Older People and Fear of Crime - Research Proposal Example

Older People and Fear of Crime 1.0 Introduction: Over the past few years, with the high levels of crimes that have been reported, one of the major parts of society that seem to be influenced is the elderly. This paper aims at discussing in detail the influence of the crime on elders. The main aims and objectives of the research are to analyze the society and to gain a perspective on the behaviour of elders for the fear of crime. Recent reports have shown that the elderly have been faced with a fright to venture out onto the streets in the evenings due to the issues like verbal abuse and muggings. There has been a number of reports and incidents that have been filed in the past where elders have been victims of crime and which have moved on to create a fear within them. The paper will provide a detailed literature review of the topic and will include statistical data and information that is available that pertain this topic. The literature review that has been discussed is a combination of the literature and theories that have been presented in the past along with the recent statistics that are available on the topic. This will be followed by the research questions and research hypothesis which form an essential part of the research. 2.0 Literature Review: This section of the paper provides a literature review on the elderly people and the fear of crime. It provides a detailed discussion of theories as well as statistics. 2.1 Fear of Crime: With age come a number of issues like the physical vulnerability and also lowered income which in turn leads to a high level of fear of crime. Various researches have been conducted in the past however no single definition has been developed for ‘fear of crime’. There have been a number of debates on the best and most effective way to measure crime. Elchardus, De Groof and Smits (2003), argue that although not much literature is available in terms of the fear of crime, however there are two main patterns that have been followed. These include, a rationalistic view and the other is a symbolic view. Donder, et.al explain, “The rationalistic paradigm interprets fear as a consequence of risk and vulnerability with regard to crime and victimization. The symbolic paradigm interprets fear of crime as a consequence of more general feelings of vulnerability and dissatisfaction that become feelings of being threatened of crime and victimization” (Donder, Verte, & Messelis, 2005). Over the years authors like Baumer and Skogan and Maxfield have divided the factors into three main fields. These include: a) The impact of demographic variables like the physical aspects and the social aspects b) The neighbourhood which has an impact on the feeling of being threatened, and c) There is a major influence from the information received from victims of crime and also from acquaintances. This could be from any media. It is evident that the above factors play a major role on the fear of crimes and leads to a number of issues among people across the world. The next sub section will deal with the relationship of elders and fear of crime. 2.2 Elders and Fear of Crime: A number of authors have touched upon the issue of elders and the fear of crime. Hough and Mayhew have explained a situation where the elders have reported to have a comparatively higher level of fear of crime even though they have low levels of victimization. There have been a number of studies in this area and as explained by Donder, et.al, “Much research regarding elderly people and their fear of crime concerns the confirmation or the negation of this paradox and the search for explanations for this ‘irrational’ fear” (Donder, Verte, & Messelis, 2005). Researchers like Ziegler and Mitchell have also concluded that the elderly people tend to experience more levels of fear than the younger. However this has a number of different views and different approaches. As explained by Donders, et.al. “Other researchers (Fattah, 1993; Fattah and Sacco, 1989; Killias and Clerici, 2000; Pantazis, 2000) report that older people have higher levels of fear of crime than younger people while Dammert and Malone (2003) find no difference between elderly and young people Some (Chadee and Ditton, 2003; Kanan and Pruitt, 2002; Opdebeeck, Vandenberk, and Lammertyn, 1998) even report that elderly people show fewer signs of fear of crime than their younger cohort” (Donder, Verte, & Messelis, 2005). Also, Hale (1996) explains that the fear of crime grows with age. However it is also explained that this does not make the fear rational and there are a number of elderly who have irrational fear of crime which could have been caused by something apart from victimization. 2.3 Current Situation: A report by BBC news brought out that elders in the country had been creating unrealistic fears for themselves and have been becoming prisoners in their own homes for the fear of crime. The report brought out that a research with about four thousand older people showed that people of the age 75 and above were even scared to leave the home after dark as they were worried about being verbally abused or even mugged. The report brought out that almost two thirds of the respondents believed that they would be victims of crime with age, while about one fifth of them also contributed that led to a level of loneliness and isolation and also led the elders to show anti – social behaviour as well. One of the many reasons that this fear has been instilled in the minds of the elders is the case of the Catherine Wrenn, an eighty four year old lady, who was mugged for a sum of £13, and was killed in the event. Cases like these have led to people to have the fear even though they have not been victimized (Casciani, 2003). The research also shows that almost nine out of ten people liked the neighbourhood and liked to venture out each day, however, the street crime in the areas was a big menace which in turn was leading them to venture out much lesser. 2.4 Rationale of Study: As seen in the above discussion, it is clear that the fear of crime, irrespective of whether the elders have been victimized or not has a major impact on the minds and lives of the people. There is a very high need for the issue to be studied and solutions to be found at the earliest for the safety and well being of the elderly in the country. Also, studying this will help bring out aspects where the media and authorities can in their own way help the section of society and help building a safer and more elderly friendly society. Currently the country has an aging population and the national statistics show that the percentage of aged 65 and over will rise from 16% in 2008 to a whopping 23% in 2033 (National Statistics, 2009). A major part of the section of society will fall into this bracket and hence it is important to ensure that the country is a safe place for everyone to live and there is not form of discrimination or harassment that the elderly face. 3.0 Research Questions and Hypothesis The main research questions here for the study are as follows: a) What makes elders grow the fear of crime in their minds? b) How much does this fear impact the lives of the elderly, in terms of the social behaviour, and simple aspects of everyday life? c) What steps are being taken for the safety of the elderly? d) What is the role of the media in the overall scene? The research hypothesis here is to; study the elderly and the fear of crime to gain a clearer understanding of the impact of the fear on their lives and the minds. Also to gain a clear view of what steps are being taken by the authorities to help ensure higher safety of the elderly in the country? The role of the media on this has also been taken into account for this study. The rationale for the chosen questions is that they provide a clear view of the reasons why elders tend to develop a fear of crime and also help analyse the impact this fear has on the lives of the elders. The questions also help take the research step by step and move from one end of the issue to the other end, i.e. the perceived issue, the actual issue, the possible solutions and the overall communication for the solutions. 4.0 Research Site/Subject: This research has been developed on the concept of S.M.A.R.T. i.e. Systematic, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. The research is systematic and aims at adding value to the area of study. The next section provides an overview of the research method being adopted for the study and the sample that will be used for this study. 4.1 Research Method and Sample: The research approaches used in the study comprises a mixture of both the “phenomenological paradigm” which is also referred to as a “qualitative” approach, and the “positivistic paradigm” also known as the “quantitative” approach (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 47). With the phenomenological approach the focus is on “understanding the human behaviour from the participant’s own frame of reference” (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 53). As this approach is related to an event within a context of time and place, the aim is to investigate an event by carrying out your own research to develop a theory based on the phenomenon (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 56-57) or use existing theory. The aim and focus with this approach is to attain a good depth of information and data and to gain good quality of research (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 56-57). With the positivistic paradigm, the emphasis is on using measurement to find out the relationships between facts and causes of the phenomenon. This forms an essential part of the research paradigm for this research (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 57). This approach is useful when there is a need to conduct statistical analysis (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 56). As the research will utilise interviews to collect data, it would be advantageous to use both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. This will be useful when conducting interviews, as the phenomenological paradigm helps the researcher to “get a feel for the key issues” and provides “confidence” in the accuracy and depth of the data collected as the main issues have been covered (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 98). Furthermore, working within the positivistic paradigm will assist in measuring the data and the correlation between the variables, and the quantitative research outcome could be measured against existing theory. The sample chosen for the study will include random people above the age of 60. Using both methods will help ensure that the research outcome is accurate and this allows higher level of confidence and reliability on the conclusions of the study (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 99). It also reduces the probability of incorrect answers and analysis (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 100). For the research, data will be collected from two types of sources, which are primary and secondary (Sekaran, 2000, p. 221). This is referred to as triangulation of the date and here the data is collected from different sources at different times of to complete the study (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 78). Primary data is information gathered from direct observation, conducting interviews, surveys, and questionnaires, from different sections of the society including focus groups, individuals, and also a group of respondents who may have valid opinions on the research in question and who are willing to contribute from time to time (Sekaran, 2000, p. 221). Secondary data on the other hand refers to information published by others and which is already available (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 53-54). It is also data collected by other people rather than the researcher who is carrying out the study (Sekaran, 2000, p. 255). Secondary data is information available from books, journals and online resources. 5.0 References Berry, R. (2004). The Research Project. New York: Routledge. Casciani, D. (2003, May 20). Fear of crime 'trapping elderly'. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from BBC.co.uk: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3044625.stm Collis, J., & Hussey, R. (2003). Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. London: Macmillan Press Ltd. Donder, L. D., Verte, D., & Messelis, E. (2005). Fear Of Crime And Elderly People: Key Factors That Determine Fear Of Crime Among Elderly People In West Flanders. Ageing International , 363-376. National Statistics. (2009, October 21). UK population to exceed 65m by 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from National Projections: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1352 Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2000). Research Methods for Business Students. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Sekaran, U. (2000). Research Methods for Business, A Skill-Building Approach. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. 6.0 Additional Sources Brogden, M., & Nijhar, P. (2000). Crime, Abuse and the Elderly. Willan Publishing. Crime and Fear of Crime. (2006). Help the Aged Policy Statement 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from http://policy.helptheaged.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A3E37DC2-D0AD-4D15-BB57-ED9BE32130CC/0/crime_and_fear_of_crime_april06.pdf Jones, A. K. (1993). Living in fear ; Elders often victims of crime, but rarely is it violent;. Worcester: Telegram & Gazette. LINDQUIST, J. H., & DUKE, J. M. (2006). The Elderly Victim at Risk: Explaining the Fear- Victimization Paradox. Criminology , 20 (1), 115-126. LLM, M. B., PhD, B. D., & JD, P. E. (2004). Elders, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System: Myth, Perceptions, and Reality in the 21st Century. Springer Publishing Company. Payne, B. K. (2005). Crime And Elder Abuse: An Integrated Perspective. Charles C. Thomas Publisher. Rogers, S. (2010, April 22). Crime rates where you live. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from guardian.co.uk: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/apr/22/uk-crime-rates-police-force Read More