Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Addressing A Blind Spot: Altruistic Fear And Religious Bias Motivated Victimization, Emily N. Hawkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Fear of victimization is different than actual victimization but has real consequences for individuals’ behaviors and attitudes. Research on fear of victimization in the United States has typically emphasized individuals’ own fears of experiencing violent, sexual, and property crimes. Yet, some studies suggest that fear of crime for other people whose safety one values – significant others, friends, and children – or altruistic fear is more common and often more intense than one’s personal fear of victimization. While some literature exists on the prevalence of altruistic fear in American households, little is known about altruistic fears specifically rooted in the …