U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director revised 2/7/00 th Crimes against Persons Age 65 or Older, 1992-97 by Patsy A. Klaus BJS Statistician This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.wk1) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cpa6597.htm This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#cpa January 1999, NCJ 176352 Contents Highlights Measuring crime against persons age 65 or older Prevalence of crime, 1992-97 Declining rates of crime for persons age 65 or older, 1973-97 Comparing rates of nonlethal violence Comparing rates of property crime Victims of murder, 1992-97 Victims of nonlethal violence, 1992-97 Victims of property crime, 1992-97 Victimization by those whom the victim knew well Weapons used against victims, 1992-97 Injury from violence, 1992-97 Characteristics of violent victimizations, 1992-97 Purse snatching and pocket picking (personal theft), 1992-97 Property crimes, 1992-97 Reporting crime to the police National Crime Victimization Survey methodology Appendix tables The International Year of Older Persons The General Assembly of the United Nations observed the year 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons "in recognition of humanity's demographic coming of age and the promise it holds for maturing attitudes and capabilities in social, economic, cultural and spiritual undertakings...."(Resolution 47/5) The year's theme was "Towards a Society for All Ages." "A society for all ages is one that does not caricature older persons as patients and pensioners. Instead, it sees them as both agents and beneficiaries of development." -- Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, October 1, 1998 The Bureau of Justice Statistics presents this comprehensive report about criminal victimization of persons age 65 or older in the context of a society with appropriate concerns for all age groups. Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director Highlights The elderly, persons age 65 or older, experienced less violence and fewer property crimes than younger persons Figure: On average, 1992-97, for every 1,000 persons at their age level, persons age 65 or older experienced about 5 violent crimes and those younger than age 25 experienced over 100 Between 1992 and 1997 the average population of persons age 65 or older was 31.3 million. These elderly were victims of 2.7 million property and violent crimes, either completed or attempted-- 2.5 million property crimes -- (household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and household theft) -- 46,000 purse snatchings or pocket pickings -- 165,000 nonlethal violent crimes (rape, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault) -- 1,000 murders (These annual averages describe data aggregated across the 6 years, providing a large enough number of cases for more detailed analyses. See Methodology for further explanation.) When compared with other age groups, the elderly were disproportionately affected by property crimes. More than 9 in 10 crimes against the elderly were property crimes, compared to fewer than 4 in 10 crimes against persons age 12 to 24. The elderly made up 15% of the population age 12 or older, but accounted for 7% of measured crimes. Robbery accounted for a quarter of the violent crimes against persons age 65 or older, but less than an eighth of the violent crimes experienced by those age 12-64. In general, compared with crime incidents involving other age groups, most crimes against the elderly were more likely to occur in or near their homes, and to occur in daylight hours. Differences in lifestyle may account in part for when and where crimes against the elderly occurred. For example, victims of nonlethal violence who said that they never went out at night for entertainment, work, shopping or other similar activities included -- -- 22% of victims age 65 or older -- About 3% of victims in age groups under 50. Elderly victims of nonlethal violence were less likely than younger victims to go out at night. Compared with violent crime victims in other age groups, elderly victims of nonlethal violence were less likely to use self-protective measures, such as arguing with the offender, running away, calling for help, or attacking the offender. Percent of victims of nonlethal violence Age of victim resisting the offender All ages 71% 12-24 71 25-49 73 50-64 69 65 or older 49 More than 1 in 5 elderly victims of nonlethal violence sustained injuries. For some crimes, such as overall violence, the elderly were more likely to report crimes to police than victims in other age groups. In all age groups, however, many crimes were not reported. Figure. On average from 1992 to 1997, the rate of property crime for persons age 65 or older was less than a fourth that of the young (117 crimes per 1,000 elderly households and 480 crimes per 1,000 households of the young) Measuring crime against persons age 65 or older "The elderly," a synonym for persons age 65 or older, comprise over 1 in 8 U.S. residents In 1997 persons age 65 or older made up 12.7% of the United States population. In 1995 about 4% of persons age 65 or older, or 1.4 million, resided in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. Persons age 65 or older made up 89% of all persons in nursing homes in 1995. Although this age group is disproportionately represented in the population of this type of institution, other age groups are disproportionately represented in other types, such as prisons. Households form basis for National Crime Victimization Survey The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) does not interview members of any type of institutionalized population. Crimes occurring in these settings are missed. In particular, violence, abuse, neglect, theft, or other victimization of older persons in nursing homes are not measured through this survey. Crimes measured by the NCVS include rape and sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, purse snatching and pocket picking, household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft from the home or car. The NCVS does not measure kidnaping, crimes against businesses, fraud (including telemarketing scams), and other economic or "white collar" crimes. Box. Household head The NCVS relies on one person in a household to report the household crimes of burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft. The term "household head" designates this person in analyzing findings about property crime from the NCVS. The household head concept is used because the crimes are assumed to be against an entire household rather than a single victim. A household head is nearly always an adult, and can be either male or female. End of box. Some experts believe that some economic crimes, such as fraud, disproportionately impact persons age 65 or older. The NCVS does not collect data to support or dispute this observation. The elderly generally experienced crime at lower rates than persons in other age categories Although persons age 65 or older made up 15% of the population age 12 or older between 1992 and 1997, they accounted for about 7% of all crime measured by NCVS during that period. For violent crimes, in particular, the elderly experienced much lower rates than other age groups. On average between 1992 and 1997, 5 persons per 1,000, age 65 or older, experienced a violent crime (including murder, rape or sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated or simple assault). For persons ages 50-64, the overall violence rate was 16 per 1,000 persons, compared with 47 per 1,000 persons ages 25-49 and 105 per 1,000 persons ages 12-24. Most data in this report are presented as an annual average of 6 years of surveys because of the relatively small number of sample cases from a single year. The one crime category which affected the elderly at about the same rate as most others in the population (except those ages 12-24) was personal theft, which includes purse snatching and pocket picking. Percent of victimizations, 1992-97, by victims or head of household-- Type of victimization Age 65 Ages 12-64 Violent 6.2% 27.3% Pocket picking/ purse snatching 1.7 0.9 Property 92.1 71.8 Not only were the elderly victimized less often, but a greater percentage of victimizations against the elderly, compared to those against younger persons, were property crimes. Of all victimizations from 1992 to 1997, 92% of those reported by a person age 65 or older were property crimes, versus 72% of those reported by a person under age 65. Victimizations of persons age 65 or of households with a head of household age 65 or older Average number each year, 1992-97 Percent Total crimes 2694290 100% Personal crimes 212420 7.9 Crimes of violence 166330 6.2 Murder 1000 4.0 Nonfatal violence 165330 6.1 Rape/Sexual assault 3280 0.12 Robbery 40950 1.5 Total assault 121100 4.5 Aggravated assault 34050 1.3 Simple assault 87050 3.2 Personal theft 46090 1.7 Number of persons age 65 or older 31,296,350 Property crimes 2481870 92.1% Household burglary 623790 23.2 Motor vehicle theft 124930 4.6 Theft 1733160 64.3 Households heads age 65 or older 21,161,850 Prevalence of crime, 1992-97 Property crime, not violence, provided the highest percentage of crime against persons age 65 or older Figure. -- Violence made up 27% of crimes against persons ages 12-64, compared to 6% of crimes against persons over 64. Compared with other age groups, persons over 64 had lower rates overall for both violent and property crime: Figure. 5.3 violent crimes per 1,000 persons age 65 or older -- about a tenth the rate for persons younger than 65 Violence includes murder, rape and sexual assault, robbery, and simple and aggravated assault. Figure. 117.3 property crimes per 1,000 households with a household head age 65 or older -- about a third the rate for younger households Property crime includes household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft. The elderly had lower victimization rates than other age groups for all types of violent and property crime measured by the NCVS, 1992-97 Figure. Compared to persons ages 12-64, the elderly were -- -- About 5 times less likely to be victims of robbery -- About 12 times less likely to be victims of aggravated or simple assault. Figure. Compared to households with a head under age 65, elderly households were -- -- About half as likely to be victims of burglary -- About 3 times less likely to be victims of motor vehicle theft or theft. Declining rates of crime for persons age 65 or older, 1973-97 Rates of murder against persons age 65 or older declined after 1976 while those against persons ages 12-24 fluctuated Figure. The murder rate for persons age 65 or older declined by half, from 0.56 murders per 10,000 persons in 1976 to 0.27 per 10,000 in 1997. Rates of nonfatal violence against persons age 65 or older declined, 1973-97 Figure. In 1973 persons age 65 or older were assaulted or robbed at a rate of 9 victimizations per 1,000 persons. (This rate is weighted to adjust for NCVS questions changed in 1992. See Methodology.) By 1997 the rate had fallen to 4.5 victimizations per 1000 persons. For households with a person age 65 or older as head, property crimes in 1997 occurred at half the 1973 rate Figure. Rates of property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft) against households with an elderly head of household: 205 per 1,000 households in 1973 96 per 1,000 in 1997. Comparing rates of nonlethal violence White women age 65 or older had the lowest rate of nonlethal violent victimization, 1992-97 Rate of violent victimization per 1,000 persons Young white males (126) Young black females (109) Young black males (107) Young white females (84) Adult black males (62) Adult white males (51) Adult black females (46) Adult white females (42) Older adult black males (23) Older adult white males (20) Elderly black males (15) Older adult white females (13) Older adult black females (10) Elderly black females (7)* Elderly white males (6) Elderly white females (4)* Note: This report applies the following age categories: ** Young (ages 12-24) ** Adult (ages 24-49) ** Older adult (ages 50-64) ** Elderly (age 65 or older) *The apparent difference between elderly females is not statistically significant. Comparing rates of property crime Households with a white female head of household age 65 or older had the lowest property crime rates, 1992-97 Rate of property victimization per 1,000 households Young black males (552) Young white males (502) Young white females (484) Young black females (442) Adult black males (383) Adult white females (381) Adult black females (368) Adult white males (345) Older adult black males (296) Older adult black females (252) Older adult white males (240) Older adult white females (226) Elderly black males (214) Elderly black females (163) Elderly white males (119) Elderly white females (101) Note: This report applies the following age categories: ** Young (ages 12-24) ** Adult (ages 24-49) ** Older adult (ages 50-64) ** Elderly (age 65 or older) Each year between 1992 and 1997, about 3 per 100,000 persons age 65 or older were murdered Figure. Persons ages 12-24 were about 5 times as likely as the elderly to be murdered. Persons ages 25-49 were over 3 times as likely. In every age category, the rate of murder for males was about double that for females Figure. For every 100,000 persons age 65 or older -- Males -- 4 murders Females -- 2 murders For every 100,000 persons ages 12-64 -- Males -- 17 murders Females -- 4 murders Whites were the least likely of the racial groups to be victims of murder, regardless of age Figure. For every 100,000 persons age 65 or older -- White -- 2 murders Black -- 12 murders Other -- 3 murders For every 100,000 persons ages 12-64 -- White -- 6 murders Black -- 43 murders Other -- 7 murders Victims of nonlethal violence, 1992-97 Among elderly victims of nonlethal violence, blacks experienced higher rates than whites, and Hispanics experienced higher rates than non-Hispanics Figure. On average each year, 1992-97, the number of nonlethal violent crimes for every 1,000 elderly persons in each category -- 10 crimes against blacks 5 against whites 11 crimes against Hispanics 5 crimes against non-Hispanics Elderly men experienced higher rates of nonlethal violence than elderly women Figure. On average each year, 1992-97, the number of nonlethal violent crimes for every 1,000 elderly persons in each category -- 15 crimes against black men 6 crimes against white men 7 crimes against black women* 4 crimes against white women* *The apparent difference between elderly women is not statistically significant. Divorced or separated elderly persons had higher rates of nonlethal violence than those who were married or widowed Figure. On average each year, 1992-97, the number of nonlethal violent crimes for every 1,000 elderly persons in each category -- 14 crimes against divorced/separated 4 crimes against married or widowed Property crime rates for households with an elderly head of household were higher for blacks and Hispanics Figure. On average each year, 1992-97, for every 1,000 households with an elderly head of household, the number of property crimes in each category -- 184 crimes against black households 110 crimes against white households 168 crimes against Hispanic households 115 crimes against non-Hispanics. Among households having a head of household age 65 or older, higher rates of property crime victimization were associated with divorced or separated persons rather than with married or never married persons Figure. On average each year, 1992-97, for every 1,000 households with an elderly head of household, the number of property crimes in each category -- 186 crimes against households headed by a divorced or separated man 154 crimes against households headed by a divorced or separated woman. Among households with an elderly head of household, property crime rates were higher in those having annual incomes over $50,000 Figure. On average each year, 1992-97, for every 1,000 households with an elderly head of household, the number of property crimes ranged from -- 103 crimes against households with less than $15,000 per year to -- 179 crimes against households with more than $50,000 per year. Victimization by those whom the victim knew well There is much interest in measuring what is often called "elder abuse." The general concept involved in the numerous definitions of "elder abuse" is that the victim is injured, neglected, or exploited because of vulnerabilities associated with age, such as impaired physical or mental capacities. The NCVS cannot accurately measure this category of crime, which is difficult to determine using any methodology. A mentally impaired person may not be able to report a victimization or to describe its details. If the victimization is reported, the report might not be believed. Victims dependent on abusive caretakers may not feel free to report the abuse. Financial exploitation, including theft or fraud, may occur without the victim's knowledge. The NCVS does measure violent crimes committed against persons age 65 or older by relatives, intimates, or persons well known to the victim. The NCVS includes crimes occurring to persons living in households but not in institutional settings, such as nursing homes. Data on these violent crimes are presented to provide some information on crimes that might be part of "elder abuse." Information about murder comes from the Uniform Crime Reports. Information is presented on murders that relatives or intimates or persons known to the victim committed against victims age 65 or older. For the persons age 65 or older, as for other age groups, most violence measured by the NCVS is simple assault. Simple assault is defined as an attack without a weapon, resulting either in no injury or in a minor injury, such as cuts or bruises. Simple assault includes attempted attacks and verbal threats to attack or kill the victim. Each year on average between 1992 and 1997, a relative or close acquaintance injured about 36,000 persons age 65 or older and killed about 500 Average annual elderly victims per year, 1992-97 Nonlethal violence committed by -- Total 36290 Relatives and intimates 15040 Others well known to victim 21250 Murder committed by -- Total 500 Relatives and intimates 260 Others known to victim 240 When faced with violence by a relative, intimate, or close acquaintance, about two-thirds of the elderly victims were at home, about two-thirds avoided injury, and about half used some self-protective measure Nonlethal violence against persons age 65 or older By relatives or others By strangers well known or casual to victim acquaintances Weapon used by offender 19.5%* 36.7% Victim used self protection 47.4 50.2 Victim injured 30.7 19.6 Occurred in victims' home 68.8 36.0 Occurred in daytime 63.0 72.4 *Estimate based on 10 or fewer cases. When comparing nonlethal violence committed by relatives or persons well known to the victim with other nonlethal violence against persons age 65 or older, 1992-97: * There were no significant differences in whether the victims used self-protective measures. * Injury appeared to be more likely for violence by relatives or violence or well-known offenders, although the difference was not statistically significant. *Violence by relatives or persons well known to the victim was more likely to occur in the victim's home. Relatives or intimates committed more than 1 in 4 of the murders and 1 in 10 of the incidents of nonlethal violence against persons age 65 or older Victims of murder over age 64 were 2 times more likely than victims between ages 12 and 64 to have been killed by relatives or intimates Type of violence and Age of victim victim-offender relationship 65 or older 12-64 Murder 100 % 100 % Nonstranger total 50.1 45.8 Relative, intimate 26.4 13.5 Other known 23.7 32.3 Stranger 14.6 14.3 Unknown relationship 35.3 39.9 Total nonlethal violence 100 % 100 % Relatives or intimates 9.1 15.0 Well known 12.9 15.3 Casual acquaintances 14.5 18.0 Strangers 56.2 48.4 Unknown relationship 7.4 3.3 Note: "Other known" murder victims includes a wide variety of relationships. These data cannot be classified into "well known" and casual acquaintances." For nonlethal violence, the victim identified the the nature of the relationship as "well known" or "casual acquaintance." Weapons used against victims, 1992-97 Elderly victims were much less likely than younger victims to be murdered with a firearm, 1992-97 Age of victim 65 or older 12-64 All weapons/methods 100.0% 100.0% Firearm 36.1 73.0 Knife 22.3 13.2 Blunt object 13.4 3.9 Other or no weapon* 19.2 5.9 Unknown 9.1 3.9 *Includes many other methods, such as suffocation, poisoning, and other methods, in which a weapon may not have been used. Figure. Weapons were somewhat more likely to be used against elderly victims of nonlethal violence than against younger victims Figure. Firearms comprised more than 40% of the weapons used against the elderly in nonlethal violence Among victims of nonlethal violence, the elderly were less likely than younger victims to have protected themselves in some way or to have resisted the offender, 1992-97 Percent of all victims of violence who resisted All age groups 71.4% 12 - 24 71.1 25 - 49 72.7 50 - 64 68.6 65 or older 49.4 Injury from violence, 1992-97 Victims of violence age 25 or older had a similar likelihood of injury Age of victim Percent of of nonlethal violence violence with injury 12-24 28.3% 25-49 23.5 50-64 17.5 65 or older 22.1 Elderly persons were about as likely as younger persons to sustain severe injuries from nonlethal violence, 1992 Percent of injured victims of violence Rape/ Age of Serious Minor sexual Severity victim injury injury assault unknown All ages 13.2 81.8 4.5 0.5 12-24 11.5 83.9 4.3 0.3* 25-49 14.6 79.5 5.1 0.8 50-64 21.5 77.0 1.1* 0.4* 65 or older 12.9 85.2 1.9* 0* Note: Differences between age categories are not statistically significant. *Based on 10 or fewer cases. a/Serious injury includes gunshot, knife, or stab wounds, internal injuries, broken bones, or being knocked unconscious. b/Minor injury includes bruises, scratches, and cuts. On average each year 1992-97, of persons age 65 or older who reported being a victim of violence, 22% were injured and 1% were hospitalized overnight Not injured Injured 77.9% 22.1% Not treated Treated 10.9% 11.2% At scene Doctor's office Hospital Elsewhere* 2.9% 2.1% 5.6% .6% Released from emergency Hospitalized* 4.7% .9% *Based on 10 or fewer cases. **More than three-fourths of elderly nonlethal violence victims were not injured. **About 11% of all nonlethal violence against the elderly resulted in medical treatment. **About 6% of all elderly victims of nonlethal violence went to the hospital for emergency room care or other type of treatment. Characteristics of violent victimizations, 1992-97 70% of nonlethal violence against persons over age 64 occurred during the day Figure. Nonlethal violence was more likely to occur in the day than at night for persons of ages 12 to 24 and 50 or older. About equal amount of violence against persons ages 25 to 49 at night and during the day. 43% of nonlethal violence against persons over age 64 occurred in or near the victim's home Figure. Nonlethal violence that occurred in or near the victim's home: 43% of elderly victims 26% of victims ages 12-64 Among victims of nonlethal violence, persons age 65 or older were about 6 times more likely than younger persons to "never" go out at night Age of victim 65 or more 12-64 Percent of victims of violence who went out - Every night 9.5% 37.2% Weekly 55.7 52.7 Monthly 11.8 6.0 Never 22.0 3.4 Unknown 1.1* 0.7 *Based on 10 or fewer sample cases. Persons who said they went out every night accounted for 10% of all elderly victims of violence, compared to 37% of younger persons who were victims of violence. Both murder and nonlethal violence usually involved one victim and one offender Age of victim 65 or old 12-64 All murders, 1992-97 100.0% 100.0% One victim 89.0% 92.2% One offender 52.6 50.0 Multiple offenders 8.2 10.9 Number of offenders unknown 28.2 31.3 Multiple victims 11.0% 7.8% One offender 6.8 3.6 Multiple offenders 1.8 1.7 Number of offenders unknown 2.4 2.5 All nonlethal violence, 100.0% 100.0% One victim 88.9% 84.5% One offender 64.3 67.1 Multiple offenders 20.1 14.8 Number of offenders unknown 4.5 2.6 Multiple victims 11.1% 15.5% One offender 7.1 9.6 Multiple offenders 3.3 5.5 Number of offenders unknown 0.7 0.5* *Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. Almost 9 in 10 murders and nonlethal victimizations with an elderly victim involved only one victim. Among offenses with elderly victims, 10% of murders and 23% of nonlethal violent victimizations were known to involve more than one offender. Males committed 60% of the murders of both elderly and younger victims. Whites committed a larger proportion of the murders of persons age 65 or older than of persons ages 12-64, 1992-97 Percent of murder victims Characteristics Age 65 of murderers or old Age 12-64 Gender Male 59.5% 60.8% Female 9.8 5.3 Unknown 30.7 33.9 Race White 40.2% 28.4% Black 27.2 35.3 Other 1.1 1.5 Unknown 31.5 34.7 Figure. Of murders of persons age 65 or older -- persons age 65 or older committed 11% persons between ages 25 and 49 committed 33% persons younger than 25 committed 17%. Males committed over three-fourths of the nonlethal violence against persons age 65 or older; white offenders committed almost half, 1992-97 Percent of victims 65 or old Ages 12-64 Gender of offender(s) Total 100 % 100 % Male 76.3 80.2 Female 13.2 14.4 Both genders 4.2 3.0 Unknown 6.3 2.4 Race of offender(s) Total 100 % 100 % White 48.5 57.8 Black 31.8 26.2 Other, mixed, or unknown 19.7 16.0 Almost half the nonlethal violence against persons age 65 or older involved a white offender and a white victim; almost a fifth, a black offender and a white victim; and about an eighth, a black offender and a black victim Victims of violence Age 65 or older Ages 12-64 Total, all victims and offenders 100 % 100 % White victim(s) total 82.4 % 82.3 % White offender 47.8 54.7 Black offender 19.3 14.5 Other race offender 5.6 7.4 Offenders of more than 1 race 2.5 * 2.3 Offender of unknown race 7.3 3.3 Black victim(s) total 15.2 % 14.6 % White offender 0.4 * 1.7 Black offender 12.0 11.2 Other race offender 0.7 * 0.9 Offenders of more than 1 race 0.5 * 0.4 Offender of unknown race 1.6 * 0.5 Other race victim(s) total 2.4 %* 3.1% *Based on 10 or fewer unweighed cases. Purse snatching and pocket picking (personal theft), 1992-97 Figure. The average annual rate of personal thefts (1½ thefts per 1,000 elderly persons) was similar to the rates for persons ages 25-49 and ages 60-64 but was half the rate of personal theft per 1,000 persons ages 12-24 Most personal theft from elderly persons took place in stores or other businesses and occurred during the day Percent of victims 65 or older Ages 12-64 Place of occurrence 100 % 100 % Own home or friend's home 3.8* 6.9 Commercial place 40.6 30.7 Parking lot or garage 6.1* 5.9 Open area or street 22.5 22.4 Public transportation 16.9 10.9 Other 10.1 23.2 Time of occurrence 100 % 100 % Day 87.0 63.7 Night 12.3 34.3 Unknown 0.7* 1.9* How often did victim go shopping Total 100 % 100 % Almost every day or more 35.4 26.0 At least once a week 54.9 55.6 At least once a month 8.9 13.2 Less often 0.8* 1.6* Never or unknown 0* 3.6* *Estimate is based on 10 or fewer cases. -- Among victims of purse snatching and pocket picking, persons age 65 or older (87%) were more likely than others (64%) to be victimized during the day. -- 90% of elderly victims of personal theft reported going shopping at least once a week or more. Property crimes, 1992-97 Persons age 65 or older reported that most car thefts occurred at night but that other thefts occurred about equally at night and during the day Most thefts from the elderly took place in or near their homes Percent of households Age 65* Ages or older 12- 64* Household burglary 100 % 100 % Day 29.3 36.3 Night 29.5 31.6 Unknown 41.1 32.1 Motor vehicle theft 100 % 100 % Day 22.0 23.4 Night 63.6 64.6 Unknown 14.5 11.9 Theft 100 % 100 % Day 35.8 39.2 Night 33.4 38.3 Unknown 30.8 22.5 Place of occurrence Motor vehicle theft Total 100 % 100 % Near victim's home 54.5 44.2 Near friend's or neighbor's home 7.3 8.2 Parking lot or garage 26.1 32.9 Open area, near public transportation 7.5 10.0 Other 4.6 4.6 Theft Total 100 % 100 % Victim's, friend's, neighbor's home 59.0 48.1 Commercial place, parking lot 21.7 23.4 School 3.8 13.9 Open area, public transportation 5.3 6.3 Other 10.2 8.2 Note: Household burglaries occurred at home, except in victimizations involving victims' vacation dwellings. *Age is determined by the age of the head of the household, the person responding to the interviewer. -- Household heads in all age groups often did not know the time of day when property crimes occurred. -- Among elderly households, burglary and theft were about equally likely to occur in the day or at night. -- For all age groups, motor vehicle theft occurred more often at night. -- More than half of motor vehicle thefts from elderly households occurred near their homes, compared with less than half for other age groups. -- Motor vehicle thefts from elderly households were less likely than those from other age groups to occur in parking lots or garages. -- About 3 in 5 thefts from elderly households occurred near their or a friend's or neighbor's home. (Theft from a car is categorized as a household theft.) Elderly and younger victims did not differ in how burglars entered their residences, and usually entry was not forced Percent of households Age 65 or older Ages 12-64 Forced entry 45.6% 48.7% If not by forced entry, how did burglar enter 100.0% 100.0% Was let in 4.8 4.5 Pushed way in 0.4 1.1 Through open door 21.9 20.8 Through unlocked door or window 36.2 35.7 Through locked door or window (used key, picked lock, other methods) 14.4 15.4 Other, unknown 22.3 22.5 Figure. Cash, credit cards, motor vehicle parts, and gasoline were the items most often stolen from households with a household head age 65 or older, 1992-97 Figure. For completed burglary, motor vehicle theft, and property theft, about a third of elderly households had losses of $500 or more, compared to less than half the households with a younger head of household. Reporting crime to the police Figure Victims age 65 or older were more likely than younger victims to report nonlethal violence and personal theft to the police According to victims age 65 or older, about half the violent they experienced were reported to the police, 1992-97 Percent of crimes reported to the police Age 65 or older Ages 12-64 Nonlethal violent crimean 51.6% 42.2% Rape/sexual assault 29.8* 30.4 Robbery 69.2 55.4 Assault total 46.2 41.0 Aggravated assault 50.3 54.4 Simple assault 44.7 36.4 Personal theft 44.2% 29.4% Property crime total 35.5% 33.7% Household burglary 50.3 50.2 Motor vehicle theft 78.3 77.2 Theft 27.1 26.8 *The estimate is based on 10 or fewer sample cases. a/Murder was nearly always reported to or discovered by police agencies. -- Victims age 65 or older were more likely than other victims to report robbery and simple assault to the police. -- There were no differences between the elderly and those ages 12-64 in the extent to which they reported property crimes to the police. National Crime Victimization Survey methodology The National Crime Victimization Survey measures personal and household offenses, including crimes not reported to police. The crimes are rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, personal theft (purse snatching and pocket picking), household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft from a house or car. Information is obtained by interviewing all occupants age 12 or older of housing units selected to comprise a representative sample. The sample also includes persons living in group quarters, such as dormitories, rooming houses, and religious group dwellings. Excluded are crew members of merchant vessels, Armed Forces personnel living in military barracks or temporary housing, and institutionalized persons, such as correctional facility inmates and hospital or nursing home patients. A Census Bureau representative interviews each housing unit at 6-month intervals, spreading out the complete sample of the household interviews over the entire year. Every 6 months between 1992 and 1997, the Census Bureau interviewed about 85,000 persons in about 44,000 housing units about the crimes they had experienced in the previous 6 months. Yearly response rates ranged from 89% to 96% of eligible households and individuals. Since sample survey data provide the estimates in this report, these estimates are subject to sampling variation. Comparisons presented in this report are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level, meaning that the estimated difference is greater than twice the standard error. Statements of comparison qualified by language such as "slightly," "somewhat," or "marginal" indicated statistical significance at the 90% level (1.6 standard error). Some crimes of concern are not within the scope of the NCVS. Abuse of the elderly occurring in institutional settings is not covered in NCVS, which is a household based survey. The NCVS does not measure fraud; therefore, fraud targeted at the elderly, such as telemarketing scams, are not included. Also, crimes that are measured by NCVS are based on information that victims provide in telephone or personal interviews. Elder abuse is probably underreported, because some victims may be unable to report, afraid to discuss the abuse, or may not regard mistreatment by relatives or caretakers as a crime. If relatives or caretakers were taking personal or household property from the victim without the victims' knowledge, these crimes also would not be included. NCVS data are useful for providing a comprehensive overview of the entire elderly population in the United States. Within this population, however, there are people with particular vulnerabilities whose victimization may be underreported or outside the scope of the crimes measured by this survey. Other types of studies targeted at specific groups, such as elderly people in nursing houses, elderly victims of fraud, and other similar studies are needed to complement data available through the NCVS. Calculation of rates and annual levels The rates of crime in this report are annual average rates for the period 1992 through 1997. The numerator of a given number is the sum of crimes that occurred for each year from 1992 through 1997; the denominator is the sum of the annual population of persons or households for these year (or the number falling within the particular demographic group being measured). These numbers are multiplied by 1000 to obtain the average annual rates. Average annual levels of criminal victimization are obtained by summing the number of victimizations each year between 1992 and 1997 and dividing by six. The population totals used in this report are calculated from estimates derived from the victimization survey. Included in the population are persons age 12 or older living in households, including group quarters such as dormitories. The estimates do not include children under 12, institutionalized persons, U.S. citizens living abroad, crew members of merchant vessels, and Armed Forces personnel living in military barracks. The percentages are calculated using the method similar to the one used for average annual rates. The NCVS was redesigned in 1992 to improve survey methods and collect previously unreported information. Data collected prior to 1992 are not comparable to data collected using the redesigned methodology. The estimates for 1973-91 presented in the trend figures on page 8 have been adjusted to make them comparable to data collected under the redesigned methodology. The adjustment methods are described in Criminal Victimization 1973-95 (NCJ 163069). Information on murder Murder data were obtained from the Uniform Crime Reports, prepared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Supplemental Homicide Reports (SHR) data file for 1992-97 was used to obtain characteristics of murder victims, offenders and incidents. There may be slight differences between these estimates and those found in the yearly FBI publication, Crime in the United States. These differences occur, since data files are updated with additional data that may not have been available at the time of publication of the yearly report. End of the report This Bureau of Justice Statistics report was written by Patsy A. Klaus. Cathy Maston verified the data. Tom Hester produced the report, with graphic assistance from the BJS editorial team of Yvonne Boston, Tina Dorsey, Ida Hines, and Rhonda Keith. Jayne Robinson prepared the report for printing. 01/05/00 th revised 2/7/00 th