När brottslighet blir ett samhällsproblem : En studie om medier, kriminalpolitik och oro för brott

Sammanfattning

This study examined the development of perceived fear of crime according to the SwedishNational Safety Survey (NTU) between 2017 and 2020, and how this development can berelated to media representations of crime and criminal policy motions. The study istheoretically grounded in Cohen ́s theory of moral panic and deviancy amplification. Toinvestigate this, methodological triangulation was used, consisting of a secondary analysis ofthe Swedish National Safety Survey (NTU), a quantitative content analysis of news media,and a quantitative content analysis of criminal policy motions during the period 2017-2020.The results showed that perceived fear of crime increased during the period studied. At thesame time, both media reporting and criminal policy motions were characterized by societalthreat-oriented problem formulations and recurring demands for repressive measures. Thefindings can be understood in relation to Cohen ́s theory of moral panic and deviancyamplification, where media and political representations risk enforcing societal fear andinsecurity related to crime. However, the study cannot prove any causal relationships butrather find parallel tendencies between perceived fear of crime, media reporting, and criminalpolicy representations.