Gender, age, crime victimization, and fear of crime: findings from a sample of Kenyan College students

摘要

Crime victimization and fear of crime have been studied extensively in the extant literature, but very few studies have been carried out in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a sample of 523 students from a leading university in Nairobi, Kenya, we found that females, older students, and prior crime victims are more fearful of crime at school, of crime in the community, and of overall crime. In addition, we found that incivility, measured as the perceived prevalence of drug use among Kenyans, was also statistically significantly related to fear of crime at school, fear of crime in the community, and the overall measure of fear of crime. These findings are consistent with findings from the extant literature, mainly from the United States. Thus, we argue that the correlates of fear of crime appear to be similar in different geopolitical contexts. The implications of the findings for campus safety and security are discussed.