The role of collective efficacy in shaping behavioral responses to fear of crime.

This article investigates behavioral responses to fear of crime by introducing a functional-dysfunctional behavioral framework, focusing on two key variables: anxiety and actualized collective efficacy (ACE), defined as respondents' knowledge of prior neighborhood collective action against crime. Using data from Mexico's 2019 National Survey of Victimization and Perceptions of Public Security (ENVIPE), hierarchical multinomial logistic regression models reveal that anxiety broadly increases the likelihood of behavioral responses across the continuum, particularly dysfunctional or mixed behaviors, while ACE is associated with a higher likelihood of functional behavioral responses aimed at protection. The study highlights that anxiety and ACE influence individual behaviors differently, with anxiety driving more avoidance and mixed responses, and ACE promoting proactive, functional behaviors, though purely functional responses remain relatively uncommon. Control variables such as victimization experiences, neighborhood disorder, and demographic factors also significantly affect behavioral outcomes. The findings suggest that awareness of actual community capacity to address crime can encourage adaptive behaviors, while anxiety tends to produce more constrained or dysfunctional reactions, underscoring the importance of distinguishing these dimensions in fear of crime research.