Social Insecurity and Perception of Insecurity in Barcelona

Below is presented a study of urban marginality which purpose is the creation of a database enabling the selection of the neighbourhoods with highest degree of marginality in the city of Barcelona. The research process has been developed through a bibliographic analysis framed on the theory and the results of the investigations of Loïc Wacquant (2007; 2009; 2011), with a particular focus on the concept of “advanced marginality”. The results obtained through a descriptive statistical analysis allowed the selection of three neighbourhoods whose residents are characterized by an increased presence of indicators of marginality: Besòs i Maresme (district of San Marti) Ciutat Meridiana (district of Nou Barris) and Trinitat Vella (district of Sant Andreu). On the basis of the definition of marginality, a questionnaire template was designed in order to analyse the feelings of Barcelona's citizens about insecurity. The questionnaire aims to outline similarities and differences between two demographic groups (the marginality and the citizens at large) and, at the same time, verify how aspects such as gender, age, income, etc. affect the feeling of insecurity.