Politics

More Americans Feel Unsafe In Biden’s America: POLL

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More than 60% of Americans feel less safe under President Joe Biden’s administration than under former President Donald Trump’s according to a new poll by the Trafalgar Group released Thursday.

When asked, “Do you feel as safe in America today as you did two years ago?” 67.9% of respondents said “no.” Among Democrats, who made up a plurality of the survey’s participants, 44.9%, answered “no,” compared to 86.8% of Republicans.

The poll comes amid a skyrocketing nationwide crime rate in the U.S. The number of reported robberies and aggravated assaults increased in 2022 compared to the previous year, by 6,963 and 3,975 or 12% and three percent, respectively, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), a group comprising the chiefs of police of U.S. cities.

Murders and rapes declined in 2022 by small rates compared to 2021, though the number of recorded murders is still up by 50% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to an analysis by Axios. New Orleans saw a 40% rise in murders, followed by Atlanta (20%), Baltimore, Dallas, Denver and Phoenix.

EXCESSIVELY GRAPHIC VIDEO

I haven’t been able to get this awful video out of my head; c-store/gas represent 15% of robberies and 5% of violent crime in the US, victims overwhelmingly Indian (62%)

This one was in MS a few days ago
pic.twitter.com/Gf4RGItfy8

— Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) September 15, 2022

Democratic Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has said publicly that he has “never seen crime at this level,” according to The New York Times, which he has largely blamed on the state legislature’s 2019 reform to bail laws. The largest city in America has seen a significant spike in crime over 2022, with a 37% rise in major crimes according to data from the New York Police Department.

Crime has been a prominent issue during the ongoing midterm election campaign, where Republicans have criticized policies by Democratic mayors and governors and Democratic-controlled legislatures. These have included policies to end cash bail, release non-violent offenders in pre-trial confinement, and change sentencing guidelines that allow criminals to be released early.

Violent crime is presently the third-most important issue to voters this fall, according to a survey by Pew Research. Ranking higher is gun policy, a distinct but related issue, pertaining to concerns about the availability of firearms after several mass shooting incidents this year.

President Joe Biden has blamed the rise in crime on the availability of guns, and has taken executive action to limit their availability.

Additionally, police departments face a shortage of officers as part of a larger labor shortage nationwide. In 2021, there was an 18% rise in resignations and 45% rise in retirements among officers, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, which cited long work hours, canceled holidays and a hostile work environment, motivated by calls to “defund the police,” as the reason.

The poll was conducted by the Trafalgar Group in partnership with the Convention of States and surveyed 1079 voters across the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. It had an error margin of 2.9%.