Most people in Western Europe and the United States believe crime is getting worse. Police statistics, however, often show something different — crime is stable or falling in many categories. A survey by YouGov in March 2026 reveals how big this gap is and why it matters.

The survey asked people in England and Wales what crimes they thought were increasing. Online fraud topped the list: 85% of people believe it's rising. Violent assault came second at 57%. But here's a deeper concern: when asked whether police would investigate a minor crime like phone theft, 65–67% said no — they don't believe it would even be looked at.

This matters because when most people lose faith that police will act on certain crimes, two things happen. First, fewer crimes get reported, because why report something if nothing will be done? Second, official crime numbers stay artificially low, which police then use to claim success. But the public stops trusting the system anyway. Everyone loses.

Why We Worry About Crime We Don't Necessarily See Increasing

News coverage plays a big role. When a fraud scam or street attack happens, it spreads and stays in people's minds. Stories about declining burglary or car theft don't make headlines. Online fraud does well in this comparison because it involves personal stories and real money, making it easy to remember and talk about.

Where you live also matters. When people see fewer police officers walking around — whether because budgets got cut or police moved to different kinds of work like cybercrime — they feel less safe. A single bad experience, like having your phone stolen and nothing happening, can color how safe you feel overall.

Politics also shapes worry. A survey from February 2025 found people across seven European countries — Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden — are unhappy with immigration levels. Politicians often connect immigration to crime, and while actual crime research doesn't support that link, the two worries can feed each other in people's minds. Worry about one can strengthen worry about the other, even if they're not truly linked.

What Officials Must Now Deal With

Governments face an awkward choice. The numbers say crime is stable or falling, but voters worry it's rising. A government can follow the data and lose an election, or follow public fear and spend police resources on the wrong problems.

Online fraud is interesting here. It has become the single biggest category of crime in England and Wales by sheer numbers, yet never received enough police resources for that. The fact that 85% of people think it's rising means public worry aligns with something real — a genuine gap in how much attention fraud gets. That doesn't happen often.

Violent crime is harder to pin down. The term includes everything from minor scuffles to serious injury, and different areas measure it differently. It's unclear how much of the 57% belief reflects actual changes versus general anxiety.

Looking at broader patterns, crime and safety have stayed near the top of people's concerns in Europe for years, according to quarterly surveys. The 2026 results are not new — they're part of a lasting pattern.

The bottom line is this: police and government decisions now run on what the public believes rather than what the data shows. Before anyone can have a real debate about crime and safety, the gap between fear and fact needs to be understood — not necessarily closed, but understood.