Fear and Avoidance/Protective Behaviors: Cyber and Street Crime Perceptions Amongst College Students

This thesis examines fear of cybercrime among college students and compares it with fear of street crime. Using survey data from 241 undergraduate students at Georgia State University, the study explores whether direct and indirect victimization are associated with greater fear of cybercrime and whether that fear relates to avoidance and protective behaviors. It also examines whether nontraditional student status and online banking use are associated with cyber victimization or fear of cybercrime. Findings show that students reported similar average levels of fear of street crime and cybercrime. Indirect cyber victimization was associated with greater fear of cybercrime and slightly higher use of avoidance and protective behaviors. Direct victimization also predicted greater fear in the corresponding domain. In contrast, nontraditional student status and online banking use were not significant predictors in the expected direction. Overall, the findings suggest that fear of cybercrime is a meaningful concern among college students and help clarify how victimization and fear relate to protective responses in online contexts and in comparison, with street crime.