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Support for Private Security in Latin America: An Explanation Based on the Social Threat Theory.

The social threat theory holds that individuals who express animus against out-groups are more likely to label members of those groups as a threat, and are therefore more inclined to support formal social control measures that will impact on those groups. This study utilises that theory to explain w...

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Published in:British Journal of Criminology Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 632 - 650
Main Authors: Lopes, Cleber, Moraes, Caio Cardoso de
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA May2026
Subjects:
Latin America
Prejudices
Social control
Social theory
Private security services
Logistic regression analysis
Indigenous peoples of South America
Questionnaires
Latin Americans
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The social threat theory holds that individuals who express animus against out-groups are more likely to label members of those groups as a threat, and are therefore more inclined to support formal social control measures that will impact on those groups. This study utilises that theory to explain why individuals support private security in nine Latin American countries surveyed by the 2012 AmericasBarometer (N  = 14,553). Using binomial logistic regression, we assess whether support for private security in these countries is positively associated with animus against out-groups. The results show that support for private security is indeed associated with out-group rejection in Latin America, particularly regarding the poor and Indigenous people.