Toronto residents report safety concerns in new poll

A new Canada Pulse Insights poll reveals that 35% of Torontonians do not feel safe walking in their neighborhoods after dark. While this represents a 3% improvement from the previous year, concerns regarding personal safety remain significant.

Pollster John Wright noted that despite decreasing crime rates, an increase in reported random acts of aggression may be contributing to public anxiety. Residents expressed specific concerns regarding safety on the TTC and in certain neighborhoods, noting that such anxiety levels appear higher than in the pre-COVID era.

Regarding emergency services, 71% of respondents rated police response times as good or great, a slight improvement from last year. However, 68% of those polled still worry that police will be too slow to respond if needed, and 30% described response times as bad or terrible.