That particular question has shifted, sure. But in the early 90s, wasn't crime at historic highs in the country? In any case, it has shifted to the point that only twice as many people believe that we should be tougher on crime rather than more lenient. But look at the chart for the question "Is there more crime in the U.S. than there was a year ago, or less?" It shows that "More" dominates "Less" at around 65% - 20%, and has done so since the turn of the millenium. The majority still believe that crime gets worse, year on year.