Peer reviewed
ERIC Number: EJ725629
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Jul-1
Pages: 55
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0303-8300
EISSN: N/A
Resilient or Resigned? Criminal Victimisation and Quality of Life in South Africa
Moller, Valerie
Social Indicators Research, v72 n3 p263 Jul 2005
A victimisation study conducted among 3300 householders in South Africa's Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMM) in the Eastern Cape Province aimed to inform a crime prevention strategy for the metropolitan area. The study found that the variables "fear of crime' measured in terms of perceived likelihood of victimisation--and concern about "personal safety" had greater negative influence on life satisfaction than actual victimisation. Individual crimes against the person had greater negative influence on subjective wellbeing and feelings of personal safety than property and other household crimes. Individuals who perceived themselves to be at risk of becoming a victim of crime also perceived greater risk of other misfortunes. However, materially better-off victims reported higher levels of life satisfaction than non-victims in spite of their crime experience. South Africa has high crime rates by international standards and fighting crime presents the country with one of its major challenges in the second decade of democracy. Nevertheless, findings suggest that the negative impact of crime issues on achieving the good life are overshadowed by issues of racial inequalities and poverty. The conclusion is drawn that residents of Nelson Mandela Metropole are hardy when it comes to living with crime but nonetheless stifler stress in doing so. From a methodological perspective, the discussion considers whether subjective crime issues such as fear of crime and personal safety should be regarded as personal or neighbourhood quality-of-life issues. Based on survey findings, the conclusion is drawn that concern for personal safety is both. However, a crime-as-neighbourhood-issue is more likely to attract remedial fiction on the part of local authorities to better protect citizens find allay their fears of crime.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Safety, Quality of Life, Life Satisfaction, Crime Prevention, Crime, Victims of Crime, Fear, Attitude Measures, Socioeconomic Influences, Well Being
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A