Yep, scholarship suggests this is a TV news effect that began in the ~70s and 80s. In particular, white flight meant that suburbanites were only really experiencing crime through TV news programming. The TV theory here also explains why we see such stark partisan shifts around POTUS elex

JKjemima.bsky.socialOct 1, 2024 2:31pm

Intriguing chart from Gallup here. While almost 2/3 of Americans think the US has a very/extremely serious crime problem (a record high), only 1/6 think that about their local area... (Worth pointing out too that, according to the FBI, violent crime fell 49% 1993-2022)

Relevant reading on these points, if you want cites: Enns - Incarceration Nation Garland - Culture of Control Beckett - Making Crime Pay

And it really doesn't matter how many times you talk to local reporters about the very real impact that they're having. They will tell you that things that would balance out this perception are just "not news."