2017 NCVS Mail Materials Project

NCVS 573

Dear Resident,

Several months ago, we contacted residents at your address to participate in the National Crime Victimization Survey. The survey collects information about the type and amount of crime committed against people in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts this survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. We need to interview the current residents of this address, whether we talked with you before or you moved to this address since our last interview.

A Census Bureau representative will contact you soon to ask your household to participate in the survey.

Since many crimes are never reported to the police, information from this survey allows a more complete picture of crime occurring in our country. The information you provide will give a better understanding of crime and its impact on victims. The survey results are used to develop programs to aid crime victims and prevent crime.

The success of this survey depends on your participation. We cannot substitute another address for yours. Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses chosen throughout the country. Your answers represent hundreds of other households like yours. Your participation is important even if you have not experienced any crime. By law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics. No information about you or your household can be identified from these statistics.

Answers to frequently asked questions are on the back of this letter. If you would like further information, contact your Census Bureau Regional Office at 1-800-992-3530.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

John H. Thompson

Director, U.S. Census Bureau

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey?

This survey collects data about experiences with crime, both reported and not reported to the police. Periodically, the survey includes additional topics such as crime in schools, contacts with law enforcement, and identity theft.

How was I selected for this survey?

The U.S. Census Bureau chose your address, not you personally, to participate in this survey. We randomly selected a sample of addresses across the country to represent the entire population.

We need a response from all persons 12 or older in sampled homes to get a complete picture of the types and amount of crime happening in the U.S.

Will information I provide be confidential? Is this survey required by law?

The U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you.  We are conducting this survey for the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U. S. Department of Justice under the authority of law (Title 13, United States Code, Section 8). The Bureau of Justice Statistics is authorized to collect this survey information by law (Title 42, United States Code, Section 3732). Federal law protects your privacy and keeps your answers confidential (Title 13, United States Code, Section 9 and Title 42, United States Code, Sections 3789g and 3735).  Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0111; Expiration Date: 08/31/2018). If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary participation in this survey is important; however, you may decline to answer any or all questions.

How are the data used?

Data from this survey provide information on many topics related to crime and victimization, including crime in schools, trends in violent crime, costs of crime, and the response of law enforcement to reports of victimization. Examples of reports, tables, and charts that use data from the survey are on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ web site at www.bjs.gov

How long will it take?

We expect the interview to take about 25 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or longer than this depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments about this survey or have recommendations for reducing its length, send them to the Chief, Victimization Statistics Branch, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.

I thought that the Census Bureau only counts people every ten years.

What is the Census Bureau doing now?

Besides the decennial census, which we conduct every ten years, we collect many different kinds of information through other censuses and surveys. These surveys provide current information on such topics as housing, crime, unemployment rates, health, manufacturing, and education.

census.gov