One very interesting aspect of this is that most people do notice if the crime rate is lower in their area, but are still likely to complain that the crime rate is too high generally, even if they don’t see that in their own local community.
I attribute this directly to 24-hour cable news, which tries to grab our attention by telling us how bad everything is. I wonder if any study has tried to correlate the public’s perception of crime to where they get their news.
While perceptions of rising crime at the national level are common, fewer Americans believe crime is up in their own communities. In every Gallup crime survey since the 1990s, Americans have been much less likely to say crime is up in their area than to say the same about crime nationally.
The vast majority of those surveyed — 68% — said it was becoming harder for the average person to get ahead, while nearly half of respondents said their own finances were moving in the right direction.
We are cripplingly addicted to myopic sensationalism, and the death of local news means that as information consumers we’re increasingly hypnotized by national news corporations who have no roots or stake in local communities and who thrive on rage bait. Put simply, there’s no localized and tempered source of information that can balance out the neverending national panic.
Violent crime isn’t all crime though. If someone sees discarded needles every day on the street, they aren’t that greatful when you say “at least you weren’t mugged.”
If you can’t leave packages at your front door, you don’t care as much that there was only 1 drive by shooting in the area.
You won’t get stabbed on the subway, but you will get a scam call and 3 scam texts on your ride.
Violent crime isn’t the only crime that results in violence either.
Road deaths and injuries are way up and prosecution for killing someone with a car is constantly excused and dismissed even as people get more negligent (screen use) and risky behind the wheel.
One very interesting aspect of this is that most people do notice if the crime rate is lower in their area, but are still likely to complain that the crime rate is too high generally, even if they don’t see that in their own local community.
I attribute this directly to 24-hour cable news, which tries to grab our attention by telling us how bad everything is. I wonder if any study has tried to correlate the public’s perception of crime to where they get their news.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/24/what-the-data-says-about-crime-in-the-us/
Same exact thing is happening with the economy:
We are cripplingly addicted to myopic sensationalism, and the death of local news means that as information consumers we’re increasingly hypnotized by national news corporations who have no roots or stake in local communities and who thrive on rage bait. Put simply, there’s no localized and tempered source of information that can balance out the neverending national panic.
Violent crime isn’t all crime though. If someone sees discarded needles every day on the street, they aren’t that greatful when you say “at least you weren’t mugged.”
If you can’t leave packages at your front door, you don’t care as much that there was only 1 drive by shooting in the area.
You won’t get stabbed on the subway, but you will get a scam call and 3 scam texts on your ride.
Violent crime isn’t the only crime that results in violence either.
Road deaths and injuries are way up and prosecution for killing someone with a car is constantly excused and dismissed even as people get more negligent (screen use) and risky behind the wheel.