Nearly half of San Francisco residents have been victims of theft in the last five years, and nearly a quarter have been physically attacked or threatened, according to a poll published by the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday.
According to the data, 45% of respondents have experienced theft and 24% have experienced violence or the threat of it.
The proportion was even higher among minority populations, with 54% of black and 55% of mixed-race respondents saying they had experienced theft compared to 43% for white residents. Those surveyed who identified as Hispanic or mixed-race were the most likely to have been threatened or physically attacked, with 36% of both groups reporting violence against them.
Many poll respondents had negative opinions of law enforcement as well, with 41% rating the police’s performance ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ and just 18% evaluating it as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Mixed-race respondents were most likely to distrust the police (52%), while the figure was lower but still elevated among Hispanic residents (43%).
Even those San Franciscans who had not personally been attacked or robbed said the city was going downhill, an opinion shared by 65% of poll respondents and particularly prevalent among older residents. People aged 50 to 65 were the most fed up, with 78% saying things had gotten worse, while 71% of those 66 and older agreed.
The longer respondents had lived in San Francisco, the more likely they were to long for its past: 69% of those who arrived before 2009 lamented what had become of the city. Over a third predicted things would get worse in the next two years, and another third said they planned to leave within the next three.
Read More: Nearly Half of San Franciscans Personally Impacted by Crime – Poll
