Canadians increasingly frightened in their own neighbourhoods: poll
Canadians are increasingly concerned about rising crime in their communities, according to a new Angus Reid Institute poll.
“New data from Angus Reid ,” says Shachi Kurl, president of the institute, “shows that three-in-five (62 per cent) Canadians believe crime has been rising in their communities over the last five years. That’s a lot more than the number of Canadians who say there’s been no change (24 per cent) or a decrease (five per cent).”
The new perception is matched by empirical data from Statistics Canada, which shows a rise in both its Crime Severity Index and Violent Crime Severity Index since 2020.
One key metric reveals growing discomfort: In 2015, Angus Reid asked Canadians if they felt safe walking alone after dark in their neighbourhood, finding one-in-three strongly agreed they felt safe and half agreed. This question was put forward again in 2022 and 2025. The proportion who felt safe had dropped from 32 per cent in 2015 to 23 per cent in 2022, and 17 per cent in 2025.
In 2014, Canadians were more likely to perceive stable crime rates (40 per cent) than increasing ones (30 per cent).
The perception that crime is rising close to home tends to be strongest among Conservatives, according to Angus Reid’s data. Those who voted CPC in 2025 believe there has been an increase in crime in their community at a rate 30 points higher than those who voted for Mark Carney’s Liberals (51 per cent). A majority (58 per cent) of past Bloc voters agree crime is increasing. Few Canadians (five per cent) say that crime has been decreasing where they live.
Many minor crimes have been on a downward trajectory in recent years, but one key offence has bucked this trend: shoplifting.
Shoplifting incidents are at their highest mark in decades. After a drop during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, each subsequent year has featured more shoplifting. “Increased financial pressures, mental health and addiction issues, lower police staffing levels, and other aspects are credited for this, as well as a focus on theft among organized crime,” says Kurl.
“Report after report during the past few years have noted the increase in shoplifting and abuse faced by the business community.”
Asked about their current job and the past six months, two-in-five (40 per cent) have dealt with shoplifting incidents “many times,” while one-quarter (24 per cent) say it has happened once or twice. Four-in-five have faced verbal abuse, while 43 per cent have endured physical threats.
Among the most widespread crimes, or at least attempted crimes, are fraud and identity theft. More than four-in-five Canadians say they have been the target of an online or phone scam over the past two years. For 30 per cent of the population, this has resulted in the loss of information or money.
Notably, according to the Angus Reid data, Canadians lost more than $638 million in reported fraud cases in 2024, although only five to 10 per cent of such cases are thought to be reported to authorities. This means that while 13 per cent of Canadians have been involved in a police-reported crime during this two-year period, more than one-in-three (36 per cent) have been victims of a crime if expanded to include this rampant fraud.
The prevalence of phishing and fraud attempts is astounding, with more than four-in-five Canadians saying they have been the subject of an attempt over the past two years. Asked if they believe telephone or internet-based fraud and identity theft attempts have been increasing or decreasing in their communities, a majority of Canadians, in each case, say they’re becoming more frequent.
While more than 80 per cent have been contacted, 30 per cent say they had money or personal information taken from them by a scam. These proportions tend to be higher with age. People 60 years of age and older are almost twice as likely as 18- to 29-year-olds to have been a victim. Some of this may be attributable to unfamiliarity with emerging fraud strategies.
Across income level, there is little variance, according to Angus Reid. “Canadians of all financial backgrounds are targets. Between 27 and 35 per cent within all income ranges say they have been victimized by fraud of this sort.”
Kurl says that the proportion of Canadians choosing crime and public safety as a top issue in Angus Reid Institute’s quarterly tracking has crept upward over the past eight years. After sitting in single digits from 2014 to 2019, the COVID and post-COVID environment has been one of elevated concern, with the proportion choosing this issue among their most important, rising to almost one-in-five
She notes that according to Statistics Canada, police-reported crimes have risen since 2014, after decades of falling. Though these rates are well below the high point recorded in 1990.
The rate of police-reported violent crime in the U.S. was 334 incidents per 100,000 in 2023, which remains significantly higher than the rate in Canada — 252. However, the gap between the U.S. and Canada has shrunk over the past 25 years.
Crime trends in both countries have fluctuated in recent years, but Canadians are much more likely to perceive crime as rising, while Americans are still far more likely to say that crime is increasing (39 per cent) than decreasing (10 per cent) in their community, though many (37 per cent) say there has been no change.
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