Abstract

How many people really worry about crime? As part of a major crime survey, respondents were asked how much they worried about housebreaking on two occasions during the questionnaire. On each occasion, they were given identical 5-point worry scales to choose from. The data were combined, and developed into a 9-point scale. Only 22 (2%) claimed that they worried all the time on both occasions. Respondents were asked similarly paired questions about their worries about assault and vandalism. All three pairs were summed into a 24-point scale. Only 4 respondents (0.3% of the total) worried all the time on both occasions they were asked about the three types of victimisation.

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