Americans perceive a plethora of troubling trends in the U.S., but they are particularly worried about the recent upsurge in violent crime rates across the nation. That’s the message sent by this month’s national I&I/TIPP Poll.
While crime was the top concern, Americans’ anxieties appear to be broadly spread out, with no single issue looming large among their biggest fears.
The I&I/TIPP poll asked people “Which of the following is the biggest threat to the country,” followed by nine possible answers. Among the possible “biggest threats,” just four were able to break into double-digits: The aforementioned issue of “violent crime” (17%), “right-wing terrorists” (14%), “China” (13%), and “rising inflation” (12%).
All the rest — “deteriorating race relations” (9%), “attacks on free speech” (9%), “critical race theory” (7%), “cancel culture” (5%), and “big tech” (3%) — all garnered single-digit mentions in the survey. The third-largest category, at 12%, was “not sure.”
