Local Level Victimization Survey, Detroit, Michigan, 2015-2016 (ICPSR 39078)

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Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

The goal of the Local Level Victimization Survey (LLVS) is to gain an understanding of the experiences and perspectives of local residents regarding crime and justice. To this end, the Michigan Justice Statistics Center located in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University was awarded a grant by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to conduct a survey in Detroit, Michigan.

Beyond examining patterns of victimization in Detroit, the study also set out to determine whether or not residents could be persuaded to use a web-based survey over paper and telephone options. To that end, the study sought to test if financial incentives similar to LLVS Saginaw can motivate individuals to use a web-based survey.

The Michigan Justice Statistics Center conducted similar surveys in Saginaw, Michigan and Battle Creek, Michigan. These cities were chosen for several reasons. First, the research was conducted in cities that have experienced economic decline, loss of police resources, and high rates of violent crime. Second, two of the three cities, Detroit and Saginaw, along with Flint, Michigan, represented three of the original State of Michigan's "Secure Cities". Secure Cities was a partnership between the Governor's Office, Michigan State Police, and localities to address safety in cities with high levels of crime. The surveys were intended to help inform the State's crime reduction strategies. Third, Battle Creek was a non-Secure Cities location chosen to see if there were systematic differences in response rates and patterns in a city with less crime compared to Detroit and Saginaw.

Study Design View help for Study Design

The surveys administered were a modified version of the American Crime Survey Incident Level Questionnaire. The decision to use this survey was suggested by BJS as an efficient way to gather data, since it could be compared with other locations who used the instrument. The survey was modified to include measures of procedural justice, police-community relations, and fear and perceived risk of victimization. The survey was administered to estimate household and individual victimization rates. Household victimization patterns were based on Detroit's 12 police precincts. Individual victimization rates were measured across sex and different racial/ethnic groups.

Sample View help for Sample

The Detroit survey used an address-based sample to select residential addresses in that city for which to try to gather data. A total of 844 Detroit households had data gathered on them. One adult per household served as the respondent their household. They were asked to report data about themselves, as well as up to four other adults in their household. In total, victimization data was gathered for 1,487 adults living in Detroit, for an average of 1.76 adults per household.

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Universe View help for Universe

Adults living in Detroit, Michigan during 2015 and 2016.

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Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

The Person-Level Dataset includes variables capturing precinct, mode of data collection, household makeup, and individual demographics including race, age, sex, and income. Modules documenting multiple violent crime incidents are included as well. Numerous weight variables relating to homeownership, age, race, area, education, and income were calculated by the PI. Demographic variables for residency, age, gender, race, and education are included.

The Household Dataset includes variables capturing the mode of data collection. Measures of community satisfaction, perceived risk, procedural justice, fear of victimization, police legitimacy, collective efficacy, and experiences of fear are captured. Modules documenting multiple violent crime and property crime incidents are included as well. Numerous weight variables relating to homeownership, age, race, area, education, and income were calculated by the PI. Demographic variables for residency, age, gender, race, and education are included.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

A total of 5,099 surveys were distributed, with 844 completed, for a response rate of 16.55%.

Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

American Crime Survey Incident Level Questionnaire

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Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2025-09-30

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Weight View help for Weight

The researchers agreed to utilize the weighting strategy from LLVS Saginaw. The goal of weighting the dataset was to attempt to correct for aspects of the survey design that could have biased the unweighted data. The person-level and household datasets contain person-level and household weights respectively. Population parameters for Detroit were obtained using the American Community Survey (ACS) gathered by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Three characteristics were used to obtain household weighting: geographic area based on the number of adults in each of Detroit's 12 police precincts, household occupancy status related to owner versus renter occupied, and household income data showing the number of households falling into 16 annual income categories between less than $10,000 and $200,000 or more. Person-level weighting was based on ACS population parameters for five characteristics: race, education, age, sex, and Hispanic. For additional information on the weighting strategy, please refer to the Detroit Survey Weighting Report included in this release.

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