They’re afraid — very afraid.

A survey of more than 1,000 residents of the city Housing Authority’s projects found that 78 percent were fearful of crime in their developments.

Fifty-five percent of residents said that one way they dealt with their fear was they “did not leave apartment.”

Another 46 percent of residents said their strategy for avoiding becoming a crime victim was to steer clear of teens, and 41 percent said that they avoid using the stairwells.

John Rhea, the agency’s chairman, noted that only 6 percent of those questioned reported actually being a victim of a crime.

“We’re doing a lot of things we believe will deal with the perception issue,” he said, citing updates and safety remedies like new electronic keys and other security enhancements.