Measuring fear of crime using app-based and sensing methodologies

This page is a summary website for the project “Measuring fear of crime using app-based and sensing methodologies” funded by the British Academy Small Grants (no. SG171381).

PI: Dr Reka Solymosi, University of Manchester

Co-Is: Dr Laura Vozmediano, Unversity of Basque Country & Dr Ines Guedes, University of Porto

Interested in using app-based and sensing measures to operationalise the fear of crime? If you are working on this sort of thing, or just want to be involved please sign up here: https://forms.gle/G2NwTvcX6ydsauxX6

Project Summary

Recent contributions to the advancement of research into fear of crime focus on framing it as a situational experience. To measure fear of crime operationalised in this way, innovations in technology for data collection must be applied. This project aimed to contribute to the advancement of current topics in fear of crime research, in both methodological and theoretical innovations around operationalisation and measurement of this concept.

To achieve this aim, this project fullfilled the following objectives:

1) Synthesize current app-based measures of fear of crime to consolidate good practice and directions in this emerging area

We carried out a systematic review of app-based measures of fear of crime experience:
- Solymosi, R, D Buil-Gil, L Vozmediano, and IS Guedes (2019). A place-based approach to fear of crime: A systematic review of app-based and crowdsourced measures. Under review in Environment and Behaviour. Pre-print available from osf: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/h3n9w/
Collaborated with the UK Data Service to run a webinar about Using app-based and sensing methods for social science research
- Solymosi, R and M Chataway (2019). Webinar: Using app-based and sensing methods for social science research. UK Data Service. Available: https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/news-and-events/eventsitem/?id=5461
Publicised this work on the London School of Economics’ Impact Blog
- Solymosi, R and M Chataway (2019). Using mobile applications for social science research. LSE Impact Blog. Available: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2019/08/14/using-mobile-applications-for-social-scienceresearch/

2) Eliminate parallel working and bring together those working in this area.

The aim is to bring together people working in the area of app-based and sensing approaches to emasuring fear of crime.

We have achieved the following objectives:

Set up a community of researchers working in this area:
see the map of related reserach here: https://fearofcrime.shinyapps.io/Fear_of_crime_research_map/
Agreement with Crime Science to edit ‘Advances in the Study of Perceptions of Crime and Place’ Special Issue for Crime Science bringing together a papers which use methodological innovation for study of perception of crime and place.
see here for call for papers

3) Carry out a field experiment to assess the feasibility of advancing these measurement tools by incorporating sensing methodologies.

We carried out an experiment at University College London’ PAMELa Laboratory. More details to come soon.

List of outputs

Publications

Solymosi, R, D Buil-Gil, L Vozmediano, and IS Guedes (2019). A place-based approach to fear of crime: A systematic review of app-based and crowdsourced measures. Under review in Environment and Behaviour. Pre-print available on SocArXiv: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/h3n9w/.
Solymosi, R, IS Guedes, L Vozmediano, N Teixeira (forthcoming). To be submitted to the Journal of Experimental Criminology.
Solymosi, R and M Chataway (2019). Using mobile applications for social science research. LSE Impact Blog. Available: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2019/08/14/using-mobile-applications-for-social-scienceresearch/.

Conference presentations

Title:Measuring fear of crime using app-based and sensing methodologies Authors: Reka Solymosi, Inês Guedes, Laura Vozmediano, & Nuno Teixeira. Conference: Crime And Fear In Public Places: A Conference On The Individual’s Right To Safe Public Places. 17-18 October 2018, Stockholm, Sweden.
Title: Linking app-based and physiological measures of fear of crime Authors: Reka Solymosi (presenter), Laura Vozmediano, Inês Guedes, David Buil-Gil & Nuno Teixeira Conference: The International Symposium on Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis, July 6-7, 2019, Guangzhou, China.
Title: Measuring fear of crime using app-based and sensing methodologies Authors: Reka Solymosi, Laura Vozmediano, Inês Guedes, David Buil-Gil & Nuno Teixeira. Conference: The International Symposium on Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis June 5-7, 2018. Elche (Spain)
Title: Linking app-based and physiological measures of fear of crime Authors: Inês Guedes (presenter), Reka Solymosi, Laura Vozmediano, David Buil-Gil & Nuno Teixeira. Conference: 19th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology, September 18-21, 2019, Ghent, Belgium.

Other outputs