2024 Research in the Capitol
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between gender, viewing crime related material on social media, and fear of crime experienced by college students. While violent crime rates have fallen, the majority of college students report levels of crime are increasing. Many individuals lack both knowledge and experience related to crime, leading media exposure to influence their levels of fear. Previous research has focused on television media related to fear of crime with little research on social media, the preferred media source of young adults. College students (n = 126) from a midwestern university completed a survey assessing fear of crime, social media and crime knowledge, and personal safety behaviors. Findings from this research have important implications on theory and policy, adding to an understanding of what predicts and influences fear of crime and how to align fear of crime with actual victimization risks.
Start Date
25-3-2024 11:45 AM
End Date
25-3-2024 1:30 PM
Event Host
University Honors Programs, Iowa Regent Universities
Faculty Advisor
Nathan Taylor
Department
Department of Family, Aging & Counseling
Copyright
©2024 Ashlyn Miller
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Miller, Ashlyn, "Gender Socialization and Social Media in College Students' Fear of Crime" (2024). Research in the Capitol. 13.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/rcapitol/2024/all/13
Gender Socialization and Social Media in College Students' Fear of Crime
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between gender, viewing crime related material on social media, and fear of crime experienced by college students. While violent crime rates have fallen, the majority of college students report levels of crime are increasing. Many individuals lack both knowledge and experience related to crime, leading media exposure to influence their levels of fear. Previous research has focused on television media related to fear of crime with little research on social media, the preferred media source of young adults. College students (n = 126) from a midwestern university completed a survey assessing fear of crime, social media and crime knowledge, and personal safety behaviors. Findings from this research have important implications on theory and policy, adding to an understanding of what predicts and influences fear of crime and how to align fear of crime with actual victimization risks.
