Highlights
This article is available as a YouTube podcast.
According to Gallup, 17 percent of Democrats believe that crime in the US is not serious, compared to just one percent of Republicans.
This implies that over 80 percent of Democrats regard crime as a significant national issue.
Despite numerous articles and podcasts highlighting a decline in reported US crime, progressive crime platforms seem to have limited influence among Democrats, as 83 percent still view crime as a serious concern in the United States.
CrimeinAmerica.Net was ranked by Chat GPT as one of the āTop 10 Sources for Crime in America,ā based on primary statistical sources with reliable secondary analysis.
100 out of a possible 100 score for website trust, content, and links, according to Gridinsoft.com and Scam Detector.Com.
Author
Ā
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Ā
Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention and Statistics for the Department of Justiceās clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs at the University of Maryland, University College. Former police officer. Retired federal senior spokesperson.
Ā
Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the āMcGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crimeā national media campaign. Produced successful state anti-crime media campaigns.
Ā
Thirty-five years of directing award-winning (50+) public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed thousands of times by every national news outlet, often with a focus on crime statistics and research. Created the first state and federal podcasting series. Produced a unique and emulated style of government proactive public relations.
Ā
Certificate of Advanced Study-The Johns Hopkins University.
Ā
Author of āSuccess With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization,ā available at Amazon and additional bookstores.
Ā
Crime in America.Net-āTrusted Crime Data, Made Clear.ā
Quoted by The Associated Press (multiple times), USA Today, A&E Television, the nationally syndicated Armstrong Williams Television Show (30 times), ABC News, Inside Edition Television, Oxygen and allied publications, Vox, Forbes, Newsweek, The Economist, The Toronto Sun, The Readers Digest, The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Herald, The Capital Gazette, MSN, AOL (multiple times), Yahoo, JAMA, News Break, US News And World Report, The Hill (newspaper of Congress), Best Life, Department of Justice documents, multiple US Supreme Court briefs, C-SPAN, the National Institute of Health, college and university online libraries, multiple books and journal articles,Ā The National Institute of Corrections, The Office of Juvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention, The Bureau of Justice Assistance, Gartner Consulting, The Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, Law.Com, The Marshall Project, The Heritage Foundation via Congressional testimony, Law Enforcement Today, Law Officer.Com, Blue Magazine, Citizens Behind The Badge, Police 1, American Peace Officer, Corections.Com, Prison Legal News, the Journal of Offender Monitoring,Ā Yomiuri Shimbun (Asiaās largest newspaper), LeFigaro (Franceās oldest newspaper), Homeland Security Digital Library, The ABA Journal, The Daily Express (UK), The Harvard Political Review, The Millennial Source, The Federalist Society, Lifewire, The Beccaria Portal On Crime (Europe), The European Journal of Criminology, American Focus and many additional TV stations and publications.
Sign up for notice of new articles on the front page of this site.
A comprehensive overview of crimeĀ in recent years is available atĀ āViolent and Property Crime Rates In The U.S.ā
Article
In my article titled āAre Americans Stupid When It Comes To Crime?ā I noted that reported crimes to law enforcement are declining nationwide. However, Gallup indicates that the fear of crime remains significantly high.
CBS News: āCalifornians voice concerns ahead of elections: āThere is crime on every level.ā CBS provided a video discussing crime, with numerous Los Angeles residents asserting that crime is rampant.
Sixty-seven percent of likely voters say that concerns about lawlessness in Los Angeles and the state will influence their voting decisions. Interviewees expressed that their city and state are unsafe.
If 67 percent of voters in Los Angeles and its surroundings consider crime a concern in such a liberal and predominantly Democratic city, what implications does this have for local and state politics?
Readerās Question
A reader inquired whether a majority of that 67 percent are Democrats.
Gallup data offers a partial insight.
Democrats
Some argue that Democrats are indifferent to the crime issue. However, both locally and nationally, many Democrats find the crime issue troubling. They express skepticism towards progressive solutions and prioritize safety for themselves and their families.
Per Gallup, 17 percent of Democrats believe crime in the US is not serious, compared to just one percent of Republicans.
This means that, according to Democrats, 83 percent view US crime as a serious issue.
These insights are derived from Americansā perceptions of 30 aspects of the country and related aspects of their lives, as measured in Gallup polls between February 2025 and January 2026. On average, 27 percent of Democrats rated these conditions positively, while 67 percent rated them negatively.
Political Parties and Crime
Sixty percent of Democrats state that crime in their own area is not serious, whereas 53 percent of Republicans share this view.
Seventeen percent of Democrats believe crime in the US is not serious, compared to one percent of Republicans.
Partial Chart
Bashing
The ongoing criticism of both Democrats and Republicans regarding crime is unproductive. There are Democrats who advocate for a tough stance on crime, and there are Republicans and Independents who support less intrusive government approaches, including alternatives to incarceration. The intersection of politics and crime is more complex than it appears.
However, with 17 percent of Democrats stating that crime in the US is not serious, compared to one percent of Republicans, this indicates that 83 percent of Democrats view crime as a serious concern.
Much of the daily information I encounter regarding crime policy is sourced from sites funded by āprogressiveā foundations, which often downplay the current impact of crime. These sites assert that crime is declining and propose what they consider enlightened (less harsh) policies.
I estimate that progressive foundations and sites dominate 80 percent (or more) of the crime policy discussion, exerting significant influence on media and political discourse.
Conflicting National Crime Statistics
The FBI reports a decline in violent and property crimes beginning in 2023 (3 percent) and 2024 (4.5 percent). The latest data on the FBIās website indicates that the trend continues downward.
However, the USDOJās Bureau of Justice Statistics 50-year-old National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS, regarded by the US Census and USDOJ as the premier method for counting crimes in America) showed a substantial increase in violent crime rates in 2022 (44 percent). Rates have remained relatively stable for 2023 and the most recent full report for 2024.
Possibly 80 percent (or more) of crime-related media articles and podcasts do not mention the USDOJās National Crime Victimization Survey.
Journalists and commentators cannot overlook what is considered the leading source of crime statistics in the US while claiming accuracy, journalistic integrity, or impartiality.
Conclusions
It is noteworthy that despite decades of writing and podcasts emphasizing a decline in reported crime, progressive crime sites have not made significant progress with Democrats (and the broader American public), as 83 percent still view crime as a serious issue in the United States.
The findings suggest that most Democrats continue to see crime as a major national concern, irrespective of whether they think reported crime rates have increased or decreased.
Appendix: Fear of Crime Is Falling?
In a separate report, Gallup notes a slight decline in the fear of crime from national records. Polling data can vary depending on the wording. In this report on US crime, 31 percent of Democrats express a great deal of worry about crime. In contrast, 41 percent of Republicans and Independents share this level of concern, which is Gallupās highest. Including other categories of concern (e.g., moderately serious), the majority of Americans still express worries about crime.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT fact-checked this article.
Privacy Policy
We do not collect your personal information. See our privacy policy at āAbout This Site.ā
See More
See more articles on crime and justice atĀ Crime in America.
Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries atĀ Most Dangerous Cities.
US Crime Rates atĀ Nationwide Crime Rates.
National Offender Recidivism Rates atĀ Offender Recidivism.
The Crime in America.Net RSS feed (https://crimeinamerica.net/?feed=rss2) provides subscribers with a means to stay informed about the latest news, publications, and other announcements from the site.
Ā
Ā
