Different measures of vulnerability in their relation to different dimensions of fear of crime

Vulnerability has, in research conducted over the last decade, been found t o be significantly related to fear of crime. It seems to be particularly he lpful in explaining seemingly disproportionate fear levels among women and the elderly, as well as in a few situational contexts. In the present resea rch, a representative sample of Switzerland's population (N=726) was interv iewed on various aspects of fear of crime in the public sphere. All respond ents were asked how they assessed their own ability to escape or resist in case of an attack by a young assailant. In addition, Interviewers rated sev eral aspects of respondents' 'visible' vulnerability. In multivariate analy ses, vulnerability, as assessed by respondents themselves, explained fears and worries about crime better than interviewer-assessed measures of vulner ability. It is concluded that, in comparison to demographic and contextual (neighbourhood) variables, physical vulnerability seems to play an importan t and consistent role in the genesis of fear of crime.