Whether it’s a push on the subway platform or a robbery in the neighborhood, local crime can have profound impacts on our sense of safety. As such, the intricacies of local crime analysis are essential to making informed decisions and fostering a sense of security, not just for individuals but the broader community as well. Understanding the dynamics of your city’s crime landscape requires a comprehensive approach to understanding the statistics, deciphering the intricacies, and establishing trends that are unique to your community.
Americans rely on a range of sources for information about local crime, and while they do not coalesce around one dominant source, most say they often or sometimes get news about local crime from their friends, family and neighbors (71%), local media outlets (68%), or locally focused apps (53%). Smaller shares turn to social media (45%), search engines (37%), or local politicians and law enforcement (46%).
Across the board, Americans who often see local crime reports are the most likely to be highly concerned about how crime is affecting their communities. These Americans also tend to be the most interested in details about crimes themselves, what local officials are doing to address crime, and tips for staying safe. People aligned with either political party are equally likely to be interested in these aspects of local crime, and virtually identical shares of people who consume local crime news from different sources say that most of the sources they use are fair to people regardless of their racial or ethnic background.