DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36841.v1
title: National Crime Victimization Survey: Supplemental Victimization Survey, [United States], 2016
title: Version 1

description: The Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS) data measure the prevalence of nonfatal stalking victimization among persons age 16 or older, the characteristics of stalking victims, and patterns of reporting to the police and other authorities so that policymakers, academic researchers, practitioners at the federal, state and local levels, and advocates can make informed decisions concerning policies and programs. The SVS also collects important characteristics of stalking such as the physical and emotional impact on victims, offender information, measures of self-protective actions, and the criminal justice system response. The SVS asks questions related to victims' experiences of unwanted contacts or behaviors during the previous 12 months. These responses are linked to the NCVS survey instrument responses for a more complete understanding of the stalking victim's circumstances. The 2016 SVS was the second administration of this NCVS supplement. The first SVS administration was in 2006. The 2016 SVS data are not comparable to the 2006 SVS data as the survey instrument underwent a redesign.
description: The Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS) was designed to measure the prevalence, characteristics, and consequences of nonfatal stalking so that policymakers, academic researchers, practitioners at the Federal, state and local levels, and advocates could make informed decisions concerning policies and programs.
description: The data contain weights to produce national estimates.
description: Eligible respondents for the SVS include all civilian, non-institutionalized persons in the U.S. age 16 years or older who successfully completed their NCVS interview by self-response. NCVS proxy interviews were considered a response for NCVS but were not eligible for SVS. Each month the U.S. Census Bureau selects respondents for the NCVS using a "rotating panel" design. Households are randomly selected and all age-eligible individuals become part of the panel. The sample of households is divided into groups or rotations. Once in the sample, respondents are interviewed every six months for a total of seven interviews over a three-year period. The first interview is considered the incoming rotation. The second through the seventh interview are in the continuing rotations. The first interview is face-to-face; the rest are by telephone unless the circumstances call for an in-person interview. After the seventh interview the household leaves the panel and a new household is rotated into the sample. The rotation scheme is used to reduce respondent burden that may result if they were to remain permanently in the sample. The SVS was administered at all NCVS households interviewed from July through December 2016.
description: Datasets: DS1: National Crime Victimization Survey: Supplemental Victimization Survey, [United States], 2016
description: From July to December 2016, household members age 16 or older were administered the SVS interview after completing an NCVS interview. Data collection includes a screener and incident survey. Eligible persons in the household were administered a set of screening questions, and any persons who met the criteria for stalking were administered the entire SVS. The screener questions collect the following information: (1) types of unwanted contacts or behaviors experienced; (2) repeated course of conduct (i.e. experiencing the same behavior or contact more than once, or experiencing two or more different behaviors one time); (3) actual fear; (4) substantial emotional distress; and (5) reasonable fear. When a respondent reports an eligible stalking victimization, the SVS incident instrument is then administered to collect detailed information about this victimization to learn more about the nature and consequences of the victimization. See the SVS survey instrument for more information on how respondents screen in as a stalking victim. Smallest Geographic Unit: region
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)The 2016 National Crime Victimization Survey data were revised, but this revision only applied to the first half of 2016 (January to June 2016). The data for the second half of 2016 (July to December 2016) were not revised. Therefore, these revisions did not have an impact on the 2016 SVS data. Please see the 2016 revised NCVS codebook for more information about the revised data file (ICPSR 37296).