A new survey of Indianapolis voters by Indy Politics and Crossroads Public Affairs shows a clear majority of them do not think downtown Indianapolis is safe.
The poll of 400 likely voters, conducted by ARW Strategies, showed nearly two-thirds of respondents thought downtown Indianapolis was not safe.
Just under 56 percent thought downtown was not safe, while only 33 percent said it was safe. Twelve percent said they were not sure. For the entire city of Indianapolis, those numbers were 49 percent unsafe – 42 percent safe – 9 percent unsure.
“When over half of voters say the downtown area is unsafe, it’s clear that residents believe the city, and downtown specifically, has a crime problem,” said pollster Andrew Weissert. “There’s a noticeable difference of opinion between men and women as well. Half of men (50 percent) say the city, as a whole, is safe, while just 36 percent of women say it is. Just 39 percent of men say downtown is safe, however, while only 28 percent of women agree.
There were also different perceptions of downtown safety depending on whether the respondent lived or worked in the area.
Among voters who said they either lived or worked in the downtown area, 49 percent said downtown was safe, while 45 percent thought it was unsafe. Of voters who said they did not live or work downtown, 25 percent said it was safe, while 61 percent said it was unsafe.
Voters were divided over the creation of a special downtown taxing district, overall they opposed it 42-36.
“If you live or work downtown, it makes sense that you’re more likely to view the area as safe – 48 percent of those who live or work there say it is, versus just 39 percent of those who don’t,” Weissert noted. “What’s interesting, though, is that even if you believe the city is safe, a plurality (29 percent) still says that fighting crime, gangs and drugs is their number one issue. So, you might feel safe, but crime is still very much top of mind.”
Tomorrow, we look at the attitudes of African-American and independent voters.
The poll of 400 likely voters was conducted September 24-25th. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.
