Fear of crime among university students in Malta

Abstract

This study’s purpose is to measure fear of crime among the over 18 University of Malta students and to explore the relationship with the demographic variables. This research investigated age, gender, and nationality differences in fear of crime and in the fear of specific crimes with emphasis on exploring the prevalence of fear of crime across the fear of specific crimes. The approach chosen was a quantitative approach with convenience sampling and 145 respondents were collected through online non-standardised questionnaire via Facebook. The statistical analysis tests used were the Freeman’s test, Kruskal Wallis test, Chi-squared test and the Spearman’s correlation coefficient tests. This study noted significant gender differences with females scoring highly in fear of crime and fear of violent crimes more than males. No other age or nationality differences were noted in fear of crime. However, age difference was noted with younger individuals fearing sexual assault more than older individuals. No significant nationality differences were noted in fear of specific crimes. This study also noted that individuals which scored highly in fear of crime tended to score highly in fear of specific crimes. The key findings were discussed in relation to past literature and explanations were given. In conclusion, the study’s limitations and recommendations for further research were presented.