True crime podcast and their effect on the fear of crime

Abstract

True crime podcasts have gained popularity in recent years, with a growing number of people regularly engaging with this content. To better understand the impact of these podcasts on their audience, this study investigates how true crime podcasts influence the fear of crime. Grounded in cultivation theory, which suggests a connection between consuming violent media and heightened fear of crime, the study surveyed 1,000 individuals in a sample representative of the age and gender distribution of the German population through an online questionnaire. The findings suggest that true crime podcasts contribute to increased fear of crime, as true crime listeners reported higher levels of fear compared to non-listeners in several areas. Moreover, the results revealed that the gender distribution among true crime podcast listeners was nearly balanced, which differs from findings from previous studies. While the study confirmed that women are significantly more likely to consume true crime podcasts than men, it also highlighted that men’s consumption of true crime podcasts could be higher than assumed by earlier research. Finally, the study could not confirm the assumption from previous research that women consume true crime media to become more aware of potential dangers and to prepare themselves for possible crimes.

Date of Award	8 Apr 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Jessica Roberts (Supervisor)