Citation

Nellis AM, Savage J. Crime Delinq. 2012; 58(5): 748-768.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0011128712452961

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Several authors have proposed that media hype elevates perceptions of risk and fear of crime. Research suggests that fear of crime is related to the overall amount of media consumption, resonance of news reports, how much attention the individual pays to the news, and how credible he or she believes it to be. The present study examines whether the same applies for terrorism. We use telephone survey data (N = 532) of New Yorkers and Washingtonians to test whether perceived risk and fear of terrorism are associated with several media-related variables. We find that exposure to terrorism-related news is positively associated with perceived risk of terrorism to self and others and with fear for others, but not for self.