The difference between fear of victimization and the probability of being victimized: Implications for cultivation

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Abstract
One issue in cultivation studies is the extent to which heavy television viewers come to “fear” criminal victimization. Fear of victimization, however, is seldom measured directly. Instead, respondents typically provide estimates of the likelihood of being involved in a crime or of how safe they feel in their neighborhoods. We argue that a conceptual distinction between fear of victimization and probability estimates of victimization is necessary. Support for the argument emerged from results of a random sample survey. Measures of the two concepts were not highly correlated, and television viewing was related to fear of violence, but not to crime probability estimates. Implications for media cultivation studies are discussed.

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