More Americans say crime getting worse: Gallup

A new poll from Gallup shows many Americans believe crime is on the rise in their own local areas.

More than half of those surveyed — 51 percent — said they believed crime in their own local area had increased, a jump from 38 percent who said so last year, according to the Gallup poll.  

The figures were more static when people were asked whether the national crime rate was up. The Gallup poll found that 74 percent of those polled thought the national crime rate was on the rise, a drop from 78 percent last year. 

Either way, about three-quarters of those polled over the past two years believe national crime is on the rise. Those figures are near the peaks in Gallup’s polling on the question over the past 25 years.

FBI statistics from 2020 showed a bit jump in violent crimes and murders from the previous year, which could be a factor in Gallup’s polling. FBI statistics show a steady fall in other crimes, such as burglaries and property crimes.

The poll was conducted Oct. 1-19 by Gallup.

Republicans surveyed in particular believe crime is on the rise in their areas. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans surveyed said they thought crime in their local area was up in 2021, compared to 38 percent the previous year. 

About 40 percent of Democrats said crime in their local areas was on the rise, about the same as the previous year, while the number of independents who said crime was on the rise went up 9 points in 2021 compared to 2020.

Former President Trump often talks about rising crime and ran on a law-and-order message in 2020, which could be another factor in some of the public perceptions.