About seven-in-ten Americans often or sometimes get news and information about crime in their community from friends, family and neighbors or local news outlets. A comparable share say they also see this kind of news at least weekly. Black Americans, in particular, appear to be more closely following local news and crime developments than people of other races and are far more likely to say reducing crime should be a top issue for the president and Congress to address.
Across all sources of local crime news, relatively few Americans say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of this kind of information. However, those who receive their crime news from local news outlets, local law enforcement or community members are more likely to be very or extremely satisfied with the quality of this information.
People who consume local crime news are generally concerned about how crime in their community may affect them or their families. In fact, 33% of those who often or sometimes consume this news say they are extremely or very concerned in this regard.
Understanding consumers’ sensitivity to local crime conditions is important for businesses, city planners and policy makers. For example, businesses can attract and retain customers if they are perceived as safe, while city governments can work to encourage development in low-income neighborhoods by demonstrating that a high crime rate does not have to be the price of economic success. Local crime data also can help to understand whether the level of fear about crime at a particular location is driven by specific events or by a more persistent, idiosyncratic set of factors.