09/04/2024

The Link Between Local News Coverage and Americans’ Perceptions of Crime

Those watching local news will see crimes stories with greater frequency

For most of the past three decades, Americans have said crime is rising in the United States, even though official statistics show a dramatic decrease in crime during that span.

In 23 of 27 Gallup surveys conducted since 1993, at least 60 percent of Americans have said there is more crime in the U.S. than there was the year before. But this perception is at odds with the data: Since 1993, the nation’s violent crime rate has plunged by nearly half, while the property crime rate has fallen even more steeply, according to the FBI. Put another way, Americans were about twice as likely to be the victim of a violent crime in 1993 as in 2022.

There are many possible reasons why Americans might believe crime is on the rise in the U.S., even when government statistics show the opposite. But a new Pew Research Center survey examines one potential factor shaping public perceptions: local news coverage about crime. The survey is from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Pew Research Center.