SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT ISSUES IN THE DEBATE ABOUT THESE PARADOXES INCLUDE THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL CONTEXT AS A DETERMINANT OF PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION OF CRIME. ONE PAPER REPORTS A STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOOD-LEVEL MEASURES OF CRIME AND THE FEARS OF RESIDENTS AND ARGUES THAT PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE A FAIRLY REALISTIC PICTURE OF THE DANGERS THEY FACE. ANOTHER PAPER DEMONSTRATES THE ACCURACY OF SENIOR CITIZEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR RISK OF VICTIMIZATION, WHILE TWO OTHER PAPERS FOCUS ON TWO RESEARCH EFFORTS--THE REACTIONS TO CRIME PROJECT AND THE FEAR OF RAPE PROJECT--WHICH FOCUS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIME, FEAR, AND COMMUNITY LIFE. SOME OF THE PAPERS ILLUSTRATE THE DIFFERING IMPACT OF FEAR OF CRIME ON SPECIAL SUBGROUPS IN THE POPULATION: YOUTH, WOMEN, AND THE ELDERLY, AND SUGGEST THAT RESTRICTED PERSONAL FREEDOM MUST BE COUNTED AMONG THE CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME. TWO PAPERS ADD AN INTERNATIONAL ELEMENT TO THE ANALYSIS OF FEAR OF CRIME BY CONTRASTING RESEARCH ON FEAR OF CRIME IN THE U.S. WITH SUCH RESEARCH IN THE NETHERLANDS. THE SYMBOLIC COMPONENTS OF THE ISSUE ARE ALSO EXAMINED AND IT IS ARGUED THAT EXPRESSIONS OF FEAR OF CRIME PROBABLY REFLECT MORE WIDE-RANGING FEARS AND CONCERNS, AND THAT THEY ARE INSEPARABLE FROM ANXIETY ABOUT COMMUNITY AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS VIEW IS CONTRASTED BY AN ATTEMPT TO LINK SPECIFIC RESPONSES TO CRIME TO A BROADER THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE WAY PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO RESPOND TO PROBLEMS. FINALLY, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL RESEARCH AND SOCIAL ACTION IS EXPLORED THROUGH A SPECULATIVE OVERVIEW OF A VARIETY OF INTERVENTION, EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF ONGOING ATTEMPTS TO DEAL WITH FEAR OF CRIME, AND A REPORT OF A LARGE-SCALE CRIME AND FEAR REDUCTION PROGRAM IN A HOUSING PROJECT. REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)