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Crime Perceptions Orange County residents are feeling less safe in their neighborhoods today than in years past. In the 1982 survey, 20 percent of residents said they believed their neighborhoods were not safe to walk in at night. This year, the number feeling unsafe has increased to 36 percent. Forty-five percent of those 55 and older do not think their neighborhoods are safe, compared to 33 percent of younger residents. Ratings of neighborhood safety vary dramatically by region. Fifty-one percent in the Central County consider their neighborhoods unsafe, compared to 19 percent in the South County. Elsewhere, about four in 10 feel unsafe walking near their homes at night. Affluence also contributes to feelings of safety. Half of those earning less than $36,000 feel their neighborhoods are not safe at night, compared with 15 percent of those with incomes above $80,000 per year. Renters (46%) are much more likely than homeowners (29%) to feel unsafe at night. Fifty-four percent who live in apartments describe their neighborhoods as unsafe, compared with 29 percent who live in single-family, detached homes. There are no differences by years lived at current residence. Nearly half of residents (47%) believe the crime rate in their neighborhoods has been rising in the past few years, with 18 percent saying it has increased "a lot." Forty-eight percent think the local crime rate has stayed about the same and only 3 percent perceive a decline. There are no major differences in perceptions of increasing
neighborhood crime in recent years by region, income or age. |
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