When it comes to crime in their state, the perception of Floridians does not always match reality. This at least is true when it comes to reality as presented by crime statistics from a recent survey.
Residents of the Sunshine State expressed rising levels of concern over crime in the past three years.
Floridians more concerned about safety
According to information from SafeWise and its seventh annual Safest Cities report, 59% of Florida residents feel daily concern about safety. This puts them in the 6th highest spot in the nation, even though Florida’s violent crime rate is just above the national average.
When it comes to violent crimes, Floridians worry the most about gun violence, with 71% concerned about this issue. From January 2020 to January 2021, mass shooting incidents in the state nearly doubled from the previous year. Aggravated assault came in as the most common violent crime, with some 55,000 incidents statewide.
State residents worried about package theft
The information shows that property crimes in the state continued to trend downward. Nonetheless, 22% of residents experienced an occasion of package theft in the past year. This came in as the largest area of worry for residents related to property crimes, with 45% concerned about the theft of packages.
For this reason, many people in the state use security cameras and alarm systems to combat this threat. The level of concern in Florida related to package thefts puts residents at the fourth highest in the nation.
Overall, property crimes declined by 10% last year. Property crimes in the state closely track the national average rate.
