RT Article
T1 Fear of Economic Cybercrime Across Europe: A Multilevel Application of Routine Activity Theory
JF The British journal of criminology
VO 63
IS 2
SP 384
OP 406
A1 Cook, Steven
A2 Giommoni, Luca
A2 Trajtenberg, Nico
A2 Levi, Michael 1948-
A2 Williams, Matthew
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/183959540X
AB Despite the increasing prevalence of cybercrime and its study by criminologists, very little research has examined the extent, nature, and impact of fear of cybercrime. In this study, we conducted a multilevel analysis of the 2018 Eurobarometer Cybersecurity Survey to test the applicability of routine activities theory on fear of economic cybercrime. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating that: (1) fear of economic cybercrime varies across EU member states; (2) country-level infrastructure development and income inequality are predictive of individual-level fear; (3) individual-level routine activities and sociodemographic variables are associated with fear; (4) country-level infrastructure development moderates the effects of individual-level guardianship. This paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of including country-level and individual-level determinants in fear of cybercrime research.
DO 10.1093/bjc/azac021