Crime Victimization Estimates from a Field Test of a Redesigned NCVS Instrument

• In Event: An Update on Efforts to Modernize the National Crime Victimization Survey Instruments

Abstract

This presentation will describe results from the large-scale national field test of the National Crime Victimization Survey Instrument Redesign. The redesign’s goals were to update the content of the survey and increase the efficiency of data collection. This analysis compares field test victimization estimates produced using the current NCVS instrument (Condition 1) and the redesigned instrument (Condition 2). The field test comprised approximately 2,800 Condition 1 and 4,000 Condition 2 interviews with a national sample of persons age 12 or older living in the contiguous United States. Victimization incidents were classified using procedures similar to those employed by the U.S. Census Bureau for the NCVS. Overall, Condition 2 victimization estimates were higher than those from Condition 1 data, and both sets were generally higher than estimates produced from a comparable NCVS data set. Reasons for these differences will also be discussed.

Authors

• Sherman Edwards, Westat

• David Cantor, Westat

• Pamela Giambo, Westat

• Jennifer Truman, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Heather Brotsos, Bureau of Justice Statistics