Most Americans See Retail Theft as a Serious Problem Where They Live
The problem of shoplifting and retail theft is a major concern for Americans, and more than a fifth say stores have closed in their community because of the problem.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 52% of American Adults believe shoplifting and retail theft is a serious problem in the community where they live, including 21% who say it’s a Very Serious problem. Thirty-eight percent (38%) don’t think retail theft is a serious problem in their community, and another 10% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.) LINK
Especially in California, crime has been cited as a cause of recent store closures. Twenty-three percent (23%) of American Adults say businesses in their community have closed recently because of the crime problem, while 53% have not had such closures in their community recently and another 25% are not sure.
The survey of 1,277 American Adults was conducted April 16-18, 2024, 2024 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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