People seem more anxious about their personal safety than they did a generation ago. But if you avoid crowds, and you’re at home in bed by midnight, are you still at increased risk?

—Charles Osborn, North Kingsville, Ohio

You’re not in greater peril, regardless. According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans do believe that crime in the U.S. has gotten worse. But they’re wrong. The fact is that over the last 25 years, the two most cited sources of crime statistics (the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics) indicate that the violent crime rate has fallen between 49 and 74 percent (depending on whether the crimes were reported to the police).

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