Immigration, Fear of Crime, and Public Spending on Security

Abstract We explore the relation between immigration, crime, and local government spending on security in Italian municipalities. We find that immigration increases the share of public resources devoted to police protection, particularly when migrants are culturally distant from the native population. We uncover a misalignment between perception and reality, as immigration is associated to fear of future crimes rather than the actual probability of being victim of a crime. We also demonstrate that immigration from culturally distant societies corresponds to a deterioration in civic cooperation and interpersonal trust, which can affect perceptions of safety and the demand for police services.