Fewer think having armed federal agents in their community make them feel safer
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded on Ipsos' Omnibus platform, asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked about federal agents in communities: We first asked this question a year ago, and much has happened in cities across the U.S. in the ongoing National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., and during ICE and Customs and Border Patrol’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts.
What we found: Just over half of Americans (56%) say that having more police on the streets would make them feel safer — white Americans slightly over-index (60%) and Republicans are much more likely to agree (70%). But beyond that, more is not more when it comes to guns and safety.
Americans are more likely to say they feel LESS safe than more safe about armed federal agents (36% to 31%) people openly carrying firearms (52% to 20% and teachers with guns in the classroom (44% to 21%). Compared to a year ago at this time, there has been a 9-point drop in those saying having armed federal agents in their city makes them feel safer (now just 31%).
As you might expect, people who have guns in their homes are more likely to feel safer around more guns, but even among gun owners, there is an even split among those who would feel more safe or less safe with more people openly carrying firearms, or teachers carrying guns in schools. And while nearly half (46%) of people who keep guns in their homes would feel more safe with armed federal agents in their community, one in three (29%) say they would feel less safe.
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
Most younger Americans consider ‘cost per wear’ as a metric for apparel purchases
One in three Americans have talked to a chatbot instead of their doctor
Most Americans now understand how tariffs work; More see the costs, fewer see the benefits
Most Americans trust food inspections less
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?
