FEAR OF VICTIMIZATION AND ITS RELATION TO MASS-MEDIA

This work pretends to investigate which is the type of mass media to w hich the inhabitants of Mexico City are most exposed in terms of news, and whether there is a casual relation between this type of exposure and being afraid of personal and property victimization, considering t he experience of having been victimized and the insecurity prevailing in different situations. Therefore, a survey was made in Mexico City w ith the participation of 600 inhabitants of two communities of differe nt socioeconomic level: 300 of medium-low level and 300 of medium-high level. The results show that they had been more frequently exposed to T.V. news (51 %), followed by radio news (34 %). They seldom watched T.V. police series or read police news in the newspaper (6.3 and 10.4 %, respectively). Women were more afraid than men of being personally victimized as well as in their property. We made a step by step regres sion analysis in men and women. The regression model of fear of person al victimization in men, was an R=.35, R(2)=.12 and standard error of .54 with an F=19.53 (2,266) p<.001. The predicting variables were inse curity in public places and having read the newspaper during the previ ous week. The regression model in women was an R=.39, R(2)=.15 and sta ndard error of .47 with an F=28.55 (2,303) p<.001 was obtained. The mo re determinant Variables were in this case the insecurity in public pl aces and an older age. As for fear of property victimization in men, a regression model was obtained with an R=.32, R(2)=.10 and standard er ror of .55, which showed an F=10.83 (3,269) p<.001. Insecurity in publ ic places, having read the newspaper more frequently during the last w eek, and in a lesser grade, insecurity in familiar places, were the si gnificant predicting variables. The regression model in women obtained an R=.40, R(2)=.16 and standard error of .59, an F=30.48 (2,307) p<.0 01 was obtained. insecurity in public places and having read more freq uently the police news in the newspaper were the most determinant vari ables. These findings are discussed stressing the need to carry out mo re studies on newspaper information contents in order to find out whic h aspects are influencing fear.