True crime is a ubiquitous genre — including hit docuseries such as Tiger King and Don’t F*** with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, acclaimed dramas such as When They See Us and Unbelievable, and popular podcasts such as Serial and Dr. Death. Americans’ obsession with the genre is not new — true crime literature has existed since the 1600s, but the form has shifted from pamphlets and books to magazines and now to digital media.
A new YouGov poll finds that 57% of Americans say they consume true-crime content. Popularity is high in just about all demographic groups, with only small differences: More women (61%) than men (61% vs. 52%) and adults under 65 than older adults (61% vs. 42%) consume true crime.
Along with the popularity of true crime as an art and entertainment genre, it is seen by many Americans as having the potential to change how people understand crime and the criminal-justice system. 63% of Americans say that true-crime entertainment makes people more vigilant and safety-conscious. At least half of Americans agree that true crime improves understanding of the criminal justice system (54%), increases empathy with victims of crime (51%), and helps to solve cases that wouldn’t have been solved otherwise (50%). Far less than half of Americans disagree with each of the above statements. About half of Americans (49%) do not agree that true-crime content makes people more likely to commit or get away with crimes; only 23% agree.
Americans are divided on whether consuming true-crime content will make Americans more likely to trust the police: 15% of Americans say it will while 17% say it will make them less likely.
Some positive opinions of true crime appear to have decreased since 2022, when YouGov conducted a poll about true crime that included some of the same questions. Fewer Americans today than in 2022 agree that true crime increases empathy with crime victims (a decrease of 10 percentage points), improves the understanding of the criminal justice system (-9), and helps to solve crimes that wouldn’t have been solved otherwise (-8).
True crime has faced controversy recently over the use of AI images, such as with the docuseries What Jennifer Did. 41% of Americans believe that the use of AI images or videos is only acceptable if its use is clearly indicated. Only 10% say that the use of AI in true-crime content is always acceptable; 28% say AI is never acceptable to use.
About half of Americans (52%) prefer that true-crime TV and film rely solely on interviews, archival footage, and direct evidence. Slightly more women (56%) than men (48%) prefer true-crime with only direct evidence. However, about one-third (34%) of Americans prefer to consume true-crime content that includes dramatized scenes in which actors recreate events.
A majority of Americans say dramatic re-enactments of events in true-crime documentaries is only acceptable if its use is clearly indicated to the viewer (57%). 15% say it is always acceptable, while 11% say it never is.
Dahmer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was criticized by the mother of a Dahmer victim for not getting her consent. Majorities of Americans say that, in order to make true-crime content about an event, creators should get consent from the victim (63%) and their family (64%). One-quarter of Americans say that creators of true-crime content need to get consent from the alleged perpetrator.
Shows highlighting forensic science have been hits within the genre, even as some of the techniques they highlight have since been shown to be junk science. 45% of Americans think that the forensic science presented in true-crime content is always or usually reliable. Another 30% think it is only sometimes reliable. Less than 10% of Americans (8%) say it is never or rarely reliable.
Longstanding debates over the ethics of the genre continue today, over questions such as whether the genre sensationalizes trauma. Americans are split as to whether the genre is ethical. More Americans say it is ethical (50%) to consume true-crime content than say it is unethical (16%). Fewer Americans say it is ethical to create true-crime content (38%) than say it is ethical to consume it (50%).
While true crime got its start in books, only 14% of Americans continue to consume the genre that medium. 41% of Americans watch true crime on TV. The share of Americans who are true-crime TV viewers has decreased by 10 points since 2022. Additionally, a smaller percentage of Americans consume true-crime via film (-18) than in 2022. More Americans also report that they don’t consume true-crime content at all now (43%) than in 2022 (29%). However, slightly more Americans consume true-crime content via online articles and forums (+2) and online videos (+4) now than two years ago.
Many Americans who consume true-crime content don’t stick to only one format of media: 41% of Americans who watch true-crime TV also watch true-crime films. About half of podcast listeners (48%) also consume true-crime content through social media.
While the genre can be dark and disturbing, 29% of Americans get their true-crime fix most frequently in the evening. 32% of Americans sometimes consume true-crime content right before bed. Adults older than 30 are more likely to watch true-crime content in the evening than younger adults are (30% vs. 23%). In addition, slightly more students (30%) and employed Americans (34%) watch true-crime content at night than unemployed Americans (23%) do.
The most popular true-crime subject among Americans is murder (48%) — as was the case in 2022. More women than men have consumed content on each true-crime topic asked about except for financial crime (29% of men have while 30% of women have). The least popular subject — though still the subject of true-crime content consumed by 23% of Americans — is digital crime.
Why do so many Americans consume true-crime content? More than one-third of Americans say it’s due to their interest in mysteries (37%). A majority of Americans (54%) say that being interested in mysteries is why many people consume true-crime content.
In response to open-ended questions, some respondents who consume true-crime content said that their interest in sociology or the criminal justice system led to their interest in the genre. One consumer said, “It’s just fascinating to look directly at the dark side of humanity from a safe distance.” Other true-crime consumers find it to be a healing experience; one said that they watch in order “to see others get justice for themselves when [they] didn’t get it for a similar situation.” One respondent said that his “female friends have told me they watch it to figure out how they would react if they were the victim in this situation as a way to feel safer while interacting with others.”
In contrast, some Americans who don’t consume true-crime think that some who do are trying to learn to be criminals or enjoying others’ pain, according to responses to an open-ended question.
Related:
- Half of Americans enjoy true crime, and more agree it helps solve cold cases
- These are the most notorious serial killers in America
- Guilty or not guilty: How Americans judge two dozen famous criminal defendants
See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: The poll was conducted online among 1,091 U.S. adult citizens from June 10 - 13, 2024. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty (Roy Rochlin / Stringer)
