GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's annual update on crime in the United
States shows that 26% of all households experienced some type of
crime during the past year, with 14% mentioning one incident and
another 12% mentioning two or more incidents. The poll also shows
that 32% of crime incidents in the past year were not reported to
the police.
A similar poll conducted a year ago found virtually the same
level of victimization (25%), along with a slightly higher rate of
reporting the crime to the police (71%, compared with 68% this
year). The differences in victimization and reporting rates are
well within the poll's margin of error.
As shown in the table below, the two most frequently mentioned
crimes in four polls Gallup has conducted since 2000 were having
one's home, car, or property vandalized (11% to 15%) and having
money or property stolen (11% to 14%).
|
Please tell me which, if any, of these incidents have
happened to you or your household within the last 12
months?
|
|
CRIME INCIDENT
|
2003
|
2002
|
2001
|
2000
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
A home, car, or property owned by you or other household member
vandalized
|
15
|
15
|
11
|
12
|
|
Money or property stolen from you or another member of your
household
|
14
|
12
|
11
|
14
|
|
Your house or apartment broken into
|
5
|
5
|
3
|
4
|
|
A car owned by you or another household member stolen
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
|
You or other household member mugged or physically assaulted
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
Money or property taken from you or another household member by
force, with gun, knife, weapon or physical attack, or by threat of
force
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
You or other household member sexually assaulted
|
1
|
2
|
na
|
1
|
|
Net Percentage of Households Experiencing Any Crime
|
26
|
25
|
22
|
24
|
|
Net Percentage of Households Experiencing Violent
Crime
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
|
Percentage of All Crime Not Reported to Police
|
32
|
29
|
33
|
29
|
Five percent of respondents this year say their house or
apartment was broken into, 3% that a car owned by someone in the
household was stolen, 2% that someone in the household was mugged
or physically assaulted, and 2% that someone in the household was
robbed. Another 1% say that someone in the household was sexually
assaulted. A net total of 5% of all American households experienced
one or more violent crimes.
Internet Crime
For the first time, Gallup asked about Internet crime. Six
percent of all respondents report that they or someone in their
household was the victim of a "computer or Internet-based crime,
such as fraud or computer hacking, while using your home
computer."
The net effect of adding Internet crime to the crime rate is to
increase the overall incidence of household crime from 26% to
30%.
Crime Highest Among the Young and Nonwhites, Least Among the
Elderly
While there are some variations over the past three years, the
table below shows that the highest rates of victimization continue
to be among young adults. Also, nonwhites experienced much more
crime than whites. People 65 and older are by far the least likely
of any demographic groups Gallup measured to report any experience
with crime.
|
CRIME INCIDENTS COMPARED BY SELECTED
DEMOGRAPHICS
(Percentage Experiencing Any Crime During Past
Year)
|
|
2003
|
2002
|
2001
|
2000
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
All Households
|
26
|
25
|
22
|
24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Age
|
|
|
|
|
|
18-29
|
41
|
43
|
30
|
39
|
|
30-49
|
26
|
25
|
27
|
25
|
|
50-64
|
25
|
20
|
17
|
19
|
|
65+
|
10
|
12
|
8
|
8
|
|
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
East
|
24
|
24
|
19
|
20
|
|
Midwest
|
24
|
26
|
20
|
23
|
|
South
|
27
|
20
|
22
|
30
|
|
West
|
28
|
33
|
29
|
22
|
|
Community
|
|
|
|
|
|
Urban
|
29
|
35
|
28
|
32
|
|
Suburban
|
27
|
20
|
20
|
23
|
|
Rural
|
19
|
23
|
21
|
16
|
|
Race
|
|
|
|
|
|
White
|
23
|
22
|
21
|
23
|
|
Nonwhite
|
37
|
36
|
32
|
31
|
|
Income
|
|
|
|
|
|
<$20,000
|
25
|
27
|
21
|
18
|
|
$20,000-<$30,000
|
31
|
29
|
27
|
34
|
|
$30,000-<$50,000
|
28
|
26
|
26
|
19
|
|
$50,000-<$75,000
|
27
|
21
|
19
|
28
|
|
$75,000+
|
20
|
28
|
22
|
19
|
|
Gender
|
|
|
|
|
|
Male
|
23
|
22
|
21
|
27
|
|
Female
|
28
|
28
|
23
|
21
|
Major findings:
- Last year, the most pronounced difference in the crime rate
from the previous year was found among younger Americans, who
experienced a significant increase in crime -- from 30% in 2001 to
43% in 2002. The rate among younger Americans remains at this
elevated level -- 41% this year.
- Differences among the four regions of the country are reduced.
Last year, the South reported the lowest rate (20%) and the West
the highest rate (33%) -- a difference of 13 points. This year, the
lowest rate is in the East and Midwest (24% each), with the South
and West reporting somewhat higher rates (27% and 28%,
respectively) -- a difference between the highest and lowest of
just four points.
- Urban households continue to report the highest crime rate
(29%), but suburban households are not far behind (27%), while
rural households again report the lowest rate (19%).
- Nonwhite households report about the same level of crime as
last year (37% vs. 36%, respectively), which remains somewhat
higher than the rates in 2001 (32%) and 2000 (31%).
- The gap in crime rates between white and nonwhite households
remains substantial -- 14 percentage points the past two years (37%
in nonwhite, 23% in white households in 2003).
- For the past two years, women have reported slightly higher
rates than men (28% vs. 23% this year). In 2001, the rates were
about equal, while in 2000, men reported a higher rate than
women.
Survey Methods
The results reported here are based on telephone interviews with
a randomly selected sample of 1,017 adults, aged 18 and older,
conducted Oct. 6-8, 2003. For results based on the total sample of
national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of
sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to
sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of
public opinion polls.
