Project Details
Projekt
AEI-DFG: Unpacking the Fears: Studying Crime Perceptions, Psychological Well-being and Social Adjustment.
Subject Area
Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 566298347
The UNFEAR project is an international collaboration uniting research teams from Spain (Basque Country and Galicia) and Germany, with expert contributions from the UK and Portugal, to investigate the nuanced relationships between crime perceptions, psychological well-being, and social adjustment. This project integrates diverse expertise across psychology, sociology, and statistical modeling to address the heterogeneous effects of crime perceptions on well-being and adjustment, particularly among vulnerable populations such as women, adolescents, and minorities exposed to hate crimes. The research adopts an innovative, applied psychology approach to analyze the contextual and demographic factors influencing crime perceptions. It combines advanced methodologies, such as Experience Sampling Method (EMA) studies and longitudinal designs, to establish robust theoretical frameworks and causal mechanisms linking crime perceptions to psychological and social outcomes. Subproject 1 focuses on methodological rigor and cross-national comparisons between Germany and Spain, while Subproject 2, based in Galicia, examines adolescents' psychological wellbeing within school contexts. Key research objectives include: a) Developing a comprehensive theoretical framework that captures the bidirectional relationship between crime perceptions and well-being. b) Identifying mechanisms that drive social adjustment and behavioral responses, such as social isolation or proactive coping strategies. c) Exploring contextual (e.g., online and offline settings), demographic (e.g., gender, age, and minority status), and crime-specific factors (e.g., verbal harassment, sexual violence) that moderate these effects. The project addresses critical gaps in the literature by overcoming theoretical fragmentation and methodological limitations. Its findings aim to promote safer, more inclusive societies by minimizing the psychological and social impacts of crime perceptions, fostering well-being, and reducing inequalities. Through a comparative analysis of diverse European contexts, the UNFEAR project offers actionable insights to inform interventions that enhance psychological resilience, social cohesion, and peaceful coexistence in an increasingly diverse society.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Spain
