Effects of Fear of Crime on Subjective Well-being: A Meta-analytic Review

Abstract

We analyzed 12 studies from North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania (New Zealand) on the association between fear of crime and subjective well-being. These studies gather data from 39 countries and 407,474 subjects. Heterogeneity was found between the studies. The random effect model showed an average effect of = -.15 (ρ = -.21). Two of the studies estimated fear of crime with a single generic question and five studies assessed subjective well-being through one item of satisfaction with life. Meta-regression showed that the effect was superior in younger samples, with affective measurement of well-being in comparison with cognitive ones, of mono-item (versus multi-items) and in the countries of Latin America, suggesting that in contexts of greater frequency and seriousness of the crime the fear of crime negatively affects subjective well-being. The diffuse or concrete nature of the measure of fear did not show a significant moderator effect. Limitations of the study and proposals for future research are discussed.

Keywords

• Fear of crime
• Meta-analysis
• Satisfaction with life
• Subjective well-being