Sense of Place and Feelings of Safety: Examining Young Adults’ Experiences of their Local Environment using Mobile Surveys
Abstract
This study aims to examine feelings of safety and the correlates to feelings of decreased worry toward crime within individuals’ proximate environments. Data from adults living in Southeast Queensland ( N = 72) were collected using a mobile application. Findings of a thematic analysis of these data suggest that safety perceptions are primarily driven by (a) physical features of the proximate environment, (b) social characteristics of a place, and (c) location familiarity or awareness. This study concludes with a discussion of how these themes may be leveraged to develop more focused fear–reduction strategies that involve modifying features of the physical environment, improving social characteristics of place and increasing knowledge/awareness of place.
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Failing to distinguish fear of crime from perceived safety can potentially lead to an overstatement of the level of fear of crime.
“Scholars continue to raise concerns that fear of crime is a distinct construct from commonly used measures such as perceive safety, and that failing to distinguish between these two can potentially lead to an overstatement of the level of fear of crime (Chataway, 2019; Foster et al., 2013; Hinkle, 2015).”
From Women's perceived safety in public places and public transport: A narrative review of contributing factors and measurement methods (2025) · cites this paper as Chataway, 2019
Fear of crime is a distinct construct from commonly used measures such as perceived safety.
“Scholars continue to raise concerns that fear of crime is a distinct construct from commonly used measures such as perceive safety, and that failing to distinguish between these two can potentially lead to an overstatement of the level of fear of crime (Chataway, 2019; Foster et al., 2013; Hinkle, 2015).”
From Women's perceived safety in public places and public transport: A narrative review of contributing factors and measurement methods (2025) · cites this paper as Chataway, 2019
It remains unclear from literature whether certain elements of built environment that are conducive for feeling of safety in one's immediate proximate space would produce similar effect on feeling of safety when in distinct public space.
“It remains unclear from literature, whether certain elements of built environment that are conducive for feeling of safety in one's immediate proximate space would produce similar effect on feeling of safety when in distinct public space (Chataway, 2019).”
From Women's perceived safety in public places and public transport: A narrative review of contributing factors and measurement methods (2025) · cites this paper as Chataway, 2019
Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414 · see citing works
Defining greenspace: Multiple uses across multiple disciplines
Taylor, L., & Hochuli, D. F. (2017) · Landscape and Urban Planning · doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.09.024 · Cited by 784 · see citing works
Suburban neighbourhood design: Associations with fear of crime versus perceived crime risk
Foster, S., Knuiman, M., Wood, L., & Giles-Corti, B. (2013) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.07.015 · Cited by 48 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Meanwhile, Foster et al. (2013) found that neighborhood planning attributes directly impacted perceptions of safety, finding that increases in the proportion of land allocated to commercial precincts (i.e., shopping/retail land uses) resulted in greater concerns about potential crime risks.3…”
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Dubey, S., Bailey, A., & Lee, J. (. (2025) · Cities · doi:10.1016/j.cities.2024.105534 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
- Authors
- Chataway, M. L.
- Affiliations
- Queensland University of Technology (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Chataway, Michael L.
- ORCID
- Chataway, Michael L.
- Venue
- City & Community
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2020-09
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 656-675
- ISSN
- 1535-6841 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-6040
- OpenAlex
- W2981239051
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 3.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- City and Community (publishedVersion)
- QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Place Attachment and Urban Studies
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
- Keywords
- sense of place, sense of security, fear of crime, young adults, mobile surveys, physical environment, South East Queensland
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