Victimization Surveys

NCVS attempts to measure “dark figure” of crime. A national representation of sample household is used to collect data, individuals or households are units of analysis, and businesses are not counted only households (Chapter 6: Measuring Crime, n.d.). “Rapes and sexual assaults are ascertained through three questions in the NCVS-1 Basic Screen Questionnaire” (Victimization Surveys, 1998). Question 41a which asks, “ other than any incident already mentioned, has anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these ways (Exclude telephone threats); Any rape, attempted rape or other type of sexual attack" (Victimization Surveys, 1998). The next question 42a asks, “People often don’t think of incidents committed by someone they know (Other than any

(Other than any incidents already mentioned,) have you been forced or coerced to engage in unwanted sexual activity by; someone you didn’t know before, a casual acquaintance OR Someone you know well" (Victimization Surveys, 1998). “Followed by question 43b, Did any incidents of this type happen to you and question 43c, how many times” (Victimization Surveys, 1998). In the NCVS-2 Crime Incident Report, Question 29 asks, "How were you attacked, any other way” (Victimization Surveys, 1998). “Possible responses to question 29 include raped, tried to rape, and sexual assault other than rape or attempted rape” (Victimization Surveys, 1998). “Question 31 asks, what were the injuries you suffered, if any anything else" (Victimization Surveys, 1998). “Possible responses to question 31 include raped, attempted rape and sexual assault other than rape or attempted rape” (Victimization Surveys,

“Similarly, if the response to question 29 is tried to rape, or the response to question 31 is attempted rape and the response to question 29 is not tried to rape, the field representative is instructed to ask, Do you mean attempted forced or coerced sexual intercourse, If no is the response to either of the two preceding questions, they are to ask, What do you mean" (Victimization Surveys, 1998). “The BJS uses rigorous statistical methods to calculate confidence intervals around all survey estimates. The BJS describes trend data in the NCVS reports as genuine only if there is at least a 90-percent certainty that the measured changes are not the result of sampling variation” (Appendix IV – The Nation's Two Crime Measures, 2004). NCVS is based on victim’s recollection of the incident, and this can cause error as respondents may not remember exactly what occurred (Chapter 6: Measuring Crime, n.d.). NCVS also underestimates incidents where victims know their offenders (Chapter 6: Measuring Crime,