Data from the 1993 General Social Survey suggest that there was a small but measurable increase in the level of fear of criminal victimization compared to the 1988 results, as reflected in the respondents' levels of apprehension while walking alone in their neighborhoods at night. Urban residents, females and elderly persons showed higher levels of apprehension. There is a general public perception of an increase in the level of crime in Canada in recent years. However, overall victimization rates were similar for 1988 and 1993. Canadians tend to over-estimate the frequency and seriousness of violent crimes, the probability of victimization by strangers, and the severity of injuries sustained by victims. Actually, data show significant declines in property crime and a small decline in the level of violent crime. There is some evidence that levels of fear of crime have increased in the Canadian population. Footnotes, figures