 Broken Windows and Collective EfficacyAldrin Abdullah, Massoomeh Hedayati Marzbali, Azizi Bahauddin and Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki SAGE Open, 2015, vol. 5, issue 1, 2158244014564361 Abstract: The broken windows thesis posits that signs of disorder increase crime and fear, both directly and indirectly. Although considerable theoretical evidence exists to support the idea that disorder is positively related to fear of crime, the empirical literature on examining the indirect effect of the individual’s perception of incivilities on fear of crime is limited, especially in developing countries. This research was conducted to assess the indirect relationship between perceived disorder and fear of crime through collective efficacy. A total of 235 households from Penang, Malaysia, participated in this study. Results reveal that high perception of disorder is negatively associated with collective efficacy. High collective efficacy is associated with low fear of crime. Moreover, a significant and indirect effect of disorder on fear of crime exists through collective efficacy. The results provide empirical support for the broken windows theory in the Malaysian context and suggest that both environmental conditions and interactions of residents play a role in the perceived fear of crime. Keywords: disorder; collective efficacy; fear of crime; mediation; neighborhood (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:5:y:2015:i:1:p:2158244014564361 Access Statistics for this article More articles in SAGE Open |
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