The introductory chapter analyzes the patterns of violence exposure in Finland between 1980 and 2003. While the number of persons who had been threatened with violence increased between 1988 and 2003, the number of persons who actually experienced violence remained stable from 1988 through 2003. Exposure to violence during the study period was related primarily to age and gender, with the prevalence of violence being highest among males between the ages of 15 to 24 years. The second chapter focuses on comparing violence exposure in urban versus rural areas, illustrating how violence and threats of violence occur more commonly in urban areas. Chapter 3 focuses on violence exposure at work, which is uncommon yet has increased significantly over the past 20 years, especially for women. Males were perpetrators in 90 percent of work-related violence while 80 percent of victims were females. Chapter 4 compares the violence exposure of immigrants to that of the original population. The 2002 victim survey indicated that immigrants were victims of violence twice as often as the original population. Chapter 5 analyzes exposure to violence by household income category. The main finding indicated that victimization exposure between 1988 and 2003 was more likely among the low-income and among the highest income categories. Chapter 6 analyzes the reduction in family violence victimization among women during the study period, arguing that the drop in family violence victimization was due to reductions in the opportunity to commit acts of family violence. Chapter 7 focuses on the prevalent role of alcohol in violent victimization in Finland while chapter 8 examines the association between crime, the media, and fear of violence among citizens. The main finding indicated that exposure to crime news increased fear of crime. The last chapter focuses on the usefulness of victimization surveys. Tables, figures, footnotes, references