Neighborhood disorder, fear, and mistrust: the buffering role of social ties with neighbors.
This paper proposes that individuals who report that they live in neighborhoods characterized by disorder--by crime, vandalism, graffiti, danger, noise, dirt, and drugs--have high levels of fear and mistrust. It further proposes that an individual's alliances and connections with neighbors can buffer the negative effects of living in a neighborhood characterized by disorder on fear and mistrust. Results from a representative sample of 2482 Illinois residents collected by telephone in 1995 support the propositions. Living in a neighborhood with a lot of perceived disorder significantly affects mistrust and the fear of victimization, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Perceived neighborhood disorder and social ties significantly interact: informal social ties with neighbors reduce the fear- and mistrust-producing effects of disorder. However, formal participation in neighborhood organizations shows little buffering effect.
Ross
C E
CE
Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. Ross.131@osu.edu
Jang
S J
SJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012940:Social Problems / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support