Great Lakes Wire

With crime on the rise in Michigan and across the nation, and "Defund the Police" movements still present in a smattering of communities, more Americans are reportedly more concerned about crime than at any time during the 21st century. 

According to Gallup poll results, the topic is not just a worry among conservative voters, but among progressives as well. The recall of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is said to be the latest sign that crime is a potent issue in municipal elections.

According to a CNN analysis, a Gallup poll from earlier this year found that Americans' dissatisfaction with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime is at the highest rate ever in the 21st century.

The Gallup poll results revealed that 72% of Americans were dissatisfied with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime. CNN reports that number is up from 65% in 2021 and 49% in 2020. The poll also found that "the dissatisfaction crosses partisan lines," as 65% of Democrats indicated they were at least somewhat dissatisfied with the nation's policies on crime and 87% of Republicans expressed dissatisfaction.

"Crime is one of the few issues where public opinion has tilted toward the conservative position in the country as a whole," CNN's Harry Enten said. "Registered voters, by a 16-point margin (50%-34%), said they trusted the Republican Party more on crime than the Democratic Party."

A late-April ABC News/Washington Post poll also revealed dissatisfaction about crime from both parties. According to CNN, it was the only non-economic issue polled in which Republicans held an advantage outside the margin of error.

While violent crime is up in some places, Enten argues it is lower-level nonviolent crimes such as theft that happens much more frequently and contributes to a common feeling that matters have grown out of control. In some of the nation's largest cities, such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, all categories of theft are up from last year.

After serving San Francisco for a little more than two years, Boudin, a Democrat, was recalled by 60% of voters June 7 following a fierce debate over crime and police, according to AP News.

The recall of Boudin last week proved that "not even in the Democratic bastion of San Francisco is a progressive safe from the wrath of voters worried about crime," Enten said.

The Center Square reported that in 2020, there were 478 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in Michigan, representing the third highest violent crime rate in the Midwest and 10th highest nationwide. From 2019 to 2020, Michigan's violent crime rate climbed 9.3%, nearly double the national increase of 5%. 

Violence in Michigan tends to be highly concentrated in certain cities, such as the Detroit metro area, where there were 1,088 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2020. The Detroit metro area alone accounted for nearly 40% of all 47,641 violent crimes committed in Michigan during that year.

According to an April WalletHub report, Detroit has seen the ninth-largest increase in its homicide rate compared to other major U.S. cities since the COVID-19 pandemic began.