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Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023

40% of Americans are afraid to walk alone at night — most in decades, poll says

Author:     Brendan Rascius
Source:     Miami Herald
Publication Date:     November 20, 2023 | 11:14 AM PST
 Link: 40% of Americans are afraid to walk alone at night — most in decades, poll says
Stephan:  

Over my life I have travelled to 119 countries, including several involved in war or civil violence. Some I have especially enjoyed. Some I have loathed. One of the things I particularly pay attention to is: Can I walk alone at night? Japan, China, Sweden, Netherlands, Taiwan, Canada never give it a thought. Argentina, Columbia, and parts of Mexico, take great care. The United States, like Mexico it depends on where you are. But I never anticipated what this study shows. America has become a country where in spite of statistics showing the crime rate has gone down in many cities the general anxiety about walking alone at night has gone up. Given that gun wounds are the leading cause of child death and hundreds of mass murders every year it is not hard to understand the growing anxiety and the sense that the United States is a dangerous place to live.

Credit: Roan Lavery, Unsplash

Concerns about certain crimes are at their highest levels in decades, causing Americans to isolate themselves from their communities, according to new polling.

The spike in fear comes as violent crime has decreased nationwide, while property crime has ticked up, according to the FBI.

Fear of certain crimes spiking

A recent Gallup poll found that 28% of Americans worry frequently or occasionally that they will be murdered, according to a Nov. 16 news release. That’s a near-record high.

The Gallup poll surveyed 1,009 adults between Oct. 2 and Oct. 23, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Meanwhile, half of U.S. adults said they worry their car will be stolen or broken into, 37% worry they’ll be mugged and 32% are concerned about getting attacked while driving — near-record highs.

Additionally, the vast majority of Americans, 72%, worry they will fall victim to identity theft, according to the poll.

This heightened apprehension has had a detrimental effect on the daily […]

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1 Comment

  1. Albus Eddie on Friday, November 24, 2023 at 10:59 am

    The power structure has used fear, very effectively, to keep the population in line for decades. They will use anything that’s convenient to manipulate the masses whether fact based or not. From the red scares of the 50’s. 60’s, and into the 70’s to the muslim terrorist scares, and weapons of mass destruction scares. A frightened population is much easier to manipulate. If the American people lose their fear those in power have much to lose. That’s why following 9/11 “leadership” stoked fear into the population rather than leading them into something positive. The problem is most political “leaders” associated with the power structure have few positive directions in which to lead. What you are witnessing are the chickens coming home to roost.