ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607290005
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
Virginia Tech's Center for Survey Research polled 1,168 adult Virginians between April 21-May 22. The margin of error is 2.9 percent. Numbers may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
Highlights biggest differences between certain groups.
CRACKING DOWN ON CRIME
A lot of Virginians worry about crime, but not as much as we did just a few years ago.
On the one hand, crime may be decreasing, according to government statistics, but most Virginians don't sense it. One-third of Virginians believe crime in their community has increased in the past two years, and more than half think it's stayed the same.
Do you think crime in your community has increased, decreased or stayed the same over the past two years?
Increased 33%
Stayed the same 51%
Decreased 12%
However, Virginians are clearly feeling better about crime than we were two years ago, when hardly anybody was thinking crime was decreasing, and a lot more folks thought crime was on the increase.
1994
Do you think crime in your community has increased, decreased or stayed the same over the past two years?
Increased 43%
Stayed the same 49%
Decreased 5%
Indeed, this year is the first time in the five years that Virginia Tech has been asking this question that the number of people who believe crime has decreased has registered in double digits.
Despite, their concerns about crime, a plurality of Virginians say they feel "very safe" walking alone in their neighborhood at night. In fact, the number of Virginians who say they feel "very safe" walking alone in their neighborhood is the highest it's been in the five years Virginia Tech has been asking this question.
How would you feel if you were walking alone at night in your neighborhood?
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Very safe 32% 34% 33% 34% 42%
Somewhat safe 35%
Somewhat unsafe 14%
Very unsafe 9%
Don't know 0%
There remains a stark difference, however, between the way men and women perceive the safety of their community. Most men say they feel "very safe" walking alone in their neighborhood at night; barely a quarter of women do.
Feel "very safe" walking alone at night Men Women
58% 27%
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