More News from the Best of Times

I came across this Gallup poll, primarily focused on whether people think the U.S.'s "best days" are behind us or ahead of us. Not surprisingly, 74 percent of Republicans think those days are in the past, while 69 percent of Democrats think they are in the future. (Independents, as always, come out in between, with 55 percent agreeing with Republicans.)

The article contained a number of other interesting points, though, and one in particular caught my attention. The question was whether the person predicted a year of rising or falling crime rates. Check out the answers:


So those increasing predictions of more crime are not a one-time occurrence, and they didn't start after Barack Obama was elected.

And here's a nice graph of the actual crime rates over more or less the same time period:


This crime graph doesn't make it all the way to 2012, since those stats aren't reported yet, but you get the idea—crime is down, way down, and it's completely the opposite of people's perception of an increase in the crime rate.

What's up with that, America? Time to stop watching all of that scary television and get outside with your neighbors.
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After writing this post, I read the Mother Jones article about leaded gasoline as the cause of the 20th-century violent crime spike. It sure would explain a lot.