Survey results on Minnesotans’ sense of safety have remained fairly constant since the mid-1990s. The survey asks: “How safe do you feel in the community where you live?” In 2001, 93 percent of respondents felt either “always safe” or “almost always safe.” In 1999, 92 percent of respondents said they felt “always safe” or “almost always safe.” In similar surveys in 1996 and 1997, 93 and 97 percent, respectively, said they felt “always safe” or “usually safe." (Minnesota Planning and University of Minnesota, Minnesota Center for Survey Research)
For comparison: Actual crime rates, both in Minnesota and nationally, have dropped noticeably since the mid-1990s, for both property and violent crime.
Sources:
Minnesota Planning, Criminal Justice Center, Keeping Watch: 1999 Minnesota Crime Survey, www.mnplan.state.mn.us/press/2000/cj/crime99.html
University of Minnesota, Minnesota Center for Survey Research, 1997 Minnesota State Survey and 2001 Minnesota State Survey, www.cura.umn.edu/programs.html
National Crime Prevention Council, Are We Safe? The 2000 National Crime Prevention Survey, www.ncpc.org/rwesafe
http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/mm/indicator.html?Id=21&G=31