(The Center Square) – Less than half of Renton residents feel safe in their neighborhoods at night – and even fewer feel safe in the city’s downtown core.
A randomized sample of 12,500 Renton addresses were sent postcard invites to the online survey with roughly 5%, or 652, completed surveys being returned.
ComEngage was contracted for $70,000 by Renton to conduct the city-wide community survey in 2023.
On Monday, ComEngage Vice President of Insights and Solutions Nathan Wiggin told the Renton Committee of the Whole that the survey had a 95% confidence level, meaning that if the study were duplicated in the same time frame, with a different set of respondents, 95 times out of 100, the results would be the same.
Wiggin added that the 5% of responses were “pretty much average.”
Out of the 652 responses, 80% said that the quality of life in Renton meets or exceeds their expectations. However, crime and public safety are major issues facing the city now.
The survey revealed that 80% of residents said they feel safe in their neighborhood and in The Landing shopping mall center during the day. Approximately 60% of residents said they feel safe in downtown Renton during the day.
Feelings of safety decreased in the evening hours, with only 40% of residents claiming they feel safe in their neighborhood and in The Landing at night. Only 10% of respondents said they feel safe in downtown Renton at night.
Wiggin said violent crime statistics are down in Renton from 2017 to present day and suggested the city focus on communicating that fact to the public.
However, The Center Square previously reported on statistics from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs showing that overall crime in Renton increased by 6.4% from 2021 to 2022. There were 7,852 reports of crime in 2021 and 8,353 in 2022. When it came to homicides, the association found that there was a 133% increase in murders within Renton’s city limits. There were three murders in 2021 and seven in 2022. There have been four homicides within the city so far this year.
Wiggin suggested insufficient street lighting and lack of sidewalks might be factors in people’s perception of crime in the city.
“We oftentimes see insufficient lighting is a big contributor to the people feeling safe,” Wiggin said at the Renton Committee of the Whole meeting. “People don’t feel safe walking around if there’s no sidewalks or street lights – if it’s dark, you’re afraid that you’re going to get mugged – if it’s bright [and] there’s people around, you feel more safe.”
When respondents were asked what their top priority for the city was, 70% named safety in the community as most important. This correlates with 82% of respondents signaling that crime is the most significant challenge Renton will face over the next five years, according to a follow-up survey question.
Wiggin said the residents’ opinions on the most significant challenges facing the city are in line with other cities that ComEngage has conducted surveys in.
The survey concluded that Renton is performing above average when it comes to daytime safety and police performance, but is performing below average at nighttime safety in the downtown area and in The Landing shopping mall center.
