Crime

Is there more crime in your area than there was a year ago, or less?

	More	Less	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	51	29	16	4
2008 Oct 3-5	44	31	19	5
2007 Oct 4-7	51	29	17	4
2006 Oct 9-12	51	30	15	4
2005 Oct 13-16	47	33	18	2
2004 Oct 11-14	37	37	22	4
2003 Oct 6-8	40	39	19	2
2002 Oct 14-17	37	34	24	5
2001 Oct 11-14	26	52	18	4
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	34	46	15	5
1998 Oct 23-25	31	48	16	5
1997 Aug 22-25	46	32	20	2
1996 Jul 25-28	46	24	25	5
1992 Feb 28-Mar 1	54	19	23	4
1990 Sep 10-11	51	18	24	8
1989 Jun 8-11	53	18	22	7
1989 Jan 24-28	47	21	27	5
1983 Jan 28-31	37	17	36	10
1981 Jan 9-12	54	8	29	9
1977 Nov 18-21	43	17	32	8
1975 Jun 27-30	50	12	29	9
1972 Dec 8-11	51	10	27	12
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Is there more crime in the U.S. than there was a year ago, or less?

	More	Less	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	74	15	6	5
2008 Oct 3-5	67	15	9	9
2007 Oct 4-7	71	14	8	6
2006 Oct 9-12	68	16	8	8
2005 Oct 13-16	67	21	9	3
2004 Oct 11-14	53	28	14	5
2003 Oct 6-8	60	25	11	4
2002 Oct 14-17	62	21	11	6
2001 Oct 11-14	41	43	10	6
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	47	41	7	5
1998 Oct 23-25	52	35	8	5
1997 Aug 22-25	64	25	6	5
1996 Jul 25-28	71	15	8	6
1993 Oct 13-18	87	4	5	4
1992 Feb 28-Mar 1	89	3	4	4
1990 Sep 10	84	3	7	6
1989 Jan 24-28	84	5	5	6
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Is there any area near where you live -- that is, within a mile -- where you would be afraid to walk alone at night?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	34	66	*
2008 Oct 3-5	37	63	*
2007 Oct 4-7	37	62	*
2006 Oct 9-12	37	63	*
2005 Oct 13-16	38	62	*
2004 Oct 11-14	32	67	1
2003 Oct 6-8	36	64	*
2002 Oct 14-17	35	64	1
2001 Oct 11-14	30	69	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	34	66	*
1997 Aug 22-25	38	61	1
1996 Jul 25-28	39	60	1
1994 Dec 19-26	39	60	--
1993 Oct 13-18	43	56	1
1992 Feb 28-Mar 1	44	56	--
1990 Sep 10-11	40	59	--
1989 Jan 24-28	43	57	--
1983 Jan 28-31	45	55	*
1982 Jan 22-25	48	52	*
1981 Jan 9-12	45	55	--
1979 Nov 2-5	42	58	--
1977 Nov 18-21	45	55	--
1975 Jun 27-30	45	55	--
1972 Dec 8-11	42	57	1
1968 Sep 19-24	35	62	3
1967 Aug 3-8	31	67	3
1965 Apr 2-7	34	66	--
* Less than 0.5%

Overall, how would you describe the problem of crime [ROTATED: in the United States/in the area where you live] -- is it extremely serious, very serious, moderately serious, not too serious, or not serious at all? How would you describe the problem of crime … extremely serious, very serious, moderately serious, not too serious, or not serious at all?

A. In the United States

	Ex- tremely serious	Very serious	Mod- erately serious	Not too serious	Not serious at all	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	20	35	40	3	*	1
2008 Oct 3-5	16	35	43	5	*	1
2007 Oct 4-7	20	37	39	2	*	1
2006 Oct 9-12	17	39	41	2	*	1
2005 Oct 13-16	19	30	46	4	*	1
2004 Oct 11-14	13	29	52	5	*	1
2003 Oct 6-8	17	37	40	4	1	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	22	38	35	3	1	1
* Less than 0.5%

B. In the area where you live

	Ex- tremely serious	Very serious	Mod- erately serious	Not too serious	Not serious at all	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	4	8	36	35	16	*
2008 Oct 3-5	3	8	32	35	22	1
2007 Oct 4-7	5	10	34	34	17	1
2006 Oct 9-12	3	9	35	35	18	*
2005 Oct 13-16	5	7	30	39	19	*
2004 Oct 11-14	2	6	31	37	24	*
2003 Oct 6-8	4	7	33	35	21	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	3	9	35	35	18	*
* Less than 0.5%

How often do you, yourself, worry about the following things -- frequently, occasionally, rarely or never? How about -- [ITEMS A-J ROTATED, THEN ITEMS K-L]?

A. Getting murdered

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	7	12	32	49	*	*
2008 Oct 3-5	6	11	35	48	--	*
2007 Oct 4-7	7	12	33	48	*	*
2006 Oct 9-12	6	14	35	44	*	1
2005 Oct 13-16	5	10	31	53	*	1
2004 Oct 11-14	6	10	29	55	*	*
2003 Oct 6-8	6	12	30	52	*	--
2002 Oct 14-17	6	11	30	53	*	*
2001 Oct 11-14	4	9	31	56	*	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	6	12	31	51	*	*
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

B. Getting mugged

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	11	20	35	34	*	*
2008 Oct 3-5	11	18	34	35	*	1
2007 Oct 4-7	10	19	37	33	1	*
2006 Oct 9-12	9	24	33	33	*	1
2005 Oct 13-16	7	21	35	37	*	--
2004 Oct 11-14	9	18	35	38	--	*
2003 Oct 6-8	9	19	35	37	*	--
2002 Oct 14-17	8	18	33	40	*	1
2001 Oct 11-14	6	17	36	41	*	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	9	21	33	36	1	*
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

C. Your home being burglarized when you are not there

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	21	25	34	20	*	*
2008 Oct 3-5	18	28	33	20	*	--
2007 Oct 4-7	18	29	32	21	--	*
2006 Oct 9-12	21	29	33	17	*	*
2005 Oct 13-16	15	30	30	25	*	*
2004 Oct 11-14	12	29	35	24	--	*
2003 Oct 6-8	17	31	31	21	--	*
2002 Oct 14-17	15	30	30	25	*	*
2001 Oct 11-14	12	28	33	26	*	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	16	32	28	24	0	*

D. Your home being burglarized when you are there

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	12	21	32	35	*	*
2008 Oct 3-5	10	18	36	36	*	*
2007 Oct 4-7	10	19	32	38	*	*
2006 Oct 9-12	10	23	34	33	--	*
2005 Oct 13-16	8	16	31	45	--	*
2004 Oct 11-14	8	16	34	42	--	*
2003 Oct 6-8	10	20	30	40	*	*
2002 Oct 14-17	9	18	32	40	1	*
2001 Oct 11-14	6	16	33	45	*	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	10	21	30	39	*	--

E. Being sexually assaulted

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	5	14	29	52	*	--
2008 Oct 3-5	7	12	27	54	*	*
2007 Oct 4-7	6	13	28	52	*	*
2006 Oct 9-12	6	15	30	48	*	1
2005 Oct 13-16	6	13	29	52	*	*
2004 Oct 11-14	6	14	27	53	*	*
2003 Oct 6-8	9	14	27	50	*	*
2002 Oct 14-17	6	12	26	55	1	0
2001 Oct 11-14	4	15	24	57	*	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5 ^{^}	7	16	24	52	1	*
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ WORDING: Being raped or sexually assaulted

F. Having your car stolen or broken into

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	19	28	30	21	2	*
2008 Oct 3-5	20	23	32	24	2	*
2007 Oct 4-7	16	28	32	21	3	*
2006 Oct 9-12	17	30	33	18	2	*
2005 Oct 13-16	16	26	30	25	3	*
2004 Oct 11-14	12	29	31	25	3	--
2003 Oct 6-8	17	28	31	22	2	*
2002 Oct 14-17	16	28	28	24	4	*
2001 Oct 11-14	14	27	30	26	3	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	16	32	26	24	2	*

G. Being assaulted or killed by a coworker or other employee where you work

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	1	3	17	61	17	*
2008 Oct 3-5	2	4	20	59	15	*
2007 Oct 4-7	2	4	18	62	15	*
2006 Oct 9-12	3	5	17	61	14	*
2005 Oct 13-16	2	4	18	64	12	*
2004 Oct 11-14	1	4	16	67	12	*
2003 Oct 6-8	3	6	20	56	15	*
2002 Oct 14-17	2	4	18	61	14	1
2001 Oct 11-14	2	5	18	62	13	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	1	6	18	62	12	1

H. Having a school-aged child of yours physically harmed while attending school

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	14	17	19	22	28	*
2008 Oct 3-5	15	16	20	22	28	*
2007 Oct 4-7	16	18	18	20	28	*
2006 Oct 9-12	20	20	18	17	24	1
2005 Oct 13-16	14	15	18	24	29	*
2004 Oct 11-14	14	16	20	24	25	1
2003 Oct 6-8	17	18	16	23	25	1
2002 Oct 14-17	14	15	21	20	30	*
2001 Oct 11-14	13	18	18	23	28	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	17	17	17	22	27	*

I. Being attacked while driving your car

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	7	16	34	41	2	--
2008 Oct 3-5	6	15	35	42	2	*
2007 Oct 4-7	7	17	36	37	3	*
2006 Oct 9-12	9	17	34	38	2	*
2005 Oct 13-16	6	16	31	44	3	*
2004 Oct 11-14	7	16	32	42	3	*
2003 Oct 6-8	8	18	32	38	4	*
2001 Oct 11-14	6	15	29	46	4	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	9	20	29	40	2	*
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

J. Being the victim of a hate crime

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	5	12	28	54	*	1
2008 Oct 3-5	7	9	29	55	1	*
2007 Oct 4-7	6	12	27	55	1	*
2006 Oct 9-12	7	11	29	52	*	1
2005 Oct 13-16	6	11	24	58	1	*
2004 Oct 11-14	6	10	24	59	*	1
2003 Oct 6-8	5	12	29	54	*	--
2001 Oct 11-14	5	8	26	60	*	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	6	10	26	56	1	1

K. Being a victim of terrorism

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	14	21	33	31	*	1
2008 Oct 3-5	10	21	33	36	--	*
2007 Oct 4-7	13	23	33	30	*	1
2006 Oct 9-12	19	25	28	28	*	*
2005 Oct 13-16	14	24	30	32	--	*
2004 Oct 11-14	12	27	30	31	--	*
2003 Oct 6-8	13	25	30	32	--	*
2002 Oct 14-17	14	26	28	31	*	1
2001 Oct 11-14	21	26	28	25	*	*
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

L. Being a victim of identity theft

	Fre- quently	Oc- casion- ally	Rarely	Never	Doesn't apply (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	31	35	18	15	*	*
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Please tell me which, if any, of these incidents have happened to you or your household within the last twelve months?

A. Your house or apartment broken into

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	5	95	*
2008 Oct 3-5	5	95	--
2007 Oct 4-7	4	96	*
2006 Oct 9-12	4	96	*
2005 Oct 13-16	4	96	*
2004 Oct 11-14	3	97	--
2003 Oct 6-8	5	95	--
2002 Oct 14-17	5	95	*
2001 Oct 11-14	3	97	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	4	96	0
* Less than 0.5%

B. Money or property stolen from you or another member of your household

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	16	84	*
2008 Oct 3-5	14	86	--
2007 Oct 4-7	15	85	--
2006 Oct 9-12	13	87	*
2005 Oct 13-16	16	84	--
2004 Oct 11-14	14	86	*
2003 Oct 6-8	14	86	*
2002 Oct 14-17	12	88	*
2001 Oct 11-14	11	89	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	14	86	0

C. A car owned by you or another household member stolen

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	3	97	*
2008 Oct 3-5	3	97	--
2007 Oct 4-7	4	96	--
2006 Oct 9-12	3	97	*
2005 Oct 13-16	2	98	*
2004 Oct 11-14	4	96	*
2003 Oct 6-8	3	97	--
2002 Oct 14-17	4	96	*
2001 Oct 11-14	3	97	0
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	4	96	0

D. A home, car, or property owned by you or another household member vandalized

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	14	86	*
2008 Oct 3-5	13	87	--
2007 Oct 4-7	14	86	*
2006 Oct 9-12	14	86	*
2005 Oct 13-16	15	85	*
2004 Oct 11-14	15	85	*
2003 Oct 6-8	15	85	*
2002 Oct 14-17	15	84	1
2001 Oct 11-14	11	89	0
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	12	88	0
* Less than 0.5%

E. Money or property taken from you or another household member by force, with gun, knife, weapon or physical attack, or by threat of force

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	1	99	--
2008 Oct 3-5	2	98	--
2007 Oct 4-7	2	98	--
2006 Oct 9-12	1	99	*
2005 Oct 13-16	2	98	*
2004 Oct 11-14	1	99	--
2003 Oct 6-8	2	98	*
2002 Oct 14-17	1	99	*
2001 Oct 11-14	1	99	0
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	2	98	0

F. You or another household member mugged or physically assaulted

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	2	98	*
2008 Oct 3-5	3	97	--
2007 Oct 4-7	3	97	--
2006 Oct 9-12	3	97	*
2005 Oct 13-16	4	96	*
2004 Oct 11-14	3	97	*
2003 Oct 6-8	2	98	*
2002 Oct 14-17	3	97	*
2001 Oct 11-14	3	97	0
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	3	97	0

G. You or another household member sexually assaulted

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	1	98	*
2008 Oct 3-5	1	98	*
2007 Oct 4-7	1	98	*
2006 Oct 9-12	2	98	*
2005 Oct 13-16	1	99	*
2004 Oct 11-14	*	100	--
2003 Oct 6-8	1	99	*
2002 Oct 14-17	2	98	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	1	99	0

H. You or another household member was the victim of a computer or Internet-based crime, such as fraud or computer hacking, while using your home computer

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	7	92	1
2008 Oct 3-5	8	91	1
2007 Oct 4-7	8	92	1
2006 Oct 9-12	8	92	*
2005 Oct 13-16	8	92	--
2004 Oct 11-14	8	91	1
2003 Oct 6-8	6	93	1
* Less than 0.5%

I. You or another household member was the victim of identity theft

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Oct 1-4	10	89	*
* Less than 0.5%

Next, I'm going to read some things people do because of their concern over crime. Please tell me which, if any, of these things you, yourself, do or have done. First, ... Next, ... [RANDOM ORDER]

A. Keep a dog for protection

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	31	68	*
2005 Oct 13-16	31	69	*
2003 Oct 6-8	31	69	*
2002 Oct 14-17	30	69	1
2001 Oct 11-14	32	68	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	32	68	*
* Less than 0.5%

B. Bought a gun for protection of yourself or your home

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	23	76	1
2005 Oct 13-16	23	77	*
2003 Oct 6-8	27	72	1
2002 Oct 14-17	21	78	1
2001 Oct 11-14	21	78	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	22	78	*

C. Carry a gun for defense

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	12	88	1
2005 Oct 13-16	11	89	*
2003 Oct 6-8	12	88	*
2002 Oct 14-17	10	89	1
2001 Oct 11-14	11	89	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	12	87	1

D. Carry a knife for defense

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	12	87	*
2005 Oct 13-16	11	89	*
2003 Oct 6-8	10	90	*
2002 Oct 14-17	11	88	1
2001 Oct 11-14	9	91	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	10	90	*
* Less than 0.5%

E. Had a burglar alarm installed in your home

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	31	69	1
2005 Oct 13-16	29	70	1
2003 Oct 6-8	25	75	*
2002 Oct 14-17	24	75	1
2001 Oct 11-14	23	76	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	23	76	1

F. Carry mace or pepper spray

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	14	86	*
2005 Oct 13-16	18	82	*
2003 Oct 6-8	19	81	*
2002 Oct 14-17	16	83	1
2001 Oct 11-14	17	83	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	18	82	*

G. Avoid going to certain places or neighborhoods you might otherwise want to go to

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Oct 4-7	48	52	*
2005 Oct 13-16	47	53	*
2003 Oct 6-8	49	51	*
2002 Oct 14-17	43	56	1
2001 Oct 11-14	43	56	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	56	44	*
* Less than 0.5%

Now, thinking about what have been called "hate crimes" -- those crimes committed because the criminal hates the group of people to which the victim belongs As you may know, federal law currently allows prosecution of hate crimes committed on the basis of the victim's race, color, religion or national origin. Do you favor or oppose these laws?

	Favor	Oppose	No opinion
2007 May 10-13	78%	18	4

There is a proposal to expand federal hate crime laws to include crimes committed on the basis of the victim's gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. Would you favor or oppose expanding the federal hate crime laws in this way?

	Favor	Oppose	No opinion
2007 May 10-13	68%	27	5

Which of the following approaches to lowering the crime rate in the United States comes closer to your own view -- do you think [ROTATED: more money and effort should go to attacking the social and economic problems that lead to crime through better education and job training (or) more money and effort should go to deterring crime by improving law enforcement with more prisons, police, and judges]?

	Attack social problems	More law enforcement	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Oct 9-12	65	31	4
2003 Oct 6-8	69	29	2
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	68	27	5
1994 Aug 15-16 ^	51	42	7
1994 Feb 26-28 ^	57	39	4
1992 Aug 28-Sep 2 ^	67	25	8
1992 Mar 30-Apr 5 ^	64	27	9
1990 Sep 10-11 ^	57	36	2
1989 Jun 8-11 ^	61	32	7

^ WORDING: "To lower the crime rate in the United States, some people think additional money and effort should go to attacking the social and economic problems that lead to crime through better education and job training. Others feel more money and effort should go to deterring crime by improving law enforcement with more prisons, police, and judges. Which comes closer to your view?

How much confidence do you have in the ability of the police to protect you from violent crime -- a great deal, quite a lot, not very much, or none at all?

	A great deal	Quite a lot	Not very much	None at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2006 Oct 9-12	20	41	32	6	1
2005 Oct 13-16	18	35	39	7	1
2004 Oct 11-14	21	40	28	10	1
2003 Oct 6-8	20	40	31	8	1
2002 Oct 14-17	19	39	31	9	2
2001 Oct 11-14	25	41	27	6	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	20	42	31	6	1
1999 Mar 5-7	29	41	25	4	1
1998 Oct 23-25	19	36	37	8	*
1995 Sep 22-24	20	30	39	9	2
1993 Oct 13-18	14	31	45	9	1
1989 Jun 8-11	14	34	42	8	2
1985 Feb 28-Mar 1	15	37	39	6	3
1981 Jan 16-23	15	34	42	8	1

How much respect do you have for the police in your area -- a great deal, some, or hardly any?

	A great deal	Some	Hardly any	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2005 Oct 13-16	56	33	11	*
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	60	30	9	1
1999 Mar 5-7	64	29	7	*
1991 Mar 14-17	60	32	7	1
1967	77	17	4	2
1965	70	22	4	4
* Less than 0.5%

In some places in the nation, there have been charges of police brutality. Do you think there is any police brutality in your area, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2005 Oct 13-16	31	65	4
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	32	65	3
1999 Mar 5-7	38	57	5
1991 Jul 11-14	39	56	5
1991 Mar 14-17	35	60	5
1967 Aug 3-8	6	81	13
1965 Apr 2-7	9	79	12

From what you have read or heard, do you think that DNA evidence is completely reliable, very reliable, only somewhat reliable, or not reliable at all?

	Completely reliable	Very reliable	Somewhat reliable	Not reliable at all	No opinion
2005 Oct 13-16	27%	58	14	*	1
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	25%	53	19	1	2
2000 Mar 17-19	20%	57	20	1	2
* Less than 0.5%

From what you have read or heard, do you think that fingerprint evidence is completely reliable, very reliable, only somewhat reliable, or not reliable at all?