D.C.’s new top problem: Crime
One-third of District residents say crime is the city’s most important problem, far higher than four years ago and now trumping education and the economy. Residents are 8 percentage points less likely to say they feel safe in their neighborhoods since four years ago, and roughly half say D.C. police have not been tough enough in their response to rising homicides. Read related article.
POLL
Washington Post poll
Q:
What is the biggest problem facing
the District today? (Open ended)
2011
2015
12%
34%
Crime/
violence
4%
22%
18%
25%
11%
Education/
schools
9%
34%
Other
25%
issues
4%
4%
Q:
How safe from crime do you feel in your
neighborhood? Would you say you feel
very safe from crime, somewhat safe, not
too safe, or not safe at all?
2011
2015
18%
26%
Not too safe/
not safe at all
African
Americans
feeling
Somewhat
56%
52%
“very safe”
safe
Whites
feeling
“very
safe”
Very safe
26%
27%
23%
18%
Q:
Has the response of District police to the
rise in murders been . . .
African
All
D
.C.
Americans
W
hites
adults
Not tough
51%
56%
46%
enough
About right
36%
42%
31%
Too
2%
5%
7%
tough
No opinion
8%
5%
10%
Q:
Do you approve or disapprove of the way. . .
. . . Muriel Bowser is handling her job as mayor
Disapprove
Approve
No opinion
25%
58%
18%
. . . Cathy Lanier is handling her job as
police chief
25%
61%
14%
Q:
Is Mayor Bowser doing a/an . . .
job reducing crime in the city?
Not so good/
Excellent/
N.o.
poor
good
63%
33%
5%
Numbers might not add up to 100 percent
because of rounding.
SOURCE: This Washington Post poll was conducted by
telephone Nov. 12-15, 2015, among a random sample
of 1,005 adult residents of the District of Columbia
reached on conventional and cellular phones by live
interviewers. The margin of sampling error for overall
results is four percentage points. The error margin is
plus or minus six points among the sample of 449
African Americans and 6.5 points among the sample
of 392 whites. Sampling, data collection and
tabulation by Abt SRBI of New York. 2011 results
from Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
Full results and exact question wording and order is
available at: www.wapo.st/pollarchive
POLL
Washington Post poll
Q:
What is the biggest problem facing the District today? (Open ended)
2011
12%
4%
22%
25%
34%
4%
Crime/
Education/
Other
violence
schools
issues
2015
34%
18%
11%
9%
25%
4%
Q:
How safe from crime do you feel in your neighborhood? Would you say you feel very safe
from crime, somewhat safe, not too safe, or not safe at all?
2011
18%
56%
26%
Not too safe/
Somewhat
Very safe
not safe at all
safe
2015
26%
52%
23%
18%
African Americans feeling “very safe”
27%
Whites feeling “very safe”
Q:
Has the response of District police to the rise in murders been . . .
Too
All D.C. adults
Not tough enough
About right
tough
51%
36%
5%
8%
African Americans
56%
31%
7%
5%
Whites
46%
42%
2
10%
Q:
Do you approve or disapprove of the way . . .
. . . Muriel Bowser is handling her job as mayor
Disapprove
Approve
25%
58%
18%
. . . Cathy Lanier is handling her job as police chief
25%
61%
14%
Q:
Is Mayor Bowser doing a/an . . . job reducing crime in the city?
Not so good/poor
Excellent/good
63%
33%
5%
Numbers might not add up to 100 percent because of rounding.
SOURCE: This Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Nov. 12-15, 2015, among a random sample of
1,005 adult residents of the District of Columbia reached on conventional and cellular phones by live interviewers.
The margin of sampling error for overall results is four percentage points. The error margin is plus more minus six
points among the sample of 449 African Americans, and 6.5 points among the sample of 392 whites. Sampling,
data collection and tabulation by Abt SRBI of New York. 2011 results from Washington Post-Kaiser Family
Foundation poll. Full results and exact question wording and order is available at:
THE WASHINGTON POST
Published Nov. 18, 2015.