Most Americans feel that local crime is getting worse, a Gallup Poll released Wednesday found.
According to the poll, 51% of Americans feel local crime in their area is getting worse, up from 38% last year.
"Meanwhile, U.S. adults' belief that crime is up nationally remains high, at 74%, little changed from 78% in 2020," the poll reports. "Both figures are at or near their peak levels for the past 25 years."
As most think local crime is worse, 29% say there is less crime and 18% said there has not been a change.
The results fall along political party lines with the largest increase among Republicans, with 67% believing things are getting worse, compared with 47% of independents and 40% of Democrats.
The increase among independents compared with 2020 was 9 percentage points, according to the poll.
Men and women are almost evenly split, with 53% of women and 48% of men believing things are worse, both up 13 points from last year.
Results also greatly varied on where people live. The percentage of city dwellers who believe that crime is up 5 points from last year, from 45% in 2020 to 50% in 2021.
Meanwhile, the increase was 17 points in the suburbs and 20 points in rural areas compared with last year, the poll reported.
The poll was conducted Oct. 1-19 through telephone interviews with a random sample of 823 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, according to the organization.
Crime statistics released in September from the FBI show double-digit increases in homicides, aggravated assaults and car thefts, but decreases in larceny, property damage, rapes and robberies.
According to the agency, homicides nationwide increased 29% in 2020, and aggravated assaults increased 12%, the same rate of increase for motor vehicle thefts.
At the same time, rapes decreased 12%, robberies dropped 9%, larceny-thefts fell 11%, and both burglaries and property crimes fell by 7% compared with 2019, the FBI report said.
The annual Uniform Crime Report compiles data from more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the nation, including city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal organizations.
Those organizations voluntarily submit the data through their state or the FBI UCR programs.
The report has been used by the FBI since 1930 to provide national crime statistics, according to the agency.
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