"Measurement Problems in Official and Survey Crime Rates," Journal of Criminal
Justice, 3, (Spring, 1975), 17-31.
This paper analyzes sources of error in the two major methods we use to measure crime in America–official
police statistics and victimization surveys. The two produce quite different pictures of the volume and
distribution of crime, but it is not clear that his is because victim-based statistics are "accurate." Each
measurement procedure has its characteristic errors, some of which it shares with the other. Comparisons
of official and survey data on crime are helpful in revealing the dimensions of these error terms, and they
point out the analyses which must be conducted if we are to specify their exact proportions.
Justice, 3, (Spring, 1975), 17-31.
This paper analyzes sources of error in the two major methods we use to measure crime in America–official
police statistics and victimization surveys. The two produce quite different pictures of the volume and
distribution of crime, but it is not clear that his is because victim-based statistics are "accurate." Each
measurement procedure has its characteristic errors, some of which it shares with the other. Comparisons
of official and survey data on crime are helpful in revealing the dimensions of these error terms, and they
point out the analyses which must be conducted if we are to specify their exact proportions.
Issues in the Measurement of Victimization. Washington, DC: US Government
Printing Office, 1981.
This volume summarizes 15 years of research on methodological issues in the measurement of criminal
victimization by means of population surveys. The report reviews some features of crime which affect our
ability to measure it accurately, including the relative infrequency of serious victimization, the skewed
distribution of victimization in the population, and the furtive character of crime. The third chapter addresses
issues related to the operationalization of victimization in survey questionnaires. It examines the events
orientation of victimization surveys, the assumption that crimes always are discrete incidents rather than
continuous social processes, and the utility of measures of criminal activity abstracted from their social
context. The fourth chapter reviews specific measurement problems: limited distribution of knowledge of
incidents, forgetting or inaccurate recall of events, and differential productivity of survey respondents. The
next chapter reviews three procedural issues which affect estimates of victimization rates: problems of panel
bias and attrition, differences between telephone and in-person interviews, and interviewer effects. The final
chapter summarizes the current state of art in this area and discusses possible future developments in
victimization survey methodology.
Printing Office, 1981.
This volume summarizes 15 years of research on methodological issues in the measurement of criminal
victimization by means of population surveys. The report reviews some features of crime which affect our
ability to measure it accurately, including the relative infrequency of serious victimization, the skewed
distribution of victimization in the population, and the furtive character of crime. The third chapter addresses
issues related to the operationalization of victimization in survey questionnaires. It examines the events
orientation of victimization surveys, the assumption that crimes always are discrete incidents rather than
continuous social processes, and the utility of measures of criminal activity abstracted from their social
context. The fourth chapter reviews specific measurement problems: limited distribution of knowledge of
incidents, forgetting or inaccurate recall of events, and differential productivity of survey respondents. The
next chapter reviews three procedural issues which affect estimates of victimization rates: problems of panel
bias and attrition, differences between telephone and in-person interviews, and interviewer effects. The final
chapter summarizes the current state of art in this area and discusses possible future developments in
victimization survey methodology.
"Methodological Issues in the Study of Victimization," in Ezzat Fattah (ed.) From
Crime Policy to Victim Policy. London: Macmillan, 1986, 80-116.
Most of what we know about measurement problems in victimization surveys comes from three kinds of
research. The first methodological research technique is analytic; it involves carefully examining the results
of a victimization survey to infer the impact of various methodological features on the study on the data. The
second technique is experimental; it involves varying specific survey methods across parallel samples and
then comparing the resulting estimates of victimization rate or other aspects of the data. The third method is
criterion validation; it depends on the existence of some alternative record of a crime which we can assume
is accurate and we can compare to the results of an interview with the victim. Each of these techniques has
made an important contribution to our understanding of the nature of error in measures of victimization.
Crime Policy to Victim Policy. London: Macmillan, 1986, 80-116.
Most of what we know about measurement problems in victimization surveys comes from three kinds of
research. The first methodological research technique is analytic; it involves carefully examining the results
of a victimization survey to infer the impact of various methodological features on the study on the data. The
second technique is experimental; it involves varying specific survey methods across parallel samples and
then comparing the resulting estimates of victimization rate or other aspects of the data. The third method is
criterion validation; it depends on the existence of some alternative record of a crime which we can assume
is accurate and we can compare to the results of an interview with the victim. Each of these techniques has
made an important contribution to our understanding of the nature of error in measures of victimization.
Measurement Abstracts
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