Sponsor

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs.

Mode of Administration

Interview: With the exception of the first and the fifth of a total of seven interviews, all interviews are done by phone using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The first and fifth interviews are personal interviews using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI).

Survey Sample Design

The NCVS uses a stratified, multistage cluster sample. Primary sampling units (PSUs) consist of counties, groups of counties, or large metropolitan areas. The 1994 survey sample households were drawn from the 1980-based sample design. Data are collected every year from a sample of approximately 50,000 households that includes about 100,000 people aged 12 years and older. PSUs remain in the sample for a total of 3 years. A total of seven interviews are conducted at 6-month intervals during the 3-year process.

Response Rates

Response rates have consistently remained around 95 percent (96 percent of eligible housing units and 92 percent of individuals in interviewed households).

Primary Survey Content

The NCVS counts incidents not reported to police and is one of two U.S. Department of Justice measures of crime in the United States. The survey contains a screening section with detailed questions and cues on victimizations and situations within which crimes may take place. Interviewers follow up positive responses and collect details about victimizations in incident reports.

Population Targeted

Noninstitutionalized population aged 12 years and older residing in the United States.

Demographic Data

Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and income. Property crimes include data on age, race, ethnicity, and household size.

Years Collected

1974 to present.

Schedule

Annual.

Geographic Estimates

National.

Contact Information

Data system homepage:
http://www.oip.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict.htm

Data system phone: 202-616-3494

Agency homepage:

http://www.oip.usdoj.gov/bjs/

Agency phone: 202-307-0770

References

Kinderman, C.; Lynch, J.; and Cantor, D. Effects of the Redesign on Victimization Estimates. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997.

Hubble, D. The National Crime Victimization Survey Redesign: New Questionnaire and Procedures Development and Phase-In Methodology. Orlando, FL: Annual meetings of the American Statistical Association, 1995.

Persley, C. The National Crime Victimization Survey Redesign: Measuring the Impact of New Methods. Orlando, FL: Annual meetings of the American Statistical Association, 1995.

Biderman, A.D.; Cantor, D.; Lynch, J.P.; et al. Final Report of Research and Development for the Redesign of the National Crime Victimization Survey. Washington, DC: Bureau of Social Sciences Research, Inc., 1986.

Hubble, D. The National Crime Survey’s New Questionnaire Phase-in: Preliminary Results. Tucson, AZ: International Conference on Measurement Errors in Surveys, 1990.

Hubble, D., and Wilder, B.E. Preliminary Results from the National Crime Survey CATI Experience. New Orleans, LA: Proceedings of the American Statistical Association: Survey Methods Section, 1988.