Most residents feel Vancouver’s downtown core is in decline with violent crime on the rise: survey

A survey of Metro Vancouver residents has found almost three quarters think crime is worse in Vancouver’s downtown core since the COVID-19 pandemic, while more than half feel the area is in decline.

According to a survey of 650 adults in Metro Vancouver taken between April 7 and 12 — less than a month after Paul Stanley Schmidt was stabbed to death in front of his family at the Starbucks on West Pender and Granville Streets — the consensus is that things are getting worse in downtown Vancouver.

A total of 71 per cent believed the current level of crime and violence in downtown Vancouver was worse than before the pandemic, with 40 per cent thinking it was much worse and 32 per cent a little worse. Just three per cent of respondents thought crime had improved.

Almost 80 per cent of respondents were concerned about the state of the downtown core — split between those very concerned and slightly concerned. Three per cent were not concerned at all.