The national crime victimization survey: 34 years of measuring crime in the United States

Abstract

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the primary source of information on the frequency, charac- teristics, and consequences of criminal victimization in the United States. The NCVS was initiated in 1972 because official sources of crime statistics were deemed inadequate to measure the extent and nature of the Nation's crime problem as it existed at the time. Since its inception, the survey has undergone almost constant change, including an extensive redesign implemented in 1992. This paper reviews the history and methodology of the NCVS, and discusses the changes made to the survey and their impact upon survey estimates.