In another entry, we reviewed some of the statistical evidence--using the most accurate measures of crime we have--which indicate that crime is declining dramatically. We also point out that citizens are still afraid of crime and still believe that crime is going up, even when it's actually going down. Year after year, the same pattern continues.
Here's the latest data from Gallup on public opinion about whether a nationally representative sample of Americans think crime is going up. Believe it or not, even though crime continues to go down, as it has for decades, a higher percentage of people feel crime is going up than has existed for more than a decade. See the table here.
Here we are, one of the richest and most educated nations in the world, and the people are out of touch with reality. How is this possible?