Highlights
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Per Gallup, seventeen percent of Democrats say that crime in the US is not serious, versus one percent of Republicans.
If only 17 percent of Democrats say crime is not serious, then more than four out of five Democrats view crime as a serious national concern.
It’s interesting that after years of articles and podcasts insisting that reported US crime is decreasing, progressive crime sites haven’t made much of an impact with Democrats, if 83 percent suggest that crime “is” a serious issue in the United States.
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A comprehensive overview of crime in recent years is available at “Violent and Property Crime Rates In The U.S.“
Article
I wrote, “Are Americans Stupid When It Comes To Crime?” Crimes reported to law enforcement (most aren’t) are down throughout the country, yet fear of crime remains remarkably high, according to Gallup.
CBS News: “Californians voice concerns ahead of elections: ‘There is crime on every level.” CBS offered a video about crime, and multiple Los Angeles area residents claimed that crime is out of control.
Sixty-seven percent of likely voters claim that their concerns about lawlessness in Los Angeles and the state will affect their vote. Those interviewed said that their city (and state) are unsafe.
If 67 percent of Los Angeles and area voters say that crime is a concern in a very liberal and overwhelmingly Democratic city, then what does that say about city and state politics?
Reader’s Question
A reader wants to know if the majority of that 67 percent are Democrats.
Gallup data provides a partial answer.
Democrats
Some suggest that Democrats don’t care about the impact of crime. Locally and nationally, there are a ton of Democrats who see the crime issue as concerning. They are more than a little skeptical as to progressive solutions. They want safety for themselves and their families.
Per Gallup, seventeen percent of Democrats say that crime in the US is not serious, versus one percent of Republicans.
That means that, according to Democrats, 83 percent suggest that US crime “is” a serious issue.
These findings are based on Americans’ views of 30 aspects of the country and related aspects of their lives as measured in Gallup polls between February 2025 and January 2026. Across all of the items, an average of 27% of Democrats have rated these conditions positively, while 67% have rated them negatively.
Political Parties and Crime
Sixty percent of Democrats say that crime in their own area is not serious, whereas 53 percent of Republicans say the same thing.
Seventeen percent of Democrats say that crime in the US is not serious, versus one percent of Republicans.
Partial Chart
Bashing
The continuous bashing of both Democrats and Republicans over crime serves no one. There are “tough on crime” Democrats. There are Republicans and Independents who support smaller, less intrusive government philosophies that include alternatives to incarceration and arrests. Politics and crime are far more nuanced than what most people think.
But if seventeen percent of Democrats say that crime in the US is not serious, versus one percent of Republicans, that means that, according to Democrats, 83 percent suggest that crime is a serious issue.
Most of what I read daily about crime policy comes from sites funded by “progressive” foundations, which downplay the current impact of crime. They insist that crime is falling and call for what they see as enlightened (less harsh) policies.
I’m guessing that progressive foundations and sites occupy 80 percent (or more) of the crime policy discussion. They exert considerable influence on media and political thought.
Conflicting National Crime Statistics
The FBI states that violent and property crimes have decreased beginning in 2023 (3 percent) and 2024 (4.5 percent). The latest data from the FBI’s website states that crime continues to fall.
But per the USDOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics 50-year-old National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS-what the US Census and USDOJ call the premier method of counting crimes in America), we had a large increase in rates of violent crime in 2022 (44 percent). Rates have remained almost unchanged for 2023 and the most recent full report for 2024.
Possibly 80 percent (or more) of crime-related media articles and podcasts make no mention of the USDOJ’s National Crime Victimization Survey.
Journalists and pundits cannot ignore what’s considered the premier source of crime statistics in the US while claiming accuracy, journalistic integrity, or impartiality.
Conclusions
It’s interesting that after decades of writing and podcasts insisting that reported crime is down, progressive crime sites haven’t made much headway with Democrats (and the larger American public), if 83 percent suggest that crime remains a serious issue in the United States.
The finding suggests that most Democrats continue to view crime as a significant national issue regardless of whether they believe reported crime rates have risen or fallen.
Appendix: Fear of Crime Is Falling?
In a separate report, Gallup reports that fear of crime is falling a bit from national records. Polling data will skew differently depending on the wording. In this report on US crime, 31 percent of Democrats state that they worry about crime a great deal. Forty-one percent of Republicans and Independents worry about crime a great deal. That’s Gallup’s highest level of concern. If you add other categories of concern (i.e., moderately serious), the great majority of Americans still express apprehensions about crime.
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Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries at Most Dangerous Cities.
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National Offender Recidivism Rates at Offender Recidivism.
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