National Survey of Crime and Safety (NSCS)

Overview

The National Survey of Crime and Safety (NSCS) is a household survey about community safety, police, and experiences with victimization and crime. It is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and is being conducted by Westat.

Purpose

• The NSCS will be used to develop and evaluate new survey content and data collection approaches for the National Crime Victimization Survey, which has been conducted continuously since 1972.
• It will help BJS, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies better understand community experiences and victimization.

The Survey

• This survey is being conducted in randomly sampled households across the United States.
• The survey includes two parts: the first asks for basic characteristics about everyone living in the household age 12 and older; the second part asks each eligible household member about his or her perceptions of community safety or their local police and to describe any experiences with victimization and crime in the past year. Even if you have not experienced any victimization or crime, we still want to hear from you.
• Both parts of the survey should take between 20 and 40 minutes to complete.
• If your household was selected to participate in the survey, go to www.NSCS2022.org and enter your access code from your invitation letter.
• You can learn more about your role in this important research by reading our Frequently Asked Questions.

Background

• BJS is the primary statistical agency of the Department of Justice. It collects, analyzes, and publishes information on crime, criminal offenders, crime victims, and criminal justice operations.
• Westat is a national social science research organization based in Rockville, Maryland.
• If you have questions about the NSCS, you can call Westat at 1-855-917-0263 or email them at [email protected].
• For more information about the National Crime Victimization Survey, please see our NCVS page.

Crime and safety affect all Americans.

Thank you for your cooperation with this important survey.