No Shortage Of Victims Even As Crime Declines

Despite the decline in crime rates since the early 1990s, remarkable numbers of Americans still manage to be crime victims. A Gallup poll finds that “32 percent of households experienced some type of crime during the past year, including 18 percent with one incident and 14 percent with two or more incidents.” If these figures have you ready to hide under your bed, bear in mind that just 3 percent of respondents said they personally were victims of a violent crime during the past year, and just 5 percent said a violent crime befell anyone in their household.

Four percent of respondents said their house or apartment was broken into during the past year; 2 percent said their household had a car stolen.