| Past research has established the importance of neighbourhood social structure in explaining perceptions of crime and participation in direct and indirect informal social control. While these neighbourhood-level differences are central to an understanding of neighbourhood crime, there are nevertheless important individual-level differences. That is, even within the most "disorganized" of neighbourhoods, perceptions of neighbourhood crime inevitably vary by individual. This thesis takes an ecological perspective by examining how the neighbourhood context relates to individual perceptions of crime and willingness to participate (directly and indirectly) in crime control. Data from two data sets (N 1 = 23,766 and N2 = 401) and 24 semi-structured interviews are used to examine how neighbourhood investment, perception of neighbourhood disorder, and urban living relate to perception of crime and the direct and indirect social control of crime. Generally, results indicate that there are important individual-level ecological correlates of perception of neighbourhood crime and willingness to participate in informal social control. That is, individuals who perceive high levels of neighbourhood disorder, who rent their homes, and who live in urban areas are more likely to believe they live in a high-crime neighbourhood, and are less likely to feel they live in a neighbourhood where people help one another. However, the qualitative data provide evidence of how residents of seemingly "disorganized" neighbourhoods form relationships and generally report a strong sense of community. Evidently, individuals living in the same neighbourhood may have vastly different perceptions with respect to the level of neighbourhood crime and the extent of informal social control. Overall, this research suggests that ecological correlates are important at the individual level of analysis. This research also highlights the importance of using both qualitative and quantitative methods when studying neighbourhood issues. |
