Gender differences in the fear of terrorism among Japanese individuals in the Washington, D.C. area

Introduction: Few studies have focused on public responses to terror threat among the Asian community in the United States. An Internet-based survey was conducted among 87 Japanese individuals living in the Washington, D.C. area to examine the risk factors for perceiving high fear of terrorism. Methods: The subjects were members of four Japanese community organizations based in the greater Washington region. Their degree of the fear of terrorism was assessed using a five-point Likert scale (Fear of Terrorism Score; FTS), ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). A score of 2 or more was defined as a high FTS. Results: Bivariate analysis revealed that a high FTS was associated with being ≥36 years old, female, married, a permanent U.S. resident, a housewife, and having lived in the Washington or New York area during the September 11, 2001 attacks (p<0.05). In a multivariate model, being female was a predictor of high FTS (odds ratio = 6.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.3-40.8, p=0.024). Conclusions: Japanese women living in the Washington area were six times more likely to perceive high fear of terrorism than men.