Large majority of Americans say violent crime a major problem: poll

More than three-quarters of Americans see violent crime as a major problem ahead of the November midterm elections, according to a new Politico-Morning Consult poll published Wednesday.

The poll shows 77 percent of Americans believe violent crime is a major problem, while 17 percent view it is a minor problem and just 2 percent say it is not a problem at all.

Similarly, about 74 percent of Americans say violent crime is increasing, while 18 percent say it is staying the same.

The poll comes as the FBI published its latest report on violent crime in the U.S.

While violent crime in 2021 overall fell 1 percent compared to 2020, homicides rose 4.3 percent from 2020, which was a year that saw a rise of nearly 30 percent from 2019 levels.

Republicans have seized on the issue, along with inflation and securing the border, ahead of the midterm elections.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) released a new ad last weekend slamming the left for their crime policies, while Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has dubbed his opponent “dangerously liberal on crime” and has noted Milwaukee’s high crime rates.

About 43 percent of American voters say the federal government is very responsible for addressing crime, compared to 36 percent who say it is somewhat responsible, according to the Politico-Morning Consult poll.

Americans are split, however, on what the root causes of violent crime are, listing the lack of mental health resources, too many guns and the defunding of police all as major reasons.

More Americans say they trust Republicans in Congress to address violent crime (44 percent) than they do Democrats in Congress (37 percent), according to the poll.

The Politico-Morning Consult poll was conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 2 among more than 2,000 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.