This fear is rational in the context of lifetime experiences of sexual harassment. Older people are actually less fearful of crime than was previously thought. They are afraid of property crime and home invasions, but are less afraid of physical assault. This is partly because they tend to stay at home after dark. Older people are frequently more concerned for young people than of them.
Parents have stronger fears for their children than for themselves.
The media is not necessarily as influential as previously thought in increasing fear of crime. Most people use the media selectively, filtering out the information they think is realistic and accurate from what is sensationalist or fantasy. Most people have a general fear about 'unpredictable strangers', especially in public places at night. Official crime statistics do not reflect the constant low level incivilities and incidents of harassment which, over time, contribute to a person's sense of vulnerability and anxiety about becoming a victim of crime. People develop individual strategies for dealing with fear and risk of victimisation.