This research eximines fear of crime in the United States of America. The purpose of this research is to understand fear of crime, and how residents cope with the opportunity of crime. The research is divided into two parts.The first part exmines factors linked to fear of crime while the second part examines the reactions to crime. The research aim
is to contribute with knowledge about fear of crime and the environment from the resident’s
perspective.

The empirical data is based on a qualitative research conducted from eight interviews with
residents from three urban neighborhood areas in San Francisco. The interviews consist of both
semi-structured interviews and computer-structured interviews, which have been
supplemented with pictures of the neighborhood taken by the respondents.

The theoretical framework of the research is based on a social control perspective including
theories of social disorganization, routine activity, broken windows and situational crime
prevention. This approach is characterized as an environmental criminology that focuses on the
opportunity to commiting crime.

The research concludes that fear of crime is a complex social problem. The findings indicate that
breakdown of social control, environmental conditions such as visibility, and signs of incivilities
linked to the physical and social environment, are some of the factors influencing fear of crime.
Furthermore, fear of crime is linked to information about crime in the neighborhood from
media and public. The research also concludes that reaction to crime consists of avoidance
behavior, protection behavior and information about crime combined into an overall life style.
Therefore, the findings indicate that residents learn to survive in urban neighborhood by
“checking out” the environment for cues about crime.