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Violent Victimization and Fear of Crime Among
Canadian Aboriginals
Michael Weinrath
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Journal of Offender
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Violent Victimization and Fear
of Crime Among Canadian
Aboriginals
Michael Weinrath PhD
a
a
Department of Sociology, University of Winnipeg,
Winnipeg
Version of record first published: 12 Oct 2008.
To cite this article: Michael Weinrath PhD (2000): Violent Victimization and Fear
of Crime Among Canadian Aboriginals, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 30:1-2,
107-120
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Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Violent Crime: The Realities and the Myths. Pp. 107-120.
E
2000 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Violent Victimization and Fear of Crime
Among Canadian Aboriginals
MICHAEL WEINRATH
University of Winnipeg
ABSTRACT Violent victimization by offenders has led to concerns over the
negative con se qu e n ce s that this has on victims, inclu d in g a grea ter fear of crime.
Because their disadvantaged status leads to greater rates of violent victimization,
it is speculated that fear of crime will be higher among the poor and racial
minorities. Examining the common violent crime of assault, this hypothesis is
tested by comparing the results of two national Canadian surveys, the 1991
post-censal Aboriginal People’ s Survey (N = 18,000+), and the 1993 Canadian
General Social Survey (N = 10,000+). Contingency tables (cross-tabs) and multi-
variate logistic regression are used to assess differences in reported fear levels
betw ee n Aborig in a l and Non -A b o rig in al cases. While Abo rigin a l rates of violent
victimization are higher, there are no appreciable differences in fear levels. In
some situations Non-Aboriginal Canadians are even more likely to report fear.
This relationship holds even in controlled analysis for urban based Aboriginals
and Non-Aboriginals. Assault does not substantially increase the fear levels of
either group. Income differences between Aboriginals and Non-Aboriginals are a
concern. Low income earners are more afraid, while high income earners are not.
While other factors mediated some of these effects, policy makers need to direct
attention to the large number of urban based, impoverished Aboriginals.
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KEYWORDS Canada’s First Nations people, phenomenology of fear,
poverty and crime, effects of ass ault
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Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Violent C rime: The Realities and the Myths
108
INTRODUCTION
In the last decade, investigators have given more attention to the relation-
ship between race and victimization, particularly for violent crimes. Academ-
ics have commented on the higher violent victimization rates experienced by
disadvantaged groups such as Native Americans and Canadian Aboriginals
(Bachman, 1992; Roberts & Doob, 1997; Long, 1996; Weinrath, 1998). For
many racial minorities, a greater chance of becoming a crime victim is added
to the day to day stresses associated with low income and discrimination.
This paper examines the relationships between fear of crime, victimization
and race. Analysis is driven by two general research questions which will
hopefully lead to an increase in our limited knowledge regarding fear of
crime and Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. First, what are the correlates of
Aboriginal fear of crime, and are they similar to those reported for Non-
Aboriginals? Second, are there differences in fear levels between Aboriginals
and Non-Aboriginal Canadians?
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Race and Fear of Crime
Fear of crime ‘‘vulnerability’’ models are concerned with the higher fear
levels among groups in society that perceive themselves as more likely to be
victimized. This fear may be due to perceptions of an inability to defend
one’s self, as might be found among those who are female, elderly, or poor
(Box, Hale & Andrews, 1987; Ollenburger, 1981). Feelings of vulnerability
may also be related to a lack of social support, or trauma resulting from
victimization (Garafolo, 1979; Weinrath & Gartrell, 1996). Urban residence,
with greater perceived crime, is also thought likely to increase fear (Keane,
1992).
Race may also affect feelings of vulnerability and fear of crime, because
the reality of minority status is having limited resources and living in high
crime areas (Ortega & Myles , 1987). While some studies involving African-
Americans have shown that they are more afraid than whites (Parker & Ray,
1990; Skogan & Maxfield, 1981), others have not. Ortega and Myles (1987)
found that young Black males, despite a higher probability of victimization,
were less afraid than Whites of the same age. They speculated that this may
be due to subcultural norms that heavily emphasize street toughness for
young Blacks. Conversely, they found that older Black males were more
afraid than older White males. They attributed this to a greater likelihood of
older Blacks residing in high crime neighborhoods, resulting in greater per-
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