The Sconi

A new Gallup Poll finds for the first time in six years a majority of Americans admit they are greatly worried about crime.

In all, researchers found that 53% of Americans now personally worry a "great deal" about crime across the country. In addition, another 27% of respondents indicated they worry a "fair amount," which places the issue of crime near the top of the list of 14 national concerns, falling behind only inflation and the economy.

The rising numbers come in the face of rising crime numbers across much of the country. Back in October, researchers found that 51% of Americans said there is more crime in their local area, a 13%  jump from just roughly a year earlier in 2020. The website also reported the last time a majority of Americans perceived crime as being up in their area was 13 years ago, and the last time it exceeded 51% was in 1992 (then 54%).

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin pointed out that the issue is one that has drawn the attention of far more than just white republicans, and cited a Pew Research Center poll that found that among Black voters, 17% identified crime or violence as their top issue.

'"While overall crime has not reached levels seen in the 1980s and ’90s, the homicide rate has been increasing in recent years. Whatever the relative crime rate, voters see the current rate as unacceptable," said Rubin.

Rubin further argues that President Biden and democrats have made the mistake of treating crime as only a gun issue, leading a growing number of voters to conclude the party isn’t really prioritizing the issue. She adds the president’s actions have typically been framed in terms of "gun restrictions", including recently taking the action to stop the proliferation of ghost guns.

According to Politico, ghost guns are widely viewed as the new weapon of a growing number of criminals because of their lack of a serial number and ability to be purchased without buyers being required to submit to a background check.

Biden's new ghost gun rule "requires new background checks and serial numbers" in order to purchase.

Overall, just over one in three voters, or 38%, now approve of the president’s overall handling of crime, according to an April ABC-Ipsos poll. The faltering numbers recently prompted a White House correspondent for POLITICO to cast the president’s actions as "an attempt by Biden to regain his footing on a political front that is currently bedeviling him and Democrats."

With crime rated as the second most pressing issue behind only the economy, a recent two-day Reuters/Ipsos national poll found that 52% of Americans now disapprove of Biden's job performance.

In 2020, there were a reported 18,861 violent crimes in Wisconsin, which equates to 323 for every 100,000 people. While those figures represent the fourth lowest violent crime rate in the Midwest and 20th lowest nationwide, the overall numbers show there is still work to be done, with the Milwaukee metropolitan area's violent crime rate -- at 678 incidents for every 100,000 residents -- far exceeding the national rate.