Fear of Crime in Traffic: An Analysis of Gender-Based Perceptual Differences in the Case of İzmir

Mehmet Demirbaş; Ozan Kavsıracı; Abdullah Çelik; Niyazi Umut Akıncıoğlu; Hasan Sencer Peker

doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1741867

TR EN

Trafikte Suç Korkusu: İzmir Örneğinde Cinsiyete Dayalı Algı Farklılıklarının Analizi

Öz

Bu çalışma, trafikte suç korkusuna ilişkin cinsiyet farklılıklarını incelemektedir. Trafik bağlamına özgü araştırma eksikliğini gidermek üzere 26 maddelik Trafikte Suç Korkusu Ölçeği geliştirilmiş ve İzmir’de aktif sürücülük yapan 1.505 kişi (768 kadın; 737 erkek) amaçlı ve kota örnekleme ile ulaşılarak araştırmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi üç faktörlü yapıyı doğrulamıştır: Trafikte Algılanan Bireysel Güvensizlik, Araç Türlerine Bağlı Korku ve Zamansal-Mekânsal Güvenlik Algıları. Üç faktör toplam varyansın %79,19’unu açıklamıştır (KMO = ,973; Bartlett p < ,001). Ölçeğin tümünde (α = ,96) ve alt boyutlarında (α = ,95; ,90; ,88) güvenirlik yüksektir. Dağılımlar normal olmadığından cinsiyet karşılaştırmalarında Mann–Whitney U testi kullanılmıştır. Algılanan Bireysel Güvensizlik (U = 271.314, z = −1,388, p = ,165) ve Zamansal-Mekânsal Güvenlik Algıları (U = 273.649, z = −1,118, p = ,265) için anlamlı fark bulunmamıştır. Buna karşılık, Araç Türlerine Bağlı Korku alt boyutunda erkeklerin puanları daha yüksektir (U = 250.234, z = −3,919, p < ,001, r = ,101). Madde düzeyinde kadınlar cinsel taciz ve sözlü saldırı kaygılarını daha fazla bildirirken, erkekler kamu/ağır vasıtalar ve yaptırım-denetimin etkililiğine ilişkin kaygılarda daha yüksek puanlar vermiştir. Bulgular, “hareketli kamusal mekân” olarak trafik bağlamında cinsiyete bağlı tehdit algılarının alt boyutlara göre farklılaştığını göstermekte ve hem kişilerarası risklere hem de araç/strüktürel risklere duyarlı politikaların gerekliliğine işaret etmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Suç Korkusu , Toplumsal Cinsiyet , Trafik Güvenliği , Sürücü Algısı , Ölçek Geliştirme

Fear of Crime in Traffic: An Analysis of Gender-Based Perceptual Differences in the Case of İzmir

Abstract

This study examines gender differences in fear of crime within traffic settings. To address the scarcity of traffic-specific research, we developed a 26-item Fear of Crime in Traffic Scale and surveyed 1,505 active drivers in İzmir (768 women; 737 men) using purposive and quota sampling. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure—Perceived Individual Insecurity in Traffic, Fear Related to Vehicle Types, and Spatio-Temporal Perceptions of Safety—explaining 79.19% of the variance (KMO = .973; Bartlett p < .001). Reliability was high for the total scale (α = .96) and strong across subdimensions (α = .95, .90, .88). Given non-normal distributions, gender comparisons employed Mann–Whitney U tests. No significant gender differences emerged for Perceived Individual Insecurity (U = 271,314, z = −1.388, p = .165) or Spatio-Temporal Perceptions of Safety (U = 273,649, z = −1.118, p = .265). However, men scored higher on Fear Related to Vehicle Types (U = 250,234, z = −3.919, p < .001, r = .101). Item-level patterns indicate women report greater concern about sexual harassment and verbal abuse, while men report higher concerns tied to public/heavy vehicles and the perceived effectiveness of enforcement. These results nuance the gender–fear literature by showing that, in “mobile public spaces” like traffic, gendered threat perceptions vary by subdimension. The findings inform transportation safety by highlighting the need for gender-sensitive interventions that address both interpersonal risks and vehicle/structural risks.

Keywords

Fear of Crime , Gender , Traffic Safety , Driver Perception , Scale Development

References

Ceccato, V., & Loukaitou-Sideris, A. (Eds.). (2020). Transit crime and sexual violence in cities: International evidence and prevention. Routledge.
Ceccato, V., & Newton, A. (Eds.). (2015). Safety and security in transit environments: An interdisciplinary approach. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ditton, J., & Farrall, S. (2000). The fear of crime. In T. Hope & R. Sparks (Eds.), Crime, risk and insecurity (pp. 202–213). Routledge.
Farrall, S., Bannister, J., Ditton, J., & Gilchrist, E. (1997). Questioning the measurement of the “fear of crime”: Findings from a major methodological study. British Journal of Criminology, 37(4), 658–679. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a014203
Ferraro, K. F. (1996). Women's fear of victimization: Shadow of sexual assault? Social Forces, 75(2), 667–690. https://doi.org/10.2307/2580418
Ferraro, K. F., & LaGrange, R. (1987). The measurement of fear of crime. Sociological Inquiry, 57(1), 70–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-682X.1987.tb01181.x
Gilchrist, E., Bannister, J., Ditton, J., & Farrall, S. (1998). Women and the “fear of crime”: Challenging the accepted stereotype. The British Journal of Criminology, 38(2), 283–298.
Hale, C. (1996). Fear of crime: A review of the literature. International Review of Victimology, 4(2), 79–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269758096-00400201
Innes, M. (2004). Signal crimes and signal disorders: Notes on deviance as communicative action. British Journal of Sociology, 55(3), 335–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2004.-00023.x
Loukaitou-Sideris, A. (2006). Is it safe to walk? Neighborhood safety and security considerations and their effects on walking. Journal of Planning Literature, 20(3), 219–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412205282770

Madriz, E. (1997). Nothing bad happens to good girls: Fear of crime in women’s lives. University of California Press. Pain, R. (2001). Gender, race, age and fear in the city. Urban Studies, 38(5–6), 899–913. https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980120046590
Stanko, E. A. (1990). Everyday violence: How women and men experience sexual and physical danger. Pandora.
Stanko, E. A. (1992). The case of fearful women: Gender, personal safety and fear of crime. In D. Evans, N. Fyfe, & D. Herbert (Eds.), Crime, policing and place: Essays in environmental criminology (pp. 127–138). Routledge.
Stanko, E. A. (1995). Women, crime, and fear. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 539(1), 46–58. https://doi.org/10.-1177/0002716295539001004
Sutton, R. M., & Farrall, S. (2005). Gender, socially desirable responding and the fear of crime: Are women really more anxious about crime? British Journal of Criminology, 45(2), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azh084
Warr, M. (1984). Fear of victimization: Why are women and the elderly more afraid? Social Science Quarterly, 65(3), 681–702.
Warr, M. (2000). Fear of crime in the United States: Avenues for research and policy. In D. Duffee (Ed.), Criminal Justice 2000: Volume 4 – Measurement and analysis of crime and justice (pp. 451–489). U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
Young, J. (1988). Risk of crime and fear of crime: A realist critique of survey-based assumptions. In M. Maguire & J. Pointing (Eds.), Victims of crime: A new deal? (pp. 163–175). Open University Press.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Forensic Social Science

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mehmet Demirbaş
0000-0002-9760-1130
Türkiye

Ozan Kavsıracı ^*
0000-0001-6351-3725
Türkiye

Abdullah Çelik
0000-0002-3912-3724
Türkiye

Niyazi Umut Akıncıoğlu
0000-0002-4605-6195
Türkiye

Hasan Sencer Peker
0000-0002-9420-3647
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

September 28, 2025

Publication Date

September 30, 2025

Submission Date

July 14, 2025

Acceptance Date

September 22, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 22 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1741867

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA34HX23BL

APA

Demirbaş, M., Kavsıracı, O., Çelik, A., Akıncıoğlu, N. U., & Peker, H. S. (2025). Fear of Crime in Traffic: An Analysis of Gender-Based Perceptual Differences in the Case of İzmir. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 22(5), 1133-1145. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1741867

Cited By

Akıllı şehirlerde önleyici güvenlik: Sensör ağları ve CCTV’nin etkinliği üzerine nitel bir değerlendirme

İDEALKENT

https://doi.org/10.31198/idealkent.1766696