Measuring Drug-Related Crime: A Multi-Level Analysis of Interviewer Effects on Self-Reported Drug Use and Drug-Crime Attributions

• In Event: Comparative Analysis of Multi-Source Data

Abstract

The empirical study of the nexus between drug use and crime is methodologically fraught. Self-report studies are often criticised as relying too heavily on the reliability and honesty of respondents, while the more objective measures (such as urine testing) are often limited by higher rates of non-response. In this study, we examine self-report and urinalysis data from the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) Program. Using a multi-level modelling approach we examine interviewer level effects on non-response rates, self-reported drug use, and self-reported drug-crime attributions. The implications of these results, especially with respect to measurement and public policy use of drug-crime estimates, will be discussed.

Author

• Jason L. Payne, Australian National University