Examination of the relationship between the levels of fear of crime and the perception of gender and fair world belief for individuals aged 18-65

This study aimed to evaluate whether the level of gender perception and belief in a just world of individuals between the ages of 18-65 have an effect on the level of fear of crime. For this purpose, data were collected from 410 adult individuals between the ages of 18-65. The data were collected by convenience sampling method on online platforms. Socio-Demographic Information Form, Fear of Crime Scale (FoC), Gender Roles Attitude Scale (GRAS), and Belief in a Just World (BJW) scale were used in the research. SPSS-25 statistical program was used in the analysis of the obtained data. In this context, while the fear of crime, gender roles, and belief in a just world were analyzed according to demographic variables, independent groups t-test and one-way ANOVA analyzes were used. Significant differences in one-way ANOVA analysis were analyzed with the Tukey test, one of the post hoc tests. In addition, the relationship between fear of crime, gender roles, and belief in a just world was examined by Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. As a result of the research, a positive and significant relationship was found between the participants' fear of crime and gender equality (p<.05). It was observed that the participants with a high level of fear of crime displayed more egalitarian attitudes. A negative significant relationship was found between the level of fear of crime and the level of belief in a just world (p<.05). As the level of fear of crime of participants increases, their belief that the world is fair decreases. On the other hand, a significant negative correlation was found between the levels of gender equality and belief in a just world (p<.05). Participants with more egalitarian attitudes were found to have a weaker belief that the world is fair. Keywords: Fear of Crime, Just World Belief, Social Gender Equality