If it was shared on Facebook and Twitter, then it must be true : a study towards the influence of fake news on fear of crime

The principal aim of this study is to assess the influence of fake news on fear of crime. Prior research already found that media and traditional news outlets have an impact on fear of crime, but research regardingthe possible influence of fake news on fear of crime is still largely lacking. Fake news is a phenomenon that does not have a consistent definition and many different appearances. However, two aspects do always return: the level of factuality and falsification. The theoretical backdrop of the present study integrates insights from social capital theory, broken windows theory and collective efficacy theory. Three hierarchical multivariate regression analyses were conducted with data from the SCAN-study, which were collected in 2019 in Ghent, Belgium (N = 1566). Fear of crime was assessed in terms of avoidance behaviour, i.e. the behavioural-expressive component of fear of crime. Fake news was investigated using the level of perceived prevalence on traditional news media (TV, radio, printed media and news websites) and on social media. Characteristics of individual vulnerability and socio-demographic background were also examined in the analysis with fear of crime as dependent variable. Furthermore, the influence of socio-demographic background, online behaviour and knowledge regarding new technologies on the two variables of fake news was investigated. This exploratory study suggests a small but significant influence of fake news on fear of crime. Several avenues for future research emerge from this study and those will also be discussed.

Jaar van publicatie:2020

Toegankelijkheid:Open