Why Doesn't the Public Believe Crime has Declined?

Important lessons from taking the skeptics seriously

A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to have a conversation with the great Pastor Nick Taliaferro on Evening WURDS. The topic of our talk was the Great American Crime Decline following up on a prior newsletter. While we talked about the myriad possible explanations for the crime decline, there was an underlying question that tugged, which was, do people really believe crime declined? I hear this question in the academy too--I’ve taught a dozen courses over the years that touched on the crime decline, and while my students feign adherence to the data that shows that Americans are safer than they have been since the 1960s, I don’t think they really believe it.

The purpose of this week’s newsletter is to ask the question, why doesn’t America believe there is a crime decline? And is there wisdom in America’s skepticism? Is the crime decline overstated in some way such that amour propre has been committed in the halls of justice? As we consider whether the Great American Crime Decline of 1…