This study aims to investigate the extent and characteristics of juvenile victimization across nation and to examine factors affecting victimization and fear of crime. The survey population for this study is children and adolescents between the 4th grade of elementary school and the 2nd grade of high school. The school survey was conducted with a total of 10,338 respondents. In addition, we conducted a survey of youth out of school with a total of 440 respondents.
The major findings of the school survey are as follows. First, the victimization rates of violence and property crime were estimated at 20.8%. By school level, high school students had the highest rate of victimization at 23.1%, while middle school students and elementary school students showed the victimization rates of 22.4% and 17.3%, respectively. Overall, the victimization rate of property crime was 17.6%, while the victimization rate of violent crime was 6.2 %. Among middle and high school students, the victimization rate of sexual crime was estimated at 0.6%.
Second, factors affecting property crime victimization included individual characteristics, such as gender, age, protection, exposure, attractiveness, delinquency, and community characteristics, such as social disorder. Also, respondents who attend schools with entrance control reported fewer property crime victimization. In terms of violence victimization, individual characteristics,including age, physical vulnerability, protection, delinquency, were found to affect victimization. Other factors that affected violence victimization included subjective class identification, victimization of friends, school police awareness, school violence prevention efforts, and social disorder. Sexual violence victimization was found to be affected by gender, age, delinquency, and school violence prevention efforts. The risk of bullying was related to the individual characteristics of gender, age, physical vulnerability, protection, and delinquency, the family characteristics of subjective class identification and spousal violence, the peer characteristics of attachment to friends, delinquent friends, the school characteristics of entrance control, trust in school police officers, school violence prevention efforts and cohesiveness, and the community characteristics of social disorder and neighbor relationships. The factors that affected familial abuse included gender, delinquency, subjective class identification, attachment to parents, and spousal violence.
Third, the general fear of crime was the highest among elementary school students, followed by middle school students and hight school students. Regarding specific fears of crime, high school students reported higher fear of property crime than elementary and middle school students, while the fear of violence victimization was the highest among elementary school students. Middle school students showed higher fear of bullying than the other age groups. In terms of familial abuse, elementary school students reported higher fear than middle and high school students.
Fourth, the victimization rates of violence and property crime among youth out of school were 31.4%, which was more than 10% higher than those of students. By victimization type, the rate of property crime victimization was 24.5% and the rate of violent crime victimization was 14.8%, while the rate of sexual crime victimization was 3.2%. The type of victimization that showed the biggest difference compared to students was assault, where youth out of school reported victimization 3.3 times higher than students. The victimization rates of familial abuse, bullying, and sexual harassment were 8.0%, 11.1%, and 6.4%, respectively.
Based on this study, it can be suggested that several issues be considered for a future survey of juvenile victimization. First, it can be helpful to set the survey period in a way that a survey is conducted during March and asks questions about victimization that occurred in the last year. Second, a supplementary survey is needed to identify the socio-economic characteristics of households. Third, it is also necessary to consider offering a response option that respondents can choose when they do not want to answer the question. Fourth, it is necessary to develop incident survey forms that include different sets of questions depending on the victimization type. Fifth, it can be helpful to distinguish between sexual assault and sexual harassment regarding the classification of victimization. Sixth, it will be necessary to conduct a separate survey of youth out of school.