SALT LAKE CITY — By all accounts, Utahns are safer now than at any other point in the past two decades. In the Beehive State and across the U.S., crime rates are hitting all-time lows.

But public perception hasn't caught up to the statistics, according to a report from the Utah Foundation.

In a recent survey, the foundation found that half of Utah voters said they are more worried about crime now than they were five years ago. Only 28 percent said they felt safer. Twenty-two percent said they felt neutral.

In addition, nearly 56 percent of Utahns said crime is of high concern (4 or 5 on a 5-point scale).

"We see rising concerns that are not justified by many of the statistics," said Provo Police Chief John King.

King said Provo has seen three years of steady decline in crimes, although police have seen a jump in the last six months.

"Just the other night, I went to a very safe community and there was legitimate concern of fear based on a very few incidents," he said. "But these stories get relayed and people think that more people are being victimized than they truly are."

That's a feeling that Cynda Bowen knows well.

Bowen and her husband have lived in the same house in West Valley City near Hunter Junior High School since 1979 and have been involved in the neighborhood crime watch for nearly as long.

"When we first started, we had a couple of drug houses, a couple of gang houses and there was a meth house," Bowen said. Over the years — thanks to the watchful eyes of neighbors and police — much of the crime in the area has subsided, she said.

Still, Bowen hesitates to say she feels more safe now than five years ago. "The older I get, the more paranoid I get," she admits.

Some members of the neighborhood watch have even suggested scaling the patrols back. But the neighborhood — which consists mostly of older homes and retirees — recently had a rash of brazen car break-ins.

"We have to be vigilant," Bowen said. "We can't stop. We need to make sure that they know we're still here."

Utah Foundation research director Shawn Teigen said some of the mismatch between reality and perception is likely due to the recent spate of mass shootings and terrorist attacks — and the images of chaos and bloodshed left in their wake.

"That's a very, very, very small percent of the violent crime in the U.S.," Teigen said. "But you see that stuff and it's mind-boggling. And it's happening at a higher rate than it used to, so that is something I think people are responding to."

Related

July was deadliest month for Utah in more than a decade

At least 10 people died as a result of homicide during July in Utah. According to statistics kept by the state Bureau of Criminal Identification, it's the most homicides in a single month since October 2007.

According to the Utah Foundation report, which used data from the FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety, violent crime has decreased by 34 percent in Utah and 45 percent nationally between 1995 and 2014.

Over that same period of time, property crime rates decreased by 50 percent in Utah and 43 percent across the U.S., according to the report.

When it comes to violent crimes, there is one category that has increased: homicide. According to the report, Utah's 2014 homicide rate was 23 percent higher than the 10-year average.

And recent incidents seem to indicate the trend isn't going down any time soon: Last month was the deadliest month for Utah homicides since October of 2007, with at least 11 killings and potentially 13.

That said, Utah's homicide rates are still lower than at any point in the 1990s. And homicides make up less than .01 percent of crimes in Utah. The largest component of violent crimes — aggravated assaults — have declined 13 percent compared to the 2005-2014 average, according to the report.

And when it comes to property crime, the most common type — larceny — is down 7 percent.

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