Canadians are twice as likely to be concerned about increasing crime than they were eight years ago, according to a new survey.
The Angus Reid Institute poll found that 60 per cent of respondents think there’s been an increase in criminal activity in their community over the last five years.
In 2014, only 30 per cent felt the same way.
Angus Reid said concern about community crime has hit its highest point since the think tank began conducting surveys on the issue.
It comes after data released in August showed the crime rate in Canada increased between 2020 and 2021, with violent crime up 5.1 per cent.
The Angus Reid poll found that citizens are also losing faith in the country’s institutions.
Forty-five per cent of respondents said they do not have confidence in the RCMP, while 47 per cent said they do.
In 2014, 67 per cent of respondents said they had “complete” or “a lot” of confidence in the RCMP.
Trust is even lower in the provincial criminal courts, with more than half (55 per cent) of respondents saying they do not trust the criminal courts in their home province.
Other findings include:
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Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74 per cent) said their neighbourhood is a safe place to walk alone after dark. This rises to 86 per cent among rural Canadians and drops to 72 per cent among urbanites. Winnipeg residents feel least safe – 41 per cent say they do not feel comfortable walking alone at night. Overall, this represents a seven-point decline from 2015, when 81 per cent of respondents said they felt safe walking alone after dark in their neighbourhood.
Read the full survey here.