Americans’ fear about experiencing various crimes has largely returned to 2019 levels after dropping during the first year of the pandemic.
Over the last year, the percentages of adults in the United States who say they are “often” or “sometimes” concerned about different kinds of violent and property crimes have risen. Crimes include getting attacked while driving, being mugged, having their vehicles stolen or broken into, having their home burglarized, getting killed, and being a victim of terrorism.
Crime-related anxiety is statistically unchanged from the previous year. Having a school-aged child physically assaulted at school, being attacked, or killed by a coworker, being the victim of a hate crime, being sexually assaulted, and having personal information stolen by computer hackers are just a few other examples.
Several factors are likely to have influenced the public’s perception of crime over the last three years. The decreases in anxiety reported in 2020 could be attributed to an increased sense of security among Americans as a result of social distancing.
Worry levels have increased this year, which could simply be because of a return to normalcy as social distancing practices have reduced. However, they could also indicate people’s awareness that violent crime surged last year, as per national crime statistics. While property crimes have been consistently declining, reports of violent crime may be influencing broader judgments of the crime situation.
Adults in the United States primarily avoid unsafe areas in order to prevent being a victim of crime. The use of personal protection weapons such as a gun, mace, and knife is on the rise. Keeping a dog and installing a burglar alarm have both become more popular at the same time.
Women are more likely than men to avoid going to unsafe places, have a guard dog, and carry mace or pepper spray. Men, on the other hand, are more likely than women to report they have purchased and carry a gun or a knife for self-defense.