Abstract

In this article, we study the determinants of feelings of insecurity and fear of crime in Santiago, Chile. We propose an integrative theoretical approach around the concept of “well-being”, which allows us to rescue both the objective and subjective dimensions exposed in the literature, as well as the different con-texts analyzed: individual and geographical. We used data from the COES (The Centre for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies) Neighborhood Cohesion and Conflict Survey and georeferenced data at the census area level. Linear regres-sion models indicate that the variables that capture subjective well-being in the neighborhood context are the most significant for understanding the attitudes studied. Specifically, perceptions of physical/social disorder and experiences of indirect victimization show positive associations; while those of institutional solidarity and attachment to the community show negative associations with residents’ feelings of insecurity and fear of crime. Regarding objective welfare, individual economic capital is the only factor that maintains its statistical significance in the final estimates. Objective neighborhood factors, such as crime levels, poverty/wealth concentration, and available neighborhood services, do not appear as significant predictors after controlling the subjective well-being in the neighborhood context.