AGE, ANOMIE AND FEAR OF CRIME IN RURAL AREAS (TRUST)

The main purpose of this research was to investigate factors related to fear of crime among aged rural residents. Theoretical perspectives drawn from research and theory of fear of crime among the aged and from Durkheim's and Sorokin's analysis of stresses related to social change were utilized to develop a model to predict fear of crime among rural residents. Empirical data for the study were collected from nine Ohio counties in 1980 through field interviews and a drop-off questionnaire of 891 households which were selected on a stratified random basis.; The major hypotheses of the study were: (1) That the tendency for aged residents of rural areas to feel less safe than younger residents is explained by the greater vulnerability of the aged to harm by criminal victimization. (2) That the effect of the anomic stresses of inmigration and victimization on how safe respondents feel in their neighborhoods is mediated by trust of neighbors. (3) That trust of neighbors is the most powerful predictor of how safe respondents feel in their rural neighborhoods.; Point bi-serial correlation, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, factor analysis and path analysis were statistical techniques utilized to test the relationships between different components of the model. The model did not support the explanation that perceived safety among the aged is due to their greater vulnerability to harm by crime. The model did support the explanation that anomic stress of social change in rural areas provides a partial explanation for lower trust of neighbors and feelings of safety in rural neighborhoods. The variance explained by the model was low. To some extent this is due to measurement error. Because of the newness of this problem area the measures of central concepts in the study were developed without the benefit of a history of their use. They could be improved upon as research in this problem area progresses.