Overwhelming majority see violent crime as 'major problem': poll

Americans near unanimously identified violent crime as a problem facing the nation with a clear majority labelling the issue a "major" problem.

A Wednesday Politico/Morning Consult poll revealed that 77% of Americans saw violent crime as a major problem while a further 17% saw it as a minor problem. Only 2% did not see violent crime as an issue.

An FBI report on 2021 crime numbers revealed a 4.3% increase in murders nationwide during that year, though total violent crimes declined by a small amount.

Those numbers appear to clash with public perception of the issue, however, as 74% of respondents asserted that violent crime was increasing. A further 18% said that violent crime levels had stayed the same.

Nationwide, the issue of violent crime has shaped some of the critical races. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis earned the support of a prominent Democrat in his state, Palm Beach County Commissioner Dave Kerner, who cited his support for law enforcement as a motivating factor for the rare cross-party endorsement.

DeSantis's opponent, Charlie Crist, D, has advocated for the reallocation of funds from traditional law enforcement operations to mental health professionals, a plan critics have labelled a stealthy way to "defund the police."

That approach has the backing of a number of prominent national Democrats, who in late September introduced a slate of legislation to implement left-wing police reforms.