In this paper, we explore the role of the media in explaining individual differences in fear of crime and levels of ethnocentrism. The main hypothesis is that differences in fear of crime and ethnocentrism are not related to actual levels of diversity and crime in local communities, but are connected to perceived diversity and perceived crime levels. We expect that patterns in media use have a strong impact on perceived levels of diversity and crime with as a result that real-life indicators (based on official population and police records) no longer have an effect on attitudes. We use the ‘Social Cohesion Indicators in Flanders’ (SCIF) data, i.e. a representative survey in the Flemish region of Belgium with extended measures of ethnocentrism, fear of crime, perceived ethnic diversity and crime, and media use. We supplement this data with real life indicators of ethnic diversity and crime at the municipality level.
