Fear of Walking Alone at Night Continues to Decline

A Gallup poll questioning Americans' perceptions of local crime gauges their comfort walking alone at night in the area where they live. This measure, which has been tracked since 1965, finds 31% of Americans currently reporting that there is an area within a mile of their home where they would be afraid to walk alone at night, and 68% saying there is not.

Two years ago, the percentage saying they were afraid to walk alone in a local area at night reached 40%, its highest point since 1993. Last year, it was at 35%; and now, it is just two points away from the trend low recorded in 2020.