Clinical psychologist Leanne Dunne, of Tauranga Psychological Services, said one possible explanation for Tauranga people's concern about crime was a large elderly population.
"If they are on their own, they worry about the severity of being attacked," she said.
Ms Dunne said it could also be that Tauranga people feared crime more because they were less exposed to it than in other larger centres.
"Other places, like Wellington and Auckland, may have a higher tolerance for it because they are more used to it, not that that's a good thing," she said.
Age Concern Tauranga chairwoman Angela Scott said Tauranga was a safe community and worrying about crime was largely unjustified.
"When you look at the crime rates, I don't think we should be worried.
"It's a perception rather than a reality," she said.
"The number of people affected by crime is not very high."
Although she wondered if it was a factor in many older people choosing to live in retirement villages.
"Because they think it's a safe environment," she said.
The survey asked more than 2000 people from throughout the country to tick whether they were worried, in between, or not worried about 11 topical issues.
The second biggest concern in the area, at 56 per cent, was insurance costs and being able to retire comfortably was the third biggest concern, with 48 per cent of people worried.
A large number of people from Tauranga also harboured health-related worries 42 per cent of those surveyed said they were worried about their family's health, while 31 per cent were worried about their own personal health.
Hamilton was the most worried city according to the survey, with its residents having 8 per cent more worries than the average Kiwi. Wellington was found to be the least worried city in New Zealand.
In May 2011 the same survey found that Christchurch people were the most worried group of New Zealanders - but this year retired people topped the list, having on average 13 per cent more worries.
This year's survey found that nationally women were significantly more worried than men and worry also increased with age.