National Crime Victimization Survey Instrument Redesign Field Test - Condition 2, [United States], 2019-2020 (ICPSR 39165)
Version Date: Jul 30, 2026 View help for published
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United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics;
Westat
Series:
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39165.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
The Bureau of Justice Statistics initiated a multiyear effort to improve the efficiency, reliability, and utility of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The effort had three main goals: modernize the organization and content of the NCVS instrument, increase the quality of information collected and efficiency of the instrument flow, and improve the measurement and classification of crime. To that end, BJS is redesigning the entire survey instrument, which includes a household roster, a victimization screener, and a detailed crime incident report (CIR). Each of these instrument components were examined in the NCVS Instrument Redesign Field Test. This large-scale national field test was conducted from October 2019 to March 2020 to compare the performance of the current NCVS instrument and procedures (Condition 1) against the redesigned instrument (Condition 2). For more details on this effort, see the NCVS Instrument Redesign webpage.
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This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited.
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) completed a multiyear effort to improve the efficiency, reliability, and utility of the NCVS. This effort included redesigning the entire survey instrument. The new instrument was examined and tested in the NCVS Instrument Redesign Field Test. The four studies included in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Instrument Redesign Series are from this large-scale national field test and are designed to support research and development efforts. These data will not be used to produce official BJS statistics. For additional information on the NCVS Instrument Redesign and BJS-funded reports analyzing these data, please visit the NCVS Instrument Redesign website.
Sample View help for Sample
The potential universe for the NCVS Instrument Redesign Field Test was all persons age 12 or older living in households in the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia. Persons living in Alaska and Hawaii and those living in group quarters were excluded from the universe for operational efficiency and cost. The Field Test employed a stratified three-stage sample design: (1) selection of primary sampling units (PSUs), individual counties or groups of counties; (2) selection of secondary sampling units (SSUs), census tracts or groups of census tracts within sampled PSUs; and (3) selection of households within sampled SSUs.
The probabilities of selection at each stage were designed to yield an approximately equal probability sample of households, while attaining the target sample sizes for the experimental treatments and yielding approximately uniform sample sizes across PSUs (with the exception of PSUs selected with certainty). These objectives were achieved by sampling with probabilities proportionate to size (PPS) at the first (PSU) and second (SSU) stages, and then sampling with equal probabilities (within SSUs) at the final (household) stage. As with the NCVS, there was no sampling within households; all household members age 12 or older were selected with certainty. This approach resulted in all sampled individuals having approximately the same probability of selection. For additional details, see NCVS Instrument Redesign Field Test Methodology (NCJ 306155, BJS, June 2023, https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/bjs/grants/306155.pdf).
The Condition 2 sample was further allocated to support two versions of the redesigned instrument that differed on where follow-up probes were included when a respondent reported an incident. Half the sample received the interleaved (IL) version (included follow-up probes within the crime screener) and half received the non-interleaved (NIL) version (included follow-up probes at the beginning of the CIR).
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Universe View help for Universe
The target population is individuals age 12 years of age or older living in households within the contiguous United States.
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Response Rates View help for Response Rates
The final weighted response rate for the NCVS Instrument Redesign Field Test - Condition 2 was 24.3%. The final response rate has several components, including completion of the roster, a household respondent interview, interviews with other adult household members, parental permission to interview youth ages 12-17, and interviews with those youth. The data include 3,058 household interviews. Overall, 37.5% of eligible households completed an interview. Within participating household, 4,145 eligible persons completed an interview, representing a 68% response rate among eligible persons. For additional details on response rates and how they were calculated, see National Crime Victimization Survey Redesign Field Test Topline Report: Comparing Condition 1 and Condition 2 by Interleaving Treatment (NCJ 303980, BJS, March 2022, https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/bjs/grants/303980.pdf).
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Household, person, and victimization data from the NCVS Instrument Redesign Field Test sample were used to provide annual estimates of victimizations experienced by the U.S. population age 12 or older.
Please see the study documentation for further weighting details.
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