Older people's perceptions of personal safety in deprived communities: understanding the social causes of fear of crime

Abstract

This study explored the neighbourhood‐level personal safety concerns experienced by older people living in socioeconomically deprived communities in South Wales. While there is a wealth of criminological literature focusing on whether older people experience high levels of fear of crime, much of it conflicting in its conclusions, such studies tell us little about the social and physical cues for feelings of fear that are evoked in older people on a community level. To provide a richer understanding of these issues the study adopted a predominantly qualitative approach to identify community characteristics that shaped older people's views of personal safety. This was supplemented by quantitative data regarding their actual experiences of crime. The main finding was that personal safety concerns were overwhelmingly related to the social connotations of specific community locations, such as those associated with the presence and behaviour of perceived 'undesirable others', rather than specific locations themselves or their physical characteristics. This raises questions and challenges about the development of appropriate and effective crime and fear reduction strategies that enable older people to feel safer in their communities, and so facilitate their community engagement and social inclusion.

Citation

Waters, J. and Neale, R. (2010), "Older people's perceptions of personal safety in deprived communities: understanding the social causes of fear of crime", Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 48-56. https://doi.org/10.5042/qiaoa.2010.0155