The measurement of family violence and rape by the redesigned national crime victimization survey

Because of the historical stigma attached to rape and family violence, estimating incidence rates of these victimizations is a difficult task. Research employing diverse methodologies and operational definitions, not surprisingly, has yielded different estimates. After a 10-year redesign project, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) has drastically changed the way it estimates the incidence of rape and family violence. This new survey methodology was implemented in 100 percent of the NCVS sample in July 1993; estimates based on the new survey will become available in fall 1994. The purpose of this paper is to delineate the evolution of this redesign project and to explicate how rape and domestic violence now are operationalized by the NCVS.