DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36787.v1
title: National Youth Gang Survey, [United States], 2002-2012
title: Version 1

description: These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. The National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) 2002-2012 is a continuation of data collected annually from a representative sample of all law enforcement agencies in the United States that began in 1996. In 2002, the NYGS resampled law enforcement agencies based on updated data from the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the NYGS continued to collect law enforcement data through 2012. This longitudinal study allows for examination of the trends in scope and magnitude of youth gangs nationally by measuring the presence, characteristics, and behaviors of local gangs in jurisdictions throughout the United States. This collection includes 1 SPSS data file with 2,388 cases and 606 variables.
description: The purpose of the study was to systematically gather information on gangs from a large and diverse set of police and sheriffs' agencies at the national and regional levels to track the span and seriousness of youth gang activity nationwide.
description: This collection of the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) was conducted each year between 2002 and 2012 after the sample was updated from the 1996-2001 collection. Each annual survey included three categories of questions: (1) core questions that were asked each year; (2) recurrent questions that were asked on a regular basis, though not annually; and (3) topics of special interest. The total number of questions in each annual survey varied, mainly in accordance with the number of questions in the latter category.
description: This study contains one SPSS dataset that includes 606 variables and 2,388 cases. Variables addressed the key features of the magnitude of the gang problems: whether or not gang activity was observed in the past year (gang presence), number of gangs, number of gang members, a single measure of severity (gang homicide), and the respondent's assessment of whether the jurisdiction's gang problem is better, worse, or staying the same compared with the prior year. Each year also included measures of which year gangs began to pose a problem in the jurisdiction, as well as demographic information such as percent of gang members of certain age ranges, ethnicities, and gender. Measures also included how gangs/members were identified, number of and change in gang-related crimes, number and type of resources devoted to gang matters, the effect of gang members returning from confinement, whether and how agency is notified of gang members returning from confinement, and the availability of programs to help returning gang members from confinement. Variables also address the effect of gang migration on the jurisdiction, the influence of factors such as drugs and intergang conflict on gang-related violence, the presence and effect of gang member immigrants, how intelligence is maintained on gangs/members, and anti-gang measures enacted and their effectiveness. Data also included where gang related violence occurs, gang contact with terrorist groups, activities of international gangs, and whether information about gangs was derived from estimates or official records.
description: None.
description: Response Rates: From 2002 through 2012 the average annual response rate was 82.3 percent.
description: Presence of Common Scales: None.
description: The sample of 2,388 law enforcement jurisdictions was selected in 2002. It included all police departments serving cities above 50,000 in population in the United States (n=619); all suburban county sheriffs' and police departments (n=737); a representative sample, selected at random, of rural county sheriffs' departments (n=492); and a representative sample, also selected at random, of police departments serving cities with populations between 2,500 and 49,999 (n=540).
description: Datasets: DS1: National Youth Gang Survey, [United States], 2002-2012
description: Law enforcement jurisdictions in the United States with populations of at least 2,500 that have local police or sheriff's departments. Smallest Geographic Unit: None.
description: mail questionnaire; web-based surveyThese data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.See also: National Youth Gang Survey 1996-2001 (ICPSR 36786).