In session 1 of the UMD NCVS Research Forum, researchers with expertise related to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and invited to participate in a moderated discussion on topics relevant to the NCVS. Topics include how the NCVS can be used to illuminate the problems of crime and victimization, ways to use the survey, and advice to scholars interested in using the NVS for their research.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the nation's primary source of information on criminal victimization. Each year, data are obtained from a nationally representative sample of about 150,000 household interviews, composed of nearly 240,000 interviews of persons within those households, on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization in the United States. The NCVS is a rich source of data on the nature of and victim response to crimes reported and not reported to police. The data files include about 1,000 variables on the characteristics of victims and incidents of violent crime (defined as rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) and property crime (which includes burglary/trespassing, motor vehicle theft, and other theft).