Age, Racial Prejudice and Fear of Criminal Victimization in Public Settings

Abstract

In this paper we examine the extent to which racial (antiblack) prejudice influences the positive relationship between age and fear of criminal victimization in public settings among whites. We hypothesize that elderly white adults are more prejudiced than younger white adults, that this prejudice causes them to be especially fearful of black strangers, and that this heightened fear of blacks results in greater fear of criminal victimization among the elderly. We use data collected using the factorial survey method to test this hypothesis. The results indicate that higher levels of racial prejudice among the elderly do play a part in the age / fear relationship among whites but in a way that is more complex than we hypothesized.