison strains are positively related to deviance among prisoners through strain-associated negative emotions and whether the negative emotions-deviance relationship is systematic in terms of inner versus outer directedness. Latent-variable structural equation modeling was applied to analyze survey data from 986 male prisoners in South Korea. First, an inmate's dissatisfaction with correctional officers was found to be positively related to anger and fear of victimization, whereas in-prison victimization was related only to the fear. Second, outer-directed emotion (anger) was positively related to outer-directed deviance (aggressive and property misconduct and anticipated reoffending) but not to inner-directed deviance (self-injury/suicide attempt). On the contrary, inner-directed emotion (fear) was related positively to the inner-directed deviance but inversely to property misconduct. Finally, some of the indirect relationships of victimization and dissatisfaction with deviance via negative emotions were found to be significant.

Weapon Possession Among College Students: A Study From a Midwestern University

Weapon possession on college campuses causes great concern, but there remains a lack of research examining the determinants of this phenomenon. Previous studies addressing weapon possession have primarily focused on either K-12 or the general adult population. Unlike previous studies, this study examined the weapon possession among college students using data collected from a mid-sized university in Missouri, and 451 students participated. Weapon possession and other theoretical factors were measured through the self-administered survey. Logistical regression analysis revealed that weapon socialization was the most significant factor in predicting student weapon carrying. Also, gender and age were significant factors in explaining campus-based weapon possession. This research has a limitation with generalizability because the data were collected from only a single university with convenient sampling. Future studies need to cover a wider range of college students from a variety of different universities with random sampling.