The EU funded margin project: tackle insecurity in marginalized areas. first results on the perception of insecurity in five eu countries

Abstract

This paper presents the results achieved by the MARGIN EU funded Project (started in May 2015) to date. This transnational and multi-sector research on the perceptions of (in)security among different demographic and victims groups has been funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme and it involves 7 leading institutions in social researches from 5 EU countries (Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Hungary). MARGIN overall objectives are: 1) to identify, validate and analyze factors influencing public and personal perception of insecurity; and 2) to analyze the relationship between socio-economic inequalities, victimization and crime, exploring the impact of insecurity among different demographic and socio-economic groups. The project compares and analyses two different sources (police and criminal justice recorded crime - PRCs - and CVS, crime and victimisation surveys data) that usually are treated separately. It also analyses the relation between socio-economic inequalities, victimization and crime and investigates the relevance of neighborhood effects on the public and personal assessment of insecurity. The aim is to provide qualitative information about how citizens assess their own security and to explore the socio-political potential of CVSs as a tool for policy-makers. Analyzing PRCs and CVSs in 5 countries, MARGIN firstly identified a series of demographic, socio-economic and socio-geographic variables influencing the perception of insecurity. On this basis, the project developed and validated a thematic module capable to assess the impact of those variables on the perception of insecurity. On July 2016, the data collection process started and the quantitative survey using the MARGIN module has been implemented on a sample of 15.400 citizens in Italy through the CATI method, including a CAMI and CAWI correction plan.In order to take into account the qualitative aspects and to identify possible cross-cultural differences among the countries, direct random interviews have been held on a limited sample of population living in 5 selected EU cities (100 citizens in each city). The large-scale survey in Italy has been concluded in October 2016 and the data are now under process and analysis in order to: 1) explore the cross-cultural potential of the module; 2) provide a set of validated indicators enabling the assessment of insecurity among different demographic and socioeconomic groups. By deepening the understanding of the root causes of insecurity, the research will provide policy makers with evidence-based tools for developing and assessing strategies targeted at better facing risks and increasing the public and personal perception of security.