De onveilige hoofdstad? Buurtbeleving en onveiligheidsgevoelens in Brussel.

Abstract

Objective: This contribution examines subjective feelings of insecurity and perceptions toward the close neighbourhood among youth in Brussels (= youth following Flemish education in Brussels). Immediate public space provides for youth, in contrast to adults, not only a transitional function but also a social function. It enables youth to meet and interact with peers and to develop a social identity. Hence, it is important to study the subjective feelings of insecurity and the perception toward the immediate public space among youth. This paper examines the relationship between feelings of insecurity and the perception toward the neighbourhood. Derived from a social-disorganisation perspective, it is expected that characteristics of the neighbourhood play an important role in understanding the development of feelings of insecurity among youth.

Methods: In addition to the descriptive analyses, the authors examine the impact of the perception of the neighbourhood on feelings of insecurity. Linear regression analyse is used to study this relationship, controlled for relevant control variables (gender, age, educational stream, ethnicity and subjective deprivation).

Results: – The prevalence of feelings of insecurity on the one hand and negative perceptions about the neighbourhood on the other hand indicate that only a small degree of youth in Brussels feel insecure and report negative perceptions on their neighbourhood. However, the results also show differences according to residency. Youth enrolled in Flemish education in Brussels with domicile in the Brussels Region report higher feelings of insecurity and more negative perceptions about their close neighbourhood in comparison to youth with domicile outside the Brussels Region. These differences, however, remain relatively limited.

– The results do not show a significant relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and feelings of insecurity. Adolescents do report several negative perceptions and experiences about their neighbourhood, but this isn’t related to their feelings of insecurity.

Conclusions: The results indicate that conclusions derived from the social disorganisationthese based upon samples from adults, can’t be extrapolated to interpretations on feelings of insecurity among adolescents. Future studies should start their theoretical framework from (social psychological) social environmental perspective. In addition, future studies should include factors from micro- meso- and macro-level in order to fully grasp the different processes that could influence feelings of insecurity.