Rasmussen Poll: 61% Say Crime Is Getting Worse in US

A majority of Americans say crime is getting worse, and that the issue will be central to the November election, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey.

Nearly twice as many Republicans (81%) as Democrats (42%) say violent crime is worsening, with 62% of unaffiliated voters saying it is getting worse.

By nearly a 5-to-1 margin, more voters overall say violent crime in America is getting worse (61%) than getting better (13%), while 24% said the crime problem is staying about the same, Rasmussen found.

Among Republicans, 66% say the issue will be very important in the presidential election, as do 41% of Democrats, and 44% of unaffiliated voters.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 48% of likely U.S. voters say they trust Republicans more to handle crime and law enforcement issues, while 36% trust Democrats more, with 15% not sure. These findings are just slightly changed from October, when the GOP led by 11 points, 49% to 38%, on the crime issue.

Older voters are more likely to say violent crime is worsening. Voters under 40 are significantly more likely than their elders to say they trust Democrats more to deal with crime.

More women voters (64%) than men (59%) see the problem of violent crime getting worse, but more men (53%) than women (44%) say they trust the GOP more to handle the issue.

Majorities of every racial category — 63% of whites, 56% of black voters, and 59% of other minorities — say the problem of violent crime is getting worse.

Lower-income voters are more likely to say crime is getting worse, with 72% of voters with annual incomes below $30,000 saying this. Upper-income voters are also more likely to trust Democrats to handle the crime issue.

President Joe Biden's strongest supporters are least likely to say crime is getting worse.

Crime in the United States has declined significantly over the last year, according to new FBI data that contradicts a widespread national perception that law-breaking and violence are on the rise, NBC News reported.

The FBI data, which compares crime rates in the third quarter of 2023 to the same period the year before, found that violent crime dropped 8%, while property crime fell 6.3% to what would be its lowest level since 1961, NBC reported.