d. crime
Crime was an especially disturbing symptom and symbol of the nation's economic distress, and industrial cities became particularly dangerous places. Responding to a Justice Department survey, 37 million Americans (representing one-quarter of the nation's households) reported having been victims of robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, or car theft and worse in 1973. By mid-decade, the residents of U.S. cities ranked crime as a much bigger concern than either inflation or unemployment, and the fear of crime prompted many Americans to arm themselves. Between 1964 and 1981, membership in the National Rifle Association climbed more than 300 percent.