What is the National Crime Victimization

Survey ?

The National Crime Victimization Survey

(NCVS) is one of two Justice Department

measures of crime in the United States. A

pioneering effort when it was begun in 1972,

the survey was intended to complement what

is known about crime from the FBI's annual

compilation of information reported to law enforcement agencies. The survey which also

counts incidents not reported to the police,

provides a detailed picture of crime incidents,

victims and trends from the victim's perspective. Data are collected every year from a

sample of approximately 50,000 households 

more than 100,000 individuals age 12 or

over. 

Victimizations are categorized as personal or

property crimes. Personal crimes, including

attempts, involve incidents with direct contact

between the victim and offender. (Murder is

not measured by the NCVS because of the

inability to question the victim.) Property

crimes do not involve personal confrontation

and include such crimes as household burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft.

Why redesign ?

Criticism of the earlier survey's capacity to

gather information about certain crimes, including sexual assaults and domestic violence prompted numerous improvements.

Improved survey methodology improves

the ability of people being interviewed to recall events.

 Public attitudes toward victims have

changed, permitting more direct questioning

about sexual assaults. 

What is the redesign ?

The new methodology was systematically

field tested and introduced starting in 1989,

and its results are being published for the first

time this year. New questions were added to

accommodate heightened interest in certain

types of victimizations. Improvements in

technology and survey methods were incorporated in the redesign. The extended effort

to improve the survey is paying off, as the

numbers from the redesign will be available 

in October 1994. An advisory panel of criminal justice policymakers, social scientists, 

victim advocates, and statisticians oversaw

the work of a consortium of criminologists 

and social and survey scientists who conducted research on improved procedures. 

What are the results of the redesign ?

Victims are now reporting more types of

crime incidents to the survey's interviewers.

Previously undetected victimizations are being captured. For example, the survey

changes have substantially increased the

number of rapes and aggravated and simple

assaults reported to interviewers. For the

first time, other victimizations, such as nonrape sexual assault and unwanted or coerced

sexual contact that involves a threat or attempt to harm, are also being measured.

Why are survey participants reporting so

many more victimizations?

The survey now includes improved questions

and cues that aid victims in recalling victimizations. Survey interviewers now ask more

explicit questions about sexual victimizations.

Advocates have also encouraged victims to

Bureau of Justice Statistics Fact Sheet

National Crime Victimization Survey Redesign

October 18, 1995 311:42 AM
talk more openly about their experiences.

Together, these changes substantially improve reporting for many types of personal

and household crime. 

Can the new results be compared with

previous years' ?

Measuring annual change in crime victimization is one of the most important uses of

NCVS. The transition to the redesigned survey preserved the ability to detect annual

change. Both versions of the survey were

used simultaneously to collect data for

1992-93. The overlap also permits measuring the differences between the old and new

surveys to show whether the 1992-93 differences were due to changes in crime or

changes in the survey.

Why did the Justice Department pick this

time to release these findings?

Annual change estimates of crime victimizations are regularly published in the fall. For

the first time, data collected with the redesigned survey are available for two consecutive years. The transition to the redesigned

survey began in 1989, and this release has

been planned since that time.

What do the results of the redesign tell us

about the adequacy of information from

the original survey?

 Number of victimizations. The original

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

benefited from survey methods that were

state-of-the-art at the time it was developed.

The improvements in survey procedures 

for the redesigned NCVS have resulted in increased reporting of victimizations. Because

victims are reporting more victimization experiences, the redesigned survey is in fact producing a more comprehensive picture of the

overall volume of crime. 

 Characteristics of victimizations. The

standards the NCVS uses to define different

types of victimizations remain largely the

same in the redesigned survey. Details other

than what happened to the victim, such as

age, race, victim-offender relationship, and

location of the offense, are also comparable

with information provided by the original survey. Consequently, data collected about the

characteristics of crime incidents are equally

reliable, regardless of which questionnaire

was used to collect it. 

 Annual change estimates. Year-to-year

victimization comparisons have always been

calculated on data collected with like questionnaire and procedures. Comparisons for

1991-92 were calculated using the old questionnaire., and those for 1992-93 wre prepared with information from the new

questionnaire. Consequently, any published

findings of differences across years should 

be considered reliable.

For more information about the NCVS

redesign, contact Jay Hoover, Bureau

of Justice Statistics, 202-307-1132.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the Department of Justice collects and analyzes statistics from

all aspects of the criminal justice system. The NCVS

data are collected and processed by the Bureau of

Census. In addition to the National Crime Victimization Survey, BJS collects and disseminates information regarding corrections, law enforcement,

prosecution, drugs, and justice expenditure and employment. For more information call the BJS Clearinghouse at 1-800-732-3277.

October 18, 1995 3:10 PM