Specific fear of violence is greater among persons aged 30 and below than among those aged 61 and older; the latter attest rather to a formless fear of crime. Studies should differentiate the elderly according to lifestyle characteristics such as work history, current activity patterns, living conditions, and health status to ascertain particular variables associated with feelings of general insecurity. Surveys on penalty severity indicate that older people worldwide judge criminal acts more harshly than do younger ones. However, the punitive attitudes do not appear to derive from fear of crime or even unrealistic perceptions of the criminal justice system. They are more likely associated with an overall conservativism of older people. The wish to preserve order and the status quo, grounded in specific ideological orientations and value systems, should be examined to ascertain how the world view of the elderly differs from that of younger persons. Tabular data and 32 references are given.