Medo do crime: uma análise explanatória sobre suas causas em Minas Gerais-2009

Abstract

The fear of crime figure as one of many strong characteristics in urban areas, and has increasingly become a central theme in speeches of various social groups, such as journalists, politics, researches and the general population. However, it is important to recognize how few are the number of national studies that intend to look for the sources that create and stimulate the fear of crime. It means that only a few studies quantitatively measure which variables would have impact on this feeling and to what degree. So, the Center for Crime and Public Safety Studies (CRISP/ UFMG) conducted a survey in 2009 about the Risk Perception and Fear of Crime, with 5006 interviews, in 29 cities of Minas Gerais. Based on this data, the predictive capacity of seven types of theories/ hypothesis in the literature was tested (vulnerability, mass media, physical and social incivilities, direct and indirect victimization, trust in institutions, differences between cities/ regions and the perception of risk) over three types of fear (General Fear of Crimes, Fear of Crimes Against Pearson and Fear of Crimes Against Heritage). For this, a rarely used methodology in Brazil was applied, the multiple regression statistical model. In general, considering the analyzed indicators, only the variables informed by radio about crime and direct victimization did not appears as statistically significant predictors for the three analyzed types of fear. Though, trust in institutions revealed the opposite, that is, the trust in politic, legal and police institutions, increases fear. The results show the need for new researches and alternative theories for its best approach of this thematic in Brazil.