WASHINGTON The majority of Americans believe incorrectly that crime is up in the United States over the past decade, and only a small fraction correctly state that crime is down. While only a small percentage say crime is a very serious problem in their own community, the majority are convinced its a very serious problem in the country overall. Thats great news for Donald Trump.

Most Americans, 61 percent, falsely believe that the level of crime in the United States has increased over the past decade, according to a poll conducted by The Huffington Post and YouGov . Just 15 percent of Americans said they believed correctly that crime rates in the United States had decreased over the past decade.

The statistics indicate that false beliefs about crime rates are shaped not by lived experience or by an analysis of government crime statistics, but by peoples perceptions typically influenced by news coverage and social media in an era in which people may be more aware of individual crimes than they may have been in the past. While just 13 percent of Americans believe crime is a very serious problem in their own community, 53 percent believe crime is a very serious problem in the nation overall.

In his speech accepting the Republican Partys nomination for president, Trump declared himself the law and order candidate. While he hasnt detailed the role he believes the government should play in policing, which is largely a function of local governance, he promised that crime and violence would come to an end once he becomes president and safety will be restored, despite the fact that Americans are currently living in one of the safest periods in history.