A growing number of Americans describe crime in the U.S. as a serious problem, according a Gallup poll released Thursday.
Sixty-three percent of Americans surveyed by Gallup assessed the crime problem in the U.S. as extremely or very serious, up from 54 percent when last measured in 2021.
Far fewer respondents, just 17 percent, described the crime problem in their local area as extremely or very serious, a disparity which Gallup states is a common trend among Americans’ perception of crime.
Over three-quarters of Americans — 77 percent — believe there is more crime in the U.S. than a year ago, and 55 percent say the same about crime in their local area.
Public perception of crime in the U.S. as a serious problem has been on the rise since 2020, when 51 percent viewed crime in the U.S. as extremely or very serious, with 10 percent saying the same about their local crime problem.
The Gallup poll found that residents of cities — 24 percent — are more inclined to describe the crime problem in their local area as extremely or very serious than those living in suburbs or rural areas — 15 and 12 percent respectively.
Additionally, perceptions of crime in the U.S. are split along party lines, both on the national and local level.
92 percent of Republican respondents say there is more crime in the U.S. than a year ago, whereas just 58 percent of Democrats said the same.
Similarly, 78 percent of Republicans view the U.S. crime problem as extremely or very serious, compared to 51 percent of Democrats.
Americans’ self-reports of crime victimization in the past 12 months is also on the rise, according to the poll, with 28 percent of respondents saying they or someone in their household has been victimized by one of seven crimes asked about in the survey within the past year — compared to 23 percent in 2021, and 20 percent in 2020.
Those crimes include vandalism, car theft, burglary, robbery, armed robbery, sexual assault and battery.
Despite this poll’s findings, the most recent Gallup survey of which problem Americans view as most important found that just 3 percent said crime and violence, while 38 percent view the economy in general as most important.
