Crime victims’ feelings of unsafety: Exploring a contested connection

This paper examines the consequences of victimisation in relation to feelings of safety in Denmark. Using various statistical models, we address two general questions: First, how do different victimisation patterns affect victims’ feelings of safety, and second, how do victims’ individual demographic characteristics modify the consequence of victimisation in relation to feelings of safety. We analyse both cross-sectional data and panel data from the Danish Police’s Safety Survey (2014-2018) linked to Danish register data. Ongoing debates about the strength of association between victims of crime and their feelings of safety (and fear of crime) have focused on the possible diverse impact of crime on different victim groups e.g., a) victims of different types of crime, b) frequent victims and infrequent victims, and c) socially disadvantaged victims versus more well-off victims. By utilising a large panel dataset linked to Danish register data, we are able to analyse and examine the differential impacts of victimisation on feelings of safety in different groups of victims.