Social capital and fear of crime in Brisbane

Abstract

Social capital is upheld for its value in explaining variations in crime across place. Collective efficacy is understood to be the superlative link between less effectual components of neighbourhood social capital (such as social ties and reciprocity) and lower rates of crime. The current study examines the value of neighbourhood social capital in explaining another community attribute associated with neighbourhoods: fear of crime. We conduct a secondary analysis of survey data collected from over 2000 people clustered in 82 Statistical Local Areas in Brisbane, Australia, to examine the correlates of fear of crime. We find that when comparing elements of social capital, the agentic element of social capital – collective efficacy – has the strongest relationship to reduced fear of crime.