Abstract

The true crime genre features grisly retellings of violent crimes such as murder, kidnapping, and robbery, yet continues to grow in popularity. A possible explanation from an evolutionary perspective is that morbid curiosity draws humans to negative content like true crime for its informational properties. This study set out to examine true crime demographics, motivations underlying true crime consumption, personality correlates, and fear of crime. In total, this study surveyed 184 individuals recruited from the College of Wooster student population and Cloud Connect Research. Participants responded to demographic questions, the Big Five Inventory, the Modified True Crime Consumption Scale, the True Crime Motivation Scale, and the Fear of Crime Scale. The results found no distinctions in gender and age amongst avid true crime consumers, nonsignificant relationships between personality dimensions and consumption, evidence supporting the influence of consumption motivations and true crime media forms, and a significant relationship between true crime consumption and fear of crime. These findings question the established demographics of true crime audiences, encourage further research into motivations for media selection, and strengthen the theory of connection between true crime consumption and fear of crime with consequential implications for mental health.

Advisor

Casey, Michael

Department

Psychology

Disciplines

Psychology

Keywords

True Crime, Fear of Crime

Publication Date

2025

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2025 Emma Hershberger