Fear of Crime

• Gerbner et al: heavy users of television (over 4 hrs a day) had higher levels of fear of crime 
• Schlesinger and Tumber 1992: found a correlation between media consumption and fear of crime with tabloid readers and heavy users of TV expressing greater fear of becoming a victim especially of physical attack and ‘mugging’ 
• Greer and Reiner 2012: much ‘effects’ research on media as a cause of crime or fear of crime ignores the meanings that viewers give to media violence.