Among the 517 undergraduates surveyed, 71 percent of self-identified Democrats and 78 percent of Republicans expressed concern over crime.
Jack Olson
Managing Editor, The Buckley Beacon
A new poll commissioned by the Buckley Institute in September found that 74 percent of Yale undergraduates either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” with the statement, “Crime in New Haven is a serious issue.”
The poll was conducted by College Pulse, a company which measures on-campus opinion by directly polling students, in coordination with the Buckley Institute. With 517 Yale College students responding to the survey, the trend rang true across political lines. 71 percent of self-identified Democrats, 80 percent of independents, and 78 percent of Republicans either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” with the statement.
Liberals felt safer than conservatives and moderates, with only 55 percent of students identifying as “very” liberal agreeing with the statement versus an average of 79 percent for moderate to conservative students.
Younger students were more likely to feel unsafe than older students, with 82 percent of freshmen graduating in 2029 agreeing with the statement compared to just 61 percent of seniors in the class of 2026.
“Yale students have long been concerned about crime and safety in New Haven,” Ari Schaffer, the Communications Director at the Buckley Institute, told The Buckley Beacon in an email. “On a national level, crime in cities like New Haven has become a major focus of political debate and discussion. The question on crime is just one part of our annual poll of Yale students which surveys Yale students on free speech and issues of the day, like DEI, taxes, and Israel.”
The poll lasted from September 11 to October 1. During that period, multiple incidents were reported to the student body in “Timely Alert” emails from Yale Public Safety. In October alone, five emails have been sent reporting robberies and burglaries affecting the Yale community. In September, an assault and robbery occurred just short of 10 a.m. on Prospect Street between Sachem Street and Trumbull Street, which is right in front of the Pauli Murray and Benjamin Franklin undergraduate residential colleges.
New Haven’s municipal elections will be held on November 4, including the mayoral race between the incumbent Democrat Mayor Justin Elicker and the Republican challenger Steve Orosco. In an August interview with the New Haven Register, Elicker, who is seeking his fourth two-year term in November, cited decreasing crime as a reason for him running without a Democratic challenger.
“I believe that crime is a serious issue in New Haven, as it is in many American cities,” Elias Theodore (YC ‘27), Democratic candidate for Ward 1 alder and a New Haven native, told The Beacon. “Acknowledging this doesn’t mean we should live in fear or avoid public life—it means we must come together to strengthen public education, create more jobs, expand affordable housing, and ensure that law enforcement is both effective and just for all.”
Between August 2024 and August 2025, statistics released by the New Haven Police Department show a 0 percent change in homicides, a 57 percent decrease in non-fatal shootings, and a 34 percent decrease in confirmed shots fired in the city.
“Clearly, Yale students of all stripes are worried about their personal safety as they try to enjoy their four years on campus,” Schaffer told The Beacon. “Yale students’ fear about their own safety crosses partisan lines.”
The offices of Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker did not respond to The Beacon’s requests for comment.