The Shadow of Crime: The Effect of Victimization on Perceived Safety and Subjective Well-Being in Europe (2002–2023)

Abstract This research provides evidence of the multidimensional costs of crime victimization in Europe. Using data from 11 rounds of the European Social Survey (ESS) collected between 2002 and 2023, the study aims to estimate the effect of experienced victimization on two distinct domains of human perception: perceived safety and subjective well-being. The results indicate that crime victimization leads to a significant and enduring reduction in all explored metrics. Furthermore, gender-disaggregated analysis through interaction models reveals a gender-specific impact on perceived safety, which is 47 % larger for women than for men. Finally, the analysis identifies a significant temporal evolution of the consequences of victimization: the subjective well-being penalty associated with being a victim nearly doubled between 2002 and 2023. These findings challenge current policy paradigms that prioritize raw crime reduction over victim recovery and subjective security management.