Revised Initial Training Guide

Attachment 4. NCVS-522(I) (Initial Training Guide)_revised.pdf

National Crime Victimization Survey

Revised Initial Training Guide

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NCVS-522(I)
(9/2017)

National Crime
Victimization Survey

Classroom Training Guide:
NCVS Initial Training

for Field Representatives

This document does not contain any Title 13 data or other Personally Identifiable Information. All data
are fictitious and any resemblance to actual data is coincidental. Consistent with Field Division policy,
any names referenced in practice interviews or other exercises are not meant to refer to any actual
person, especially any current or past Census Bureau employees.

NCVS-522(I)
(9/2017)

NCVS Initial Training Guide
Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Title
Suggested Training Schedule
Instructions to the Trainer
1
Welcome and Introduction
2
Administrative Topics
3
Probing for Accuracy
4
Power of Persuasion
5
Case Management
6
Review of the Pre-Classroom Self-Study Materials
7
NCVS Concepts and Definitions
8
NCVS Practice Interviews
Practice Exercise 1- Building a Household Roster
Practice Exercise 2 - Picking a New Household Respondent
Practice Exercise 3 - Replacement Household by Telephone
Practice Exercise 4 - Type A Noninterview
Practice Exercise 5 - Type B Noninterview
Practice Exercise 6 - Changing the Household Respondent in
Household with Other Eligible Respondents
Practice Exercise 7 - Selecting a New Reference Person
Practice Exercise 8 - Re-entering a Case to Complete Interview with
Remaining Eligible Household Members
Practice Exercise 9 - Classifying an NCVS Respondent as Type Z
Noninterview
Practice Exercise 10 - Unduplication of Incidents
Practice Exercise 11 - Proxy Interview
Practice Exercise 12 - Quitting a Case at Onset of Interview
Practice Exercise 13 - Incident of Rape
Practice Exercise 14 - Series Incidents
Practice Exercise 15 - Adding an Incident
Practice Exercise 16 - Accessing the NCVS CAPI Spanish Instrument

9
10
11

Performance and Supervisory Topics
2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage
Paired Practice Interview

Table of Contents -- 1

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NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule

Suggested Training Schedule
Before your classroom training session begins, read “Instructions to the
Trainer,” which follows this suggested training schedule. Make sure trainees
log into their laptops before the start of each day.

DAY 1
Chapter
1

Welcome and Introduction

Time
Time
(Mins.) Elapse
d
:15
:15

2

Administrative Topics

1:30

1:45

BREAK

:15

2:00

Administrative Topics (Continued)

1:45

3:45

LUNCH

1:00

4:45

Probing for Accuracy

1:00

5:45

BREAK

:15

6:00

Power of Persuasion

2:00

8:00

2

3

4

Title

SS-1

NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule

Suggested Training Schedule
DAY 2
Chapter
5

5

6

7

Title
Case Management

Time
Time
(Mins.) Elapse
d
1:45
1:45

BREAK

:15

2:00

Case Management (Continued)

1:00

3:00

LUNCH

1:00

4:00

Review of Pre-Classroom Self-Study
Materials

:30

4:30

BREAK

:15

4:45

NCVS Concepts and Definitions

2:00

6:45

SS-2

NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule

Suggested Training Schedule
DAY 3
Chapter
8

Title
NCVS Practice Interviews
Practice Exercise 1 - Building a Household
Roster
BREAK
Practice Exercise 2 - Picking a New
Household Respondent
Practice Exercise 3 - Replacement
Household by Telephone
LUNCH
Practice Exercise 4 - Type A Noninterview
Practice Exercise 5 - Type B Noninterview
Practice Exercise 6 - Changing the
Household Respondent
BREAK
Practice Exercise 7 - Selecting a New
Reference Person
Practice Exercise 8 - Re-entering a
Case to Complete Interview with
Remaining Eligible Household
Members
Practice Exercise 9 - Classifying an
NCVS Respondent as Type Z
Noninterview
Practice Exercise 10 - Unduplication of
Incidents
Practice Exercise 11 - Proxy Interview

SS-3

Time
(Mins
)

Time
Elapse
d

:45

:45

:15

1:00

:45

1:45

:30
1:00

2:15
3:15

:20
:20

3:35
3:55

:15
:15

4:10
4:25

:45

5:10

:15

5:25

:15

5:40

:30

6:10

:30

6:40

NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule

Suggested Training Schedule
DAY 4
Chapter

8

9

10

11

Title

Time
(Mins.)

Time
Elapsed

Practice Exercise 12 - Quitting a
Case at Onset of Interview

:05

:05

Practice Exercise 13 - Incident of Rape
Practice Exercise 14 - Series of Incidents

:30
:30

:35
1:05

BREAK

:15

1:20

Practice Exercise 15 – Adding an Incident

:15

1:35

Practice Exercise 16 - Accessing the NCVS
CAPI Spanish Instrument

:10

1:45

Performance and Supervisory Topics

1:00

2:45

LUNCH

1:00

3:45

2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage

1:00

4:45

BREAK

:15

5:00

Paired Practice Interview

2:00

7:00

NCVS Practice Interviews (Continued)

SS-4

NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

Instructions to the Trainer
Training Field Representatives is one of your most important roles as a supervisor.
Your success depends in part on your ability to train a staff to do an effective job.
There is no substitute for a motivated and competent staff in meeting your
responsibility toward the accurate and timely completion of the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS).
No supervisor can expect an effective training session to occur if he or she is not
prepared. To guarantee a positive session, you must prepare ahead of time:
Advance Preparation

About a week before this training session, send the
pre-classroom generic training and the survey specific
self-study materials to the trainees.
NOTE: If any trainees have already received the generic
training while being trained for another demographic
survey, such as the Current Population Survey, you need
not send the trainee the generic training materials.
The pre-classroom generic training materials consist of:
✓

Welcome Letter (provides Census Bureau field
representatives (FRs) with a brief statement
regarding the importance of their job for
communities and the country. It also provides a
concise list of instructional products and includes a
personal password for the Census Bureau issued
laptop computer)

✓

11-900, Curriculum Plan (provides the sequence in
which the users access the instructional products
of the generic pre-classroom training package)

✓

11-6 (WIN), Quick Reference Guide (provides quick
tips for using all Windows applications)

✓

11-7 (WIN), Windows Laptop Users Guide
(provides complete documentation of laptop
applications) (electronic, on laptop)

✓

11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for the

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Instructions to the Trainer

Field Representative, Volume 2, Demographic
Area Address Listing, and 11-922, Current Surveys
Listing and Coverage. (electronic, on laptop)
✓

11-12
(WIN),
WINFRED
Windows
Field
Representative Earnings Data Self-Study (provides
basic knowledge of the time and attendance
software, WINFRED) (electronic, on laptop)

✓

11-55 (RO), Administrative Handbook for Regional
Office Schedule A Employees (electronic, on
laptop)

✓

11-109, Personal Security Self-Study (familiarizes
FRs with various personal security and safety
options as they go to various communities
performing their job) (electronic, on laptop)

✓

11-901, InterAct Field Representative
PreClassroom
Learning
Magazine
(provides
anintroduction and overview of the FR’s role an
responsibilities)

✓

11-902, Getting it Done: The Job of a Field
Representative Viewing Guide, and “GETTING IT
DONE: The Job of a Field Representative” (Video
provides FRs with an initial orientation to a typical
day for Census Bureau Field Representatives)

✓

“Getting to Know Your Laptop Computer” (shows
the hardware components of the laptop, startup,
log on, shutdown procedures, and the steps to
change the laptop battery; also discusses the new
hires’ legal responsibility regarding the use and
care of the laptop)

✓

“Field Representative Safety Video” (provides the
FRs with various personal security and safety
options as they go to various communities
performing their job)

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

The pre-classroom survey specific training materials
consist of the following:


NCVS-521, Self-Study for New Field
Representatives



NCVS-550, Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives (electronic document on laptop)



NCVS-554, Field Representative’s
Information Card Booklet



NCVS-572(L), Incoming Case Introductory Letter



NCVS-573(L), Continuing Case Introductory Letter



Instruct trainees to complete the pre-classroom
self-study material before attending the classroom
training. Trainees must also complete the Windows
Initial CBT and WINFRED CBT before the training
session as noted in the 11-900 Curriculum Plan.



pCHI CBT (on FR laptop)



Study this training guide and become familiar with
all the training concepts. This allows you to answer
questions more easily and guide the trainees
through a successful training session. The more
familiar you are with this guide, the more at ease
you will be in the classroom training.



Try to identify any questions the trainees might ask
or any areas that could need additional
explanation.



Conduct a “dry run” of the training, preferably in
the presence of a colleague. A dry run is your
practice session. You can practice your delivery,
set your timing, make sure you have the correct
materials, and know when and how to use these
materials. A dry run also takes the nervousness
out of that first training session.

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At the Training Site

NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer



Assemble training materials for both you and
the trainees well before the session. Make sure
video equipment is present and in good working
order.



Several days before the training session, make
sure you have all the needed materials for the
classroom training. A list of trainer and trainee
materials is provided in this section of your Training
Guide.



Notify all trainees ahead of time about all
materials they must bring with them to the
classroom training session.

Prepare the training room before training begins:
✓

Arrange the seats and tables so each trainee has
enough work space to spread out workbooks,
manuals, and other NCVS materials and still be
in sight of the instructor. Make sure electrical
outlets are accessible so trainees can plug in
laptop computers or extension cords.

✓

Make sure that a television, DVD and projection
system are available through the site provider and
that they are in working order.

✓

Make sure that the training room can be secured
(locked) during breaks and lunch periods.

✓

Plan the seating and prepare name cards for
trainees. A horseshoe seating arrangement
encourages
trainee
interaction
and
participation.

✓

Place name cards and training materials at each
trainee’s place.

✓

Use a projection system, if possible. This method of
delivery allows trainees to keep track of the screens

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

for the walkthrough practice exercises and helps
everyone stay together.
✓

Make sure the lighting is adequate and the room is
well ventilated.

✓

Make sure a lectern and table are provided for the
trainer.

✓

Provide water.

✓

Locate the video required for this session:
Classroom Training Video/DVD
“Generic Refusal Avoidance”

Classroom Training

Videos (on the laptop) used for trainee pre-classroom work
are:

PRE-CLASSROOM VIDEOS ON LAPTOP:

✓ “GETTING IT DONE: The Job of a Field
Representative”

✓ “Getting to Know Your Laptop Computer”
✓ “Field Representative Safety Video”

The trainees are also required to complete the
computer-based training (CBTs) as part of their preclassroom work. You will review these CBTs with the
trainees during classroom training.
Staying on Schedule The schedule for this training session is a full four (4)
days. To help you to stay on schedule:

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NCVS-522(I)
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Training Materials for
Classroom Training

NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

1.

Do not allow discussions to get out of control.
While the training schedule allows for some open
discussion periods, be sure to manage time
efficiently so all the material will be covered.

2.

Try to keep the walkthrough practice
interviews moving. Do not spend too much
time on any one question.

3.

Keep the trainees on the correct question.
Make sure all the trainees are on the right question
before you begin explaining the question.

As the TRAINER you need:
1.

NCVS-522(I) Classroom Training Guide: NCVS
Initial Training for Field Representatives

2.

A copy of ALL trainee materials for your reference,
including the pre-classroom training materials.

3.

Laptop and projection device. Use a high quality
overhead projector – one that can be used for long
period without overheating. Be sure you have all
the necessary accessory equipment well in
advance, and test the equipment before training.

4.

Current RO Letters for Case Management.

5.

DVD player and monitor

6.

VIDEO: “Generic Refusal Avoidance”

7.

11-903, Getting Started - Administrative (Training
Guide)

8.

11-903a, Getting Started - Administrative
(Classroom Workbook)

9.

11-904, Probing for Accuracy (Training Guide)

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Instructions to the Trainer

10.

11-904a, Probing for Accuracy (Classroom
Workbook)

11.

11-905, Power of Persuasion (Training Guide)

12.

11-905a, Power of Persuasion (Classroom
Workbook)

13.

11-924, 2010 Redesign New Hire Listing and
Coverage Training (Training Guide)

14

11-38 and 11-38A, Request for Appointment

15.

Trainee name cards

16.

3 notecards per trainee

17.

If possible, a flip chart easel, paper, and markers

Each TRAINEE needs one copy of each of the following
materials in addition to the materials they received for the
pre-classroom training:
1.

NCVS-550.1, NCVS At a Glance

2.

NCVS-522.1, Classroom Workbook: NCVS Initial
Training for Field Representatives

3.

NCVS-572(L), Incoming Case Introductory Letter

4.

NCVS-573(L), Continuing Case Introductory Letter

5.

Form 11-38 and 11-38A, Request of Appointment

6.

NCVS Function Key Template

7.

Black lead pencil

8.

11-903a, Getting Started - Administrative
(Classroom Workbook)

9.

11-904a, Probing for Accuracy (Classroom

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

Workbook)

Materials Trainees
Need to Bring to
Classroom Training

10.

11-905a, Power of Persuasion (Classroom
Workbook)

11.

NCVS-110 Fact Sheet

12.

11-925, 2010 Redesign New Hire Listing and
Coverage Training (Classroom Workbook).

Each trainee must bring with them to the
classroom training session:

1.

Laptop computer (with electronic NCVS-550
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives)

2.

NCVS-521 Self-Study for NCVS Field
Representatives (Final review exercise
completed)

3.

NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet

4.

Field Representative Safety Viewing Guide

5.

11-6(WIN), Quick Reference Guide

6.

11-7(WIN), Windows Laptop Users Guide

7.

11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for
the Field Representative, Volume 2, Demographic
Area Address Listing, and 11-922, Current
Surveys Listing and Coverage. (electronic, on
laptop)

8.

11-12(WIN), WINFRED Windows Field
Representative Earnings Data Self-Study
(completed)

9.

11-55 (RO), Administrative Handbook for
Regional Office Schedule A Employees

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Post-Classroom
Training Materials

Training
Techniques

NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

10.

11-109, Personal Security Self-Study
(completed)

11.

11-901, InterAct Field Representative PreClassroom Learning Magazine

12.

11-902, Getting it Done: The Job of a Field
Representative Viewing Guide

13.

DVD (to be returned to trainer) with contents:


“GETTING IT DONE: The Job of a
Field Representative”



“Getting to Know Your Laptop Computer”



“Field Representative Safety Video”

At the conclusion of the training session, provide trainees
with the following items, to complete at home as part of
their post-classroom training:
✓

11-906, InterAct II Post Classroom Learning
Magazine

✓

Instructions for completing any current NCVS
supplement training that will be in the field when the
trainee begins work

How you use this training guide is extremely important.
Make sure you:
✓

Read this guide word-for-word when training.
This is important so that uniform training is given
throughout the country.

✓

Complete all practice interviews, because each
interview covers a different situation.

✓

Follow instructions carefully. Throughout this
training guide, you will see instructions which
appear in parentheses ( ), centered, and bolded

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

such as (Allow time). These instructions are for
you, the trainer, to follow. Do not read them aloud.
Questions and
Answers

Questions and answers appear throughout this guide
and are designated by “Q” and “A.” Call on a different
trainee each time you ask a question. This will help you
determine
which trainees
are having
difficulty
understanding the information. Ask a question, pause, and
then call on someone by name to answer it. This way
everyone will have a chance to think of an answer.
A trainee’s answer to a question may not always be
worded exactly as it appears in this training guide, but
may still be correct. However, if the answer is incorrect,
make sure that all trainees hear and understand the
correct answer. Make sure that you do this in a manner
that will not embarrass the trainee.
If a trainee asks a question for which you do not know the
answer, don’t fumble for an answer or give an incorrect
one. Admit that you don’t know. You are not expected to
have an immediate answer for every question. If you are
not sure of an answer, have the entire group look for the
answer in one of their manuals. This will ensure a
comprehensive and correct explanation and reinforce the
trainees’ use of the manuals. However, if time is short,
look up the answer during a break and answer the
question when training resumes. If a trainee asks a
question about a topic that you know is covered later in
this guide, ask them to hold the question until you reach
that topic in the training session.
A line (i.e., “__________”) preceding or following a
question or statement means you should call on a trainee
by name to answer the question or carry out some action.

For example:
__________, please continue the interview.
OR

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NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

Can you give me an example of how you would probe for
this question, __________?
Use positive reinforcement to encourage trainees. If a
trainee answers one of your questions correctly, reply with:
“Very good,” “Good job,” or “That’s correct.” Throughout the
training guide there are suggested places for you to call on
a trainee, but you may find that you need to call on trainees
more often in order to ensure that all trainees have the
opportunity to answer a question or serve as the field
representative during the practice interview exercises.
Numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) or letters (a, b, c, etc.) introducing
certain categories need not be read aloud, unless you feel
that it helps to show the sequence of a procedure.
Likewise, when bullets are used, numbers or letters can
be substituted. If you choose numbers or letters, it is wise
to write them in ahead of time, so you won’t make any
mistakes during the training.
Know the
Training Guide

Study this training guide carefully. The more familiar you
are with it, the more at ease you will be in the
classroom. You will also be better prepared to answer
questions and lead the trainees through a successful
training session.

Stand During
Training

Stand up during the training session. Your voice will
project better and it will be easier to hold your trainees’
attention.

Speak Clearly

Speak clearly and be convincing. Make certain
everyone can hear you. Read at a normal rate of speed,
not too slow and not too fast. Pause to look at trainees and
maintain eye contact. Avoid speaking in a monotonous
tone of voice.
Before the classroom training, read through parts of the
training guide in the presence of another person. Ask
that person to listen to your speech and provide you
with suggestions and/or helpful advice.

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Control of Training
Session

NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

Keep classroom discussions under control. If a discussion
gets out of hand, interrupt and continue with the training.
If a trainee insists on pursuing a point, ask the trainee to
see you at break time. Keep the training moving so that
you cover all of the material. Do not neglect anyone –
bring everyone into class discussions. Remember always
call on different trainees to answer questions.
Keep an upbeat, positive attitude during the training.
Knowing the text and the content helps. Praise the
trainees when they answer correctly or give helpful and
positive comments.

Take Notes

Post Classroom
Training

Take the time to write down any comments or questions not
covered in the training or in the reference manuals. You
may want to write the comments or questions on a flip chart.
Please send these questions to the FLD Team at
Headquarters so that we may respond to them.
At the end of the training session, provide trainees with the
following items, which they must complete at home as part
of post-classroom training:
✓

11-906, InterAct II Post Classroom Learning
Magazine

✓

11-907, Safety Video Viewing Guide

✓

“Safety” video

Some trainees may want to stay and talk with you after
the training session. Make yourself available whenever
possible. Talking with the FRs one-on-one is an
excellent opportunity to learn about individual problems
and concerns, get feedback on your effectiveness, and
enhance the trainee’s learning.
Maintain confidentiality regarding any issues trainees
bring up during the training or outside of class time.
Your credibility and the credibility of the program can
quickly be undermined if discretion and confidentiality are
not observed.

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Practice Interviews

NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

During this training, trainees go through several practice
exercises to familiarize themselves with the NCVS
instrument. Since most of the training cases are used in
more than one practice exercise and build on a previous
exercise, the table on the next page shows the
interrelationship of the practice exercises.

Supplement Training The NCVS typically has a different supplemental survey
attached to it that is administered after the NCVS interview.
Supplements are generally in the field for six months
(January through June or July through December) and then
replaced by a new supplemental survey. The supplements
address other topics not covered in the NCVS (e.g., identity
theft, school crime, and police contacts). Separate selfstudy training is developed for each NCVS supplement.
You will need to inform trainees of the supplement (if any)
that will be in the field when they begin working cases and
how to complete the training for that supplement. The FLD
Team at headquarters will keep you informed of supplement
training.
Initial Training
Feedback

We appreciate feedback from you on the current
training. Your comments and suggestions are valuable;
we want to make sure that the training properly prepares
staff to do an effective job.

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer

Practice Interview Exercises
#
Self
Study
1

Case ID:
00000001

Case ID:
00000002

Case ID:
00000003

Case ID:
00000004

Case ID:
00000005

NCVS-521
Self Study
Exercise
Replacement
HH identified
during PV
interview .
Build
replacement
HH roster.
Select new
HHR

2

Replacement
HH identified
during
telephone
interview .

3

Type ARefusal

4

Replacement
HH VacantType B

5
Changing the
HHR
Selecting new
Reference
Person

6
7
Re-entering
case to
complete
interview s w ith
other HHM
Type ZNoninterview

8

9

Unduplication
of Incidents
Proxy
Interview

10
11
12

Quitting a
case before
starting the
interview
Incident of
Rape

13
14
15
16

Case ID:
00000006

Series
Incidents
Adding an
Incident
Accessing the
Spanish
NCVS CAPI
Instrument

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Welcome and Introduction

Chapter 1 – Welcome and Introduction
(Approximate time: 15 minutes)
Instructor Preparation:
•

Have all trainees log into their laptop before you begin classroom training.

Objectives:
•

Provide trainees with an introduction to the training session.

Good morning. My name is ____________ and I will be your trainer for the
National Crime Victimization Survey or the NCVS. As your supervisor, my job is
to train you, answer any questions you have, and solve any problems that arise
during the training.
(Tell trainees a little about yourself. Also, ask each trainee to
introduce themselves and to give a short background about
themselves. If they are not familiar with the area, you can tell
them where the restrooms, water fountains, and eating places
are located.)

Our training is scheduled to last through (Enter day). Each day we will have a short
break in the morning and in the afternoon, as well as an hour for lunch. I’ll ask you
to return to your seats before the end of every break, so we don’t fall behind
schedule. Charge time and travel for this training session to project number
0976000 task code 520. (Pause)

Throughout this training session, don’t hesitate to ask questions or let me know if
you get lost along the way. I want each of you to feel comfortable and to learn as

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NCVS-522(I)
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NCVS Initial Training Guide
Welcome and Introduction

much as you can about the NCVS. I will regularly stop and ask for questions. If
you have a question, please write it down on your notecard as it occurs to you so
you will remember any necessary details when I ask for questions.

As you begin working on the NCVS, remember that you have a support system here
to answer your questions and guide you along in becoming a proficient field
representative.

The main purpose of the NCVS is to obtain an accurate and up-to-date measure of
the amount and kinds of crime committed during a specific 6-month reference
period. We collect this information from all sample household members who are 12
years of age and older. The NCVS also collects detailed information about specific
incidents of criminal victimization that each respondent reports for the 6- month
reference period.

The NCVS is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), which is part of
the U.S. Department of Justice. Currently, the NCVS is the largest ongoing
statistical survey sponsored by the BJS. To succeed in providing timely and reliable
statistics on crime and its impact on society, they contract with the U.S. Census
Bureau to conduct the NCVS. The NCVS is the main source of information for
measuring crime and assessing its impact.

All the data we collect for the NCVS are tabulated in the form of statistical
summaries. No individuals who participate in this survey can be identified from the
statistical totals that are released to the public. One of the reasons the U.S. Census
Bureau is so successful in collecting information is that people know we are sworn
to secrecy. You must not reveal any information you receive about individuals to any
unauthorized persons. An unauthorized person is any person who is not a sworn

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Welcome and Introduction

Census Bureau employee with a work related need to know. To ensure
confidentiality of census

data, only sworn Census Bureau employees can

accompany you while on Census Bureau duty or have access to the schedules, lists,
or statements you obtain for the Census Bureau. If it becomes necessary for a
spouse, family member, or close friend to accompany you while you are conducting
field activities, see me about swearing in that person BEFORE they accompany you
on your job. However, we strongly discourage others from accompanying you on
your job unless it's for official business. (Pause)

You must understand and take very seriously your pledge to keep Census Bureau
information confidential. The NCVS is protected by two confidentiality laws. Title
13 and Title

42 both require

us

to keep all information

about

NCVS

respondents and their households confidential. As a result, the penalty provisions
in both statutes apply if you are found guilty of an unauthorized disclosure of
individual information provided to the Census Bureau. The penalty for unauthori zed
disclosure under Title 13 is a fine of up to $250,000 or a jail term of up to 5 years
or both. The penalty for unauthorized disclosure under Title 42 includes a fine of
up to $11,000.

Two of the most important interviewing skills you must possess as an NCVS field
representative are being able to use the NCVS instrument correctly and smoothly
and to use your reference manuals effectively. You were introduced to the
organization of the NCVS interviewing manual in the NCVS self-study

you

completed before coming to class. You will have the opportunity to use this
reference manual again in this classroom training.

Also, during the self-study you were introduced to the NCVS Case Management, the
Person Level Contact History Instrument (or pCHI), and the survey instrument.

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Welcome and Introduction

Throughout this training, you also will have a chance to use them some more as you
complete several practice exercises and interviews. Are there any questions so far?

(Answer questions)

Next, we’ll cover some administrative procedures, then review the pre-classroom
self-study material that you were required to complete before

coming to this

classroom training session. Then we will talk about probing for accuracy and the
power of persuasion before discussing the NCVS Case Management and survey
instruments.

(Continue to the next chapter)

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Administrative Topics

Chapter 2 - Administrative Topics
(Approximate time: 3 hours, 15 minutes)
Instructor Preparation:
•
•

Use this time to discuss administrative issues. (Discussion of performance
measures is covered in Chapter 9.)
Make sure each trainee has a copy of the 11-903a, Getting Started – Administrative
(Classroom Workbook)

Objectives:
• Review your Regional Office administrative procedures.
• Complete administrative procedures.
Materials:
Trainee
11-12(WIN), WINFRED Windows Self-Study (completed)
11-109, Personal Security Self-Study (completed)
11-903a, Getting Started - Administrative (Classroom Workbook)
Trainer
11-12(WIN), WINFRED Windows Self-Study
11-109, Personal Security Self-Study
11-903, Getting Started - Administrative (Training Guide)

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11-109, Personal Security Self Study
Review the 11-109, Personal Security Self-Study. The self-study provides the FRs
with various personal security and safety options as they go to various communities
performing their job. Answer any questions.
11-903, Administrative (Training Guide)

Follow along with the 11-903 Administrative (Training Guide).

(Continue to the next chapter)

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Probing for Accuracy

Chapter 3 – Probing for Accuracy
(Approximate time: 1 hour)
Instructor Preparation:
•

Make sure each trainee has a copy of the 11-904a, Probing for Accuracy (Classroom
Workbook).

Objectives:
•

Introduce the trainees to the concept of probing.

Materials Needed:
•

•

11-904, Probing for Accuracy (Training Guide)
11-904a, Probing for Accuracy (Classroom Workbook) (1 for each trainee)

Now we are going to talk about probing for accuracy.

However, I want you to

remember from your pre-classroom self-study that there are two sets of NCVS
questions that you are not allowed to probe on. These are the sexual orientation
and gender identity questions. We will talk more about these questions later in
practice exercises.

11-904, Probing for Accuracy (Training Guide)
Follow along with the 11-904, Probing for Accuracy (Training Guide), then
continue with the next chapter.
(Continue to the next chapter)

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Power of Persuasion

Chapter 4 – Power of Persuasion
(Approximate time: 2 hours)
Instructor Preparation:
•

Make sure each trainee has a copy of the 11-905a, Power of Persuasion (Classroom
Workbook)

Objectives:
•

Introduce the trainees to the concept of persuading respondents to participate.

Materials Needed:
•

11-905, Power of Persuasion (Training Guide)
11-905a, Power of Persuasion (Classroom Workbook) (1 for each trainee)

11-905, Power of Persuasion (Training Guide)

Follow along with the 11-905, Power of Persuasion (Training Guide), then proceed
to the next appropriate chapter.
(Continue to the next chapter)

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Case Management

Chapter 5 - Case Management
(Approximate time: 2 hours, 45 minutes)
Instructor Preparation
•
•

If available, make sure the projection device is set up.
Make sure all trainees are logged into their laptops and using AC power. (Make sure all
trainees have access to electrical outlets to plug in their laptop computers. If necessary,
help trainees use extension cords or adaptors to connect to outlets in the training room.)

Objective:
•

Provide trainees with practice using the NCVS Case Management instrument and the
Case Management function keys.

Materials Needed:
Trainee
• Laptop computer
Trainer
• Laptop computer
• Projection device

(If there are additional trainees for Day 2 training that were not present for
Day 1, refer to Chapter 1 for an introduction. Also, inform the additional
trainees to write down their questions as they arise and ask them when you
regularly stop to ask for questions.)

Now we will discuss the NCVS Case Management. During the pre-classroom selfstudy, you were introduced to the menus, Toolbar, Case List and Details panes as
well as the functions and keys used in Case Management. In this part of the training,
we will review in more detail the parts of the Case Management window and the
functions of Case Management. You will also have the opportunity to practice using
the Case Management function keys.

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As you learned in the self-study, Case Management is an important part of how you
manage your cases and plan for interviewing. It provides you with various
tools and features that allow you to manage your NCVS assignment each month.
(Pause)

(Trainees should already be logged into their computers.)

Let’s get into the NCVS Training file. At your Desktop, double click on the icon
named “MCM Training” to access Training Case Management. The window that
pops up should read “Mobile Case Management Training” in the upper left corner
of the screen. Click on the purple Training/Manual Tab in the top right corner of the
screen. (Pause)

Click on LCM Training on the left side of the screen under the title “Training.” Now
use the up or down arrow key on your keyboard to highlight “NCVS” if not already
highlighted on the survey list that is displayed in the “Survey Selection Dialog” box.
(Pause) Now click the “OK” button or press Enter. When the Training Case
Management main screen appears, make sure that “NCVS Classroom Training” is
highlighted, if not use the up or down arrow key to select. (Pause)

Your classroom training cases should already be installed. You can tell whether your
cases have been installed by looking at the “Need to Install” column on this screen.
If your cases need to be installed, a Y appears in the “Need to Install”

column

otherwise an N appears in that column.

If your NCVS training cases are NOT installed, that is, if a Y appears in the “Need
to Install” column, please raise your hand.

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(If there are any trainees who need to install their cases, walk them
through the installation process now. To install the NCVS training cases,
have the trainee press the F5 function key and wait for the message that
indicates that the installation of the training cases was successful. Once
the message appears, the trainee can press Enter to proceed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The trainee must go through the Practice Interview
in Lesson 17 of the NCVS CAPI self-study since during classroom
training the trainees re-enter the self-study training case to complete an
interview with the remaining household member.)

Now press the F8 key to get to your Case List in Training Case Management.
(Pause)

In the top left corner of the screen, it should read “Case Management SURVEY
NCVS.”

Case Management contains all the sample units in your NCVS assignment. It also
provides additional information and functions that assist you in managing

your

cases. In the pre-classroom self-study you reviewed each of the various parts of the
Case Management window, and learned how to navigate within the Case
Management Window.

As covered in the self-study, the first part of the Case Management window is the
Menu Bar. The menu bar is the area of the window where the words File, Edit, View,
Actions, and Help appear. The words along the menu bar are called menu items.
Notice that most windows that pop up on your computer screen have a menu;

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however, different windows have different menu items depending on the functions
you are able to perform while working within the specific window.

Click on the word “File” on the menu bar. (Pause) When you click on a menu item,
you get a drop down menu with a list of functions you can perform. Using your right
arrow key, look at the functions under the other menu items.

(Allow time)

In addition to using your arrow keys, you can move from one menu item to the next
by pressing the Alt key, then pressing the letter that corresponds to the underlined
letter on the menu item you want to open. For example, if you want to look at the
functions under the “File” menu, press the Alt key, then press the “F” key instead of
clicking on the word “File” on the menu bar. Try this now.

(Allow time)

To close the “File” menu, press the Escape (Esc) key, which is located in the top left
corner of your keyboard. (Pause)

Now look at your toolbar. Remember, the toolbar is the second part of the Case
Management window and is the area with the symbols just below the menu bar. On
the toolbar notice the labels for each of the function keys included in the NCVS Case
Management. Those that are currently active in the NCVS Case Management are
in bold. Because you are in the Case Management window, each function key
performs a Case Management operation that may differ from the operation it
performs when you get into the NCVS instrument.

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Before we begin working with the function keys, be aware that there are three ways
to activate the operation or function that each function key performs. You can
access the function through the menu bar, (Pause) through the toolbar by clicking
on the function key button using your mouse pad, (Pause) and by pressing the
function key on your keyboard. As we review each key, you will have the opportunity
to practice the most common way of activating each function, which is by pressing
the function key on your keyboard. You may use whichever method you choose.

Now we will take a more detailed look at the Case Management functions and see
how Case Management can help you manage your assignments.

Highlight the case 286 Erasmus Dr. You may have to use your up or down arrow
key to highlight it. The entire row of the highlighted case will appear in blue.

F1 -- Help
Now press the F1 key.
(Allow Time)

As you learned, this function key is used to bring up the internal Help menu. You
should now see a help window called “About Case Management.” Take a quick
look at some of the information you can get from this “Help” menu in the index on
the left of the help screen.

(Allow time)

If you want information on something more specific, you can use the index tab on
this window. Click on the Index tab or hold down the Alt key and press the letter
“N” to get to the index menu item.

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(Allow time)

On this screen you can type in a key word to look for information on a specific
topic. In the white box, type in the keywords “Case Management.”

(Allow time)

As you type in the words, the search feature scrolls through the index to find it.
When you see Case Management highlighted on your index folder, press the
Enter key twice. (Pause)

As soon as you press the Enter key, the box on the right side of the screen displays
information about training Case Management. Now click on the “X” at the top right
of the HELP window to close it.

You just accessed F1 Help using the F1 function key. This will probably be the way
you will most often access it; however, you can also access HELP using the icon on
the toolbar or by pressing Alt H.

(Make sure all trainees have returned to the main Case List before
discussing the next function key.)
F2 -- Interview
The most commonly used function key is the F2 Interview function key. DO NOT
press this key until I tell you to. The F2 function key initiates an interview for the
selected case. After you decide which case to interview, you must highlight the
address on the Case List pane, which is the third part of the Case Management

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window. To highlight the address on your Case List, you can use your mouse pad
and then click on the address. (Pause) Let’s try doing this now.

Highlight 611 Produce St. on your case list by clicking on it. (Pause) Now click
on another case and see how the highlight moves to the next case you clicked
on. (Pause)

You can also use your up and down arrow keys to move from one case to another
in the Case List. Remember, as you move from one case to another, the
information displayed in the Details pane, the bottom part of the Case
Management window, changes as the specific case you highlight changes. Try
this now.

(Allow Time)

Now go to the case 286 Erasmus Dr. Once you have highlighted the address in
the Case List, press F2. Notice the window that pops up. This is a confirmation
screen that allows you to view the address selected before you confirm that you
want to open the case. Always make sure that the control number and the address
shown are for the correct case. We don't want to get into this case right now so
click on the Cancel button to close the window. (Pause)

You can also access the Interview function by either clicking on the toolbar icon
for F2 or using the menu bar. The F2 function on the menu bar is under the drop
down menu for “Actions.” You can access this drop down menu by either clicking
on the word Actions or holding down the Alt key and pressing the letter “A” which
is the underlined letter in the word “Actions.”

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(Make sure all trainees have returned to the main Case List before
discussing the next function key.)
F3 – Next Tab
The next Case Management function key is the F3 Next Tab key. This key controls
the display of the Details pane at the bottom half of the Case Management screen
by moving you from tab to tab. By pressing the F3 key, you can move between the
tabs of the Details pane without using the mouse. Click on the Assignment tab
located in the Details pane and then press the F3 function key once.

(Allow Time)

Notice that you moved from the Assignment tab to the HH Roster tab. Notice that
the Control Number, Assignment Period, Case ID and selected demographic
information about each household member are displayed under the household
roster tab. Now press the F3 key to proceed to the other tabs in the Details pane.
As you move from tab to tab take a close look at some of the information under each
tab. We will go over some of the key information under each tab later in training.

(Allow time)

You can also access the Next tab function by either clicking on the toolbar icon
for F3 or using the menu bar. The F3 function on the menu bar is under the drop
down menu for “View.” (Pause)

F4 -- GoTo
The F4 GoTo function key enables you to toggle between the Case List pane and
the Details pane. Make sure the case, 286 Erasmus Dr., is highlighted on your case

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list. Then press the F4 function key. Notice how the label on the Toolbar for this
function key changes. When you are in the Case List pane, the F4 function key label
will display the word “Details.” When you are in the Details pane, the F4 function
key label will display the word “Case List.”

Press the F4 function key again until the label says “Details.” (Pause) Now use the
F3 function key to move to the different tabs within the Details pane. Notice that the
tab you’re on is highlighted in red. (Pause)

You can also access the GoTo toggle function by either clicking on the toolbar icon
for F4 or using the menu bar. The F4 function on the menu bar is under the drop
down menu for “View.”

(Make sure all trainees have returned to the main Case List before
discussing the next function key.)
F5 -- Reports
The next function key is F5 Reports. Press the F5 function key. (Pause) You will
see the Case Management Report Selection dialog box displayed for you to choose
the reports you want to view. For the NCVS, there are three reports about your cases
that are available for you to view -- a “Counts” report, a “Response Rate” report, and
a “Type Z” rate report.

Highlight the “Counts” report and either click the OK button or press Enter to view
the report. (Pause) As you can see, this report gives you a summary count of your
NCVS cases based on category, such as the number of cases not started, the
number of cases interviewed, the number of Type A noninterview cases, and so on.
At the bottom of the report, you can see how many cases were marked as observed,

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transmitted, and received by headquarters.

The number of transmitted cases is a cumulative number, not a count for one day.
All the numbers on this report are total counts. The total count of cases includes all
cases currently in your interviewing assignment. The count of total cases would
increase if you were reassigned cases from another FR during the interviewing
period.

Close this report by clicking the “Close” button or by pressing Enter. (Pause)

Now press F5 again and highlight the Response Rate report. View this report by
clicking the OK button or by pressing Enter. (Pause) This report calculates your
response rate based on the current information on your laptop. The NCVS response
rate is calculated by dividing the number of interviews by the number of interviews
plus the number of Type A noninterviews.

(Call on Trainee)

__________, read the “Note” displayed in the middle of this report.
(TRAINEE: This response rate is based on information on your laptop. Your
official response rate from your regional office may be different.)
Thank you.

Because the office might adjust your response rate after the interview period is over,
the rate calculated in this report is only an approximation.

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Close this report. (Pause)

Now press F5 one final time and select the Type Z Rate report. (Pause)

This report displays the total number of eligible people in your NCVS assignment
and the number of those people who did not complete an NCVS interview. Based
on this information, a Type Z nonresponse rate of eligible NCVS respondents in your
assignment is calculated. This rate is based on information on your laptop and may
differ from your official Type Z nonresponse rate you receive from the regional office.
Like your overall response rate, the regional office might adjust

your Type Z

noninterview rate after the interview period is over. Therefore, the rate calculated in
this report is only an approximation.

Close this report. (Pause)

Like the other functions already discussed, you can access the Reports function by
either clicking on the toolbar icon for F5 or using the menu bar. The F5 function on
the menu bar is under the drop down menu for “View.”

(Make sure all trainees have returned to the main Case List before
discussing the next function key.)
F7 -- Notes
The next active function in the NCVS Case Management is the F7 Notes function.
This function displays the Notes field for a selected case. You may also edit the
notes or enter new notes using this function. Press the F7 function key on your
keyboard. The Case Level Notes Editor will come up for you to view, edit, or enter
notes for a selected case. Enter a note of your choice in the space provided.

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(Allow time)

To exit the Notes Editor press the F10 function key. (Pause) A Notes Editor popup screen will appear asking if you want to save the notes entered. Click the “Yes”
button. (Pause) Now take a look at the Notes tab in the Details pane. When notes
for a case are saved, you will see a red check mark in front of the word Notes on
the Notes tab. The red check mark is a quick way to tell if there is any information
in the Notes folder.

As with the other functions we discussed, you can access the Notes function by
either clicking on the toolbar icon for F7 or using the menu bar. The F7 function
on the menu bar is under the drop down menu for “Actions.”

(Make sure all trainees have returned to the main Case List before
discussing the next function key.)
F8 -- View
The F8 View function activates the “Display Category Selected” dialog box, which
allows you to select different views of your NCVS cases in Case Management.
Press the F8 function key. In the main Case Management screen, only those
cases you haven’t completed are displayed on your case list. However, there
might be times when you want to see a larger list of cases, such as ALL of the
cases in your NCVS assignment, or you might want to see a shorter list, such as
cases not started, or cases you’ve transmitted.

Arrow down to the category labeled “Not started” and then click the OK button or
press Enter. You will see that your case list contains only the cases that you have

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not yet attempted to interview. Now press the F8 function key again to return to
the “Display Category Selection” menu.

Note that you cannot interview cases while in the F8 View function. You must
return to the main case list to start an interview.

To return to the main Case Management screen, click the Case List button that is
below the Cancel button. (Pause)

You can also access the F8 function on the menu bar under the drop down menu
for “View.”

(Make sure all trainees have returned to the main Case List before
discussing the next function key.)
F9 -- Sort
The F9 Sort function allows you to sort cases by specific criteria, such as control
number, appointment, status, place, and so on. Specifying a new sort changes
the order in which cases are listed on the Case Management main screen so that
you can manage your assignment more easily. If you specify a new sort, your
new arrangement of records will still be there the next time you launch the
application. Selecting the “Restore the default sort” puts your records back into
their original order. For the NCVS the default sort is by control number.

Let’s try the Sort function. Press the F9 function key. (Pause) Click on the first sort
action, which is “Specify new sort” and then click the OK button. (Pause) The “SortSpecify New Sort” dialog box appears. This dialog box has two panes, “Columns
Available for Sorting” on the left and “Sort Columns” on the right. The Sort Columns

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pane shows you the current sort order for the records on your Case Management
screen. If the box under “Ascending” is checked, your records are sorted from low
to high. You can change the fields on which your records are sorted, and you can
change the sort from ascending to descending or high to low.

Let’s try sorting your cases in a couple of different ways. If you look at the Sort
Columns pane on the right, you see that your cases are currently sorted by
control number. Let’s sort your cases now by interview number. To remove
control number in the current Sort Columns, highlight “control_number” and then
press the Control (Ctrl) and S keys simultaneously.
(Allow time)
Now let’s add a new column to the sort. Highlight “interview_number” in the
“Columns Available for Sorting” pane on the left.

(Allow time)
Now press Ctrl S to move that column to the Sort Columns pane. Then click OK,
which returns you to the main Case Management screen.

(Allow time)
Notice that your cases are no longer in control number order but are now sorted
by interview number. The interview number column is the second to the last
column on the Case List pane.

Does everyone see that?

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(Help any trainees who may be having trouble.)

Now let’s try changing the interview number sort from ascending to descending
order. Press F9 to get back into the sort function and click OK. To uncheck the
Ascending box, highlight interview number in the Sort Columns pane and press
the spacebar. Try this now.

(Allow time)
You can also check and uncheck the Ascending box by clicking on the box. Press
F9 to get back into the sort function and click OK. Click on the box so that a check
mark appears in the box. (Pause)

Now let’s add one more sort to the Sort Columns pane. However, let’s try a
different way to add the column to the Sorts Column. In the “Columns Available
for Sorting” pane locate and highlight “phone_number_1.”

(Allow time)

Now drag it across to the Sort Columns. To do this, click on the left button on your
mouse and drag the highlighted column to the Sort Columns pane.

(Allow time)

(Help any trainees who may be having trouble with the drag function.)

You can also drag columns from the right pane to the left pane using the same
drag procedure. When you do this, your cases will no longer be sorted by that

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column item. Now click on the OK button to return to the main Case Management
screen. (Pause)

Let's restore the default sort. Activate the sort function by one of the three ways
we discussed.
(Allow time)
At the “Sort-Options” dialog box click on the “Restore default sort” button and
click OK.

(Allow time)

Your cases are now sorted by control number, which is the default sort for the
NCVS. A quick way to sort your records without using the F9 Sort function is to
click the heading of the column you want to control your sorting. Click on the words
“Control number” on the Control Number column, which is the first column on your
Case List pane. (Pause) The first time you click the heading, cases will sort in
ascending order, low to high. Click again to sort them high to low. (Pause) With
this method of sorting, only one column can control the sorting.

You can also access the Sort function by either clicking on the toolbar icon for F9
or by using the menu bar. The F9 function on the menu bar is under the drop down
menu for “View.” (Pause)

F10 -- Exit
The next function key we will discuss is the F10 Exit key. You actually used the
F10 key to exit the Notes Editor when you were practicing with the F7 key. The

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F10 key is used to exit Case Management. However, there are other ways to exit
Case Management. You can press the F10 icon on the Toolbar or go to the dropdown menu under File on the Menu Bar and select Exit. Right now, we will not
practice using the F10 function since we want to continue reviewing Case
Management. (Pause)

F12 – Person Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
The last function key is F12, which for the NCVS opens the Person Level Contact
History Instrument or pCHI, where you enter the details about the contacts you
make with NCVS eligible household members. You completed a Computer Based
Training (CBT) on this topic during your self-study. We’ll talk more about pCHI a
little later.

Now let’s take a look at the Case List pane. Remember, the Case List pane is
directly under the toolbar. It is the section of the window that shows a line-by-line
summary of some of the information that relates to the cases in your assignment.
As you complete interviews, completed cases no longer appear on this main list.

We will not go over all the columns in the Case List pane since most are selfexplanatory. However, the one column that needs additional explanation is the
last column, which is the “Rte” or Route column. This column is for your use in
planning your travel route for your personal visit cases. For example, suppose
that your work is dispersed in three different areas. You might decide to interview
all cases on the east side of town on the first day, cases on the west side of town
on the second day, and cases located in a rural area north of town on the third
day. Therefore, you might want to put a number “1” in the Route column for all
cases on the east side of town, a number “2” for cases on the west side of town,
and a number “3” for cases north of town. These numbers can help you quickly

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identify the cases you want to work on during a particular trip.

To edit the number in the Route column you must first make sure that the Case
List pane is the active window. If the Case List pane is active, the blue bar below
the toolbar will read “Case Management - Case List.” If the blue bar on your
computer reads “Case Management-Details” press F4 to activate the Case List
pane. (Pause)

Highlight the case 116 Aphroditedr on the case list. (Pause) Click on the route
number for that case which is 999. Delete the entire entry by pressing the delete
key or the backspace key until the field is empty. These keys are located in the top
right side of your keyboard.

(Allow time)
Then in the route field for this case, press the number “1” key on your keyboard.
The number in your Route column for this case should now be “1.” (Pause)
Once you have made your changes you need to press Ctrl S to save them. Do
this now.
(Allow time)
When the save is complete, you will get a window that reads “Save Successful.”
Press Enter to get past this window or click on the OK button. (Pause)

Now let’s take a look at the last part of the Case Management window, the
Details pane. The Details pane is the section of the screen just below the Case
List pane. The Details pane has sections called tabs. The names of these tabs
are listed horizontally at the top of the Details pane. Let’s take a look at each of

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these tabs.

First highlight the case, 373 Alexander Blvd. (Pause) Make sure that you are in
the Details pane. If you are in the Details pane, the blue bar on your computer
should read “Case Management-Details” and one of the tabs in the Details pane
should be highlighted in red. If you are not in the Details pane, press the F4
function key.

Assignment Tab
In the self-study, you were given a quick look at the information contained within
the Assignment tab. Now we will take a closer look at the information in this tab.

In the Assignment tab some fields are editable, meaning that you can make
changes to that field, while others are not editable and can’t be changed. The fields
that you cannot edit or change are in gray and those that you can change are
displayed in white. As you can see, the first item on the Assignment tab is the
case’s Control Number, which is not an editable field. Moving horizontally, the next
item is the Assignment Period which is the year and month that you receive the
case to interview. For your actual production cases, the assignment period will
reflect the current year and month. (Pause)

Next is the Case ID. The Case ID is an eight-digit number used to uniquely identify
the case. Following the Case ID is the Interview Number. This number typically
reflects where the sample case falls within the sample rotation cycle. Usually, for
incoming cases the interview number is 01. Cases in sample for the second time
have an interview number of 02, for the third time an interview number of 03 and
so on, up to interview 07 for cases in sample for their last interview. However, it
is possible that a case is introduced into sample in the middle of the interviewing

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cycle for the sample/panel/rotation. So it's possible for incoming cases to have an
Interview Number of 02, 03, 04, and so on. (Pause)

On the next line of the Assignment tab, you will see a Responsible FR field. If you
are responsible for the case, it will have the word “Yes” appear in that field and
“No” if not. Outcome Code is the next field. The outcome code reflects the status
of the work that has been done on the selected case. For the case we are looking
at, the outcome code is 200. If you want to know what this or any other outcome
code means, a list of possible outcome codes for the NCVS can be viewed in the
Help screen. Press the F1 key and then use the index or search function to find
the topic “Outcome Codes.”

(Allow time)

You will see a list of surveys. Select NCVS and look at the outcome code
descriptions.

(Allow time)

As you can see, an outcome code of 200 means that the case is a new case and
has not been started. As you progress through the interview, the outcome code
will change. A quick way to get a description of the outcome code is to right click
on the outcome code.

Now click on the “X” in the top right corner of the HELP window or press Alt + F4
to close it. You should be back at the Case Management Details pane. (Pause)

The Status field in the Details pane contains the same information that is

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displayed in the status column of the Case List pane. Remember, if there isn’t an
entry in the status column, it just means that the case has not been started yet
using the F2 key.

Next, if the case is a confirmed refusal (Conf. Refusal) the word “Yes” appears in
that field; otherwise “No” is displayed. A confirmed refusal is a case in which the
respondent adamantly refuses to be interviewed and demands that he/she not be
contacted again. Cases that are confirmed refusals are not subject to follow-up in
the regional office by a supervisor or manager, while simple refusals are subject to
follow-up.

When you first receive your monthly NCVS cases, the Respondent field contains
the name of the household respondent from the previous interview. However, for
incoming cases, this field will be blank. Once you have completed the household
respondent’s current interview, this field is updated to reflect the name of the
current household respondent. This respondent may be different than the
household respondent in the previous interview.

The Language field is the first editable field in the Assignment tab. You can
change or add information in this field, as well as any other editable fields, simply
by deleting the old information and typing in the new information. If you know that
an eligible household member in the selected case requires that his or her
interview be conducted in a language other than English, you can specify what
that language is by clicking on the down arrow button at the end of the field and
selecting the appropriate language. Click on the arrow button to see a display of
the different languages that you can select. Use the scroll bar on the right of the
display to view all the languages listed. If you make a mistake and incorrectly
select a language displayed, you can select the empty row to correct your error.

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(Allow time)

Whenever you change or add information in the instrument that has a field in Case
Management, that information is copied from the instrument into Case
Management.

The next field in the Assignment tab is the “Other Language” field. This field
reflects the Other specify entry may have been entered for the non-English
language spoken by any eligible household member(s) that didn't fit into one of
the predefined language categories.

(Show example of how to use “Other Language” field. In the Language
field, choose “Other Language, Specify”. Point out that the “Other
Language” field is now editable and enter in another language. Explain to
press Ctrl + S to save.)

“Phone number” and “Type” are the next fields in the Assignment tab. As you can
see there is room for up to three phone numbers to be entered for a case. The
“Type” field allows you to enter the type of phone number, such as home or work.
Click on the arrow to the right of the “Type” field to see a drop down menu of
telephone number types.

(Allow time)

The next editable field in the Assignment tab is Appointment. The information
entered in this field is for your personal use and is not collected or updated in the
CAPI instrument and passed back to Case Management. Instead, only callback

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appointments captured in the instrument for the household respondent are
passed back to Case Management and displayed in the “Callback” field.

Let’s briefly go over how to enter a date and time in the “Appointment” field. Enter
tomorrow’s date by clicking on the Appointment field and then typing in the date.
Enter two digits for month, two digits for day, and four digits for year.

(Allow time)

The appointment time is 3:00 P.M. If you are unable to enter P.M. use military
time and enter 15 for the time. When you are finished entering the date and time
information, press the Ctrl and S keys to save the information entered.

When you get the message that the information was saved successfully, press
Enter or click the OK button. Notice that the Appointment field has been updated.

(Allow time)
Now look at the Callback field. If you need to contact the household respondent
at a later date for a callback, you can enter that information here. The callback
information will also be captured in the survey instrument and passed back or
copied to this field.

The P/T field contains the same information that is displayed in the P/T column in
the Case List pane. The letter “P” tells you that the case requires a personal visit
interview, while the letter “T” indicates that the case is designated for a telephone
interview.

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The next field in the Assignment tab is “Address.” The first component of the
Address field is House Number. Notice that the House Number field in Case
Management has two separate fields in which to make entries. The first field is for
a regular house number such as 222. The second field is for a house number suffix
such as “A.” So if the address were 222A GRANT STREET, the 222 goes in the
first field and the “A” goes in the second field.

The next field is Street. This is where the individual street name is located which
is the only information entered in this field. The next fields are Unit and GQ
designations. If your assigned case is a unit in a building that has a name, such
as an apartment complex, then the building name may also be listed for you in the
Building Name field. The next field of the Assignment tab is the Non City-Style
address. It is in this field that route and box descriptors, as well as route and box
numbers, are entered, such as Rural Route 3 and PO Box 24.

As with other editable fields, you can correct the sample address from Case
Management or within the NCVS instrument. Only correct addresses after you
have verified the change with a knowledgeable person and always make sure you
have located the correct sample unit.

The next field in the Assignment tab is “Mailing Address.” Use your down arrow
key to view this field, which contains the same items that are in the address field.
Now look at the fields below the mailing address field. You will see information
such as FIPS state code, FIPS county code, tract and block number, and so forth.
Now look at the Design field. This field tells you which sample design the case is
in.

Now in the Assignment tab, look at the space to the right of the Interview number

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and GQ flag. If there is something special about a case, there will be one or more
small icons displayed in that space. For example, if the case is a confirmed refusal,
a STOP sign is displayed. If you are not sure what an icon means, you can right
click on the icon and a description of the icon will be displayed.

(Answer questions)

Household Roster Tab
Now click on the Household Roster tab. (Pause) The information on this tab is
useful for callbacks to households with missing data. This tab contains the name
and selected demographic data entered into the NCVS instrument about the
individuals living or staying at the housing unit at the time of interview, such as
their name, age, and date of birth. You can also see that the Control Number,
Assignment Period, and Case ID information are at the top. At the far right side
there is a column labeled OSP. This stands for Original Sample Person and is
used by another Census Bureau survey, so you won't see information entered in
this column for the NCVS. You also won't see any information entered for middle
initial since this information is not collected in the NCVS instrument.

Additional Information Tab
Now click on the Additional Information

tab. This tab contains additional

information about the group quarters in which the sample case is located, such as
the group quarters name, type, number of units, and the contact person's name.

Notes Tab
Now look at the Notes tab. The Notes tab contains the same Control Number,
Assignment Period, and Case ID information as the previous tab, however this tab
displays the Notes field for the selected case. Information can be entered in the

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notes at the end of the interview or by using the F7 key in Case Management. You
may also edit your notes using this function. As mentioned earlier in training, if
notes are entered for a case, you will see a red check mark in front of the word
Notes.

Contacts Tab
Now click on the Contacts tab. Here again you see the Control Number,
Assignment Period, and Case ID. Sometimes you obtain information about the
status of a unit from someone other than an occupant. This happens when a unit
is vacant and you talk to someone such as an apartment manager, or when a unit
does not exist and you are able to verify it with a reliable source, such as a post
office. When you enter the contact person information in the instrument, you will
be able to see the information in the Contacts folder. However, for the NCVS,
contact information is only collected for one contact person.

(Answer questions)

Letter Mgmt Tab
The Letter Management tab displays information about any special letters that
have been sent to the household, and allows you to request that the RO send
various respondent letters to the household.

Click on the Letter Management tab. Notice the headings “Letters Requested” and
“Letters History.” “Letters Requested” shows pending requests already sent, and
lets you initiate new respondent letter requests. “Letters History” displays letters
your Regional Office has sent. This list may be updated at varying time intervals
depending on your Regional Office procedures.

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trainees

about your RO’s

specific

procedures

and

letter

management policies here. Review copies of the RO letters with trainees
so they know what is used in the letter management tab.)

History Tab
The next tab in the Details pane is the History tab. Click on this tab. (Pause) The
information on the History tab includes the FR information for all FRs previously
assigned to the case. This information appears just below the Control Number. If
the case was previously assigned to another FR, the CAPI outcome code from the
previous interview appears in the CAPI outcome column. For example, if in a
previous interview another FR obtained a refusal for the case and sent it in as a
Type A Respondent Refused, code 218 appears in this column. The section of the
History tab below the previous FR history area lists the previous address history.
If you correct the address under the editable fields in the Assignment tab or in the
instrument, the previous address information is stored here so that you can refer
to it if needed.

Look at the Record of Calls box on the right side of this folder. The date, time,
outcome code, and action code is recorded here each time you access or open
the case using the F2 function key. This allows you to see how many times you
have opened the case to attempt an interview. The action code listed on the
record of calls is a number used by Headquarters to determine what to do with
your case once it has been transmitted. In order for information to change in the
Record of Calls section, the case has to be accessed using the F2 key. Just
reviewing information about a case in Case Management will not change the
Record of Calls field.

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Contact History and Returning Contact History Tabs
The Contact History and Returning Contact History tabs contain the history of
previous visits/interviews for a case. They also keep a record of the strategies
used and respondent behavior for the case, which comes from the entries you
make in the Person Level Contact History Instrument. You learned about the
Contact History instrument in a CBT during your self-study. The Contact History
tab contains contact history for the current interview period; Returning Contact
History contains history for the previous interview period.

Interview Time Preferences Tab
Next is the Interview Time Preferences tab. In this tab you can only view the best
and worst times to contact the household. However, you can edit these times or
specify new times by pressing Ctrl T or by clicking on the Ctrl T ITP icon on the
toolbar, which opens the Interview Time Preferences application. This application
allows you to view and record the best and worst times to contact a case.

Let’s practice working with the Interview Time Preferences application. Press Ctrl
+ T. (Pause) Preferred times to contact a household are called “Boost” times and
will appear in green on the grid. Bad times to contact a household are called
“Block” times and appear in red on the grid. If no times are specified, the hour
slots appear in white.

Let’s assume for this exercise that the respondent indicated that he did not want to
be called on Sunday. There are three ways that you can block the hour slots under
the Sunday column. One way is to move your mouse arrow to the first hour slot, 9:00
AM, under the Sunday column and then click your bottom right mouse button. The
9:00 AM hour slot will now be in red. Repeat this step for all remaining hour slots
under Sunday. Try this now.

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(Allow time)

Now let’s clear what you just entered by clicking on the “Clear All” icon. (Pause)

(Allow time)

Let’s try the second way to block times. Click on the “Boost/Block” field, which is
located beneath the grid, and then select “Block.” (Pause) Under “Day of Week”
select Sunday. (Pause) Under “Time” you can select specific times or if you want to
block all of the time slots, select “All.” Let’s select “All.” (Pause) Now press the “Set”
button. (Pause) The hour slots listed under the Sunday column should now appear
in red. (Pause) Now clear what you just entered by clicking on the “Clear All” icon
on the Toolbar.

(Allow time)

Now let's try a third way to block times for an entire day. Place your cursor on the
column heading “SUN” and click your bottom right mouse button. (Pause) The entire
day is now blocked. To clear the entry, click on your right mouse button again.

(Allow time)

Now let’s try entering the best or preferred times to contact the household. For this
exercise, let’s also assume that the respondent told you that he prefers to be called
on Saturdays between noon and 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

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There are two ways that you can specify the best times to contact the household.
One way is to move your mouse arrow to the 12:00 PM hour slot under the Saturday
column and then click your bottom left mouse button. (Pause) The hour slot will now
be in green. Repeat this step for the four remaining hour slots.

(Allow time)

Now let’s clear what you just entered using the “Clear All” icon. (Pause)

Let’s try the second way to boost times. Click on the “Boost/Block” field and select
“Boost.” (Pause) Under “Day of Week” arrow down to Saturday. (Pause) Under
“Time” arrow down to 12:00 pm and then press the “Set” button. (Pause) The hour
slot listed under the Saturday column should now appear in green. (Pause) You
must repeat this process for each of four remaining hours. Do that now.

(Allow Time)

To exit the Interview Time Preferences grid, press F10 or click on the F10 button on
the toolbar. Then save your changes.

(Allow time)

Remember, if you make changes to any of the other editable fields in Case
Management, to save those changes, press the Ctrl and S keys.

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Building Mgmt Tab
The last tab is the Building Management tab. It contains building manager contact
information for large multi-unit buildings. If you are assigned a case in such a
building, the building management’s contact information appears when you click the
tab.

This concludes our discussion of the NCVS Case Management. Are there any
questions?

(Answer questions)

Now I’d like to talk about the Person Level Contact History Instrument or pCHI. You
completed a Computer-Based Training or CBT about the Person Level Contact
History Instrument during your self-study. In addition to completing interviews in the
NCVS instrument, you must enter information into the pCHI each

time you

ATTEMPT to make contact or MAKE contact with a household or individual
respondent. By taking just a few minutes you are providing valuable information to
your Regional Office (RO), Headquarters, and the survey sponsor.

The ROs use reports generated from the pCHI data to give you feedback on your
contact attempts and make suggestions for future contacts. Headquarters staff and
the survey sponsors analyze pCHI data so they can determine reasons behind noncontact and refusal cases on the NCVS, then formulate strategies for dealing with
them.

For example, after an FR has made six contact attempts for the same household at
different times of the day and on different days of the week, and the FR has also
spoken to the neighbors on more than one occasion and still has not been able to

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get a response from a household, is it worth making a seventh attempt? Maybe and
maybe not. The pCHI data can help us determine if there should be a cutoff on the
number of contact attempts made so that you can turn your attention to other cases.
We can also determine from pCHI data if there is a need to make changes to the
letters left at a respondent’s home to increase response and/or efficiency.

There are several benefits for you, the FR, in the pCHI:
• pCHI is a tool you can use to help track and manage your caseload.
• pCHI provides a record of the best times to make contact so you can use your
time efficiently.
• pCHI shows the work that you put into each case since you record every
contact attempt.
• For longitudinal surveys like the NCVS, you can see pCHI records from the
previous interview period.
• pCHI records follow a case, so if a case is reassigned, the new FR has a
history of contact attempts and outcomes.

You have the ability to leave FR notes in a case; however, you must complete the
pCHI entries as well. Your FR notes are very difficult to analyze since each FR
enters different information and you may not record a note for EVERY contact
attempt. The pCHI data is consistent and easy to read. The pCHI standardizes
contact information for better tracking and more efficiently produces reports that can
be used by various reviewers.

These are all reasons why filling out the pCHI is so important. Does anyone have
further questions on the pCHI?

(Answer questions, continue to the next lesson)

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Chapter 6 – Review of the Pre-Classroom Self-Study Materials
(Total approximate time: 30 minutes)
Objectives:
•
•
•

Review the pre-classroom training materials.
Provide trainees information on computer care.
Discuss the answers to the Final Review Exercise in the NCVS521 Self-Study.

Materials Needed:
Trainee
• 11-901, InterAct Pre-Classroom Learning Magazine (completed)
• NCVS-521, Self-Study for NCVS Field Representatives (Lesson 18 completed)
Trainer
• 11-7(WIN), Windows Laptop User Guide
• 11-901, InterAct Pre-Classroom Learning Magazine

Over the past few days (weeks), you completed some pre-classroom self-study
materials. These materials gave you background information about the laptop
computer and the NCVS. During this classroom training, we will review some
operations you already learned. You will also learn details on several other
topics.

Let’s start with the video you watched, “Getting to Know Your FR Interviewing
Laptop Computer.” Did all of you watch the video?

(Make a mental note of the trainees who did not watch the video.)

The video shows the hardware components of your laptop, startup, logon,

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shutdown procedures, and the steps to change the laptop battery. The video also
discusses your legal responsibility regarding the use and care of the laptop.

Let’s take a few minutes to discuss any questions or concerns that you have about
any of the features of your laptop computer.

(Allow time)

Does anyone have any questions about the computer screen (Pause), the
controls for the video display (Pause), the connectors on the back and side of the
computer (Pause), the compartments, the keyboard, or accessory equipment?

(Allow time for an open discussion period, not to exceed 15 minutes. If
necessary, also refer to the User’s Guide to help you answer any
questions about the hardware features. If you can’t answer a particular
question (or time runs out before you can answer all questions), write
them down, do the research as soon as possible, and get answers for
the trainees.)

Let me give you a couple of ideas for taking care of your computer out in the field.
First, always carry the computer in your carrying case so that it’s hidden. If you
must leave it in the car, place it in the trunk. On very hot or very cold days, don’t
leave your computer in your car for extended periods. Try to keep the laptop
computer in a controlled environment as much as possible.

I also have a couple of important reminders about operating the computer. We
configure each laptop computer to help you conduct your job effectively. We

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modified the system setup on each computer and made entries for various
settings. Please do not experiment by trying to change the configuration on your
computer. (Pause)

Also, DO NOT load any personal software packages on your computer!
Personal software packages may interfere with the computer operation for the
NCVS and for any other surveys you work on. They could also infect your machine
and the mainframe computer at headquarters with a computer virus.

Does anyone have any questions about the proper use of your laptop computer?

(Answer questions)

You were also required to read the 11-901, InterAct Pre-Classroom Learning
magazine.
(Hold up a copy of the magazine.)

All of you should have read the magazine.

(Ask trainees to raise their hand if they read the magazine. Make a mental
note of those who did not. Direct them to complete this requirement.)

The magazine gave an overview of your role and responsibilities as a Field
Representative. It also contained important how-to information on getting started
with the laptop computer. Its content included:
•

Mission of the Census Bureau,

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•

Information about the job of an FR,

•

Overview of survey design and development,

•

Confidentiality,

•

Personal safety, and

•

Logging into the laptop.

Does anyone have any questions about the materials you read in the magazine?

(Answer questions)

Next on the list are the Windows CBT and the Person Level Contact History
Instrument (pCHI) CBT. Again, all of you should have completed both of those
CBTs. The Windows CBT taught you basic Windows usage and trained you on
the Census-developed applications on the laptop. These include transmissions,
system tools, mail, and so on. The pCHI CBT went over the layout on the screen
and the function keys, uses of the pCHI instrument, which is used for keeping
track of contacts,

and contact attempts for households

and individual

respondents. We’ll practice using the pCHI later in the training.

Any questions about the CBTs?
(Answer questions)

A video and viewing guide were also included in with your pre-classroom material.
The “Getting it Done: The Job of a Field Representative” video provided you with
an initial orientation to a typical day for Census Bureau Field Representatives.
The video also showed a realistic, positive, and encouraging portrayal of the job
of a Field Representative.

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The corresponding Viewing Guide included a question and answer format to help
you recognize and retain the key information presented in the video.

We’ll discuss more on this topic later in this training session.

Any questions about this topic?

(Answer questions)

In your pre-classroom work, you learned about an important responsibility. That’s
your pledge to keep Census Bureau information confidential. The last paragraph
in your Oath of Office applied specifically to this obligation. In this oath, you swore
not to disclose any information you obtain as a Census Bureau employee to any
person, either during or after your employment. You must be careful that no
unauthorized person looks at listing sheets or looks at files and data on your
laptop. This restriction applies to members of your family and to respondents.

Does anyone have any questions about survey confidentiality?
(Answer questions)

Now take out your NCVS-521, Self-Study, and open it to page 18-1.

(Allow time)

Let’s go over the final review exercise from Lesson 18 of this self-study. As I call
on each of you, please read the question and give us your answer. If anyone has

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a question as we go through this exercise, let me know and I will try to answer it.
(Call on one trainee to answer each question. Use the following answer
key to answer any questions. Refer trainees back to the appropriate page
in the self-study to reinforce a specific survey concept or procedure if
needed.)

Please start us off with Question 1,

1.

.

The BJS needs the NCVS data primarily to obtain an accurate, up-todate measure of the kinds and amount of crimes committed against
persons 12 years of age and older.
TRUE (NCVS-521, Page 1-1)

2.

The reference period is important because we only ask about crime
incidents that occurred during this period. Listed below are interview
dates for first month interviews. For these interviews, what is the 6month reference period for crimes committed?
Date Of Interview

Reference Period

August 5

February 1 through August 4

April 1

October 1 through March 31

December 3

June 1 through December 2

(NCVS-521, Page 8-1)
3.

Listed below are the Moe family members and their ages. Answer
the questions (3a - c) which follow:
Name
John Moe

Age
46

Household Relationship
Reference person

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Megan Moe
Mary Moe
Michael Moe

42
20
8

Wife
Daughter
Son

When you make your initial visit to the Moe household, Megan Moe is
the only person home. She answers the household characteristic
questions, along with other questions relating to her family.
a.

Who is the household respondent?
Megan Moe
(NCVS-521, Page 2-4 through 2-5)

b.

Which members of the Moe
respondents for the NCVS?

household

are

eligible

John, Megan, and Mary Moe
(NCVS-521, Page 2-4 through 2-5)
c.

Are there any members of the Moe household who are not
required to be interviewed for the NCVS?
YES
If yes, who?
Michael Moe, since he is under 12 years of age.
(NCVS-521, Page 2-4 through 2-5)

4.

If the occupants at a sample address change between enumeration
periods, you: (Mark the correct answer.)
____ Try to locate the occupants’ new address at the local post office.
____ Select another address randomly on the same block.

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X_

Interview the people who currently live at the sample address
and who consider the address to be their usual place of
residence.

(NCVS-521, Page 8-3)
5.

Probing is an interviewing technique you can use to get the
respondent to provide more information when the respondent’s initial
answer is unclear or incomplete.
(NCVS-521, Page 14-5)

6.

A respondent is considered present during an incident if he/she is at
the immediate scene of the crime during the incident and there is an
opportunity for the offender to harm the respondent. In the following
scenarios, indicate whether or not the respondent was present during
the incident:
a.

A woman was putting her groceries in her car when a man
approached her and stole her purse.
PRESENT
(The woman was at the immediate scene of the crime during
the incident and could have been harmed by the offender.)

b.

A man fell asleep on the beach and when he woke up his CD
player and keys were gone.
PRESENT
(Even though the man was sleeping while the incident took
place, he was at the immediate scene of the crime and could
have been harmed by the offender.)

c.

A woman’s leather coat was stolen from the coat room in the
restaurant lobby while she was eating dinner at the restaurant.
NOT PRESENT

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(The woman was not at the immediate scene of the crime, the
coatroom, during the incident and the offender did not have
an opportunity to harm the woman during the theft.)
d.

The respondent was in the kitchen cooking dinner while the
offender (who was a guest) was stealing jewelry and money
from her bedroom dresser.
PRESENT
(The woman was at the immediate scene of the crime, her
home, during the incident and could have been harmed by
the offender. When an incident occurs inside the house,
anywhere inside the house is considered the immediate
scene of the crime.)

e.

The respondent looked out his living room window and saw
someone steal his 10-speed bicycle from his front yard. By
the time he got outside, the person and his bicycle were gone.
NOT PRESENT
(The respondent was not at the immediate scene of the crime
and there was no chance that he could have been harmed
during the incident. The respondent was inside and the
incident happened outside. Also, the offender was gone
when the respondent got to the scene of the crime.)

f.

A woman was asleep in her house and someone stole a
motorcycle from the attached garage.
PRESENT
(The woman was at the immediate scene of the crime, her
home [to which the garage was attached], during the
incident, and even though asleep, could have been harmed
by the offender.)

g.

A man was asleep in his house and someone stole a
lawnmower from the detached garage.

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NOT PRESENT
(The man was not at the immediate scene of the crime
because the garage was detached from the home, and could
not have been harmed by the offender.)
h.

A woman was walking at the shopping mall and a man
walked up behind her and shoved her.
PRESENT
(The woman was at the immediate scene of the crime and was
attacked by the offender.)

i.

A man arrived home from work and saw someone stealing
several lawn ornaments out of his yard. He got out of his car and
started yelling at the offender, but the offender got away.
PRESENT
(The man was at the immediate scene of the crime and could
have been harmed by the offender.)

j.

A woman on the subway was part of a group robbery when the
offender showed a gun, passed around a bag, and told everyone
in the subway car to put all their valuables in it.
PRESENT
(The woman was at the immediate scene of the crime and had
property stolen from her person.)
(NCVS-521, Page 14-3)

7.

Enter the letter next to each item that corresponds to the letter that
points to a specific part of the NCVS CAPI instrument illustrated below:
E
A

Info Pane
Title bar

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C Section Tabs
D Form Pane
B Menu Bar
F___ Status Bar

(NCVS-521, Page 9-1)
8.

Describe in the answer space below how you identify or differentiate
each item from other information on the screen:
a.

FR Instructions: Blue text

b.

Questions to ask respondents: Bold black text

c.

Questions that require you to use the information booklet to
show respondents:
Blue booklet icon in the upper left corner of the Info Pane

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d.

Questions that allow multiple answers:
Square box to the left of answer categories

e.

Questions that allow only a single response:
Radio button to the left of answer categories
(NCVS-521, Pages 9-4 and 10-2--10-4)

9.

Which key, when pressed in the NCVS CAPI instrument, ensures that
the entry is “accepted” within the instrument and moves to the next
question?
Enter
(NCVS-521, Page 9-5)

10.

Which Function key in the NCVS CAPI instrument allows you to
enter Item Level Notes?
F7
(NCVS-521, Pages 10-14 and 10-15)

11.

Which keys, when pressed while in the NCVS CAPI instrument, allow
you to enter Case Level Notes?
Ctrl+F7
(NCVS-521, Page 10-14)

12.

Which Function key in the NCVS CAPI instrument allows you to end
the interview?
F10
(NCVS-521, Pages 10-14 and 10-15)

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Self-Study Review

Which section of the NCVS CAPI instrument collects basic
household data as well as characteristics of the sample unit?
___
X_
___

Front section
Middle section
Back section

(NCVS-521, Page 10-11)
14.

At the START_CP screen, select category 4, Noninterview, to
classify a person as a Type Z noninterview.
FALSE (Category 4, Noninterview, is selected to classify a
household as a Type A, Type B, or Type C noninterview. Enter
Category 5, Ready to transmit - no more followup, to classify a
person as a Type Z noninterview.)
(NCVS-521, Page 10-9)

15.

In the NCVS CAPI instrument, suppress accepts data
item inconsistencies in a soft edit check.
(NCVS-521, Page 10-5)

16.

Six months ago when you interviewed a sample household there were
three household members. During the current month, you discover that
two of the three household members moved out. You must create a
replacement household and interview the remaining household
member.
FALSE (Replacement households are created when all of the
household members from the previous interview have moved out.
If at least one person from the previous interview is still living at
the sample address, you interview them using the current case. If
all the previous residents move out, you may not create a
replacement household until you have confirmed that new
respondents have moved into the sample address.)

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(NCVS-521, Page 8-3)
This concludes our review of the pre-classroom training materials and the NCVS
self-study final review exercise. Are there any final questions about the material
covered before we continue?

(Answer questions)

(Continue to the next chapter)

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Chapter 7 – NCVS Concepts and Definitions
(Total approximate time: 2 hours)
Instructor Preparation:
•

Make sure each trainee has a copy of
• the NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook,
• the NCVS-550.1, NCVS At a Glance, and
• the NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet.

Objectives:
•

Familiarize trainees with survey concepts and definitions.

Materials Needed:
•
•
•
•

NCVS-550.1 NCVS At a Glance
NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook
NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives (electronic document on laptop)
NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet

(Throughout this chapter when you see Q: and A:, ask trainees the
questions by name and review the answers with them. Discuss if needed
to ensure the concept is clear.)

(Before you begin, ask trainees to open and minimize the electronic
version of the NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives.
Trainees are going to need to reference it several times in this chapter.)

Before you have the opportunity to access and use the NCVS automated survey
instrument, let’s first review and discuss in more detail some survey concepts and
definitions that were covered in the self-study, as well as other concepts you should

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be familiar with. Understanding these concepts, as well as others we will cover while
completing the practice exercises, is critical for the collection of accurate data and
for the proper crime classification of reported incidents.

Let’s begin with an explanation of sample units. Sample units are addresses
selected for the NCVS and are of two types, housing units and other units. A housing
unit consists of separate living quarters in which the occupants live separately from
any other individuals in the building and have direct access from outside the building
or through a common hall or lobby. Examples of a housing unit include a house, an
apartment, a mobile home or trailer, or group of rooms. (Pause)

“Other units” are units located in non-institutional Group Quarters, such as homes
for the elderly, college dormitories, and boarding houses where residents have their
own room, groups of rooms, or beds. These residents also have access to some
common facilities, such as a dining hall, lobby, living room, or recreational areas.

After classifying a sample unit’s type, you will determine if the living quarters is
presently being used as student housing by a college or university. For a sample
address to be considered student housing, payment for housing must be made
directly to a college or university.

Q:

Let’s say you are at a sample address and you are told that a room is rented
out to college students. The student pays rent to the household respondent.
Would that unit be considered student housing,

A:

?

No, because the student pays rent to the household respondent and not
directly to a college or university.

Thank you.

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Another important concept is public housing. Public housing is rental housing
provided to eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Public housing comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family houses
to high-rise apartments. For the NCVS, the sample address is considered public
housing ONLY if it is located in a building owned by a public housing authority that
is federally funded. Housing funded at the state and local levels is not considered
public housing for the NCVS.

A sample unit represents hundreds of other similar units. Therefore, if you omit or
obtain incorrect information about one sample unit, the error is multiplied hundreds
of times.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Now let’s review who can serve as the household respondent and the household
reference person. The household respondent is a household member who must
be at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable about the household. This
household member will answer the household characteristic and household screen
questions

and MUST be interviewed BEFORE interviewing any other

household member. You must at least complete the NCVS interview with the
household respondent so that the household is a sufficient partial interview. If you
can’t complete an interview with the household respondent, you must classify the
whole household as a Type A Noninterview. You will do a practice Type A
Noninterview later in this training.

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We will now toggle from the instrument to the NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for
Field Representatives on your laptop. To do this, press Alt + Tab. Once in the
manual, press Ctrl + F to bring up the “Find” bar to be able to search the document.
Now go to page C1-14 in the NCVS-550 and read the “Definition” and “Who Qualifies
to be a Household Respondent.” The reading ends on the top of page C1-16.

(Allow time)

Q:

If you visit a sample address for the first enumeration period and discover that
the only household member home at that time is a 16-year-old son of the
homeowner, could you interview the son as the household respondent,

A:

?

No. The son must be at least 18 years of age.

Thank you.

If you visited a sample household in which the household members are a husband,
his wife, and their 18-year-old daughter and all members are available, it is better to
interview either the husband or wife as the household respondent, rather than the
18-year-old daughter. This is because the parents are more likely

to be

knowledgeable

levels,

about household

information:

birthdates,

education

household income, and so on.

Now let's talk about the reference person. The reference person must be a
responsible adult household member who is at least 18 years of age, and is also
one of the persons who owns, rents, or occupies rent free the sample unit. Also, the
reference person will be the first person you list as you build a new household roster.
Go to page C1-11 and read the “Definition” and the “Special Situations” you may
encounter when identifying an eligible reference person. The reading ends in the

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middle of page C1-12.

(Allow time)

Q:

Can the reference person in a sample household also be the household
respondent

A:

?

Yes, but the reference person does not have to be the household respondent.

Thank you.

The purpose of the reference person is to establish the relationship of all household
members to one person who is likely to stay in the household. Are there any
questions about who is eligible to be a household respondent and the reference
person?

(Answer questions)

Let’s discuss household membership and usual place of residence. For a person to
be considered a member of a sample household, he/she must be:
• Using the sample address as his/her usual place of residence at the time of
the current interview even if the person is temporarily absent at the time of
interview,

OR
• Staying temporarily at the sample address AND doesn’t have a usual place
of residence elsewhere.

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Usual place of residence is a specific living quarters, whether a housing unit or a
non-institutional group quarters unit, where a person lives and sleeps the greater
part of the time and is free to return to at any time. Open your Information Card
Booklet, NCVS-554, to page 5 and look over the summary table for determining
household membership.

(Hold up the Information Card Booklet and allow time.)

Now open your Workbook to page 1 and answer the five questions using the
information provided on page 5 in your Information Card Booklet.

(Allow time and then go over the answers)

Q1:

Paul Moe is staying in the sample unit, but is looking for another place to
live. He has no other residence. Is Paul a household member?

A:

Yes, because Paul does not have any other usual place of residence.

Q2:

Janet Voe is a paid housekeeper who lives in the sample unit. Is Janet a
household member?

A:

Yes, because the sample unit is her usual place of residence.

Q3:

When you interview the Zoe household, Mr. Zoe tells you that his
daughter Emily is away at college. Is Emily a household member?

A:

No, because Emily is residing away from the family residence while
attending school. Her school residence is considered her usual place of
residence.

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Q4: When you contact the Coe household, Pamela Coe, the household
respondent, tells you that her husband, John, is serving with the Army and
stationed in Iraq. Is John a household member?
A:

No, because he is stationed in a different locality than the sample housing
unit.

Q5:

If you list someone as living and staying at the sample unit as of the night
before the interview and then determine at HSEMEMURE (Does _____
have a usual place of residence elsewhere? (1) Yes; (2) No.) that the person
usually

lives

somewhere

else, what

precode

do you

enter

in

HSEMEMURE?
Hint: See page B2-87 of the NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives on your laptop for more information on HSEMEMURE.
A:

Precode 1, “Yes.”

When you enter precode 1, “Yes” in HSEMEMURE for a person, that person is NOT
considered a household member and you do not complete an NCVS interview for
that person.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Each NCVS case assigned to you starts with a sample address. You generally will
interview the residents at that address for seven enumeration periods, even if the
usual residents change during that time period. If all members of a household move
out of the sample address, the new household is considered a replacement

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household. Replacement households are treated like incoming or first time in
sample households in that you must interview the household respondent in person,
along with any remaining household members who are eligible for interview and
available at the time of your visit. However, the interview period or enumeration
period for the sample address does not change. For example, if a unit is in sample
for its third enumeration and you discover a replacement household at the sample
unit, the interview period for the replacement household remains three and does not
revert to one. (Pause)

Q.

Suppose last enumeration three brothers, Michael, John, and Pat Coe lived at
the sample unit. When you contact the household during the current interview
period, you discover that John and Pat moved out of the household and
Michael’s new wife, Sarah, has moved in. Is this household considered a
replacement household, ___________?

A.

No, because not all members of the household moved out.

Q.

Now suppose that during the last enumeration, you interviewed the household
at a sample address. This enumeration period, you return to the sample
address to find that the household you interviewed last time has moved away
and the address is vacant. Is this a replacement household?

A.

No, this is not considered a replacement household. This is an error many FRs
make. This is only considered to be a replacement household if a new
household has moved into the sample address. You would code this address
as a “Type B – vacant”.

Regardless of whether or not a sample unit is a replacement household, survey
procedures require that you conduct NCVS interviews for all household members 12
years of age or older by self-response. Let’s talk about proxy interviews. You may

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encounter situations in which the household member is unable to complete his/her
interview for himself/herself. For some cases, a proxy interview is allowed. Go to
page C1-18 of the NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives on your
laptop, and read the definition for a proxy interview. Also, read the three reasons in
which a proxy interview is acceptable for the NCVS and when a proxy interview is
acceptable for household respondents. The reading ends on page C1-19.

(Allow time)

If you must take a proxy interview for an acceptable reason, your first choice for a
proxy respondent is a household member who is at least 18 years old, very
knowledgeable about the proxy person, and who has already completed his/her own
NCVS interview by self-response. As you read in the manual, proxy interviews
should be taken as a last resort since you may be collecting

incomplete or

inaccurate information; a proxy respondent is more likely to omit an incident or leave
out some of the details about a reported incident.

Q:

Suppose Mrs. Voe refuses to let you interview her daughter Mary, who is 15
years old. Can you conduct a proxy interview for Mary with Mrs. Voe,
____________?

A:

No, a parent who does not allow you to speak to his/her child can only complete
a proxy interview for children who are 12 and 13 years old.

Q:

Suppose on September 8 you call the Coe household to conduct their NCVS
interview. Jennifer Coe tells you that her husband, Fred, is on an extended
business trip and will not return home until the following month. Can you conduct
a proxy interview with Mrs. Coe for Fred, ____________?

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Yes, since the household member is temporarily absent during the entire
interview period and will not return before closeout.

Now let’s discuss the crimes measured by the NCVS. Locate the job aid, Form
NCVS-550.1, NCVS At a Glance from your materials. This job aid provides some
key information about the NCVS so it is good idea to keep this form handy when
conducting your interviews. (Pause) Turn to page 6 of the job aid and read the
information under the heading Type of NCVS Crimes.

(Allow time)

The NCVS collects information on crimes suffered by individuals and households,
whether or not those crimes were reported to law enforcement. These include
crimes of rape, sexual assault, aggravated and simple assault, purse snatching
and pocket picking, household burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. As you
read, the NCVS does not measure homicide, kidnapping, commercial crimes, such
as burglaries of stores, or the so-called victimless crimes, such as drunkenness,
drug abuse, illegal gambling, con games, prostitution, and blackmail.
Crimes measured by the NCVS can be classified into two general types: crimes
against persons and crimes against households. Crimes against persons, which
are referred to as personal crimes and include rape, sexual assault, assault, purse
snatching, and pocket picking, involve contact between the victim and offender. All
three of the measured crimes against households, which are referred

to as

property crimes and include burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft, are crimes that
do not involve personal confrontation.

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Go to page C2-3 in your NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
and read Topic 2, Crimes Measured by the NCVS. The reading ends on page C26.

(Allow time)

It is important to know that threats of rape, sexual assault, personal robbery, and
assault made against a respondent must be delivered verbally and face-to-face
between the offender and the respondent AND the threat must involve the
potential for physical harm to the respondent.

Let's determine if the following examples are acceptable NCVS threats:

Q:

Nick sent an e-mail message to John warning him to stop seeing his exgirlfriend or he would beat him up the next time he saw him. Is this an
acceptable threat for the NCVS, _____________?

A:

No, since the threat was not verbal and not face-to-face.

Q:

Amy was driving home at night when a car pulled up behind her. The driver
honked his horn, flashed his headlights, and then passed her at a high rate of
speed. When passing her, Amy noticed that the driver made an obscene
gesture at her. Amy said that she felt threatened. Is this an acceptable threat
for the NCVS, ____________?

A:

No, because the other driver did not verbally threaten to physically harm Amy.

Q:

Eric was at an ATM when a man approached him and told him to hand over the
money he just withdrew or else he would shoot him. Is this an acceptable threat
for the NCVS, ____________?

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Yes, because the threat was delivered verbally and face-to-face and involved
the potential for physical harm to the respondent.

Let's try one more.

Q:

James was outside in his yard when his neighbor Phil came over and warned
James to stop parking in his parking space or he would slash his tires the next
time he was parked in his reserve space. Is this an acceptable threat for the
NCVS, _____________?

A:

No, because the threat, although verbal and face-to-face, did not involve the
potential for physical harm.

Thank you.

The most serious crime against households is burglary, which is the illegal or
attempted entry of a structure. An example of burglary would be if a person actually
broke into a house, or if a person having no right to be there entered through an
unlocked door.

Theft, the most prevalent property crime, includes completed or attempted theft of
property or cash without personal contact. Incidents involving theft of property from
within the sample household are classified as theft if the offender has a legal right
to be in the house, such as a maid, delivery person, or guest. If the offender has no
legal right to be in the house, the incident is classified as a burglary. Examples of
theft are: theft of cash by a houseguest, theft of a garden hose from the yard, theft
of a briefcase or umbrella from a restaurant, or theft of a portable radio from the
beach.

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Any crime involving personal contact is not a household crime.

Q:

What are personal crimes of violence,

?

A:

Crimes in which an offender attempted to attack or attacked a household
member or threatened a household member with physical harm, robbed a
household member by force or threat of physical harm.

Thank you.

Respondents sometimes report the theft of articles belonging to a household
member under 12 years of age, such as a bicycle left outside the house. This can
be considered a crime against the household, because the theft happened near the
home. If the respondent mentions this type of incident, record it in the screen
question. However, do not include the theft of items belonging to household
members under 12 years of age when the theft takes place away from home; for
example, a bicycle stolen from a school playground. Also, do not record any threats
of physical harm or attacks to household members under 12 years of age. Since
household members who are under 12 years of age are not eligible respondents
for the NCVS, these crimes fall out of scope for the NCVS.

You also record all crimes to unrecognizable businesses, as these are included in
the NCVS data. Go to page C2-9 of your NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives, and read the definitions for recognizable and unrecognizable
businesses. The reading ends on page C2-10.

(Allow time)

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NCVS Initial Training Guide
NCVS Concepts & Definitions

If a respondent does sewing alterations in her house and she has a sign in her
front yard which reads: “Alterations - Same Day Service,” is this a recognizable
or unrecognizable business, __________________?

A:

A recognizable business.

Q:

One of your respondents prepares income tax forms in his basement and there
is no sign outside his house advertising his services. He only advertises his
business in the local newspaper. Do you consider his business recognizable or
unrecognizable, ____________?

A:

Unrecognizable.

As mentioned earlier, all crimes to unrecognizable businesses, such as the theft
of business property, are included in the NCVS data. However, if a reported crime
involves a recognizable business, report only the personal items stolen or any
personal threats of physical harm or assaults that may occur to the respondent
during a theft from a recognizable business. Do not include any stolen items that
belong to the recognizable business.

Q:

Let’s say that two thieves stole a sewing machine that belonged to a
person’s recognizable alterations business. Do you include the theft in the
NCVS,

?

A:

No, because the stolen item belonged to a recognizable business.

Q:

If a respondent uses a computer to prepare income tax forms in her
unrecognizable business and her business computer was stolen, do you
include the theft when completing a Crime Incident Report,

A:

Yes, because the stolen computer belonged to an unrecognizable business.

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If a shopkeeper’s wallet was stolen during the robbery of his small business, do
you include the theft of the shopkeeper’s wallet,

A:

?

Yes, because we want to include thefts of personal items, regardless of whether
the personal theft took place at a recognizable or unrecognizable business.

Q:

While conducting a screen interview, a respondent says that her recognizable
business, which is located in a downtown store, was burglarized and she was
attacked during the burglary. Do you record this incident? Why or why not?

A:

Yes, because the household member was attacked during the burglary.

In this last situation, if any personal property or cash was stolen from the store
owner, you record the stolen property and cash because it belongs to the
respondent, and NOT to the recognizable business. If the respondent was attacked
and only business property was stolen, record information on the attack, but exclude
the theft of the business property from the crime incident report.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Sometimes respondents are unable to describe separately the details of each
reported incident when they are similar. Six or more similar but separate events,
which the respondent is unable to describe separately in detail to you, are called a
series of crimes.

Go to page C3-3 in your NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
and read the definition for series of crimes.

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(Allow time)

Q:

In SQTHEFT, Nicole reported that money was stolen from her desk at work on
five different occasions. All incidents occurred during her 6-month reference
period. Nicole never found out who stole the money and each time the
circumstances were so similar that she cannot differentiate one incident from
the other. Do these incidents qualify as a series of crimes, __________?

A:

No. The respondent reported less than six similar incidents so it cannot be a
series.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Now we’ll discuss the structure of the crime incident report. The crime incident
report section of the NCVS instrument is designed to gather detailed information
about each time an incident or victimization occurred during the reference period.

The crime incident report is made up of eleven sections. Turn to Pages 4 and 5 of
your classroom workbook and follow along as I describe each one:

1. Location and presence is the first section and collects information about
where the incident occurred, details about a break-in when it happened at
the respondent’s home or lodging, and whether or not the respondent was
present.

2. Attack/threat/injury/medical care section asks questions about how the

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respondent was attacked or threatened, injuries the respondent may
have suffered (if any), whether the respondent sought medical care, and
details about that medical care.

3. Emotional toll section asks questions about the emotional toll the crime took
on the respondent, such as how it affected work, relationships, the
respondent’s emotional and physical health, and so on.

4. Actions against offender section asks about what actions were taken by the
victim during the incident, whether those actions helped or made the situation
worse, whether others were present at the scene, their actions, and so on.

5. Offender section asks about the number and characteristics of the offender(s)
such as their gender and age, how well the victim knew the offender(s),
whether offender(s) were drinking or on drugs and if the offender(s) belonged
to a gang, and so on.

6. Attempted and completed thefts section asks about the type and value of any
stolen items or about items the offender attempted to steal, whether items
were in or attached to a motor vehicle, whether property was recovered, and
so on.

7. Property damage and police section asks about whether there was any
damage to household property and if so, how much it cost to repair or
replace the damaged items, and about contact with the police and their
response to the incident.

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8. Activity at the time of the incident and time or money lost this section asks
about what the respondent was doing when the incident happened and
whether the respondent was employed at the time of the incident, and
whether the respondent or other household members lost time or pay from
work because of the incident.

9. Series of crimes section is asked when six or more incidents were coded as a
series. This section asks how many incidents were part of the series, where
they took place, how well the respondent knew the offenders, and so on.

10. Hate crime section asks about whether the respondent feels the incident was
a hate crime, and if so, what the reason was for the hate crime, such as the
respondent’s religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, and so on.

11. Summary section is where you enter a detailed descriptive summary of the
crime incident.

Are there any questions about these eleven sections of the incident report?

(Answer questions)

Now let’s go over several important items within the crime incident report. The first
is the location in which the incident occurred. Go to Page B4-17 in the NCVS-550
Interviewing

Manual

for Field

Representatives

LOCATION_GENERAL so you can follow along.

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(Allow time)

The type of place at which the incident took place falls into one of eight general
categories – 1) Inside OWN home, 2) Near OWN home, 3) Inside or near another’s
home, 4) Commercial place, 5) Parking lot or garage, 6) School, 7) Open area, on
the street, or on public transportation, AND 8) Somewhere else.

This item is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT because if you identify the wrong place, you
will ask inappropriate questions and the incident may eventually classify into the
wrong type of crime category. Each general location category is further subdivided
into more specific locations. For example, if you select INSIDE OWN HOME you
must determine more specifically where the incident took place.

INSIDE OWN HOME covers enclosed structures owned or rented by the
respondent. An enclosed structure is one which has a door or window to gain entry
through such as the respondent’s home, apartment, dormitory room, garage, shed,
or an enclosed porch, or a vacation home, second home, hotel or motel room in
which the respondent could have been staying at the time of the incident. This
category also includes enclosed structures that are on the respondent’s
property but are detached from the main structure such as a detached garage
or storage shed. Select INSIDE OWN HOME only if the offender got inside or tried
to get inside the respondent’s home or lodging facilities. It does not matter whether
the offender entered by force, was let in, or gained entrance through an unlocked
door.

For incidents that happened on an unenclosed porch, patio, or carport of the
respondent’s home, select NEAR OWN HOME rather than INSIDE OWN HOME.
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not have a door or window through which an offender could enter. After selecting
NEAR OWN HOME you then select the appropriate subcategory of where the
incident occurred near the respondent’s home or lodging.

Here is an example: If someone stole potted plants from a respondent’s unenclosed
porch, select NEAR OWN HOME. Then select the appropriate subcategory titled
“Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport, unenclosed porch”

indicating where the

incident occurred near the respondent’s home or lodging. Select these same
categories if an offender stole a respondent’s baseball bat and glove from his
carport.

Let’s try a few more examples.

Q:

If a respondent says that he was robbed in his motel room at a ski lodge, which
general location category do you select, INSIDE OWN HOME or NEAR OWN
HOME,

?

A:

INSIDE OWN HOME for the hotel or motel room respondent was staying in.

Q:

Another respondent says that she was mugged in her own home by a thief.
Which general location category do you select, INSIDE OWN HOME or NEAR
OWN HOME,

?

A:

INSIDE OWN HOME

Q:

A respondent says a lawn mower was stolen from her detached garage. Which
general location category do you select, INSIDE OWN HOME or NEAR OWN
HOME,

A:

?

INSIDE OWN HOME. As I just told you, INSIDE OWN HOME includes
enclosed structures owned or rented by the respondent, including enclosed

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structures on the respondent’s property detached from the main structure, such
as a detached garage or storage shed.

Now let’s go over the other general location categories. The third general category
is INSIDE OR NEAR ANOTHER’S HOME. This category includes places where the
incident may have happened that are at, in, or near the home of a respondent’s
friend, relative, or neighbor. Such places include: the dwelling or other building
owned by a friend, relative, or neighbor; in a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s yard,
driveway, carport, open porch; in the building where a respondent’s friend, relative,
or neighbor lives; or on the street immediately

adjacent to the property of the

respondent’s friend, relative, or neighbor.

The fourth general location category is COMMERCIAL PLACE. This includes
places such as: inside a restaurant, bar, nightclub, bank, gas station, office, factory
or warehouse, and other commercial buildings such as a store. (Pause)

The next category is PARKING LOT OR GARAGE. This includes commercial and
noncommercial parking lots or garages as well as those provided to residents and
guests of apartments, townhouses, rooming houses, dormitories, condominiums,
and so forth. After selecting PARKING LOT OR GARAGE, probe to determine the
specific type of parking lot or garage. Commercial parking lots or garages are those
that are privately operated for profit AND require a parking fee regardless of whether
or not the parking lot or garage is attended or unattended. In contrast,
noncommercial parking lots or garages are those in which the general public can
park free of charge, such as a shopping mall. They also include a parking lot or
garage that has parking meters and those operated by a local, state, or Federal
government regardless of whether or not a fee is required.

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If it is unclear as to which type of parking lot the respondent is referring, probe to find
out if the parking lot is privately owned and a fee is paid to park. Don’t ask the
respondent if it’s a commercial or noncommercial parking lot or garage, because
the respondent’s definition of such parking lots may differ from the

survey’s

definition. For this survey, the word “commercial” does not refer to who uses the
parking lot, for example the parking lot of a commercial establishment such as a
convenience store, restaurant, or mall. The word “commercial” refers to whether a
company profits from fees charged to use that parking lot.

Q:

What do you do if a respondent reports that while out shopping his car was
stolen from a parking lot,

A:

?

Select the general location category, PARKING LOT OR GARAGE, ask
whether the respondent was parked in a privately operated lot that charges a
fee to park, and then mark the appropriate subcategory.

If a respondent tells you that an incident happened at her school, you will select the
sixth general location category, SCHOOL. Then probe to determine if the incident
took place inside or outside the school building, such as on the school parking area,
play area, or school bus.

The next category, OPEN AREA, ON THE STREET, OR ON PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION covers a variety of places open to the general public that the
incident could take place. This category includes places such as: apartment yard,
park, playground, on some type of public transportation, or in a bus depot, train
station, airport, or subway station. (Pause)

When the incident happened at or in a place that doesn’t fit any of the other location
categories, select the final general location category, OTHER. You must describe

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the place such as hospital, library, church, on the beach, and so on.
When a respondent tells you that the incident occurred in his/her home or lodging,
you ask if the offender had a right to enter the building or dwelling legally.

Q:

Who would have a “right” to be in a dwelling,

?

A:

People who live there, friends or relatives of the household, salespersons,
maintenance workers, or other persons who have been given permission to
enter the home.

It’s possible that the offender was allowed inside the dwelling, but still did not have
a “right” to be there. Children may let a stranger into the home, while adults would
not. An offender may push his or her way in when the respondent answers the door,
or an offender may have entered a dwelling by misrepresenting himself or herself
as a repair person, police officer, and so forth. These persons do not have a right
to be there.

If the offender didn’t have the right to be in the respondent’s home or other structure
on the respondent’s property, you ask if the offender actually got in or just tried to
get inside the respondent’s house, apartment, room, garage, shed, or enclosed
porch. If the offender did NOT get inside or did NOT try to get inside any of the
places inside the respondent’s home or lodging, the category INSIDE OWN HOME
is an incorrect response. Probe to find out which of the other general location
categories more appropriately applies and then back up in the instrument to correct
the answer.

If the offender got inside or tried to get inside any of the places inside the
respondent’s home or lodging, you ask if there was any evidence that the offender
got in by force or tried to get in by force. Visible evidence is evidence that can be

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seen after the incident takes place, such as a broken lock, a broken window, or a
door jimmied. It does not refer to an open, undamaged door or an offender forcing
a person to let him or her in.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Another VERY CRITICAL item on the Crime Incident Report is PRESENCE. If you
enter someone as not being present during the incident and they were present, you
will skip important questions about attacks, attempted attacks, and threats. This will
affect the classification of the crime. On the other hand, if you mark someone as
present during the incident when they were not present, you will ask the respondent
irrelevant questions. To consider a household member present during an
incident, there must be an opportunity for an offender to attack or threaten to
attack the person or the possibility that an offender could take something
directly from the household member.

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine if the respondent was present since some
respondents may not know what is meant by “present” for the NCVS. If this
happens, then you need to probe. If you are still unsure after probing, consider the
person present. This ensures that we will not miss important details, such as
whether or not the respondent was attacked or threatened with physical harm.

Go to page C3-16 in the NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives on
your laptop and read the definition of “presence.”

(Allow time)

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There are three other important things you must remember about presence.
• First, the respondent does not have to be awake or conscious to be
considered present.
• Second, the respondent does not have to be in the same room in the house
where the incident happened to be considered present.
• Third, when a household member is in the house and the incident takes place
in an attached garage or an enclosed porch, the household member is
considered present during the incident. (However, if the garage is detached
or the porch is unenclosed, a household member inside the house at the time
of the incident is considered “not present.”)

Now let’s try a few examples.

Q:

After a respondent heard a noise, she looked out her kitchen window and saw
several young men running away from her detached garage. By the time she
got to the garage, the men were gone. After looking around the garage, she
discovered that some power tools were missing. Was the respondent present
at the immediate scene of the crime,

A:

? Why or why not?

No. The detached garage was the immediate scene and she didn’t arrive until
after the crime was committed. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)

Q:

If another respondent was asleep in his house when someone broke the patio
door and entered his family room, would he be present,

? Why

or why not?
A:

Yes. The house was the immediate scene of the crime and the respondent was
in the house during the break-in. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)

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If a respondent has guests at her house and one of the guests steals something
from her bedroom while the respondent is in the kitchen, is the respondent
present,

A:

? Why or why not?

Yes. Anywhere inside the house is the immediate scene of the crime, even
though the respondent was in a different room. The respondent could have
been attacked or threatened with physical harm.

Q:

If the offender puts his hands around the respondent’s neck and chokes him, is
the respondent present,

A:

? Why or why not?

Yes, the respondent was at the immediate scene of the crime and was in fact
attacked by the offender.

Thank you.

This last example might seem like an obvious example, but you’d be surprised
how often we see crime reports in which a respondent was attacked and clearly
present during a crime incident, but has been marked as “not present.” You must
avoid errors like this one.

Are there any questions about presence during an incident?

(Answer questions)

Finally, let's review the NCVS reference period. Go to page C1-3 in the NCVS-550
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives on your laptop and read the definition
of a “reference period.”

(Allow time)

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Sometimes you will encounter a reported incident that occurred before the reference
period start date or on the day of the interview. If you discover at INCIDENTDATE
that the incident occurred before the reference period start date, the incident is
considered out-of-scope and the instrument will not prompt you to collect any more
information about the incident. If the incident occurred on the day of interview, collect
the incident information as usual. During post-data collection processing the incident
will be reviewed.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

(Continue to the next chapter)

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Chapter 8 – NCVS Practice Interviews
(Total approximate time: 6 hours, 40 minutes)
Instructor Preparation: Review Completed for Exercises 1-4
•
•
•

If available, set up projection device.
Make sure all trainees are logged into their laptops and using AC power. (Make sure
all trainees have access to electrical outlets to plug in their laptop computers. If necessary,
help trainees use extension cords or adaptors to connect to outlets in the training room.)
Make sure trainees have a copy of the materials needed listed below.

Objective:
•
•

Familiarize trainees with the survey questions and their intent.
Provide trainees with practice using the NCVS instrument and the instrument function keys.

Materials Needed:
Trainee
• Laptop computer
• Function key template
• Form 11-38, Request for Appointment
• Form 11-38A, Request for Appointment
• NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook
• NCVS-554, Information Card Booklet
• NCVS-572(L) Introductory Letter (for incoming households)
• NCVS-573(L) Introductory Letter (for continuing households)
• NCVS-110 Factsheet
Trainer
• Same as trainee materials
• Projection device

Before we get into the practice interviews, I want to talk about conducting the NCVS
interviews in your assignment. As we’ve mentioned, for first time in sample
households, and occasionally for other cases, you’ll visit the household in person.
For NCVS personal interviews, interview respondents in private, out of the hearing
range of others whenever possible. Research has shown that we get more complete

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and accurate data when we interview away from other household members.

In a survey like the NCVS, which can cover some sensitive topics, if a respondent
is interviewed in front of other people, they may not be fully truthful about their
victimization experiences. Try to arrange private interviews for the NCVS. If
household members sit down together for an interview, tell them that you wish to
interview separately to ensure the confidentiality of the respondent’s answers, and
to ensure that we get the most complete and quality data. ONLY continue to
interview with others present if the respondents refuse to be interviewed privately
or a private interview is not possible (for example, in a small space like a studio
apartment). Even in front of others, you still must conduct each interview at a
conversational pace, and ask each respondent all the screen questions in their
entirety. Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Another thing I want to emphasize is that you must ask all the screener questions
in their entirety at a conversational pace. Do not change the wording or paraphrase
any questions, and do not omit any part of a question. It’s important to ask all the
questions and ask them as they are worded because they have been specifically
designed to jog respondents’ memories and help them recall incidents that they
may have forgotten. The screener questions have been developed and refined
since the beginning of the NCVS. You must ask all the screener questions as
worded, wait for the answers, and enter those answers completely and accurately.
If a respondent has forgotten an incident and you do not ask the screener question
or cue that may help them remember it, we run the risk of not collecting that incident.
These omissions and missed incidents can result in the crime rates we calculate
being erroneously low, and in survey results being biased.

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Because being the victim of a crime is an unpleasant experience, people may
repress those memories, or the memory of the incident may decay so much that
the respondent has trouble recalling the crime with accuracy. Also, for some
respondents,

crimes may be part of their everyday

life and completely

unremarkable to them until you, the interviewer, ask that screener question which
sparks their memory or recall. People who live in environments in which these
incidents commonly happen either forget them or think they are not important
enough to mention.

Research has also shown that context is an important factor in people’s ability to
remember events. For example, a respondent may not recall a crime that happened
at school when you ask the screener question about theft, but may remember it
when you ask the screener question that focuses on the location of possible
victimizations. As we’ll discuss, these shifts in the focus of the screener questions
and what may appear to be redundancies are a crucial part of the crime screener,
to help respondents recall events they have experienced.

It is of the utmost importance that each respondent hears exactly the same
questions in exactly the same way as every other survey respondent. Standardizing
the way in which each FR asks the questions to thousands of respondents each
month to ensure that the data is collected consistently across the country. This
helps us avoid bias and makes survey results more accurate.

We know that respondents and interviewers alike sometimes get impatient during
these questions. If it becomes necessary, ask politely for the respondent to bear
with you while you go through them, as you are required to read them as worded.
Take your time and allow the questions to do the job for which they were intended

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– helping the respondent recall and enumerate any crime incidents they may have
experienced. We can’t stress enough how important it is to ask all the screener
questions, and ask them fully and completely, exactly as worded.

Are there any questions about why it’s important to go through all the questions in
the screening portion of the instrument?

(Answer questions)

Now we’ll turn our attention to the pacing of the NCVS interview. Remember this
key point about pacing the NCVS interview: DO NOT RUSH to complete an
interview under any circumstances. Rushing through the survey questions
increases the possibility that the respondent will miss important parts of the
question, misinterpret questions, and then give you an answer that is incomplete or
inaccurate. Maintain a calm, unhurried manner and ask the questions clearly in an
objective, deliberate way. This will help keep the respondent’s attention.

When respondents sense that you are rushing through an interview, they may
withhold information, thinking that it would take too long to explain the crime
incident. Talking too fast may give the impression that you think the questions are
either unimportant or sensitive in nature. By speaking in a confident voice and at a
moderate pace, respondents are more likely to stay relaxed and responsive. Are
there any questions about pacing?

(Answer questions)

You learned in the self-study about the different parts of the NCVS CAPI
instrument and the function keys that are used in this instrument. You also

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practiced using the instrument by completing an interview. In this section of the
classroom training, you will have the opportunity to go through several additional
practice exercises to become more familiar with using the NCVS automated
instrument. You will practice re-entering a case to complete an interview,
conducting a proxy interview, choosing a new household respondent, changing
the reference person, building a household roster, classifying a sample unit as a
noninterview, classifying an eligible NCVS respondent as a Type Z noninterview,
unduplicating incidents, and quitting a case before proceeding with the interview.
Before we begin the practice exercises, let’s review how to correct answers to
questions if you make a mistake. If you are in the middle of an interview and get
off track by entering the wrong answer for a question, press the left or up arrow
key in the lower right corner of your keyboard. This step takes you to the previous
question so you can change the answer. If you have to go back several questions,
keep pressing the left or up arrow key until you get to the question where you
need to change the answer. You will practice changing a response to a previously
answered question later in the training. (Pause) To return to the next unanswered
question in the instrument path, you can press the End key. The End key is
particularly important to use when you re-enter a case that was a partial interview
for a respondent.

During the practice exercises, you will also have the opportunity to use some of the
function keys that are available in the CAPI instrument. Remember, the functions of
some of the keys within this instrument differ from their functions within Case
Management, but some are the same. For example, the F1 key displays Help
information in both Case Management and in the NCVS CAPI instrument. However,
the F2 function key in Case Management opens the selected case so you can start
the interview, while in the CAPI instrument this function key is not used.

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To get an idea of the variety of functions you can use in the instrument, pull out the
function key template and look at the keys available to you for use in the NCVS
instrument. You can also see a copy of the function keys in your NCVS-522.1
Classroom Workbook.

(Allow time)

Each function key or combination of keys allows you to perform specific tasks while
working in the NCVS instrument. Many of these operations were discussed in the
self-study you completed. You will have the opportunity to practice using some of
these function keys as you go through the practice interview exercises.

Now we will begin the practice exercises. If you get off track or get stuck on a
particular question, let me know right away so that you don’t fall behind.
Especially in the first two exercises, I will interrupt the interview often to provide an
explanation about the intent or the meaning behind a question.

Also, DO NOT re-enter or reinstall your training cases at the end of the day, because
that will delete all information entered during training. Finally, as we go through each
practice exercise do not jump ahead of the class. That may cause delays for you
and the rest of the trainees.

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #1 –Building a Household Roster
Case ID: 00000003
(Approximate time: 45 minutes)

The first practice exercise covers building a household roster for a replacement
household. The process of building a roster for incoming or first time in sample
cases is the same as what we'll be going through for a replacement household.
Make sure the case 611 Produce St is highlighted. This is the case we want to
interview, so press the F2 function key to access the NCVS CAPI instrument. Before
you actually enter the instrument, confirm that you selected the correct case. At the
“Confirmation Screen”, check the information displayed to make sure you selected
the right unit. (Pause) If the case selected is correct, click the OK button or press
Enter. Do that now. You will see a screen that says “This is a training case.” If you
do, type (1) and press Enter to bypass it, both here and throughout this training.

(Allow time)

The START_CP screen is the first NCVS instrument screen that you see when you
enter a case. Look at the information in blue text displayed in the Info Pane of the
START_CP screen. Remember, any time you see blue text in the Info Pane it is an
instruction for you to read the text to yourself and not to the respondent.

This screen provides you with the survey title, the case status, the current date and
time, the incoming/continuing status, interview number, and confirmed refusal
status.

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Notice that the “Case Status” indicator, which measures the progress of the case
throughout the interview process, identifies this household as a “New Case.” This
means that this is your first attempt to interview the household for the current
interview period.

Now look at the “Interview Number.” For this case, the interview number is 3. This
tells you that this case is in sample for its third NCVS interview. (Pause) When the
interview number is “1,” the Incoming/Continuing status field displays the
word “incoming.” When the interview period is two through seven, this field usually
displays the word “continuing.” For a replacement household, regardless of the
interview period, this field displays the word incoming.

The Confirmed Refusal field identifies a situation where a respondent adamantly
refused to be interviewed and demanded that he/she not be contacted again. When
a case is a confirmed refusal, the words “Confirmed Refusal” are displayed. If it is
not a confirmed refusal, “No” is displayed.

After reviewing the information at START_CP, select the appropriate interview
mode. For interviews you conduct by telephone, select Precode (1). For personal
interviews, you have two options for recording the case’s interview status. Selecting
Precode (2) classifies the case as a personal interview and enables you to view any
notes that have been recorded previously for the case.

Selecting Precode (3) also classifies the case as a personal interview but allows
you to bypass or skip any notes that have been recorded previously for the selected
case. (Pause) To code a case as a Type A, B, or C noninterview, select Precode
(4). Selecting Precode (4) at START_CP takes you to another item that collects

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additional information about the noninterview, such as the reason for the
noninterview. (Pause)

Enter Precode (5) for cases that you are ready to transmit. These are cases in which
the interview is complete with at least the household respondent but there are other
household members whose interview you were unable to complete and you have
exhausted all attempts to interview these individuals. Before you can transmit these
cases to Headquarters, you must code each noninterview person as a Type Z
noninterview. Selecting Precode (5) at START_CP takes you to another screen that
collects the line number of each Type Z noninterview person and the reason for the
noninterview. (Pause)

Enter Precode (6) if you want to quit the case, for example, if you decide that you
don’t want to interview the case at this time.

Now, take a look at the “Status bar” at the very bottom of the Form Pane. This is the
shaded portion of the screen. (Pause) Notice the fields “Talking to” and “About.” The
“Talking to” field contains the name of the person who answers the survey
questions. The “About” field contains the name of the eligible NCVS household
member for whom you need to obtain an interview. For self-response interviews, the
name entered in both of these fields is always the same. For proxy interviews, the
proxy respondent’s name is entered in the “Talking To” field and the proxy person’s
name will appear in the “About” field. When you first enter a continuing case to
interview for a given month, the first name that appears in these fields is that of the
household respondent from the previous interview, since the household respondent
is the first person with whom you must complete an interview. For incoming cases,
these fields are blank until you build the household roster and select a household
respondent.

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Before we proceed with the interview, let’s take a look at the composition of this
household to get an idea of the number of people in the household and those who
you need to interview. Remember, you can also view the household composition
when you are in Case Management. To view the household roster in the NCVS
CAPI instrument, you can either press the SHIFT and F1 keys simultaneously or
you can click on the “HH Roster” tab on the toolbar. Use one of these two methods
now to view the household roster for this case.

(Allow time)

Notice that there are three eligible members in this household, Roy, Mary, and Colin
Coe. Line number 3 is Kevin Coe, who is not a household member, so Kevin will
not be interviewed. Roy Coe, who is line number 1, is currently designated as the
household respondent. The “X” in the “HHR” column preceding his line number tells
you that he is the household respondent. Remember, the household respondent
must be a household member who is at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable
about

the household. This household member will answer the household

characteristics and household screen questions in addition to the individual screen
questions. Remember, you MUST interview the household respondent BEFORE
interviewing any other household members.

Now look at the column labeled REL on the Household Roster screen. This column
shows the relationship of the household members to the reference person. For this
case, Mary Coe, who is line number 2, is the reference person. Remember, the
reference person is usually one of the owners or renters of the sample unit. When
you interview at a sample address for the first time, the first person listed will be
designated as the reference person so you want to make sure that this person is

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one of the owners or renters of the sample unit.

Now take a look at the “STATUS” column. For any respondent whose interview you
have not started, you will see “Need Self” displayed in the “STATUS” column. You
could also see the following descriptions entered in the “STATUS” column as the
interview progresses. You may see NEED PROXY if the respondent needs a proxy
interview, Partial-Int for partial interviews, REFUSED for refusals, Under 12 for
household members under the age of 12, Moved Out for any household member
who has moved out of the sample unit, Deceased for household members who have
died, and so on. If you completed a respondent’s interview, the status would
change to a final status of “DONE-Int” for a completed interview.

Let’s return to the START_CP screen. To return to this screen, either click on the
“Main” tab, which is the first tab on the toolbar, or press “1” to continue.

(Allow time)

We need to indicate the case’s type of interview or interview mode. (Pause) As we
want to proceed and interview this case, we need to identify the type of interview
we are conducting, that is, telephone or personal. Although this case should be
interviewed by telephone as it's a third enumeration case, for this exercise we will
conduct a personal interview. Remember, for personal interviews, you have two
options for recording the case’s interview status. Selecting category 2 classifies the
case as a personal interview and lets you view any notes that may have been
recorded previously for the case. Selecting category 3 also classifies the case as a
personal interview but allows you to bypass or skip any notes that may have been
recorded previously for the selected case.

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Before we continue with the interview, I want to mention that there are two ways of
recording a response. One way is by using your mouse pad and clicking on the radio
button or square box preceding the answer category to be selected. The second
way is by pressing the number on your keyboard that corresponds to the answer
category to be selected. Press the number 3 key on your keyboard but do not press
the Enter key just yet. (Pause) Notice that the radio button next to the answer
category is filled and a “3” appears in the white answer field box in the Form Pane.
(Pause) Does everyone see that?

(Help trainees who are having difficulty)

Now press Enter. This takes you to the GEN_INTRO_CP screen. This screen gives
you the text for introducing yourself, instructions for starting the interview, and
displays the household address. Look at the third FR instruction. (Pause) Notice
that you are instructed to ask to speak to Roy Coe since he was the household
respondent in the previous interview.

At the GEN_INTRO_CP screen, introduce yourself and show your Official Census
Bureau identification badge. For this case, you will not be able to speak to Roy Coe
or anyone who was previously interviewed since this is a replacement household.

Let’s suppose that after introducing yourself and asking to speak to Roy Coe, the
person who answered the door tells you that the Coe family moved. You need to
enter 2, “Respondent not available” and then press Enter. Do that now. (Pause)

The next screen, HHNUM_VR_CP, asks you if the case is a replacement
household. Remember, since the question is in blue text you are NOT to ask the
respondent this question. Since you know that this is a replacement household,

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press 1, “Yes,” and then press Enter.

The next screen, CK_REPLACE_CP, is a check screen to make sure that this is
truly a replacement household.

(Call on Trainee)

________________, please read the definition of a replacement household and the
question that follows the definition.
(TRAINEE: A replacement household means that there are NO members of the
household interviewed during the previous enumeration period living at this
address. Are you sure this is a replacement household?)
Thank you.

We are sure that this is a replacement household, so enter 1 and press Enter.

(Call on Trainee)

______________, what does the pop-up screen tell you?
(TRAINEE: This is the last screen before the roster and all incoming data is
deleted and must be re-entered. You are about to start a new case and this
action cannot be undone without the case being restarted. If “Yes”, click
SUPPRESS)
Thank you.

Click Suppress to continue, as we are sure this is a replacement household.

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At the next screen, GETLETTER_CP, you need to verify that the person you are
speaking with is eligible to be the household respondent, that is, someone who
lives there, is at least 18 years old, and is knowledgeable about the household. If
the person you are speaking with is not an eligible household respondent, you need
to press F10 to breakoff the interview and return at a later date to return to speak
to an eligible household member.

If at the GETLETTER_CP screen, you are

speaking to an eligible respondent, ask if the respondent received the introductory
letter in the mail.

(Pause)

For incoming or first time in sample households, as well as for replacement
households, hand the respondent a copy of the NCVS-572(L) letter if they did not
receive it in the mail. For continuing or second through seventh enumeration period
households, hand the respondent a copy of the NCVS-573(L) letter if they did not
receive it in the mail. Pull out a copy of these two letters from your training materials
and take a look at them.

(Allow time)

These letters comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 that requires
that all Federal agencies provide specific facts to anyone from whom they plan to
collect personal information. These facts include the legal authority for collecting
the information, the principal purpose for collecting the information, the uses of the
data collected, and the mandatory or voluntary nature of the survey and any
penalties. These letters also prepare the household for your visit or telephone call.
The National Processing Center (NPC) mails the NCVS-572(L) to a household just

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before it comes into sample for the first enumeration period. The NPC also mails the
NCVS-573(L) letter before each subsequent enumeration period.

For telephone interviews, press the F1 function key and read to the respondent key
points contained within the letter.

You can also read this list of key points to replacement respondents. Press the F1
function key now.

(Allow time)

The key points to convey to the respondent are:
• The National Crime Victimization Survey is conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. It asks people about their
experiences as victims of crime.
• The survey is voluntary and their participation is appreciated. Their address
was one of a sample that was randomly selected for the survey to represent
the entire population. Their responses are important to ensure data accuracy
and completeness, regardless of whether or not the respondent or anyone in
their household has experienced a crime.
• Information collected in this survey is confidential by law. As an FR, you
should NEVER make survey information available to anyone except sworn
Census Bureau employees who have a work related need to know the
information. By law, the Census Bureau can only use survey information for
statistical research.
• Survey results provide an understanding of the experiences of victims and are
used in many ways. Citizens, legislators, policymakers, researchers,

and

others rely on this data to gain a better picture of crime victimization in their

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efforts to assist victims.
• Although the Census Bureau collects this information, it is not part of the
U.S. Population Census. The Census Bureau, with their resources and
expertise, collects data on many topics beyond the decennial census.

Now press the ALT + F4 keys to exit the Help screen.

Now let's proceed with the interview. During this exercise and in the other practice
exercises throughout this training, I will call on one or more of you to serve as the
field representative. You will ask the questions and I will act as the respondent. At
certain points, I will interrupt the interview to provide further explanation about a
question.

_______________, please continue the interview. As you enter a response, please
tell us what you enter at each screen as you go through the interview.

GETLETTER_CP

FR:

I’m here concerning the National Crime Victimization
Survey. The Census Bureau is conducting a survey
here and throughout the Nation to determine how
often people are victims of crime. Did you receive our
introductory letter in the mail?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
VERADD_CP

FR:

I have your address listed as
611 Produce St.
Any Town, AZ 99995
Is that your exact address?

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R:

Yes, it is.

(Enter 1, Same Address)
MAILINGSAME_CP

FR:

Is your mailing address still the same as your
physical address?

R:

Yes, it is.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

Throughout the instrument, you will encounter questions in which you can either
ask or verify the question. For such questions, if the respondent has indicated the
answer earlier in the interview or the response from the previous enumeration is
provided, you can verify the answer with the respondent without asking the
question. Otherwise, you must ask the question as worded. Also, for questions in
which you are not instructed to ask or verify the question, you must ask the question
as worded.

You will also encounter some questions in which you are instructed to read the
answer categories out loud to the respondent. As you read the categories, always
speak as clearly and distinctly as possible and avoid rushing through the
categories.

___________, please continue the interview.

TENURE

FR:

Ask or verify
Are your living quarters
--

Owned or being bought by you or someone in
your household?

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-R:

Rented for cash?

Yes, rented for cash.

(Enter 2, Rented for cash)
STUDENTHOUSING FR:

R:

If apparent, enter precode without asking
Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
PUBLICHOUSING

FR:

Is this building owned by a public housing authority?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No not public housing)

INDIANRESERVATIONHU
FR:

If apparent, enter precode without asking
Are your living quarters located on an American
Indian Reservation or on American Indian Lands?
(Interrupt and say)

Remember, if you are familiar with the area in which the sample address is located
and know for sure whether or not the living quarters is located on an American Indian
Reservation or on American Indian Lands, you can enter the appropriate precode in
this item without asking the question. If there is any doubt in your mind, ask the
question and then enter the appropriate precode that

corresponds to the

respondent’s answer.

The sample unit is not on an American Indian Reservation or on American Indian

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Lands so enter Precode (2), “No” and press Enter. Now, to help you through the
next couple of questions, here is some additional information about the household.
The unit is a single unit apartment that has direct access.

Q:

What precode do you enter for ACCESS, ____________?

A:

Precode (1), “Direct.”

Enter Precode (1). Now look at the twelve descriptions for type of housing unit.

(Allow time)

Q:

Which category do you select for this sample unit, _____________?

A:

Category 1, House, apartment flat.

(Enter Precode 1).

___________, please continue.

NUMBEROFUNITS FR:

R:

Observe or ask
How many housing units are in this structure?
About 10 units.

(Enter 6, 10+)
DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT
FR:
Observe or ask
Does the unit have an outside entrance, patio doors,
or windows, etc. on the ground level or outside stairs
leading directly to this unit?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY
FR:
Ask if unsure
Is this unit in a gated or walled community that
restricts access by non-residents or requires entry
codes, key cards, or security guard approval to
access?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
RESTRICTEDACCESS
FR:

R:

Ask if unsure
Is this unit in a building that requires a special entry
system such as entry codes, key cards, or security
guard approval to access?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

Now you begin to build the household roster. You enter the first and last name of
every person who lives at the sample unit or who stayed at the sample address
at least one night before the interview. Turn to page 6 of your NCVS CAPI
Classroom Workbook and read to yourself who should be listed.

(Allow time)

For each person you list, you record the first name, press enter, and then enter the
last name.

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_____________, please continue.
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here? Start with the name of the person or
one of the people who rents this home.

R:

That’s me. My name is John Zoe.

(Enter John, then press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME (Enter Zoe, press Enter)
SEX

FR:

Ask if necessary
Is John Zoe male or female?

(Enter 1, Male, for John Zoe)
Notice that the first person listed automatically becomes the reference person for
the household. Code 21, which is the 2-digit relationship code for the reference
person, is automatically entered in the Relation column for this person. Also, the
"HH member" column already has a “1” (one) inserted since we know that the first
person listed is a household member. Press Enter to continue. (Pause)

Continue collecting the names of all other people living or staying at the sample
unit, until there are no more people to add to the roster. If the respondent doesn’t
automatically mention the next person’s name, probe the household respondent to
give you the names of all remaining persons living or staying at the sample address.
You can probe by asking, “What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here?” Repeat this question, as necessary, until you are sure that the
household roster is complete. Also, after listing the first person, notice that the
instrument automatically inserts the surname of the first person in the last name
field for each subsequent person. If the last name is correct for each subsequent

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person, press Enter to proceed, otherwise change the entry to the appropriate
surname.

Finally, when there are no more people to add to the roster, enter 999 in the next
blank first name field and then press Enter to continue the interview.

____________, please continue.
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here?

R:

There’s my wife Maria Zoe.

(Enter Maria, then press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME
(Press Enter since the prefilled surname is correct)
SEX

FR:

Ask if necessary.
Is Maria Zoe male or female?

R:

Female

(Enter 2, Female)
RELATIONSHIP

FR:

What is Maria Zoe’s relationship to John Zoe?
(Interrupt and say)

An important skill you can use as an interviewer is the skill of active listening, which
means using the information the respondent has already provided. One way to
practice active listening in the next two questions is to verify the information without
asking the full question, since the respondent already mentioned it in a previous

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question. For example, instead of asking “What is Maria Zoe’s relationship to John
Zoe?” here you could ask “Maria is your wife, is that correct?” to simply verify the
answer. Using this active listening technique lets the respondent know that you are
paying attention and makes the interview more efficient.

_________, please continue.

R:

Wife

(Enter 12, Wife)
(Interrupt and say)

The next question, HHMEMBER, determines whether the person listed qualifies as
a household member. Remember, for a person to be considered a member of a
sample household, he/she must be using the sample address as his/her usual place
of residence at the time of the interview or is staying temporarily at the sample unit
at the time of the current interview AND doesn’t have a usual place of residence
elsewhere. (Pause) If you determine that a person is a not a member of the
household, you do not collect any additional information about the person.
_____________, please continue.
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Maria Zoe usually live here?

R:

Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here?

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R:

My mother-in-law, Rosa Nombre, is staying with us.

(Enter Rosa, then press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME (Enter Nombre)
SEX

FR:

Ask if necessary.
Is Rosa Nombre male or female?

R:

Female

(Enter 2, Female)
RELATIONSHIP

FR:

What is Rosa Nombre’s relationship to John Zoe?

R:

Mother-in law

(Enter 19, Other relative)
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Rosa Nombre usually live here?

R:

Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here?

R:

My brother-in-law, Carlos Nombre.

(Enter Carlos, then press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME (Press Enter since Nombre already appears)
SEX

FR:

Ask if necessary.
Is Carlos Nombre male or female?

R:

Male

(Enter 1, Male)

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FR:

What is Carlos Nombre’s relationship to John Zoe?
(Interrupt and say)

Although we know that we are talking to John Zoe, we have not yet selected the
household respondent, so the instrument doesn’t know who we are talking to. This
is why the instrument is filling “John Zoe” at the end of the question rather than
“you.”

________, please continue.

R:

Brother-in law

(Enter 19, Other relative)
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Carlos Nombre usually live here?

R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
HSEMEMURE

FR:

Does Carlos Nombre have a usual place of residence
elsewhere?

R:

Yes, he is just visiting us for a few days.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

If Carlos Nombre did NOT have a usual place of residence elsewhere he would be
considered a member of the household, and Precode (2) in the HHMEMBER
column would be changed to 1 indicating that he is indeed a member of the

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household. Since Carlos Nombre is not a household member and has a usual place
of residence elsewhere, you do not ask any more questions about him.

____________, please continue the interview.
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here?

R:

There is no one else.

(Enter 999, then press Enter)
HHLDCOVERAGE

FR:

Have I missed anyone else living or staying here
such as any babies, any lodgers, or anyone who is
away at present traveling or in the hospital?
(Interrupt and say)

The purpose of this question is to make sure that no one has been missed. It may
sound repetitive, but this question is important. Many respondents forget to mention
babies, lodgers, and visitors. When you ask this question, you are reminding the
household respondent of anyone he or she may have forgotten to mention.

Enter 2, “No” for this question.

At the next screen, PICK1STHHRESP, you need to pick a household respondent.
You will see the names of all the persons listed on the household roster who are
members. Enter the line number of the person with whom you are speaking, which
is John Zoe, since earlier you asked to speak to someone in the household who
was at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable about the household, and that

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person was John Zoe. Enter John Zoe’s line number, which is 1, at this screen
(PICK1STHHRESP).

_____________, please continue.
BRTHDATEMO

FR:

What is your date of birth?

R:

March 8, 1980.

(Enter 3, March)
BRTHDATEDY

(Enter 8)

BRTHDATEYR

(Enter 1980)
(Interrupt and say)

After entering the respondent’s birthday, the instrument calculates the respondent’s
age. Each household member’s age is calculated AS OF THE LAST DAY OF THE
MONTH PRECEDING THE INTERVIEW MONTH.

For example, if you are interviewing on April 2 and a household member turned 37
years old on March 31, the age displayed for you to confirm at the verify age
(VFYAGE) screen will be “37.” However, if the person turned 37 years old on April
1, the age displayed will be “36.”

_____________, please continue the interview.

VFYAGE

FR:

That would make you 37 years old (as of
last month). Is that correct?

R:

Yes.

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(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is conducted
after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Are you now married, widowed, divorced, separated
or have you never been married?
(Interrupt and say)

In many instances, you will already know the answer to this item without asking
because of the names and relationships that you entered in the previous screens.
Also, in subsequent interviews this screen displays the person’s marital status as
reported in the previous enumeration period. If this is the case, you can verify with
the respondent his/her marital status based on the information at the top of the
screen. Previously collected marital status is displayed after the text “Last reported
as.” The rest of the demographic questions have a similar display. If you don’t know
the person’s marital status, then ask the question as worded. For household
members who are 12 and 13 years of age, the instrument codes them automatically
as “Never Married.”

Enter 1, Married, for John Zoe.

After completing the marital status question you ask the Armed Forces question for
each household member, male or female, who is between the ages of 18 and
65. Turn to page 7 of your Workbook and read when to consider a household
member as “in the Armed Forces.” Then answer the question at the bottom of page
7 of your Workbook.

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(Allow time)

Now let’s go over the workbook question and answer.

Q:

Let’s say that a household member is in the U.S. Army Reserves and spends
two weeks on active duty in June of each year. If you are conducting an
interview on June 7 and his wife says that he is away on active duty with the
Army Reserve, what do you enter in ARMEDFORCES and why, __________?

A:

Enter 2 “No,” because the household member is only away for a short period of
time on active reserve training. Members of the reserve component of any
branch of the Armed Forces are only considered to be on active duty when they
have been called to active duty by military order and are currently on active
duty for several months.

However, if the household member was called to active duty to serve in Iraq, for
example, then you enter 1, “Yes.”

__________, please continue the interview with the ARMEDFORCES question.

ARMEDFORCES

FR:

Are you now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school you completed or
the highest degree you received?

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R:

I have a Bachelor’s degree.

(Enter 16, Bachelor’s degree)
(Interrupt and say)
For personal interviews, always remember to show the household respondent the
Educational Attainment flashcard located in the NCVS Information Card Booklet
BEFORE asking this question.

Throughout this training, some flashcard page

references may be wrong in the instrument, but will be correct in the production
instrument. __________, please continue.
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

Are you currently attending or enrolled either full-time
or part-time in a college or university, trade or
vocational school?
(Interrupt and say)

This item is used to find out if a household member is attending or enrolled in school
either full or part time at the time of the interview. Precode (1), Regular school,
includes both public and private schools starting with kindergarten and continuing
through elementary, middle, and high school. If a household respondent answers
“No” to this item for a household member, enter Precode (5), “None of the above
schools.” Also, enter Precode (5) if the household member is attending a home
school, a school devoted entirely to special education, such as an alternative school,
or the person is working on completing his or her GED.

R:

No

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)

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__________, please continue.
SP_ORIGIN

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Are you Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
(Interrupt and say)

For personal interviews, remember to always show the household respondent the
Hispanic Origin flashcard located in the NCVS Information Card Booklet BEFORE
asking this question. The booklet icon displayed in the top left of the Info Pane is a
reminder to refer to the NCVS Information Card Booklet when asking this question.
For this item, as well as other items requiring you to show a flashcard, you can also
display the flashcard information on your screen by pressing the F1 function key.
(Pause) Press F1 and look at the categories listed.

(Allow time)

Now press the ALT + F4 keys to exit the Help screen. It is very important to know
that ALT +F4 is the way you escape from or exit the Help screens. Does everyone
understand this?

In response to this question, John Zoe says that he is not Spanish, Hispanic, or
Latino, so enter 2, No, and then press Enter.

__________, please continue.

RACE

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Please choose one or more races that you consider
yourself to be
(Interrupt and say)

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As with the Hispanic Origin and Educational Attainment questions, when conducting
personal visit interviews, remember to ALWAYS show the household respondent
the Race flashcard located in the NCVS Information Card Booklet BEFORE asking
this question. Make sure to show the race flashcard no matter how obvious you think
the answer may be. For telephone interviews, read the answer categories to the
household respondent.

Notice that you can enter more than one race. Normally, you get straightforward
answers when asking the race question. However, if a household respondent
should refuse to answer this question and you cannot change his or her mind, press
the Ctrl + R keys to record that the respondent refused the question. Under no
circumstances are you to mark race by observation, probing, or asking a neighbor.
Since the Census Bureau bases race on self-identification, you must ask this race
question for each household member even when it seems obvious. Let’s talk about
race for a moment. When we use the term race on a Census Bureau survey, we are
asking whether the person is White, Black/African American, American Indian or
Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. In the NCVS we
ask for demographic characteristics such as race to learn about crime among many
detailed population groups (for example, African Americans, Asians, etc.)

Race does not equal skin color.

When you ask the race question, you are not asking about the color of a person’s
skin. You are looking for the racial group or groups with which that person most
closely identifies, or the race or races that person considers him/herself to be. For
example, a person whose physical features are White could consider herself Black
because the only parent who raised her was Black. In this case, if the person reports

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that she is Black, regardless of what her skin color or physical features might be,
you must record her as Black.

Race is the race or races that the person considers him/herself to be.

The Census Bureau uses five different racial categories to classify a person’s race:
these are “White,” “Black or African American,” “American Indian or Alaska Native,”
“Asian,” and “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.” However, a person may
use one or more of these categories to identify his/her race.
In response to this question, John Zoe says that he is White so enter 1, White, then
press Enter.

___________, please continue.

BRTHDATEMO

FR:

What is Maria Zoe’s date of birth?

R:

July 15, 1983.

(Enter 7, July)
BRTHDATEDY

(Enter 15)

BRTHDATEYR

(Enter 1983)

VFYAGE

FR:

That would make Maria Zoe 33 years old (as of last
month). Is that correct?

R:

Yes.

(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is conducted
after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask

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Is Maria Zoe now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has she never been married?
(Interrupt and say)

Notice that this question includes the instruction: “If in doubt, ask.” You only need to
ask this question if you don’t already know the answer.

Please Continue.

R:

She’s married.

(Enter 1, Married)
ARMEDFORCES

FR:

Is Maria Zoe now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Maria Zoe
completed or the highest degree she received?

R:

She has a Bachelor’s degree.

(Enter 16, Bachelor’s degree)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

R:

Is Maria Zoe currently attending or enrolled either
full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade
or vocational school?
No.

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)

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SP_ORIGIN

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Practice Interviews

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Is Maria Zoe Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?

R:

Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
RACE

FR:

R:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Please choose one or more races that Maria Zoe
considers herself to be.
White

(Enter 1, White)
BRTHDATEMO

FR:

What is Rosa Nombre’s date of birth?

R:

August 12, 1956

(Enter 8, August)
BRTHDATEDY

(Enter 12)

BRTHDATEYR

(Enter 1956)

VFYAGE

FR:

That would make Rosa Nombre 60 years old (as of
last month). Is that correct?

R:

Yes

(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is conducted
after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Is Rosa Nombre now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has she never been married?

R:

She’s widowed.

(Enter 2, Widowed)

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ARMEDFORCES

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FR:

Is Rosa Nombre now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN FR:

R:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Rosa Nombre
completed or the highest degree she received?
I don’t know.

(Enter Ctrl+D, then press Enter)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

R:

Is Rosa Nombre currently attending or enrolled either
full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade
or vocational school?
No

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
SP_ORIGIN

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Is Rosa Nombre Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?

R:

Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
RACE

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Please choose one or more races that Rosa Nombre
considers herself to be.

R:

White

(Enter 1, White)
(Interrupt and say)

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At the ROSTERREVIEW screen don’t press Enter just yet. At this screen you want
to make sure that the information you entered is correct. Suppose when you get to
this screen, the respondent tells you that he is late for a meeting and can’t finish
his interview. However, he tells you to call him back later to complete the interview.
Survey procedures require that you complete the household respondent’s interview
before you can interview any other eligible household members. At this point, you
have two options. You can either exit the case and call John Zoe later to complete
his interview before completing interviews with any other eligible household
members. Or, if there are other eligible household members available to be
interviewed at the time of your visit, you must pick and interview a new household
respondent in order to interview any other eligible members who are available to
be interviewed.

In the next exercise, we will go over the process of picking a new household
respondent when this situation occurs. But before we continue with that exercise,
does anyone have any questions about building a household roster?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #2 –Picking a New Household Respondent
Case ID: 00000003
(Approximate time: 45 minutes)

In the previous exercise, John Zoe, the household respondent, could not
complete his interview. However, his wife, Maria Zoe, is also present during your
initial contact with the household and is available to be interviewed. In order to
complete her interview now and that of any other eligible household member
present, you must select another qualified household respondent. Turn to page
8 in you NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook and review the eligibility criteria for
a household respondent.

(Allow time)

Click on the “New HHR” tab for a display of all members of the household who are
eligible to be the household respondent. At this screen you pick another eligible
household respondent. You can only use the New HHR tab to select a new
household respondent if the original household respondent's interview DID NOT
progress to the NCVS screen questions beginning with TIMEATADDRESS.
Otherwise, you must end the original household respondent's interview by exiting
the case using the F10 function and then re-entering the case to select a new
household respondent.

Since John Zoe’s interview ended before getting to the TIMEATADDRESS question,
you can select a new household respondent using the New HHR tab. Besides John
Zoe, Maria Zoe is the only other household member present. Since she is eligible to

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serve as the new household respondent, you can enter her line number, which is 2,
at the NEWHHR tab. Enter 2 at this screen. (Pause)

Since John Zoe’s interview progressed through the building characteristics and
household roster questions, Maria Zoe’s interview begins at the ROSTERREVIEW
question. Notice that the name at the bottom of the screen has changed from John
Zoe to Maria Zoe.

As mentioned previously, at the ROSTERREVIEW screen you are given the
opportunity to review selected information that you have entered. If at this screen
you indicated that the information listed is NOT correct, in subsequent screens you
will be allowed to change the name, relationship, date of birth, sex, and marital
status for any of the persons listed. For this case, the information listed is correct,
so enter 1.

Everyone should be at the TIMEATADDRESS question. Always read the
introduction, which lets the respondent know that before asking the crime questions,
you have a few questions to ask relating to where and why crimes occur. If the
respondent answer is in fractions or partial months and the respondent has lived at
the address more than one year, round up or down a year based on the number of
months. For example, if the respondent says “5 years and 3 months,” round down
to “5 years.” However, if the respondent says “5 years and 6 months,” round up to
“6 years.” If a respondent has lived at the sample address for less than 12 months,
enter code “0,” “Less than one year.”

_________, please continue the interview with Maria Zoe. Remember to tell us what
you enter at each screen as you proceed through the interview.

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TIMEATADDRESS

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FR:

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some
questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.
How long have you lived at this address?

R:

We just moved here two months ago.

(Enter 0, Less than year)
MONTHSATADDRESS
FR:

Ask or verify
How many months?

(If the FR asks the question, remind them that they can simply verify the information
since it was given in the answer to the previous question. For example, “You say
you moved in two months ago, is that correct?)

R:

Two.

(Enter 2)
(Interrupt and say)

For this next item, TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS, we want to know how many times the
respondent has moved in the last 5 years. For those respondents who move
frequently, such as military personnel moving from base to base, you may have
problems getting them to remember exactly how many times they have moved. In
this case, probe to get their best estimate.

_________, please continue.

TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS
FR:

Altogether, how many times have you moved in the

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last 5 years, that is since (date)?
R:

Just once.

(Enter 1)
BUSINESS

FR:

Does anyone in this household operate a business
from this address?

R:

Yes, my mother does tailoring from our home.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

Since Maria Zoe said that someone in the household operates a business from the
sample address, the next question is asked to determine if the business operated
from the

sample address is considered recognizable

or unrecognizable.

Remember, to be considered recognizable there must be a sign on the sample
household’s property that is visible to the public from outside the sample unit.

____________, please continue.

BUSINESSSIGN

FR:

Is there a sign on the premises or some other
indication to the general public that a business is
operated from this address?

R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

Since the business operated from the Zoe household is unrecognizable, remember
any theft from the unrecognizable business operated by a sample household

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member will be included in the NCVS. (Pause)

You will now begin “Household Respondent’s Screen Questions.” SQTHEFT is the
beginning of what we call the “screen questions” or “screener/screening questions.”
The purpose of these questions is to remind the household respondent of crimes
that may have occurred during the last six months. These questions cover a wide
variety of situations and are designed to give respondents specific examples of
types of crimes that are typically reported for the NCVS and could be overlooked by
respondents. These screen items attempt to ensure that we collect ALL incidents of
crime that occurred during each household member’s six-month reference period.

The kinds of things these questions will help the household respondent remember
are:
1. Items which might have been taken;
2. Different types of crimes which may have occurred; and
3. Different places where crimes may have happened.

Also, SQTHEFT is the first item in which the respondent’s reference period is
displayed. For those respondents who were interviewed previously and their
interview was no longer than six months ago, the start date of the current reference
period is the date of their previous interview. For those respondents who were
interviewed more than 6 months prior to the current interview date, or were never
interviewed before, the start date will be on the first day of the month 6 months prior
to the current month of interview. (Pause) The reference period extends up to the
day before the current interview date. Also, although the reference period is
automatically filled, it is important to understand why you may see different
reference periods for different respondents.

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Now let’s cover the proper way to ask the screen questions. Notice that SQTHEFT
has multiple subcategories. After reading the introductory statements for SQTHEFT,
ask the question as worded, pausing briefly after each subcategory. Pause long
enough to let the respondent know that you are switching subcategories, but not
long enough to make the respondent think you are expecting a response after each
subcategory. On the telephone, do not pause too long between the subcategories
or the respondent may think that you expect an answer after each subcategory. If
the respondent answers “Yes” after a subcategory in a screen question, continue
reading the remaining subcategories for that screen question before entering 1,
“Yes”. This is to ensure that we do not miss any crime incidents. After reading all
categories for a screening question, pause long enough to allow the respondent to
reply. If the respondent doesn’t give you an answer, then ask the question, “Did any
incidents of this type happen to you?”

If you get a “Yes” response at a screen question, enter precode 1, “Yes” and then
ask the respondent “How many times” the reported incident occurred. At this screen,
record the total number of incidents reported at the screening question along with a
brief description of what happened during each incident.

Sometimes a respondent may report an incident that was already reported in a
previous screen question. If you are in doubt about an incident already reported,
probe by asking something like: “Is this the same break-in that you mentioned
earlier?” Also, if a respondent reports a crime that doesn’t relate to a particular
screen question you are asking, you still record the incident in the screen question
where it is reported.

For example, let’s say that you ask a respondent the following question in
SQMVTHEFT, regarding any motor vehicles owned by household members:

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“During the last 6 months were any of the vehicles stolen or used without
permission? Did anyone steal any parts such as a tire, car stereo, hubcap, or
battery? Did anyone steal any gas from them? OR Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal
any vehicle or parts attached to them?”

The respondent replies with: “No, but I had my wallet stolen two weeks ago.” If this
happens, record the theft of the wallet in SQMVTHEFT even though the incident
doesn’t relate to this screen question. Analysts are interested in seeing which
screen questions remind respondents of specific types of crimes, so it is very
important that you record each crime incident in the screen question in which the
respondent reports it, even if the screen question has nothing to do with the crime
reported. Are there any questions about recording the crime incident in the screener
question where it is reported?

(Answer questions)

Although the screen questions dealing with the household are asked only of the
household respondent, any household member could report a household crime, too.
If any eligible household member reports a household crime that has not been
reported earlier in the interview, accept the incident at the screen question where
the respondent reports it. This is true even if the incident doesn’t relate to the
specific screen question. However, if more than one household member reports the
same household crime, only record the household crime incident in one household
member’s screen questions. For example, a household respondent might report
that in May the family van was stolen from their driveway. When you interview the
household respondent’s spouse, she also reports the theft of the family van in May.
If you are sure that both reports are for the same incident, do not record the incident
in the spouse’s screen questions. However, if you are not certain that both

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household members reported the same household crime, record the incident in both
household members’ screen questions. In the incident section of the instrument, you
will have the opportunity to indicate whether or not you believe the incidents are
duplicates.

The only situations that require you to record the same crime incident in each
household member’s screen question are those in which more than one household
member reports that he/she was a victim of a personal crime of violence or a
personal theft with contact.

Also, sometimes respondents report the theft of articles belonging to a household
member under 12 years of age, such as a bicycle left outside the house. This can
be considered a crime against the household, because the theft happened near the
home. If the respondent mentions this type of incident, record it in the screen
question. However, DON'T include the theft of items belonging to household
members under 12 years of age when the theft takes place away from home; for
example, a bicycle stolen from a school playground. Also, do not record any threats
of physical harm or attacks to household members under 12 years of age. Since
household members who are under 12 years of age are not eligible respondents for
the NCVS, these crimes fall out of scope for the NCVS.

Finally, when an incident is reported in a screen question, the subsequent screen
questions will begin with the phrase “Other than any incidents already mentioned.”
Make sure to read this phrase as you ask the subsequent screen questions since
we want to remind the respondent to exclude any incidents mentioned previously.

(The reference period month and year may differ from what the trainee
reads depending on when training is conducted.)

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_________, please continue the interview.
SQTHEFT

FR:

I'm going to read some examples that will give you an
idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.
As I go through them, tell me if any of these
happened to you in the last 6 months, that is, since
(date).
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as --------

Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, bookClothing, jewelry, or cellphoneBicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
toolsThings outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furnitureThings belonging to children in the householdThings from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs-

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
SQBREAKIN

FR:

Has anyone --

Broken in or ATTEMPTED to break into your
home by forcing a door or a window, pushing

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--

past someone, jimmying a lock, cutting a
screen, or entering through an open door or
window?
Has anyone illegally gotten in or tried to get
into a garage, shed, or storage room?

OR
--

Illegally gotten in or tried to get into a hotel or
motel room or vacation home where you were
staying?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
(Interrupt and say)

This question is asked only of the household respondent. In SQBREAKIN, include
both break-ins and attempted break-ins of a household respondent’s

home or

lodging, and second homes or vacation homes owned by the household
respondent, as long as the homes were not rented out to someone else at the time
of the incident. We are also asking about incidents in which the offender did not
have the right to be in the household respondent’s hotel or motel rooms, attached
garages, or buildings on his or her property.

For this question, the respondent answers “No” so enter 2 to proceed to the next
question, SQTOTALVEHICLES, which is also asked only of the household
respondent. Take a look at the question. (Pause) This item asks about the total
number of motor vehicles owned by the entire household during the 6-month
reference period. After asking the question, you will remind the household
respondent to include all vehicles that were owned by household members at any
time during the last 6 months, even if they no longer own the vehicle.

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We will now toggle from the instrument to the NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for
Field Representatives. To do this, press Alt + Tab. Once in the manual, press Ctrl
+ F to be able to search the document.

Go to page C2-16 in your NCVS-550

Interviewing Manual and read Topic 5, Ownership of Motor Vehicles. The reading
ends on page C2-17.

(Allow time)

Q.

If a respondent sold one car during the reference period and bought a truck
during the same period, what do you enter in SQTOTALVEHICLES,
_____________?

A.

2, for two vehicles.

Q.

If a respondent uses a minivan solely to carry equipment for his recognizable
carpet installation

business,

do you count

this

business

vehicle in

SQTOTALVEHICLES, _______________?
A.

No, because the business is recognizable.

______________, please continue the interview.

SQTOTALVEHICLES
FR:

What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or
any member of that household during the last 6
months? Includes those you no longer own.

R:

We have two cars.

(Enter 2)
SQMVTHEFT

FR:

During the last 6 months, were any of the vehicles -

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----

Stolen or used without permission?
Did anyone steal any parts such as a tire, car
stereo, hubcap or battery?
Did anyone steal any gas from them?

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal any vehicle or
parts attached to them?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
(Interrupt and say)

This question asks about the theft and attempted theft of any motor vehicle, as well
as any parts attached to a motor vehicle owned by a household member during the
last 6 months. This also includes items attached to the inside of the vehicle, such
as a CD player, satellite radio, CB radio, steering wheel, and so on. If the respondent
thinks there was an attempted theft, accept his or her judgment.

A respondent may answer in SQMVTHEFT that someone stole packages or clothing
from a vehicle, or things that were not actually part of the vehicle. If this happens,
always remember to record incidents in the screen question where the respondent
reported the incident, even if there is another screen question that is more
applicable.

Now let’s get back to the interview. There was no theft or attempted theft of any
motor vehicle, as well as any parts attached to a motor vehicle owned by any
household member during the last 6 months, so enter 2, “No”, at SQMVTHEFT.

The next four questions ask about attacks, threats of physical harm, thefts,

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attempted attacks and thefts, and incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts
committed by people known to the respondent, such as someone at work or school,
a neighbor or friend, a relative or family member, some other person the respondent
knows or has met, or someone the respondent does not know.

These threats can include verbal threats of attack or rape, and threats made with a
weapon. However, they don’t include threats made by telephone, email, or regular
mail.

_________, please continue the interview. Remember to tell us what you enter at
each screen as you proceed through the interview.

SQATTACKWHERE

FR:

Since (date), were you attacked or threatened OR did
you have something stolen from you ---

At home including the porch or yardAt or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
homeAt work or schoolIn places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airportWhile riding in any vehicleOn the street or in a parking lo-t
At such places as a party, theater, gym,
picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or
hunting-

---

----

OR
-

Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to you from any of these
places?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

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R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKHOW

FR:

Has anyone attacked or threatened you in any of
these ways -------

With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knifeWith anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stickBy something thrown, such as a rock or bottleInclude any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attackAny face to face threats-

OR
--

Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone
at all? Please mention it even if you are not
certain it was a crime.

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Did you have something stolen
from you or were you attacked or threatened by -----

Someone at work or schoolA neighbor or friendA relative or family memberAny other person you have met or known?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

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R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
SQSEXUAL

FR:

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts
are often difficult to talk about. Have you been forced
or coerced to engage in unwanted sexual activity by ---

Someone you didn't knowA casual acquaintance-

OR
--

Someone you know well?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

The next two questions are considered “catch-all” questions. These questions give
the respondent another opportunity to report things that are believed to be crimes
and may or may not have been reported to the police. Because these questions are
more general, they may encourage the respondent to report some types of crimes
that are not asked about elsewhere in the screen questions.

_____________, please continue the interview.
SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:

During the last 6 months, did you call the police to
report something that happened to you which you

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thought was a crime?
R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
During the last 6 months, did anything which you
thought was a crime happen to YOU, but you did
NOT report to the police?
R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
Now I’d like to talk a little bit about the screener questions that we just asked. We
know that respondents and field representatives alike sometimes get impatient
during these questions, because they can sound repetitive, but there are reasons
we ask the questions from so many different perspectives.

Context is an important factor in people’s ability to remember events. For example,
a respondent may not recall a crime that happened at school when you ask the
screener question about theft, but may remember it when you ask the screener that
asks about the location of possible victimizations. These shifts in the focus of the
screener questions and what may appear to be redundancies are a crucial part of
the crime screener, to help respondents recall events they have experienced.

Are there any questions about the screener section?

(Answer questions)

The next screen, PRESENTFORSQS, is used to determine if anyone was present
or could have overheard all or part of the respondent’s interview. If you are

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conducting the interview by telephone, enter Precode (11), Telephone. Precodes
(12) through (18) are for personal visit interviews; enter all that apply. When
completing this item, don’t include yourself, the respondent, the person for whom
you are taking a proxy interview, or any Census observers. (Pause)

For this interview, no one besides the respondent was present so enter Precode
(12) at PRESENTFORSQS. Also enter 1 at the next two screens, NO_CRIMES and
ENDSCREENER. Since the respondent didn’t report any crime incidents, the
interview proceeds to the socio-demographic questions. The socio-demographic
questions contain the topics of disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender
identity, veteran status, and employment. These questions are not always asked
at every enumeration period. Lesson 15 in your NCVS-521 Self Study provides
more information on these questions including why we ask them.
INTRO_SOCIO_DEMO
FR:

Now we have some questions
demographic characteristics.

about

your

(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING

FR:

Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
VISION

FR:

Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing
even when wearing glasses?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)

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LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT

FR:

Walking or climbing stairs?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
DRESS_BATH

FR:

Dressing or bathing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEAVING_HOME

FR:

Because of a physical, mental or emotional
condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone
such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
CITIZENSHIP

FR:

Are you a citizen of the United States? That is, were
you born in the United States, born in a U.S. territory,
born of U.S. citizen parent(s), or become a citizen of
the U.S. through naturalization?

R:

Yes, I was born in the U.S.

(Enter 1)
The NCVS includes a question on sexual orientation.

It is asked of those

respondents 16 years of age and older who answer the NCVS by self-interview.

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This will never be asked during a proxy interview. Sexual orientation is the direction
of one’s romantic or sexual attraction to members of the same sex, opposite sex,
or both sexes. There are tremendous gaps in information about crime victimization
as it relates to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. By
collecting sexual orientation data, researchers, policy makers, health providers,
and advocates will be able to identify and address crimes affecting the LGBT
community.

A respondent may ask you why you are asking them questions about sexual
orientation and gender identity. If so, reference the FAQs tab and read the
appropriate response. Definitions of some terms are provided on the question
screen. Do not mark this question by observation or probing. Read the question
exactly as worded.

Please note that the training instrument is a different than the production
instrument. In the production instrument, a flashcard icon will appear on the sexual
orientation and gender identity question screens with a page number that
corresponds to your current NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet.

ORIENTATION_FEMALE
FR:

Which of the following best represents how you think
of yourself?
------

R:

Lesbian or gay
Straight, that is, not lesbian or gay
Bisexual
Something else
I don’t know the answer

Why are you asking me this?
(Interrupt and say)

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Click on the FAQs tab and choose precode 11, “Why does the NCVS ask about
sexual orientation and gender identity?”
FR:

Research has shown that sexual orientation and
gender identity
are correlated
with crime
victimization. These questions are included in the
NCVS to better understand the relationship between
these characteristics and experiences with criminal
victimization. Additionally, discrimination against
persons because of their sexual orientation and
gender identity is prohibited by federal hate crime
statutes and the 2013 reauthorized Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA). Since the NCVS includes
measures of hate crime and the provision of victim
services, the inclusion of these items in the NCVS
will allow researchers to better address policyrelevant questions about victimization and victim
services.

R:

Well, I’m straight.
(Interrupt and say)

If you were conducting a personal visit interview you would show the
respondent the appropriate SO_ Flash Card in the Information Card
Booklet. Remember that screens with an associated flashcard will have
an open book icon in the upper left hand corner of the Info pane.

(Enter 1 to return to the instrument)

The NCVS includes questions on gender identity which is asked of respondents
age 16 years of age and older who answer the NCVS by self-interview. Gender
identity is a person’s internal sense of gender, that is, being male, female, or a

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blend of both. As stated in the sexual orientation question section of this self-study,
there are tremendous gaps in information about crime victimization as it relates to
LGBT persons. Do not mark this question by observation or probing. Read the
question exactly as worded.
GENID_BIRTH

FR:

What sex were you assigned at birth, on your
original birth certificate?

R:

Male
(Interrupt and say)

If you were conducting a personal visit interview, you would show the
respondent the first question on the GI Flash Card in the Information
Card Booklet. Remember that screens with an associated flashcard will
have an open book icon in the upper left hand corner of the Info pane.
(Enter 2)
GENID_DESCRIBE FR:

R:

Do you currently describe yourself as male, female
or transgender?
Female
(Interrupt and say)

If you were conducting a personal visit interview, you would show the
respondent the second question on the GI Flash Card in the Information
Card Booklet. Remember that screens with an associated flashcard will
have an open book icon in the upper left hand corner of the Info pane.

(Enter 1)

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FR:

Just to confirm, you were assigned male at birth
and now describe yourself as female. Is that
correct?

R:

I don’t want to answer.

(Enter 3)
The veteran status questions are asked of all persons 18 years of age and older.
After the first interview, the veteran status questions are asked of those 18 to 39
years of age who previously answered “Never served in the military,” “Don’t Know,”
or “Refused.”

ACTIVE_DUTY

FR:

Have you ever served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?

R:

Yes, I was in the Navy.

(Enter 4)
ACTIVE_DUTYWHEN
FR:

R:

When did you serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed
Forces?
I served in August 2005 to 2009.

(Enter 11)
The instrument then moves on to the employment questions. The employment
questions are asked of all household members who are 16 years of age or older.
These questions are important since the respondent’s job may be a reason the
respondent was or was not a victim of crime. The first question, JOBLASTWEEK,
asks whether or not the respondent had a job or was working at a business during
the week prior to the interview. If necessary, you can tell the respondent to NOT

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include volunteer work or work around the house.

If you get a “No” answer, then ask if the person worked at a job or business during
the last 6 months. If the respondent had a job during the week prior to the interview
or for at least two consecutive weeks during the 6 months prior to the interview, you
will ask about the respondent’s occupation. The occupations listed are considered
to be jobs that tend to place a person at a higher risk for becoming a crime victim.
You also ask if the respondent works for a private company, the Federal
government, a local government, or is self-employed;

whether the respondent is

employed by a college or university; and the type of area where the respondent
works. (Pause)

These employment questions differ from those asked in the Crime Incident Report.
As already mentioned, these questions are asked of all respondents who are at least
16 years of age and they relate to the respondent’s job during the week prior to
the interview. However, the employment questions in the Crime Incident Report
are asked of any respondent, but only if the incident happened while the respondent
was working or on duty.

Another difference between these two series of employment questions is that the
employment questions in the screen section are designed to obtain less detailed
information about a respondent’s job, while the employment questions in the Crime
Incident Report are designed to obtain more detailed information about the
respondent’s job and employer at the time of the incident.

Now let's continue the interview. _________, please continue.

JOBLASTWEEK

FR:

Did you have a job or work at a business LAST

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WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work
around the house.
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

For the next question, JOBDESCRIPTION, if you are conducting a personal visit
interview, show the respondent the employment flashcard on page 16 in your
Information Card Booklet before asking the question. Note that the training instrument
references the wrong page number, but the production instrument will reference the
correct page number in the Information Card Booklet. This flashcard will make it easier
for the respondent to identify into which category his or her job fits best.

For telephone interviews, read the main headings, such as “Medical Profession” and
“Mental Health Services Field,” until you get a “Yes” response.

Many of your respondents will fall into the “Something else” category. If someone
wonders why their job is not specifically listed, briefly explain that these jobs were
identified as “high risk” jobs and may increase or decrease a person’s likelihood of
becoming a crime victim. Researchers use the entries in the “Something else”
category looking for other high risk occupations to add to the existing list.

__________, please continue the interview.

JOBDESCRIPTION FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
Ask or verify
Which of the following best describes your job?

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Were you employed in the…
Medical Profession?
Mental Health Services Field?
Teaching Profession?
Law Enforcement or Security Field?
Retail Sales?
Transportation Field?
Something else?
R:

Something else.

(Enter 17,Something else)
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC
FR:
R:

Please specify the job.
I’m a Dividends Analyst.

(Enter Dividends Analyst)
EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT
FR:
Ask or verify
Is your job with --

R:

A private company, business, or individual for
wages?

Yes.

(Enter 1, Private company, business, or individual for
wages)
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
FR:
R:

Are you employed by a college or university?
No.

(Enter 2, No)

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CURRENTJOBMSATYPE
FR:

While working at your job, do you work mostly in ----

A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?

OR
-R:

Combination of these?

In a city.

(Enter 1, A city)
INTVDONE

(Enter 1 to continue)
(Interrupt and say)

The next question asks about household income. For personal interviews, always
remember to show the household respondent the Household Income flashcard
located on page 18 in the Information Card Booklet BEFORE asking this question.
Note that the production instrument will always reference the correct pages in your
current NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet. (Pause)

Now turn to page B3-61 in your NCVS-550 manual and read “What to Include” and
“What to Exclude” in this item. The reading ends on page B3-62.

(Allow time)

Q:

If a man receives $500 from his grandfather every other month, and the
grandfather does not live with him, do you include this sum as household
income, _______?

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Yes, since the respondent is receiving this money every other month and the
grandfather does not live with him.

Q:

What if a person received a lump sum inheritance of $10,000 from an uncle
__________?

A:

No, since this is just a one-time lump sum inheritance.

Q:

Should the respondent include money received from a tax refund and the sale
of his car as part of his household total income?

A:

No, since tax refunds are not included in household income.

___________, please continue the interview.
HOUSEHOLDINCOME
FR:

R:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Which category represents the TOTAL combined
income of all members of this HOUSEHOLD during
the past 12 months? This includes money from jobs,
net income from business, farm or rent, pensions,
dividends, interest, Social Security payments, and
any other money income received by members of this
HOUSEHOLD who are 14 years of age or older.
Category 23

(Enter 23, $50,000-$74,999)
(Interrupt and say)

If the respondent mentions a specific day or time to call or not to call, at the
BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY screen, you are given the opportunity to review or update
the interview time preferences. You practiced updating the Interview Time

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Preferences earlier in training, so for this exercise just enter 1 to continue at this
screen.

_________, please continue.
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER
FR:
What is the telephone number where you would like
to be called?
R:

It’s (555) 555-1212.

(Enter 555-555-1212)
RESPONDENTPHONETYPE
FR:
What type of phone is this (for example, a home,
office, or cell phone)?
R:

It’s a home phone.

(Enter 1, Home)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
FR:

R:

Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a
language other than English?
No

(Enter 2, No)
This concludes Maria Zoe’s interview. Enter 1 at the ENDPERSON screen.
(Allow time)

At NEXTPERSON, you only read the names of the people whose interview status
is “NEED SELF” and ask to speak to them. Also, you will see “DONE-Int” (for done
interview) under the interview status column for persons(s) you already interviewed.

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Q:

What are the names of the people you would ask to speak to?

A:

Rosa Nombre or John Zoe.

Thank you.

We already know John Zoe is unavailable. Maria Zoe tells you that her mother, Rosa
Nombre is not available to be interviewed at this time. Therefore, at the
NEXTPERSON screen enter 33, “No other person available now.” (Pause) At
REFCBBREAK_CP enter 2, Callback, since Rosa Nombre and John Zoe are not
available at the time of your interview with Maria Zoe. You must call back the
household to complete John Zoe’s and Rosa Nombre’s interviews.

____________, what are you instructed to do at the PERSAPPT screen?

(TRAINEE: Press Control+F7 to enter appointment information for this person
in Case Level Notes and enter 1 to continue.)
Thank you.

Press Ctrl+F7 and enter that you need to call back the household to complete John
Zoe’s and Rosa Nombre’s interviews. Whenever you have to write text in which you
refer to a respondent, such as the screen questions or item summaries, you must
always use the respondent’s line number and not the respondent’s name. However,
it is acceptable to use the respondent’s name when entering text in the Notes Editor
as well as any other pertinent information such as address location, directions, and
so on in the Case Level Notes. This is particularly important when you have difficult,
potential, and real Type A cases. Enter a note that you need to call back the

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household to complete John Zoe’s and Rosa Nombre’s interview. Also, enter a date
and time to contact them. When you are done entering this note, press the F10
function key or click on the F10 icon on the toolbar to exit the “Notes Editor.”

(Allow time)

Next, click the “Yes” button to the save the notes entered and OK to the pop-up
message. Then press 1 to continue at PERSAPPT.

(Allow time)

At the THANKYOU_INDIV screen, you thank Maria Zoe, then enter 1 to continue.
(Pause) You don’t need to make any changes to the telephone number and you
don’t need to access the Interview Time Preferences application, so at the VERIFY
screen enter 2. (Pause)

At the “Case Level Notes Editor,” you don't need to enter any new notes so press
the F10 function key or click on the F10 icon on the toolbar to exit the “Notes Editor”
and, pCHI will appear automatically. Then the CAPI Instrument goes to the Case
Management Case List. Be sure to click OK to successfully update the database.

(Allow time)

Let’s go through the pCHI screens. After exiting the NCVS instrument, the pCHI
automatically appears. At the CTATEMPT screen, enter 1. Since this was a
replacement household, we did a personal visit to conduct the interview.

__________, please walk us through the entries for the next pCHI screens.

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TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1, at time of contact attempt)

pCASECONTACT

(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible
persons)

PCONTACTPER

(Enter 1, made contact with John Zoe)

pCTTYPE

(Enter 2, partial interview follow up required)
(Interrupt and say)

Remember, we started interviewing John Zoe, but he had to leave before we could
ask the screener questions, so we changed the household respondent to Maria and
completed her interview.

pNONINTER

(Enter 1, inconvenient time)

pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98, no concerns)
(Interrupt and say)

Since John did not have any concerns about completing his interview, select
Precode 98. But look at Precodes 1-5; note that these are for other situations where
a respondent is reluctant. The fact that this was an inconvenient time for John was
recorded in pNONINTER, so we don’t need to record it again here.

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 2, scheduled an appointment)
(Interrupt and say)

After entering any strategies used for John, the instrument cycles to the next

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respondent, line 2, who is Maria Zoe. __________, please continue.
PCONTACTPER (LN 2)
(Enter 1, made contact with Maria Zoe)
pCTTYPE

(Enter 1, completed interview)

pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98, no concerns)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 98, no strategies)

PCONTACTPER (LN 3)
(Enter 3, noncontact)
pNOCONTACT

(Enter 1, person not home)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 2, scheduled appointment)

After entering the strategy used for the last eligible person, you exit the pCHI. Click
“OK” at the pop-up screen that tells you that the database has been successfully
updated.

Notice that the letter “P” now appears in the “Status” column for this case. This tells
you that you have started or accessed the case but have not gotten an interview for
one or more persons in the household.

Click on the “Assignment” tab in the Details Pane. Locate the field labeled
“Outcome” which is beneath the “Control Number” field. Using your right mouse pad
button, click on the code, 204, entered in this field.

(Allow time)

_________, please read the description for this outcome code.

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(TRAINEE: Sufficient partial – follow-up needed)
Thank you.

This means that you have completed the household respondent’s interview but
need to follow up with the household to interview one or more other persons in the
sample unit.

If the interview for the household respondent was incomplete, outcome code 202,
“Accessed instrument – insufficient partial” would have been displayed. We will
discuss a few other outcome codes later in training. This concludes this exercise.
Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

PRACTICE EXERCISE #3 – Replacement Household by Telephone
Case ID: 00000006
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)

In this exercise, we will go over what to do when you discover a replacement
household during a telephone interview. This can occur when a household has
moved but doesn’t change their telephone number.

Highlight case 373 Alexander Blvd. and press F2 to get into the NCVS CAPI
instrument.

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(Allow time)

Enter 1 on the “This is a Training Case” screen.

At the START_CP screen enter 1, Telephone interview. Also, enter 1 at the next two
screens, SHOW_CP_ROSTER and SHOW_INFO_CP.

(Allow time)

At this point in the interview, you don’t know that the household has moved.
Therefore, at the HHNUM_VR_CP screen enter 2 “No” indicating that this is not a
replacement household. Then at the DIAL_CP screen enter 1, Someone answers.

(Allow time)

____________, please be our FR for this exercise. Remember to tell us what you
enter at each screen as you proceed through the interview.

HELLO_1_CP

FR:

Hello. This is (TRAINEE’S NAME) from the U.S.
Census Bureau.
May I speak with Jane Voe?

R:

This is Jane.

(Enter 1, This is the correct person)
GETLETTER_CP

FR:

I’m calling concerning
the National Crime
Victimization Survey. The Census Bureau is
conducting a survey here and throughout the Nation
to determine how often people are victims of crime.
We contacted your household for this survey several

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months ago. Did you receive our introductory letter in
the mail?
R:

No we didn’t.

(Enter 2, No)
VERADD_CP

FR:

I have your address listed as
373 Alexander Blvd.
Any Town, CO 99984
Is that your exact address?

R:

No, we moved three months ago.

(Enter 2, Moved (NOT same address))
MOVED_CP

FR:

Since your address rather than you personally was
chosen for inclusion in the survey, no interview is
required of you at this time. Thank you for your past
cooperation. The help you gave us was an important
contribution to the National Crime Victimization
Survey data.

(Enter 1 to continue)
(Interrupt and say)

Be sure to confirm that all members of the HH roster moved out. As you can see,
when you entered code 1 at MOVED_CP indicating that the household moved, a
hard error message popped up. This is because you

indicated in the

HHNUM_VR_CP screen that this was not a replacement

household but in

VERADD_CP screen you found out that the household moved.

________, please read what the message says.

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(TRAINEE: This case needs to be made a replacement household. Press
GOTO to continue.)
Thank you.

Click on the “Goto” button located in the bottom right corner of the error message
screen. (Pause) Notice that the instrument takes you back to the screen that is
highlighted, which is HHNUM_VR_CP.

Enter 1 in HHNUM_VR_CP. Since this is a telephone interview, the instrument then
goes to CK_REPLACE FOLLOWUP_CP, which says, “You are attempting to code
a replacement household during a telephone interview. A personal visit followup is
required to verify new respondents have moved into the sample address before this
case can be coded as a replacement.” Since this household was contacted by
telephone, we don’t know if a new household has moved into the sample address.
Enter Precode 1, “Possible replacement household,” at this item.

In order for a replacement household to be created, new respondents have to have
moved into the sample address. You must confirm this by following up with a
personal visit. If no one has moved into the sample address, code the case as Type
B, vacant.

You should now be at the VERIFY screen. Enter Precode (2) to exit the case. At the
“Case Level Notes Editor,” type a note indicating that the household members
moved but did not change their telephone number.

(Allow time)

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Press the F10 key to exit the "Case Level Notes Editor" and click “Yes” that you want
to save the note entered for this case. Then click OK on the pop-up message.

Since this was a contact attempt, we have to record information about it in pCHI.
Use pCHI for all contact attempts, regardless of their outcome.
CTATEMPT

(Enter 2, telephone, outgoing)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1, yes)

At pCASECONTACT enter Precode 2, made contact with only non-eligible persons,
because Jane Voe is no longer eligible to be interviewed at the sample address.
Does everyone understand that?

(Answer questions)

At NCTTEL, select Precode 6, spoke with ineligible person. Use this precode in
situations like the one we just went over -- when you are coding the original case as
a replacement household during a personal visit or during a telephone contact, and
there is a possibility that a replacement household exists because the previous
household members have moved out.

Finally, enter Precode 5, at STRATEGS, “Called household,” to document the
strategy used. Then press enter to exit the pCHI.

This concludes this exercise. Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #4 - Type A Noninterview
Case ID: 00000002
(Approximate time: 20 minutes)

This practice exercise covers what to do when a sample unit is a Type A
noninterview. As you learned in the pre-classroom self-study, sometimes you may
not be able to get interviews for the entire household. (Pause)

Type A noninterviews are one of four types of NCVS noninterviews you will
encounter. Types A, B, and C noninterviews relate to the entire household or sample
unit, while a Type Z noninterview relates to an individual household member who is
NOT the household respondent. (Pause)

Some noninterviews can be avoided, but there are some that are beyond your
control. Type A noninterviews are often avoidable. A Type A noninterview consists
of a household occupied by eligible respondents, but, for some reason, none of
these persons can be interviewed. Remember, you must complete at least the
household respondent’s interview otherwise the entire household will be classified
as a Type A noninterview. Because Type A noninterviews are often avoidable, it is
part of your job to keep Type A noninterviews to a minimum. (Pause) To avoid Type
A noninterviews, make your visits or calls when people are likely to be home. Often
this means contacting respondents in the early evening and on Saturdays.

When you make your initial visit to a sample unit and find that no one is home, try
to find out from neighbors, a janitor, the rental office, or from some other source,
when it is likely that the household members will be home. However, in keeping with
our confidentiality rules, don’t mention the National Crime Victimization Survey by

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name when asking neighbors, janitors, and so on to help you determine when
household members will be home. Instead, identify yourself and the fact that you are
from the United States Census Bureau. Tell the person you are talking to that you
are trying to contact someone at the specific address and ask if they know when it
is likely that someone would be there. Then revisit the sample address at that time.

If the sources that you try are unable to provide any useful information, try visiting
the sample unit at a different time of day on the next visit. If your initial visit was
during the morning and you didn’t find anyone at home, then try visiting in the
afternoon or evening. We also provide a few forms that you can leave at the
household to let them know that you have been there and plan to return.

Find Form 11-38, Request for Appointment, and 11-38A in your materials.

(Hold up a copy of Forms 11-38 and 11-38A. If your region uses other
methods for requesting an appointment, mention them now.)

(Allow time)

Fill out the top of this form before leaving it at the address. This “Request for
Appointment” form says, “There was no one here when I called to obtain information
for an important Census survey. In order to do this I plan to...” and then you can
check a box that says when you will return to conduct the interview. Space is also
provided on this form for you to enter the date and time when you intend to return,
along with your name and telephone number. The bottom half of the form contains
the identical information. Fill out both parts of this form and then separate them.
Leave the top half at the sample address and keep the bottom half for your records.
This will be your reminder to revisit the household at the time and day noted on the

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“Request for Appointment” form. Make sure that you keep your appointments and,
if an emergency will keep you from making an appointment, notify the household, if
possible.

Form 11-38A says the same thing as Form 11-38. However, it is designed to be
hung on a door knob and it is perforated.

You will receive a supply of both forms to use in making interview appointments.

Are there any questions so far?

(Answer questions)

Another Type A noninterview that is often avoidable happens when a sample
household refuses to be interviewed. In order for you to sell this survey to a
“reluctant” respondent, you must be able to answer his or her questions about the
survey.

Q:

What do you say to a person who objects to participating in the NCVS because
he or she feels that it is an invasion of privacy, _______?

A:

I would stress the Census Bureau’s excellent record concerning confidentiality
and tell the respondent that the information is kept confidential by law. (OR
SOMETHING SIMILAR)

Thank you. People object to participating in surveys for many different reasons.
However, people are occasionally reluctant to participate because they don’t
understand why the survey is being taken, how important it is, or how the information
will be used. That is why you must be prepared to provide this type of information

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about the NCVS. (Pause)

Fortunately, the National Crime Victimization Survey has had fewer problems with
reluctant respondents than some of our other surveys. Perhaps most people are
aware that the crime problems in this country affect everyone. In any event, make
sure that you can explain the importance of the NCVS and its many uses.

In your training materials, you should have an NCVS Fact Sheet, NCVS-110. Take
it out now.

(Hold up a copy of the NCVS-110 Fact Sheet)

(Allow time)

The NCVS Fact Sheet, which is updated each year with the most recent available
data, provides summarized results from the most recent NCVS findings. These
results are presented in text, graphs, and charts, and a copy of this brochure is
mailed to each sample household prior to the first interview. For subsequent
enumeration periods, you can hand or mail the respondent this brochure if:
• The respondent requests the type of information provided in this brochure.
• You discover a replacement household at the sample address.
• You feel that this brochure may encourage a respondent to cooperate.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Remember, each Type A noninterview has an adverse effect on the survey,

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because each Type A noninterview means lost data. Since this is a sample survey
and each household represents many other households, you can understand why
each completed interview is so important.

It is your job to keep your Type A’s to a minimum. To avoid refusals, be friendly, but
businesslike. Be prepared to explain the survey and answer a respondent’s
objections. Census Bureau information is confidential.

Are there any questions about Type A noninterviews?

(Answer questions)

Highlight the case, 286 Erasmus Dr. Let’s look at a few things about this case before
starting the interview. (Pause) Click on the “HH Roster” tab in the Details Pane to
view the composition of the household. (Pause) This household contains only one
respondent, David Citizen. Now let’s see what is entered under the “History” tab.
Remember, one way to move from one tab to the next in the Details Pane is to use
the F3 function key. You can also click on the tab using your mouse pad. (Pause)

Notice that the “CAPI Outcome” for the previous interviews for this case are 201.
This means that the household was a completed interview in the previous interview
period. Now let’s look at the “Interview Time Preferences” tab to see if there are any
times specified that are best to contact the household as well as any bad times to
contact the household.

(Allow time)

As you can see, no such times have been specified.

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Now press the F2 function key to start the interview and at the “Confirmation Screen”
click OK or press Enter. Then click 1 on the TRAININGCASE screen.

(Allow time)

Next, enter 1, “Telephone Interview” and at the next two screens,
SHOW_CP_ROSTER and SHOW_INFO_CP, enter 1 to continue.

(Allow time)

This case is not a replacement household so in response to the question in the next
screen, HHNUM_VR_CP, enter 2. (Pause) At the DIAL_CP screen enter 1,
“Someone answers” and also enter a 1, “This is the correct person” at the
HELLO_1_CP screen.

(Allow time)

(Call on Trainee)

__________, please read the introduction in GETLETTER_CP.

(TRAINEE: I’m calling concerning the National Crime Victimization Survey.
The Census Bureau is conducting a survey here and throughout the Nation to
determine how often people are victims of crime. We contacted your
household for this survey several months ago. Did you receive our
introductory letter in the mail?)
Thank you.

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After reading the introduction to David Citizen, he tells you that he doesn’t want to
participate. You explain the importance of the survey and his participation, but he
still refuses to cooperate. At this point you need to end the interview. Terminate the
interview using one of the three methods discussed earlier -- either by pressing the
F10 function key, clicking on the F10 tab on the toolbar, or clicking on the Forms tab
on the menu bar and arrow down to the “Exit” function.

(Allow time)

At the next screen, REFCBBREAK_CP, enter 1, Refusal. (Pause) At the VERIFY
screen review the information displayed and determine whether or not you need to
make any changes. You also have the opportunity to review or update the Interview
Time Preferences (ITP). Since you don’t need to make any changes to the
information displayed or need to update the ITP, enter 2 at the VERIFY screen.
(Pause) At the “Case Level Notes Editor” record that the respondent refused to
participate. Include as much information as possible about the refusal in the Notes
to help your supervisor on follow-up for the case.

(Allow time)

Now press the F10 function key or click on the F10 icon on the toolbar to exit the
”Notes Editor.” Then, click Yes on the Notes Editor –Confirmation pop-up, then OK
on the Message pop-up. (Pause) Then fill the pCHI screens.

Let’s step through the pCHI items for a Type A noninterview. At CTATEMPT
enter 2, telephone (outgoing). At TIMEOFCT enter 1, Yes.

Q:

In pCASECONTACT, which precode do you enter?

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Precode 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons, because we made
contact with Line 1, David Citizen.

Enter Precode 1 in pCASECONTACT and PCONTACTPER. At pCTTYPE, enter 3,
unable to conduct interview. Since the respondent refused, select Precode 2,
“Respondent is reluctant” at pNONINTER.

Q:

Why do you think we do not enter Precode 5 in pNONINTER in this situation?

A:

Because there is only one household member we can’t have a Type Z for this
household. If they are a noninterview, the case becomes a Type A.

The respondent said they weren’t interested in participating.

Q:

Which precode do we enter in pRSPNDENT, _________?

A:

Precode 1, “Not interested”.

For this exercise, enter 5, called HH and enter 99, request Better Understanding
Letter in pSTRATEGS. Press enter to exit the pCHI, since there are no other
household members at this address.

(Allow time)

Notice that the letter “O” now appears in the “Status” column for this case. If there
are no other people in this household to be interviewed and there is no chance of
converting this case to an interview, you must close out the case and make it a Type
A noninterview before it is considered done and the case can be transmitted. You
can do this at any time before your interviewing closeout date.

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However, it is highly recommended that you do this as quickly as possible so the
case is transmitted to the regional office for review and possible follow-up.

(Demonstrate letter management and how to request letters)

Let's record this case as a Type A noninterview. Press F2 to re-enter the CAPI
instrument for this case. At the “Confirmation Screen,” make sure you selected the
correct household, 286 Erasmus Dr, and then click OK or press Enter.

(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen enter 4, “Noninterview.” The next screen asks you
whether the case is a Type A, Type B, or Type C noninterview. Turn to page 9 of
your Workbook and look over the noninterview reasons listed under each
noninterview type.

(Allow time)

This is a Type A noninterview so enter 1, “Type A” at this screen. (Pause) The
purpose of the next screen, TYPEA, is to capture the noninterview reason. Notice
that you are instructed NOT to exit this screen. This is because the noninterview
outcome code gets set at this screen. We want to capture the noninterview reason,
as this information is extremely important in understanding survey nonresponse.

It is extremely important that for this screen and any other screen in which you are
instructed NOT to press F10 to exit the screen that you follow these instructions. If
you find that you need to exit a case when at such screens, go back to the previous
screen or to the next screen in which it is acceptable to exit the screen. If you don’t

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follow the instructions, you will encounter major instrument problems.

Since David Citizen refused to participate, enter 4, “Refused” at this screen. (Pause)
The intent of the next screen, TYPEA_CK, is to make sure that the case wasn’t
incorrectly classified as a Type A noninterview. Since we are sure that this is a Type
A noninterview, enter 1 at this screen and then a 1 at the THANKYOU_CP screen
to continue. (Pause) Since you don’t need to make any changes to the case’s phone
number and you also don’t need to access the Interview Time Preferences
application, enter 2 at the VERIFY screen. (Pause) At the Case Level Notes Editor,
record that the respondent, David Citizen, refused to participate and that you made
this case a Type A noninterview. Also, include any other pertinent information that
may be useful during follow-up, such as whether or not the respondent was hostile.

Now exit the Notes Editor to return to pCHI and Case Management. We already
recorded that the case was a Type A noninterview in pCHI, so when you get back
to the CTATEMPT screen enter Precode (4), “Not attempting contact”. At
NOATTEMPT enter Precode (2), “Readying case for transmission”.

(Allow time)

When you return to the Case Management Main screen, you will see that the case
is no longer displayed on the Case List. However, you can view the case in other
display lists, using the F8 function. Press the F8 function key. (Pause) Arrow down
to the “Type A” display category, then click OK. (Pause) Any cases you make a
Type A noninterview are displayed on this screen.

Now click on the Assignment tab. (Pause) Notice that the outcome code is now set
to 218. Right click on this code to display a description of the Type A reason.

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(Allow time)

Q:

What reason is displayed, ___________?

A:

Type A – refused.

Thank you.

Now press the Escape key. (Pause)

Press the F8 function key again, arrow up to the “All” display, and then click OK.

(Allow time)

You will see a display of all cases in your monthly NCVS assignment, including
those not yet started. To return to the Case Management Main screen, press F8 one
more time and then click on the “Case List” button which is beneath the “Cancel”
button.

(Allow time)

The process you followed for classifying a case as a Type A noninterview is similar
to the process for classifying Type B and Type C noninterviews. In the next exercise,
you will practice classifying a case as a Type B noninterview.

Remember, you must specify the noninterview reason for all Type A, Type B, and
Type C cases in your monthly NCVS assignment before you can close out and
transmit these cases.

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This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any questions about the material
covered in this exercise?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #5 - Type B Noninterview
Case ID: 00000006
(Approximate time: 20 minutes)

In this exercise you will practice coding a case as a Type B noninterview. Type B
noninterviews consist of sample households that could be vacant or occupied
entirely by persons who have a usual residence elsewhere. Although these cases
are not eligible for interview during the current interview, they could become eligible
at a later time. Unlike Type A noninterviews,

Type B noninterviews

are

unavoidable. (Pause)

In a previous exercise, when conducting a telephone interview at the household
located at 373 Alexander Blvd. you found out that the residents at this sample unit
moved away three months ago but kept their telephone number. When you go to
the sample address to conduct a personal interview with members of the
replacement household, you discover that the household is vacant. According to
survey procedures, when you are unable to interview a sample unit you must
contact a neighbor, apartment manager, or similar person to obtain noninterview
information about the unit or its residents. After talking to a neighbor, Joe Doe, you
find out that the house was sold but the new owners have not moved in yet. If the
sample unit was occupied by the new household, you would interview the new
household. Because the sample unit is still vacant and will remain vacant through
the interview month, you must enter the case and classify it as Type B noninterview.

Highlight the case 373 Alexander Blvd. and press the F2 function key to get into
the NCVS CAPI instrument for this case.

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(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen enter code 4, Noninterview (Type A/B/C). (Pause) At the
NONTYP screen you enter the noninterview type. For this exercise, enter 2, Type
B. (Pause) At the TYPEB screen, specify the Type B noninterview reason.

Turn to page 9 of your Workbook and examine the reasons for Type B
noninterviews.

Notice that codes 225 through 233 are reasons for a Type B noninterview. Of those
reasons, the most commonly entered reason is code 226, “Vacant-regular.” The
“Vacant-regular” category includes vacant units that are available for rent or sale,
furnished or unfurnished, or units held off the market for personal reasons.

The “Vacant-regular” category also includes vacant seasonal units, such as
mountain or beach resort cabins, as well as year-round units. A vacant unit that is
dilapidated but is still considered a living quarters can still be classified as a “Vacantregular” Type B noninterview.

If you encounter a vacant mobile home, trailer, tent, or other less common type of
living quarters and it is intended for occupancy, you can classify it as a “Vacantregular” Type B noninterview.

Q:

Based on what we just covered, can you give me an example of a Type B,
Vacant Regular unit, _______?

A:

A vacant apartment unit available for rent. (OR SIMILAR ANSWER)

Thank you.

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Code 227 is used when a vacant unit is used only for storing excess household
furniture. For example, a garage apartment, or an apartment in an attic or basement
that is used only for the storage of excess household furniture. Do not confuse a
vacant unit used for storage of excess household furniture with a vacant unit offered
for rent as a furnished apartment. Report the latter situation as a “Vacant-regular”
unit.

Now look at code 225, “Temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence
elsewhere (URE).” You would enter this Type B reason when a unit is occupied
temporarily by persons who have a usual place of residence elsewhere. When a
sample unit is occupied entirely by persons who have a usual residence elsewhere,
do not interview those persons. Persons should only be interviewed at their usual
residence and not at a temporary place of residence.

For example, a family whose usual residence is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
should not be interviewed while staying at a vacation cottage in Atlantic City, New
Jersey.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

One category that needs a little explanation is code 228, “Unfit or to be demolished.”
To fit into this category, a sample unit must, first of all, be unoccupied. No matter
how decrepit or run down a place looks, if somebody lives there, you must conduct
an interview. But, if it is unoccupied and the windows or doors no longer protect the
interior, consider the unit to be unfit.

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However, be careful not to rush to the conclusion that a unit is “Unfit or to be
demolished.” Sometimes a boarded-up place is mistakenly classified as unfit, when,
in fact, the boards are there to protect the windows and doors until it can be sold or
rented. The point is that you cannot always go by first impressions. Many times you
will have to inquire of residents or merchants in the area to make sure that you
classify the vacant unit correctly.

The other part of code 228, “to be demolished,” only applies when there is positive
evidence, such as a sign, notice, or mark on the house or on the block– stating that
the unit is scheduled for demolition.

Let’s see if you remember what we just discussed.

Q:

What kind of noninterview is a vacant-regular, ____________________?

A:

Type B.

Q:

If a sample unit is obviously unfit to live in and is not occupied as a living
quarters, which noninterview reason do you select, ______________?

A:

Type B - code 228, “Unfit or to be demolished.”

For this exercise, enter reason 1, “Vacant- regular.” (Pause) Unlike Type A
noninterviews, with the exception of Type A - Temporarily Absent, there is one more
step you must take when classifying noninterview cases as a Type B, Type C, or
Type A -Temporarily Absent noninterview. You must record information about the
person you contacted to obtain noninterview information about the unit or its
residents.

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At the BCNAME screen enter the name of the contact person you spoke to which is
Joe Doe. At BCTITL enter the contact person’s title such as neighbor or apartment
manager. For this case enter “Neighbor."

(Allow time)

At BCNUM enter Joe Doe’s telephone number as 999-555-9999 and then press
Enter. (Pause) Press enter at BCEXT and at BCPHTYPE enter code 1, Home.
(Pause)

Complete the next items using the following information about Joe Doe’s address:
House number and street name:

370 Alexander Blvd.

City:

Any Town

The contact person lives in Colorado, which is the same state as the sample unit.
For your production interviews, you will be able to press Enter rather than entering
the 2-character state abbreviation when the contact person lives in the same state
as the sample unit. However, for the training instrument this feature is not active.
(Pause)

Let's assume that we don't know the state abbreviation for Colorado. Enter the letter
C. (Pause) Notice that you get a pop-up screen of state abbreviations. You will be
taken to the first state whose name begins with the letter C. Notice the second
column displays state name. Arrow through the screen until you get to Colorado.

(Allow time)

Click on the Select button. (Pause) When you return to the contact information

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screen notice that the 2-character state abbreviation is filled in the answer field.
(Pause) Now press Enter. Now enter the 5-digit zipcode, which is 99999. (Pause)
The contact person doesn't know his 4-digit zipcode so press Enter.

Now enter 2 at the BCOBS screen since you didn't determine the noninterview
status of this sample unit by observation. (Pause) At the THANKYOU_CP screen
you thank Joe Doe for his time and then press 1 to continue. Then enter 2 at the
VERIFY screen.

At the Case Level Notes Editor, enter a note indicating the status of the household.
Enter as much information as possible so that others who review the notes will have
a good understanding of the case, then save your note and return to pCHI.

(Allow time)

Now let’s go through the pCHI items.

CTATEMPT

(Enter 1, personal visit)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1 since you are entering pCHI at the time of the
contact attempt)

pCASECONTACT

(Enter 2, contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member)

NCTPER

(Enter 8, spoke with neighbor and 10, completed case –
Type B or C)

STRATEGS

(Enter 8, checked with neighbors)

Any questions about the pCHI items?

(Answer questions)

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You will follow this same procedure for handling Type A- Temporarily Absent
noninterviews and for Type C noninterviews. Like Type B noninterviews, Type C
noninterviews are unavoidable. Once a unit is classified as a Type C noninterview,
the sample unit is permanently removed from the NCVS sample and will not be
assigned to you in subsequent enumeration periods. Like Type B noninterviews, the
Type C noninterview reasons are self-explanatory for the most part. Let’s go over a
few of the Type C reasons that are shown on page 9 of your Workbook.

Code 240, “Demolished,” means that the unit has been torn down, burned down, or
otherwise destroyed, or is in the process of being demolished. (Pause)

Code 242, “Outside segment,” applies only to units in area segments. Select this
reason when you find that a sample unit is outside the area segment boundaries
and the unit was listed on the Area Segment Listing Sheet by mistake. (Pause)

Code 243, “Converted to permanent business or storage,” looks very similar to one
of the Type B noninterview reasons.

Q:

Suppose you find that a sample unit has been converted to a business or used
for storage. What distinction must you make before you can classify it as either
a Type B or Type C noninterview, _____________?

A:

Find out whether the conversion is temporary or permanent. If it is temporary,
it will classify as a Type B noninterview and, if it is permanent, it will classify as
a Type C noninterview.

Thank you.

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Code 244, “Merged,” is used when you discover that a sample unit has been merged
with another unit to form one “new” merged unit. (Pause)

A unit is considered “Condemned,” code 245, if there is positive evidence, such as
a sign, notice, or mark on the house or in the block–stating that the unit is
condemned. Once again, the unit must be unoccupied before you can select this
code. If the unit is occupied, you must conduct an interview, even if there is a
“condemned” sign posted. Remember, if the unit is vacant and no positive evidence
is present that it is condemned, report the unit as “Vacant-regular,” code 226, Type
B noninterview.

Notice the last reason listed for Type B noninterviews is category 233, called “Other.”
Also notice the category 248, “Other (including permit abandoned)” for Type C
noninterviews. When you have a Type B or Type C noninterview that does not fit
any of the other categories, use the “Other” category and specify the reason.

However, before selecting the “Other” reason for a Type B or Type C noninterview,
make sure that one of the reasons already listed doesn't apply.

This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any questions about the material
covered in this exercise?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #6 – Changing the Household Respondent in
Household with Other Eligible Respondents
Case ID: 00000005
(Approximate time: 15 minutes)

This practice exercise covers changing the household respondent. Highlight the
case, 116 Aphroditedr, and then look at the composition of the household. (Pause)

(Have trainees click on the HH Roster tab in Case Management)

(Call on Trainee)

______________, how many people listed are eligible for the NCVS?

(TRAINEE: 4)

That’s correct.

Press the F2 function key to start the interview. Make sure that you have selected
the correct address, 116 Aphroditedr.

(Allow time)

In this exercise, I will not give you screen-by-screen instructions on what to enter so
listen carefully to the information I provide throughout the exercise.

First, this is a telephone interview (Pause) Second, the unit is not a replacement

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household. (Pause) Third, when you dial the telephone number

someone

answers. Now proceed through the various screens using the information I just
provided. When you get to the HELLO_1_CP screen raise your hand.

(Allow time)

As with the previous exercises, I will call on one of you to serve as the FR. You will
ask the questions and I will continue to act as the respondent. Again, at certain
points I will interrupt the interview to provide further explanation about a question.

(Call on Trainee)

______________, will you be our first FR? Remember to tell us what you enter at
each screen as you proceed through the interview.

HELLO_1_CP

FR:

Hello. This is (TRAINEE’S NAME) from the U.S.
Census Bureau. May I please speak with JOEL BOE?

R:

Joel doesn’t live here anymore.

(Enter 5, Person no longer lives here)
(Interrupt and say)

At the HELLO_ALT2_CP screen you need to pick a new household respondent
since Joel Boe was the household respondent in the previous interview.

(Allow time)

Since Brian Public, Michael Goe, and Will Loe all qualify to serve as the new

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household respondent you need to ask to speak to one of them.

___________, please continue the interview.
HELLO_ALT2_CP

FR:

May I speak to Brian Public, Michael Goe, or Will
Loe?

R:

This is Brian.

(Enter 2, Line number of Brian Public)
GETLETTER_CP

FR:

I’m calling concerning
the National Crime
Victimization Survey. The Census Bureau is
conducting a survey here and throughout the Nation
to determine how often people are victims of crime.
We contacted your household for this survey several
months ago. Did you receive our introductory letter in
the mail?

R:

Yes, I believe we did.

(Enter 1, Yes)
VERADD_CP

FR:

I have your address listed as
116 Aproditedr
Any Town, CA 99984-9997
Is that your exact address?

R:

Yes, it is.

(Enter 1, Same Address)
(Interrupt and say)
Sometimes at the beginning of an interview you may know that the household’s
telephone number has changed. At this CHNGPH_CP screen you are given the
opportunity to change the telephone number.

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CHNGPH_CP

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(Instruct trainees to enter 2, No)

____________, please continue.
MAILINGSAME_CP FR:

R:

Is your mailing address the same as your physical
address?
Yes it is.

(Enter 1, Yes)
TENURE

FR:

Ask or verify - Are your living quarters
---

R:

Owned or being bought by you or someone in
your household?
Rented for cash?

Yes, we rent this home.

(Press Enter since the item is pre-filled or enter 2, Rented
for cash)
STUDENTHOUSING FR:

R:

Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
No

(Enter 2, No)
PUBLICHOUSING

FR:

Is this building owned by a public housing authority?

R:

No

(Enter 2, No not public housing)

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NUMBEROFUNITS FR:

R:

Observe or ask
How many housing units are in this structure?
Just one

(Enter 1, One)
(Interrupt and say)

This concludes this exercise in which you selected a new household respondent. In
the next exercise we will continue to interview this household so don't exit this case
or continue with this case yet.

Are there any questions about the material covered in this practice exercise?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #7 – Selecting a New Reference Person
Case ID: 00000005
(Approximate time: 45 minutes)

In this practice exercise you pick a new reference person since Joel Boe was not
only the household respondent in the previous enumeration, but also the reference
person. Turn to page 10 of your Workbook and read the definition of a reference
person.

(Allow time)

Now let’s continue interviewing the household.

______________, please be our FR and continue the interview starting at
NAMECHECK. Remember to tell us what you enter at each screen as you proceed
through the interview.
NAMECHECK

FR:

I have Joel Boe, Brian Public, Michael Goe, and Will
Loe listed as living or staying at this address.
Are ALL of these people still living or staying at this
address?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
REFPERSTILLLIVE

FR:

Does Joel Boe still live at this address?
(Interrupt and say)

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This is another example of how active listening can help during an interview. When
you first called the household, you were told that Joel Boe had moved out. You can
verify that here instead of asking the question. __________, please continue.

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
NEWREFPER

FR:

What is the name of the person or one of the
persons who owns or rents that home? Would that be
you?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 2, Line number of Brian Public)
(Interrupt and say)

At the next screen, MEMBERCHANGES, you are asked to indicate the reason for
a change in household membership for any member who entered or left the
household since the previous interview.

The next few questions are a little tricky so let me walk you through them. The
MEMBERCHANGES screen displays a table or grid showing the name, sex,
relationship, and membership status of all persons living or staying at the sample
unit as of the previous interview. It also contains a field for you to enter a code that
describes the reason for a change in household membership. For Joel Boe, enter
19 in the “Change member” column since we don’t know the specific reason why he
left the household. After pressing Enter, look at the “Household member” column.
His membership status changed from 1, a member, to 2, a nonmember. Also notice
that his row is now shaded, so no more demographic data will be collected for him.

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Also notice that Brian Public is now the reference person since his relationship code
was changed to 21.

Since there is no change in Brian Public's membership from the previous interview,
you don't need to enter a reason code, so press Enter in the “Change member”
column. Pressing Enter takes you to the “first” name field. If you need to make a
change to the respondent’s first name for reasons such as misspellings, you can do
that here. Otherwise, press Enter to proceed to the next field or use the arrow key
to move through the table to review or update the remaining information. We are not
going to make any changes to either Brian’s first or last name so arrow through
those fields. (Pause)

Now press Enter in the “Change member” column for Michael Goe since there is no
change in his membership since the previous interview. Then tab through the first
and last name fields. Because the reference person changed, you now need to
specify the relationship of the household member, Michael Goe, to the NEW
reference person, Brian Public.

(Check to see if all trainees are on the “RELATIONSHIP” screen for
Michael Goe. Help any trainees who may have fallen behind.)

____________, please be our FR and continue the interview starting at the
RELATIONSHIP screen for Michael Goe. Don’t forget to tell us what you enter at
each screen as you proceed through the interview.

RELATIONSHIP

FR:

What is Michael Goe’s relationship to you?
(Interrupt and say)

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Before I provide a response to that question, let’s see what happens when you enter
18, “Sister” in the relation field for Michael Goe. As you learned in the self- study,
several questions contain edit checks to detect inconsistencies in the data at the
time of data capture. The edit checks examine responses to individual items and
determine if the responses are consistent with the other data entered. You also
learned that there are two types of edit checks, soft and hard edits. You can
recognize soft edits because you are given two options - “Suppress,” which accepts
the inconsistency, or “Goto” which returns you to the inconsistent item to make
corrections. (Pause)

Turn to pages 11 and 12 of your Workbook for an example of a soft and hard edit.

(Allow time)

What type of edit shows up when you enter 18 for Michael Goe, soft or hard?
(TRAINEE: Soft)
That’s correct. How did you know that it was a soft edit?

(TRAINEE: It contains a Suppress option that is only available for soft edits)

That’s right. You are not given the option to suppress or accept the inconsistent
entry in a hard edit. The inconsistency must be resolved before you continue the
interview in a hard edit.

Notice that the edit check pop up screen displays an error message and also

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identifies the questions that are inconsistent with one another.

___________, please read which questions are inconsistent with one another, the
answers recorded in these questions, and the message that is displayed in the
middle of the screen.
(TRAINEE: RELATIONSHIP with an entry of Sister, and SEX with an entry of
Male. The message reads: The sex entered is inconsistent with the
relationship selected.)
Remember, if you need to go back and correct one of the inconsistent items, make
sure that the item displayed in the “Questions involved” column of the Edit Check
Error Message is highlighted and then click the Goto button, which takes you to that
question to correct.

In our example, we don’t want to accept the inconsistent entry for RELATIONSHIP
so make sure RELATIONSHIP is highlighted. Click the “Goto” button, which returns
you to the relationship question for Michael Goe. Michael Goe and Brian Public are
friends so enter 20, “Nonrelative” at the RELATIONSHIP screen.

___________, please continue being our FR and ask the membership question for
Michael Goe.
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Michael Goe usually live there?

R:

Yes, he does.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

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You have returned to the MEMBERCHANGES screen. Press Enter in the “Change
member” column for Will Loe, then tab through the first and last name fields.
Because the reference person changed, you also need to specify Will Loe’s
relationship to the NEW reference person, Brian Public.

____________, please continue the interview starting at the RELATIONSHIP
screen for Will Loe.
RELATIONSHIP

FR:

What is Will Loe’s relationship to you?

R:

We're friends.

(Enter 20, Nonrelative)
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Will Loe usually live there?

R:

Yes, he does.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

Since there are no more persons listed who are living or staying at the sample unit,
enter 999 in the first blank name field and then press Enter to leave the table or grid.
You have just completed the process of selecting a new reference person and
changing the relationship of the other household members to the new reference
person. Are there any questions about that?

(Answer questions)

Now let’s complete the rest of Brian Public’s interview. _____________, please
continue the interview.

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HHLDCOVERAGE

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FR:

Have I missed anyone else living or staying there
such as any babies, any lodgers, or anyone who is
away at present traveling or in the hospital?

R:

Yes, my sister is recently separated from her
husband and is staying here for awhile.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

Because Brian Public answered “Yes,” that there are persons missing from the
household roster, the instrument takes you back to the grid so you can make
additions to the household roster.

_________, please continue the interview by asking for the name of the person who
was missed.

HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What is the name of the person/people that is new to
the household?

R:

My sister Megan Moe.

(Enter Megan, then press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME (Enter Moe)
SEX

FR:

Ask if necessary
Is Megan Moe male or female?

R:

Female

(Enter 2, Female)

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RELATIONSHIP

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FR:

What is Megan Moe’s relationship to you?
(Interrupt and say)

Again, another example of how active listening can help during an interview. Since
the question was already answered twice, you can verify that here instead of asking
the question.

__________, please continue.
R:

Sister

(Enter 18, Sister)
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Megan Moe usually live there?

R:

She is staying with us until she finds an apartment.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)
Before asking for the names of any other persons new to the household you must
record the reason Megan Moe entered the household. Use the up arrow to go to the
field containing Megan’s name. Now use the left arrow to the blank “Change
member” column in that row. You must enter the code that best describes the
reason for this person being added to the household roster.

Q:

What precode do you enter, ______________?

A:

Precode 13, Entered because of marriage/separation/divorce.

That’s correct. Thank you.

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Enter Precode 13. Tab through the rest of the row until you get to the next row.

_______________, please continue the interview.
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What is the name of the person/people that is new to
the household?

R:

There’s no one else.

(Enter 999 then press Enter)
HHLDCOVERAGE

FR:

Have I missed anyone else living or staying there
such as any babies, any lodgers, or anyone who is
away at present traveling or in the hospital?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
AGECHECK

FR:

I have you listed as 32 years old.
Is that correct?

R:

Yes it is.

(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if
training is conducted after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes age IS correct)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Are you now married, widowed, divorced, separated
or has he never been married?

R:

I’ve never been married.

(Press Enter, since the item is pre-filled, or enter 5)

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ARMEDFORCES

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FR:

Are you now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No

(Press Enter, if already pre-filled, or enter 2)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Michael Goe
completed or the highest degree he received?

R:

I have a Master’s degree.

(Enter 17, Master’s degree)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

R:

Are you currently attending or enrolled either full-time
or part-time in a college or university, trade or
vocational school?
No.

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
AGECHECK

FR:

I have Michael Goe listed as 35 years old.
Is that correct?

R:

Yes it is.

(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is
conducted after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes age IS correct)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Is Michael Goe now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has he never been married?

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R:

He’s never been married.

(Press Enter, if already pre-filled, or Enter 5)
ARMEDFORCES

FR:

Is Michael Goe now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No.

(Press Enter, if already pre-filled, or enter 2)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Michael Goe
completed or the highest degree he received?

R:

He has a Bachelor’s degree.

(Enter 16, Bachelor’s degree)
(Mention that the FR can verify all these demographic items based on
“last reported as” fill, rather than asking the full question. For example:
“We last recorded that Micahel has a Bachelor’s degree, is that still
correct?”)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

R:

Is Michael Goe currently attending or enrolled either
full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade
or vocational school?
No.

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
AGECHECK

FR:

I have Will Loe listed as 55 years old.
Is that correct?

R:

Yes it is.

(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if

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training is conducted after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes age IS correct)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Is Will Loe now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has he never been married?

R:

He’s divorced

(Enter 3, Divorced)
ARMEDFORCES

FR:

Is Will Loe now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No.

(Press Enter, if already pre-filled, or enter 2)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Will Loe
completed or the highest degree he received?

R:

High school.

(Press Enter, if already pre-filled, or enter 13)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

Is Will Loe currently attending or enrolled either fulltime or part-time in a college or university, trade, or
vocational school?

R:

No.

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
BRTHDATEMO

FR:

What is Megan Moe’s date of birth?

R:

June 1, 1978.

(Enter 6, June)

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BRTHDATEDY

(Enter 1)

BRTHDATEYR

(Enter 1978)

VFYAGE

FR:

That would make Megan Moe 39 years old. Is that
correct?

R:

Yes

(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is conducted
after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Is Megan Moe now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has she never been married?

R:

She’s separated.

(Enter 4, Separated)
(Interrupt and say)

Sometimes the term “separated” causes confusion. Would you always know who to
include in this category? Maybe not, so go to page B2-108 in your NCVS-550
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives.

(Allow time)

Q:

Read out loud the instructions on this page for when to enter Precode (4)
“Separated,” __________?

A:

Enter Precode (4), “Separated,” when the household member:
• Is married, but has a legal separation.
• Is married, but parted from his/her spouse because of marital discord.

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• Expects to obtain a divorce in the future.
• Intends to remain separated from his/her spouse permanently and never get
a divorce.

If the person is separated from his/her spouse for reasons other than marital
discord, enter Precode (1), “Married.”

Thank you.

____________, please continue.

ARMEDFORCES

FR:

Is Megan Moe now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Megan Moe
completed or the highest degree she received?

R:

A Bachelor’s degree.

(Enter 16, Bachelor’s degree)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

R:

Is Megan Moe currently attending or enrolled either
full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade
or vocational school?
No.

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)

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SP_ORIGIN

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FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Is Megan Moe Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
RACE

FR:

Please choose one or more races that Megan Moe
considers herself to be.
------

R:

White
Black or African American
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

White.

(Enter 1, White)
(Interrupt and say)

The instrument now goes to the ROSTERREVIEW screen. At ROSTERREVIEW
notice that Joel Boe is no longer listed as a part of the household roster. (Pause)
Also, at this screen you must review for correctness selected information displayed,
specifically, name, relationship, age, sex, and marital status, for each member of
the household. If any of this information is incorrect, you can indicate that you need
to make corrections by entering 2. For this interview, all information is correct so
enter 1 to continue.

____________, please continue the interview.

TIMEATADDRESS

FR:

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some
questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.

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How long have you lived at this address?
R:

5 years.

(Enter 5)
BUSINESS

FR:

Does anyone in this household operate a business
from this address?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFT

FR:

I'm going to read some examples that will give you an
idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.
As I go through them, tell me if any of these
happened to you in the last 6 months, that is, since
(date).
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as --------

Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, bookClothing, jewelry, or cellphoneBicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
toolsThings outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furnitureThings belonging to children in the householdThings from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs-

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?

Ask only if necessary

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Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
SQTHEFTTIMES

FR:

How many times?

R:

One time.

(Enter 1)
SQTHEFTSPEC

FR:

What happened?

R:

Lawn ornaments were stolen from the yard.

(Enter: Lawn ornaments were stolen from L2’s yard.)
SQBREAKIN

FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned,
anyone --

--

has

Broken in or ATTEMPTED to break into your
home by forcing a door or a window, pushing
past someone, jimmying a lock, cutting a
screen, or entering through an open door or
window?
Has anyone illegally gotten in or tried to get
into a garage, shed, or storage room?

OR
--

Illegally gotten in or tried to get into a hotel or
motel room or vacation home where you were
staying?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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SQTOTALVEHICLES
FR:

What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or
any member of that household during the last 6
months? Includes those you no longer own.

R:

We have three cars and a SUV.

(Enter 4)
(Interrupt and say)

In the next screen, SQMVTHEFT, notice the phrase “Other than any incident already
mentioned.” Whenever a respondent has already reported an incident in an earlier
screen question, this is displayed in this question as well as in subsequent
questions. This lets the respondent know that we don’t want them to include any
incidents they have already told you about. Reading this phrase to the respondent
will help avoid the reporting of duplicate incidents.

______________, please continue.

SQMVTHEFT

FR:

During the last 6 months, other than any incidents
already mentioned, were any of the vehicles ----

Stolen or used without permission?
Did anyone steal any parts such as a tire, car
stereo, hubcap or battery?
Did anyone steal any gas from them?

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal any vehicle or
parts attached to them?

Ask only if necessary

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Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKWHERE

FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned, since
(date), were you attacked or threatened OR did you
have something stolen from you ---

At home including the porch or yardAt or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
homeAt work or schoolIn places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airportWhile riding in any vehicleOn the street or in a parking lotAt such places as a party, theater, gym,
picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or
hunting-

---

----

OR
-

Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to you from any of these
places?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKHOW

FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned, has
anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these
ways ---

With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knifeWith anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,

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-----

scissors, or stickBy something thrown, such as a rock or bottleInclude any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attackAny face to face threats-

OR
--

Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone
at all? Please mention it even if you are not
certain it was a crime.

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Other than any incidents already
mentioned, did you have something stolen from you
or were you attacked or threatened by -----

Someone at work or schoolA neighbor or friendA relative or family memberAny other person you have met or known?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQSEXUAL

FR:

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts
are often difficult to talk about. Other than any incidents
already mentioned, have you been forced or coerced
to engage in unwanted sexual activity by -

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---

Someone you didn't knowA casual acquaintance-

OR
--

Someone you know well?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:

R:

During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did you call the police to report
something that happened to YOU which you thought
was a crime?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did anything which you thought
was a crime happen to YOU, but you did NOT report
to the police?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
This concludes the screen questions for Brian Public. At the PRESENTFORSQS
(Present for Screen Questions) item enter 11 since this is a telephone interview.

I want to make sure that you’re all aware that we expect you to ask all the questions

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in the NCVS screener fully and completely, at a conversational pace. We know that
to do this, it takes about four minutes to interview a household respondent and three
and a half minutes to interview someone who is not the household respondent.
When you transmit your cases, we can tell how long it takes you to ask these
questions in each interview. We also expect you to read all other NCVS questions
fully and completely and at a conversational pace.

These standards will be part of your performance plan; we’ll discuss that later.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Let’s continue with the practice interview. The INC_REPORTS screen indicates the
total of number of incidents reported and whether or not the respondent refused to
report the number of times an incident occurred. One incident was reported by Brian
Public; enter 1 at the INC_REPORTS screen.

___________, please continue with the incident questions.

INCIDENTINTRO

FR:

You said before that during the last 6 months lawn
ornaments were stolen from your yard one time.
(Interrupt and say)

Notice that there are a couple of instructions telling you NOT to F10 from this screen.
This is because doing so impacts the incident counter in the instrument. If you need
to exit the case, enter 1 to continue at INCIDENTINTRO and then F10 at the next
screen. However, don’t press F10 because we want to continue this interview. Enter

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1 at INCIDENTINTRO now.

In the next screen, INCIDENTDATE, notice that the beginning and ending months
as well as the year of the reference period are displayed on the top of the Info Pane.
In this training instrument these dates are not displaying correctly but in production
the correct beginning and end dates will be displayed. You can refer to this in case
you have to remind the respondent of the reference period especially when the
month given in INCIDENTDATE is outside this reference period. Turn to page 13 of
your Workbook for an explanation of the NCVS reference period.

(Allow time)

___________, please continue with the INCIDENTDATE question.

INCIDENTDATE

FR:

In what month did this incident happen?

R:

It happened in April.

(For training, make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the
reference period; that is, within the last six months.)
(Enter 4, April)
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR:
Ask or verify
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident
happen during the last 6 months?
R:

Just once.

(Enter 1)
INCIDENTTIME

FR:

About what time did this incident happen?

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R:

It happened sometime during the night but I’m not
sure what time.

(Enter 18, Don’t know what time of night)
INCIDENTPLACE

FR:

In what city, town or village did this incident occur?

R:

Right here in Any Town.

(Enter 3, Same city/town/village as present residence)
(Interrupt and say)

The next question, INCIDENTAIR, differs from the housing unit question pertaining
to American Indian Reservations (INDIANRESERVATIONHU). INCIDENTAIR asks
whether the incident happened on an American Indian Reservation or on American
Indian Lands whereas INDIANRESERVATIONHU asks if the living quarters for
the sample address is located on an American Indian Reservation or on American
Indian Lands.

___________, please continue.
INCIDENTAIR

FR:

Did this incident occur on an American Indian
Reservation or on American Indian Lands?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

Remember, this next question is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. If the wrong category
is selected, you will ask inappropriate questions and the incident may eventually be
classified into the wrong type of crime category. Select category 11 ONLY if the

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offender got inside or tried to get inside the respondent’s home or lodging facilities
regardless of whether the offender entered by force, was let in, or gained entrance
through an unlocked door. Category 11 includes the respondent’s house,
apartment, dormitory room, attached or detached garage, shed, or an enclosed
porch. Also included are vacation homes, second homes, hotel or motel rooms at
which the respondent could have been staying at the time of the incident, or ANY
detached structure on the respondent’s property.

Remember, select category 12 for incidents that happened on an unenclosed porch,
patio, or carport. Although these areas are often attached to the home, they are not
enclosed and do not have a door or window through which an offender could enter.

______________, please continue the interview.

LOCATION_GENERAL
FR:

Did this incident happen…
--

R:

In your home or lodging?

Yes.

(Enter 11, Inside home or lodging)
LOCATION_IN_HOME
FR:

Where in your home or lodging did this incident
happen?

R:

In my front yard.
(Interrupt and say)

Notice that the categories listed in this screen apply to incidents that occurred either
INSIDE an enclosed structure of the respondent’s home, a building on the

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respondent’s property, or inside a place the respondent was temporarily staying,
such as a vacation home or hotel room and not outside the respondent's home.

Let’s see what happens if we continue down this path of questions. Select category
11.
OFFENDERLIVE

FR:

Did the offender live there or have a right to be there,
for instance, as a guest or a repair person?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
OFFENDERINSIDE FR:
R:

Did the offender actually get INSIDE your house?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
OFFENDERTRY

FR:

Did the offender TRY to get in your house?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

_____________, please read the hard edit message that appears.
(TRAINEE: Inconsistent entries in LOCATION_IN_HOME, OFFENDERLIVE,
OFFENDERINSIDE, and OFFENDERTRY. The reported location of this incident
was inside the respondent’s home or lodging but it was also reported that the
offender did not live there, actually get in, or try to get in.

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Select GOTO to return to OFFENDERTRY and up-arrow to change
LOCATION_IN_HOME,
OFFENDERLIVE,
OFFENDERINSIDE,
and
OFFENDERTRY)
Thank you.

Remember, if you select that an incident occurred inside the respondent’s home or
lodging facilities then that means that the offender got inside or tried to get inside
the home regardless of whether the offender entered by force, was let in, or gained
entrance through an unlocked door. Since the offender didn’t get inside or try to get
inside the respondent’s home, you know that the location where the incident
occurred was incorrectly identified. Therefore, you need to go back to the
LOCATION_GENERAL screen and change the original answer.

Select the GoTo button and then press the up arrow until you get back to the
LOCATION_GENERAL screen.
(Allow time)
Now change the answer to 12, “Near your home or lodging.”
__________, please continue the interview with the LOCATION_NEAR_HOME
question.

LOCATION_NEAR_HOME
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Where near your home or lodging did this incident
happen?
In the front yard.

(Enter 15, Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, etc.)

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Notice what happens next. A check item appears asking you to verify whether the
incident happened in a garage and whether the garage was attached or detached.
Since you know that the incident happened in the respondent’s front yard, you can
click “Suppress” to continue. However, if the incident had taken place in a garage,
you would have to click “Goto” and change the answer to LOCATION_GENERAL
to Precode (11), “Inside own home.” Does everyone understand that?

(Allow time)

_______, please continue.

INSIDEOROUT

FR:

Ask or verify
Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?

R:

Outdoors.

(Enter 2, Outdoors)
FARFROMHOME

FR:

Ask or verify
How far away from home did this happen?

R:

It was at my home.

(Enter 1, At, in, or near the building containing the
respondent’s home or next door)
HHMEMBERPRESENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Were you or any other household member present
when this incident occurred?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

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Again, notice what happens. A check item appears asking you to verify whether or
not the respondent or another household member was at the immediate scene of
the crime during the incident. After verifying presence, if you determine they were
present press the Close or Goto button. If you determine they really were not
present, press the Suppress button. We do this check to make sure you have
marked presence correctly; if you have not marked it correctly, the instrument may
not ask the right questions of the respondent. _______, please continue.
KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS
FR:
Do you know or have you learned anything about the
offender - for instance, whether there was one or
more than one offender involved, whether it was
someone young or old, or male or female?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
THEFT

FR:

Ask or verify
Was something stolen or was taken without
permission that belonged to you or others in the
household?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WHATWASTAKEN

FR:

What was taken that belonged to you or others in the
household?
(Interrupt and say)

Some questions allow you to enter multiple responses. Can anyone tell me how you
can tell those questions that accept multiple responses from those that allow only a
single response?

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(Call on Trainee if one volunteers; otherwise explain the difference using the
text below.)

(TRAINEE: The answer categories for multiple response questions contain
square boxes in front of them. The answer categories for single response
questions contain radio buttons in front of them.)
Thank you.

This is a multiple response question and you can record more than one response.
Keep asking the appropriate probe “Anything else?” or “Any other way?” until you
get a “No” response. When recording responses, you can either click on the box to
select all appropriate categories or enter the appropriate category number in the
answer field. When entering multiple responses, you can enter the response values
by either using commas between each category value, such as “12 comma,” “13
comma,” “14 comma,” and so on or by pressing the spacebar after entering each
response value. Let’s see what happens if you don’t do this.

I will give you two values to enter. Make sure that you don't press the Enter key
after entering the values. First enter 27. Remember don't press the Enter key.
(Pause) . Now enter value 28, but again don’t press enter. Notice that the check mark for
the first value is deselected or unmarked and the second value never gets selected or
marked. Now press enter, and back arrow to the screen WHATWASTAKEN. Notice both
values are ultimately recorded. However, without pressing the space bar or entering a
comma between values you may miss which values are selected while in the current
screen.
Now delete these entries by using your backspace key. (Pause) In response to this
question, the respondent tells you that outdoor lawn ornaments were stolen. Take a
look at the categories displayed.

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Which category do you select for the theft of the lawn ornaments,

__________?
A:

Code 36, Other

(If trainee says code 23, “Other household furnishings,” explain that this
category applies to furnishings inside the house such as furniture, rugs,
lamps, mirrors, and so on.)

After selecting category 36, assume the respondent said that nothing else was
taken. Press enter. At the WHATWASTAKEN_SPEC screen specify what was
taken.

(Allow time)

________, please continue the interview.

WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR:
Did the stolen property belong to you personally, to
someone else in the household, or to both you and
other household members?
(Interrupt and say)

This question is asked to identify the owners of the property or money that the
offender stole during the incident. When we refer to household members we mean
household members at the time of the interview, NOT just at the time of the incident.
The property could belong solely to the respondent, to the respondent and other
household members either jointly or partially, to other household members ONLY

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and NONE to the respondent, or to a nonhousehold member at the time of the
interview. The property owner could be a current household

member whose

property was stolen from a former residence during the 6-month reference period.

R:

They belonged to me and others in the household.

(Enter 2, Respondent
member(s))

and

the

other

household

OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR:
Besides you, which household members owned the
stolen property?
(Interrupt and say)

This question is asked to identify each household member who owned any or part
of the property or money that the offender took without permission. If the property
belongs to the entire household or to more than three household members, enter
Precode (40), Household property. It is acceptable to enter Precode (40) and also
enter one or more line numbers in situations in which the offender took both
personal and household property.
R:

They belonged to everyone.

(Enter 40, Household property)
ARTICLEINCAR

FR:

Ask or verify
Was the article IN or ATTACHED to a motor vehicle
when it was taken?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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OTHERONPERSON FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Was there anything ELSE the offenders took directly
from you, for instance, from your pocket or hands, or
something that you were wearing?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
PROPERTYVALUE FR:

R:

What was the value of the PROPERTY that was
taken? Include recovered property (If jointly owned
with nonhousehold members, include only share
owned by household members.)
I remember it was exactly $50.86.
(Interrupt and say)

Remember, when entering monetary values, only enter the dollar amount and not
the cents, so enter 51.

___________, please continue.

DECIDEDVALUE

FR:

How did you decide the value of the property that
was taken?

R:

That was the cost we paid to purchase the
decorations.

(Enter 11, Original cost)
ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:

R:

Was all or part of the stolen property recovered, not
counting anything received from insurance?
No.

(Enter 3, None)

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RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DAMAGED

FR:

Other than any stolen property, was anything that
belonged to you or other members of the household
damaged in this incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
POLICEINFORMED FR:

R:

Were the police informed or did they find out about
this incident in any way?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
FR:

R:

What was the reason it was not reported to the
police?
We didn’t think it was important enough to bother the
police.

(Enter 13, Minor or unsuccessful crime)
FR:

Any other reason?

R:

We also didn’t want to take the time to report it.

(Enter 27, Did not want to or could not take time)
(If the FR doesn’t ask the probe for this question, remind trainees to ask
the probe displayed on the screen for multiple entry questions.)

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FR:

Any other reason?

R:

No.

(Press Enter)
NOTREPORTIMPORTANT
FR:

R:

Which of these would you say was the most important
reason why the incident was not reported to the
police?
Because it just wasn’t important enough to call the
police.

(Enter 13, Minor or unsuccessful crime)
AGENCYHELP

FR:

Did you or someone in your household receive any
help or advice from any office or agency - other than
the police - that deals with victims of crime?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
What were you doing when this incident happened?
I don’t know.

(Enter 21, Don't know)
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Did you have a job at the time of the incident?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

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LOSTOTHERWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Did you lose any time from work because of this
incident for such things as cooperating with a police
investigation, testifying in court, or repairing or
replacing damaged or stolen property?
No.

(Enter 6, None)
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Were there any household members 16 years or
older who lost time from work because of this
incident?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

The next question, INCIDENTHATECRIME, begins a series of questions asking
about hate crime. These questions are intended to find out whether the respondent
was victimized due to prejudice or bigotry towards members of a specific group.
____________, please continue.
INCIDENTHATECRIME
FR:

Hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry occur
when offenders target people because of one or more
of their characteristics or religious beliefs.
Do you have any reason to suspect the incident just
discussed was a hate crime or crime of prejudice or
bigotry?

R:

I really don’t know.

(Press Ctrl+D, then press Enter)

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Now you need to write a summary about the incident. Remember, you are limited to
300 characters. You can record additional information in the CAPI case level notes
or press the F7 key to record additional information on the SUMMARY screen. To
save space in the summary box, you can also use abbreviations. The standard
recommended abbreviations for the NCVS are found in the Help item on the Menu
bar. To access the standard abbreviations, click on the Help item or press the Shift
and F11 keys. Try this now and take a few minutes to look at the list of abbreviations
that are acceptable to use for the NCVS.

(Allow time)

You can also toggle between the summary and the Help screen by pressing the ALT
and TAB keys. Also, the list of abbreviations is provided on pages 28 and 29 in the
Information Card booklet.

When writing summary reports, you must include the who, what, when, where, and
how of the incident and any pertinent details not covered in the incident report
questions. When writing the summary, avoid pronouns, generalizations, making up
abbreviations and omitting pertinent details. If you run out of room for your summary,
press F7 to record additional information. Now turn to page 14 of your Workbook for
the text you should enter in the Incident Summary.

(Allow time)

SUMMARY

During night on (date) lawn ornaments stolen from L2’s
front yard while HH asleep. Belonged to entire HH.
Incident not reported to police b/c not important enough.
Also L2 didn’t want to take time to report it. Value

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property $51. L2 doesn’t know who took the ornaments.
Nothing recovered.
(Allow time)

At SUMMARYPROBE you can either return to the summary to edit it or you can
continue with the interview. Let's go back to the summary for a moment, so press
the UP arrow key. When you return to the summary you need to make sure that the
text is not highlighted before editing or adding more text. Either press F2 or click on
the text box to unhighlight the text. If you don't do this when you begin typing in
additional text you will lose the text previously entered. Edit the summary by
removing the word entire in the sentence “Belonged to entire HH.” When you are
done press Enter.

(Allow time)

At SUMMARYPROBE enter 1 to continue. (Pause)
The next screen, INCIDENTTOADD, provides you with the opportunity to add
incidents that the respondent may have recalled during the interview but which were
not already reported in the screen questions. (Pause) For this exercise, enter code
2.

The next screen, CRIME_END, tells you that you have completed all incident
reports for Brian Public. Enter 1 to continue. Also, enter 1 at the ENDINCIDENT
screen and a 1 at ENDSCREENER, which tells you that there are no more incidents
to report.

At the INTRO_ UNDUP screen read the respondent the text, which tells them that

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you must review the incidents reported during the current interview for the
household.

____________, please read the introduction to us.
(TRAINEE: Now it will just take me a minute to review the crime incidents I
have recorded from you during this interview at your household.)
Thank you. Now enter 1 to continue.

The next

screen, UNDUP_OLDINC, compares incidents

reported by the

respondent during the current interview with those that were reported in the
previous interview, either by the respondent or someone else in the household, to
ensure that the current incident reported is not a duplicate of incidents reported in
the past. Selected information about the current incident is displayed in the left
column and selected information about the incident reported in a previous interview
is displayed in the right column. Because the incident reported in a previous
interview may have been reported by another household member, DO NOT discuss
the incident with the current respondent, in order to maintain confidentiality.

Q:

What can you tell me about the two incident reports being compared at this
screen?

A:

The incident report just collected is being compared to an incident report
collected during the previous enumeration (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)

The unduplication screens are set up to display the same type of information about
the two incident reports. Where one incident report is displayed in a column to the
left and is compared to another incident report displayed in a column to the right.

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As you can see, the information was set up to display the same data from each
incident report in each row. For instance, the row with the header titled “Month”
displays the month the incident occurred. When you read that row from left to right
you see that the month of the incident on the left occurred in (month) and then
incident displayed on the right occurred in December. This gives you an efficient
way to compare incident reports.

Q:

How can we tell which incident report is displayed in the left column and which
incident report is displayed in the right column?

A:

The first line under the FR instructions contains the headers “incident
reported during current enumeration” over the column on the left and
“incident reported during previous enumeration” above the right hand
column (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)

Let’s take a minute to compare the two incidents that are displayed.

(Allow time)

Q:

___________, are these incident reports duplicates of each other? Why or
why not?

A:

No
1. Because the incidents took place in different months.
2. Because they are not the same type of incident (i.e. stolen lawn ornaments
versus the theft of two games) (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)

Are there any questions about why these are not duplicate incident reports?

(Answer questions)

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Now that we’ve established that these two incidents are not the same, enter 2 to
continue the interview. Since there are no more incidents to compare, the
unduplication process is completed. At the UNDUP_DONE screen enter 1 to
continue.

____________, please continue

the interview with the

socio-demographic

questions.
INTRO_SOCIO_DEMO
FR:

Now we have some questions
demographic characteristics.

about

your

(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING

FR:

Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
VISION

FR:

Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing
even when wearing glasses?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)

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FR:

Walking or climbing stairs?

R:

No.
(Enter 2)

DRESS_BATH

FR:

Dressing or bathing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEAVING_HOME

FR:

Because of a physical, mental or emotional
condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone
such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
CITIZENSHIP

FR:

Are you a citizen of the United States? That is, were
you born in the United States, born in a U.S. territory,
born of U.S. citizen parent(s), or become a citizen of
the U.S. through naturalization?

R:

Yes, I became a citizen through naturalization.

(Enter 4)
ORIENTATION_MALE
FR:

Which of the following best represents how you think
of yourself?
------

R:

Gay
Straight, that is, not gay
Bisexual
Something else
I don’t know the answer

What do you mean by bisexual?
(Interrupt and say)

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If the respondent asks for further clarification of a term on this screen, read the
appropriate definition that appears on this screen in optional text. Do not try and
define these terms yourself.

FR:

By bisexual, we mean romantic or sexual attraction
to persons of both the same sex and opposite sex.

R:

Oh okay, I’m bisexual.

(Enter 3)
GENID_BIRTH

FR:

What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original
birth certificate?

R:

Male.

(Enter 1)
GENID_DESCRIBE FR:

R:

Do you currently describe yourself as male, female
or transgender?
Male.

(Enter 1)
ACTIVE_DUTY

FR:

Have you ever served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?

R:

Yes, I’m in the Reserves.

(Enter 2)
JOBLASTWEEK

FR:

Did you have a job or work at a business LAST
WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work
around the house.

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

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(Interrupt and say)

Notice that this screen contains a book icon and a page reference at the top left of
the screen. This lets you know there is a corresponding page in the NCVS-554
Information Card Booklet. During personal visit interviews, show the “Employment”
flashcard to the respondent so they can see the job categories. Ask the question in
Item JOBDESCRIPTION, then ask the respondent to identify on the flashcard the
job category that best describes their job. Since this is a telephone interview, read
the answer categories aloud to the respondent until they give a “Yes” response or
provide an answer.

_________, please continue the interview at the screen JOBDESCRIPTION.

JOBDESCRIPTION FR:

Ask or verify
Which of the following best describes your job?
Were you employed in the Medical Profession?
Mental Health Services Field?

R:

Yes, mental health field.

(Enter 12, Mental Health Services Field)
MENTALHEALTHJOB
FR:

Are your duties Professional (Social worker/psychiatrist)?
Custodial care?
Some other Mental Health Services Profession?

R:

It’s professional, I’m a social worker.

(Enter 15, Professional)

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EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT
FR:
Ask or verify
Is your job with a private company, business, or
individual for wages?
R:

No.

FR:

The Federal government?

R:

No.

FR:

A State, county, or local government?

R:

Yes, it’s with the state.

(Enter 3, A State, county, or local government)
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
FR:
R:

Are you employed by a college or university?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE
FR:

While working at your job, do you work mostly in –
----

A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?

OR
-R:

Combination of these?

In a city.

(Enter 1, A city)
INTVDONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

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HOUSEHOLDINCOME
FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
(Interrupt and say)

Since this is a telephone interview, if necessary read the answer categories to the
respondent until you get a “Yes” response.

What is the TOTAL combined income of all members
of this HOUSEHOLD during the past 12 months?
This includes money from jobs, net income from
business, farm or rent, pensions, dividends, interest,
Social Security payments, and any other money
income received by members of this HOUSEHOLD
who are 14 years of age or older.
----

Less than $5,000
Between $5,000 and $7,499
Between $7,500 and $9,999

(Interrupt and say)
R:

It’s about $150,000.

(Enter 26, $150,000 - $199,999)
At the next screen, BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY, you can review or update the
Interview Time Preferences if you need to. For this exercise, enter 1 to continue.

__________, please continue the interview.
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER
(Enter 0)

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RESPINTERVIEWLANG
FR:

R:

Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a
language other than English?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

This concludes Brian Public’s interview. Enter 1 at the ENDPERSON.

Brian Public tells you that Michael Goe, Will Loe, and Megan Moe are not available
to be interviewed at this time. Therefore, at the NEXTPERSON screen enter 33,
which takes you to REFCBBREAK_CP. This question asks you if the interview with
the household ended because of a refusal, a callback was needed, a breakoff
occurred, or because of a language or other problem. Since Michael Goe, Will Loe,
and Megan Moe are not available to be interviewed, you will need to call the
household back to complete their interview. Enter 2, Callback.

(Pause) At PERSAPPT you may want to ask the respondent what time would be
best to call the household back to complete the remaining interviews. At this screen
you can either enter 1 to proceed and enter a note later in the Case Level Notes
Editor or you can enter a note now by pressing Ctrl+F7. Let's enter a note later, so
enter 1 at PERSAPPT.

At the THANKYOU_INDIV screen you thank Brian Public and tell him that you will
call back at the suggested time, if he provided a specific time for you to call. Enter
1 to continue.

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You don’t need to make any changes to the telephone number and you don’t need
to access the Interview Time Preferences application, so at the VERIFY screen
enter 2. (Pause)

(Allow time)

Now at the “Case Level Notes Editor,” enter a note that you have to call back the
household to complete interviews with Michael Goe, Will Loe, and Megan Moe. For
this exercise, assume that Brian Public told you to call back after 7:00 p.m. so also
enter the date and time to call back the household. You can also enter notes here
regarding the incident that you captured and any other details about the case.

(Allow time)

Press F10 to exit the “Notes Editor.” When the “Case Level Notes Editor”
pop-up screen appears asking if you want to save the notes entered, click the “Yes”
button. You then automatically return to pCHI, then Case Management.

__________, will you walk us through the pCHI items? Note that we won’t be
collecting any contact information for L1, as he is no longer a household member.
CTATEMPT

(Enter 2 for telephone, outgoing)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1 since you are entering pCHI at the time of the
contact attempt)

pCASECONTACT

(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons)

PCONTACTPER

(Enter 1, made contact with Brian Public)

pCTTYPE

(Enter 1, completed interview)

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pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98 since the respondent completed his interview
without expressing any concerns about participating)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 5, called household)

PCONTACTPER (LN3)
(Enter 3, noncontact)
pNOCONTACT

(Enter 1, person not home)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 2, scheduled appointment)

PCONTACTPER (LN4)
(Enter 3, noncontact)
pNOCONTACT

(Enter 1, person not home)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 2, scheduled appointment)

PCONTACTPER (LN5)
(Enter 3, noncontact)
pNOCONTACT

(Enter 1, person not home)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 2, scheduled appointment)

Then we exit the pCHI, because we’ve updated the contact information for all the
household members.
Click on the “OK” button at the Case Management pop-up screen.
Notice that the status code changes to a “P”. This lets you know that you have
completed the household respondent’s interview but that there are other eligible
household members whose interview you still need to complete.
This concludes the interview for this practice exercise. Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #8 - Re-entering a Case to Complete Interview with
Remaining Eligible Household Members
Case ID: 00000004
(Approximate time: 15 minutes)
In this exercise you will practice re-entering a case. We’ll be working with the
training case for the Moe household. You already completed Megan Moe’s
interview, the household respondent, during the self-study Practice Interview. Now
you need to call back the household to interview her husband, Ted Moe.

Highlight the case, 508 Neil St. Start the interview by pressing the F2 function key
and get into the NCVS CAPI instrument for this case.

(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen, enter 1 since you are calling the household back to
interview Ted Moe. Look at the next to the last column, STATUS, on the
SHOW_CP_ROSTER screen. As you can see, Megan Moe’s interview is done but
Ted Moe has an interview designation of “NEED SELF” which means that he still
needs to be interviewed. Enter 1 at this screen to continue. (Pause)

At the SHOW_INFO_CP screen you can view any notes about the case by pressing
Ctrl F7 and you can look to see if there are any best or worst time preferences to
contact this case by pressing the Ctrl+T keys. For this exercise, enter 1 at the
SHOW_INFO_CP screen to continue the interview. (Pause) The next screen you
see is WHOTOCALL_CP. This screen displays the names of the household
members with whom you still need to complete an interview. Notice that Ted Moe’s

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name is listed. Enter 1 to select Ted Moe as the person to interview. (Pause)

At the DIAL_CP screen, call the household. Assume someone answers, so enter
1. (Pause) At the HELLO_1_CP screen read the introduction, then ask to speak to
Ted Moe. The person who answered the phone calls Ted Moe to the telephone so
at the HELLO_1_CP screen enter 2, “Correct person called to the phone.”

At the next screen, INTRO_REC_CP, introduce yourself to Ted Moe since this is
the first time you are talking to him. Also, explain to him the purpose of the survey
and tell him that you would like to complete his interview. However, Ted Moe tells
you that he doesn’t want to be interviewed. At this point, you should try to explain
the importance of the survey and his participation. You can refer to the responses
under the Frequently Asked Questions tab to help explain the importance of the
survey to him.

Let’s take a look at some of the responses available. Click on the FAQs tab on the
toolbar. As you can see, there are several questions that are frequently asked about
the NCVS. Let’s look at question 4, “Who uses this information? What good is it?”
Enter 4.

_____________, please read the response to this question.
(TRAINEE: This survey is widely used by policy makers at all levels of
government, crime prevention groups, people who help crime victims,
researchers in many fields, the media, as well as others. It has sometimes
been used by the Supreme Court in making decisions. The survey informs our
users in a neutral, unbiased way to help them make public policy.)
Thank you.

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Let’s take a look at one more question so enter 2 to return to the list of questions,
then select question 3, “Why not ask the police about crimes?”

_____________, would you please read the response to Question 3?
(TRAINEE: Less than half of all crimes are reported to police. The survey is
the only way we have to find out about these crimes. We also get the details
about the characteristics of the crimes and the effects of the crime on the
victim. The survey provides much more detailed information than we get from
the police on both reported and unreported crime.)
Thank you.

Now let’s continue the interview, so enter 1.

After attempting to convince Ted Moe to participate he still refuses, so press F10 at
the INTRO_REC_CP screen. (Pause) Then, enter 1 at the REFCBBREAK_CP
screen and a 2 at the VERIFY screen.

At the "Case Level Notes Editor" enter “Ted Moe refused to be interviewed.” It is
acceptable to enter household members’ names at the “Case Level Notes Editor.”
Exit and save the notes.

Now let’s enter contact information in the pCHI.
CTATEMPT

(Enter 2 for telephone, outgoing)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1 since you are entering pCHI at the time of the
contact attempt)

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When you get to pCASECONTACT, look at the roster. Ted Moe is in blue text, which
means that he is eligible for the NCVS and his interview has not been completed
yet. Megan Moe is in gray text with a “C” next to her name, which means that she
completed her NCVS interview in a previous contact, so we don’t have to enter any
pCHI information for her.

__________, please walk us through the remaining pCHI screens.
pCASECONTACT

(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons)
(Interrupt and say)

Even though we did not complete his interview, we did speak with Ted Moe, so we
want to note that contact was made.

PCONTACTPER

(Enter 1, made contact with Ted Moe)

pCTTYPE

(Enter 3, unable to conduct interview)

pNONINTER

(Enter 5, potential Type-Z)
(Interrupt and say)

Use this category, “Potential Type Z” for household members who are potential or
confirmed Type Zs, as shown in this exercise.

Look at the next item, pRSPNDENT. Let’s say that Ted refused to participate
because the survey is voluntary, and he’s too busy. What precodes do you enter,
_________?

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pRSPNDENT

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Practice Interviews

(Enter 5, survey is voluntary, and 2, too busy)

Thank you. When possible, enter the precodes in the order the respondent
mentions them, just as we did here. This is so we can see how often a category is
mentioned, and how often it is mentioned first. That would imply that it is the most
important reason for that respondent.
pSTRATEGS

(Enter 5, called household)

We don’t need to collect any contact information for Megan since she is grayed out.
This concludes this practice exercise of re-entering a case to interview any
remaining eligible household members.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #9– Classifying an NCVS Respondent as a Type Z
Noninterview
Case ID: 00000004
(Approximate time: 15 minutes)

This next exercise covers classifying an NCVS respondent as a Type Z
noninterview. When a case is ready to be transmitted, it means that the household
doesn’t require any more follow-up contacts. This is because you either interviewed
all eligible members in the household, completed an interview with one or more
eligible members and made every attempt to interview other household members
but were unsuccessful, or the household was a Type A, Type B, or Type C
noninterview.

If the household contains any members who have not been interviewed, either
because they refused, were never available despite repeated attempts to interview
them, they were physically or mentally unable to answer and no proxy was available,
or they were temporarily absent and no proxy was available, you must specify the
Type Z noninterview reason for every noninterview person in the household before
you can transmit the case. Since this process can only be done at the time you are
ready to transmit the case to Headquarters, it is very important that if you have
identified any eligible household members as a noninterview early in the interview
period, you annotate the reason in the CAPI notes so you don’t forget the reason
when you are ready to transmit the case later on.

Let’s go back to the training case for the Moe household. You completed Megan
Moe’s interview, but her husband, Ted Moe, refused to be interviewed. There aren't

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any other eligible household members whose interview you need to complete so
this case is ready to be transmitted. However, in order to transmit this case, you first
need to specify the reason why Ted Moe is a Type Z noninterview. In the Case List,
highlight the case 508 Neil St. Start the interview by pressing the F2 function key
and get into the NCVS CAPI instrument for this case.

(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen notice that the “Case Status” indicates that the household
respondent’s interview was completed. Since this case doesn’t require any more
follow-up, enter 5, “Ready to transmit case-no more follow up.” You now see a pop
up screen that asks you if you are ready to transmit the case. Since this case doesn’t
require any more follow-up you are ready to transmit it, so click the “Suppress”
button. The TYPE Z screen tells you that no survey data was collected for Ted Moe
and instructs you to select the reason that best describes why survey data were not
collected for him. Enter 3 since Ted Moe refused to participate. At the VERIFY
screen enter 2. In the Case Level Notes Editor enter that Ted Moe refused to
participate, then save the notes entered.

(Allow time)

Since we got back into the NCVS instrument to code Ted as a Type Z and did not
attempt another contact we can enter Precode (4), “Not attempting contact” at
CTATEMPT and Precode (2), “Readying case for transmission” at NOATTEMPT. If
we entered data in pCHI it would be a duplicate of the last record entered in pCHI;
since there was not another attempt, we don’t need to enter any contact information
here. Does everyone understand that?

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(Answer questions)

Notice that the case is no longer listed on the Case List.

This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any other questions?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #10 – Unduplication of Incidents
Case ID: 00000005
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)

In this exercise you will practice handling duplicate incidents. We will be working with
the training case with the address 116 Aphroditedr. You already completed Brian
Public’s interview. Now you are calling the household back to interview Michael Goe,
Will Loe, and Megan Moe.

Highlight the case and then start the interview by pressing the F2 function key to get
into the NCVS CAPI instrument for this case.

(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen, notice that the Case Status description changed from
New Case to Household Respondent Complete since you completed the household
respondent's interview. Enter 1 at this screen since you are calling the household
back to interview other eligible household members. At the next

screen,

SHOW_CP_ROSTER, look at the column labeled STATUS. Notice that you still
need to complete interviews for Michael Goe, Will Loe, and Megan Moe. (Pause)
Enter 1 at this screen and also enter 1 at the SHOW_INFO_CP screen. (Pause)

The next screen you see is WHOTOCALL_CP. This screen displays the name and
the line number of household members with whom you still need to complete an
NCVS interview. You can select either Michael Goe, Will Loe, or Megan Moe to
interview next. Select Michael Goe. Enter his line number, 3, as the person to
interview next. (Pause)

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At the DIAL_CP screen call the household. Assume someone answers, so enter
(Pause)

__________, please continue the interview. Remember to tell us what you enter at
each screen as you proceed through the interview.
HELLO_1_CP

FR:

Hello. This is (TRAINEE’S NAME) from the U.S.
Census Bureau. May I please speak to Michael Goe?

R:

This is Michael Goe.

(Enter 1, This is the correct person)
INTRO_REC_CP

FR:

We are talking with members of your household to
obtain statistics on the kinds and amount of crime
committed against individuals 12 years of age or
older.
We would like to complete your interview now.

R:

Ok.

(Enter 1, Proceed with interview)
You don’t need to re-ask the respondent questions that were answered when you
conducted the interview earlier. Therefore, press the “END” key to resume the
interview at the question where the interview was terminated.
(Press the End key to proceed to the next unanswered question)

INTERVIEWSTATUS (Enter 1 to continue interview)
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT
(Enter 1 to proceed with interview)

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TIMEATADDRESS

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FR:

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some
questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.
How long have you lived at this address?

R:

5 years.

(Enter 5)
SQTHEFT

FR:

I'm going to read some examples that will give you an
idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.
As I go through them, tell me if any of these
happened to you in the last 6 months, that is, since
(date).
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as --------

Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, bookClothing, jewelry, or cellphoneBicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
toolsThings outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furnitureThings belonging to children in the householdThings from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs-

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

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SQTHEFTTIMES

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FR:

How many times?

R:

One time.

(Enter 1)
SQTHEFTSPEC

FR:

What happened?

R:

Lawn ornaments were stolen from our front yard.

(Enter: Lawn ornaments were stolen from household’s
front yard.)
SQATTACKWHERE

FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned, since
(date), were you attacked or threatened OR did you
have something stolen from you ---

At home including the porch or yardAt or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
homeAt work or schoolIn places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airportWhile riding in any vehicleOn the street or in a parking lot
At such places as a party, theater, gym,
picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or
hunting-

---

----

OR
-

Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to you from any of these
places?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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SQATTACKHOW

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FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned, has
anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these
ways ---

With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knifeWith anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stickBy something thrown, such as a rock or bottleInclude any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attackAny face to face threats-

----OR
R:

(Interrupts) No, nothing like that at all.
(Interrupt and say)

This is a good place for us to talk about asking the respondent to wait until you are
finished reading the whole question. Here, we are interrupted by the respondent
before the FR has asked all the cues. Notice how the FR now politely asks the
respondent to wait until the whole question is asked.

FR:

If you could just bear with me while I finish reading
the question, please.
--

Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone
at all? Please mention it even if you are not
certain it was a crime.

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Did you have something stolen
from you or were you attacked or threatened by -----

Someone at work or schoolA neighbor or friendA relative or family memberAny other person you have met or known?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQSEXUAL

FR:

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual
acts are often difficult to talk about. Have you been
forced or coerced to engage in unwanted sexual
activity by ---

Someone you didn't knowA casual acquaintance-

OR
--

Someone you know well?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:

During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did you call the police to report
something that happened to you which you thought
was a crime?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did anything which you thought
was a crime happen to YOU, but you did NOT report
to the police?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)
This concludes the screen questions for Michael Goe. At the “Present for Screen
Questions” screen enter 11 since this is a telephone interview.
The INC_REPORTS screen tells you that an incident was reported by Michael Goe.
Enter 1 at this screen.
__________, please continue with the incident questions.
INCIDENTINTRO

FR:

You said before that during the last 6 months lawn
ornaments were stolen from your household’s front
yard one time.

(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATE

FR:

In what month did this incident happen?

R:

I think it happened sometime in March.

(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the reference
period.)
(Enter 3, March)

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INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR:
Ask or verify
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident
happen during the last 6 months?
R:

Just once.

(Enter 1)
INCIDENTTIME

FR:

About what time did this incident happen?

R:

I didn’t notice that the ornaments were missing until
the next day so it must have happened sometime
during the night.

(Enter 18, Don’t know what time of night)
INCIDENTPLACE

FR:

In what city, town or village did this incident occur?

R:

Right here in Any Town.

(Enter 3, Same city/town/village as present residence)

INCIDENTAIR

FR:

Did this incident occur on an American Indian
Reservation or on American Indian Lands?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
LOCATION_GENERAL
FR:

Did this incident happen
---

R:

In your home or lodging?
Near your home or lodging?

It happened in my front yard.

(Enter 12, Near your home or lodging)

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LOCATION_NEAR_HOME
FR:

Ask or verify
Where near your home or lodging did this incident
happen?
(Interrupt and say)

An important skill you can use as an interviewer is the skill of active listening, which
means using the information the respondent has already provided. One way to
practice active listening at this screen is to verify the location without asking the full
question, since the respondent gave us a detailed description of the location in a
previous question. For example, instead of asking “Where near your home or
lodging did this incident happen?” we can use the answer category to verify the
answer by asking “You just said this happened in your front yard, is that correct?”
Using this active listening technique will help the respondent know that you really
are paying attention to their answers and make interviewing more efficient.

R:

In the front yard.

(Enter 15, Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, etc.)
Notice the pop-up that appears. It asks, “Did this incident happen in a garage? If
yes, was the garage attached or detached?” In this example, the incident did not
happen in a garage, so click “Suppress.”

INSIDEOROUT

FR:

Ask or verify
Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?

R:

Outdoors.

(Enter 2, Outdoors)

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FARFROMHOME

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FR:

Ask or verify
How far away from home did this happen?

R:

It was at my home.

(Enter 1, At, in, or near the building containing the
respondent’s home or next door)
HHMEMBERPRESENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Were you or any other household member present
when this incident occurred?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
Notice that we have another pop-up screen: “Verify whether or not the respondent
or another household member was at the immediate scene of the crime during the
incident. If after verifying presence, you determine they were present, press the
Close or Goto button. If after verifying presence, you determine they were not
present, press the Suppress button.” You must verify that the household member
was in fact not present. The respondent could be sleeping, remember to probe.
After you verify, click “Suppress.”

KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS
FR:
Do you know or have you learned anything about the
offender for instance, whether there was one or more
than one offender involved, whether it was someone
young or old, or male or female?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
THEFT

FR:

Ask or verify
Was something stolen or taken without permission
that belonged to you or others in the household?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WHATWASTAKEN

FR:

Ask or verify
What was taken that belonged to you or others in the
household?

R:

Outdoor lawn decorations.
(Enter 36, Other)

FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Press Enter)
WHATWASTAKEN_SPEC
(Enter “Lawn ornaments”)
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR:
Did the stolen property belong to you personally, to
someone else in the household, or to both you and
other household members?
R:

To me and others in the household.

(Enter 2, Respondent
member(s))

and

the

other

household

OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR:
Besides you, which household members owned the
stolen property?
R:

They belonged to everyone.

(Enter 40, Household property)

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ARTICLEINCAR

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FR:

Ask or verify
Was the article IN or ATTACHED to a motor vehicle
when it was taken?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
OTHERONPERSON FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Was there anything ELSE the offenders took directly
from you, for instance, from your pocket or hands, or
something that you were wearing?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
PROPERTYVALUE FR:

R:

What was the value of the PROPERTY that was
taken? Include recovered property (If jointly owned
with nonhousehold members, include only share
owned by household members.)
About $50.

(Enter 50)
DECIDEDVALUE

FR:

How did you decide the value of the property that
was taken?

R:

That was the cost we paid to purchase the
decorations.

(Enter 11, Original cost)
FR:

Any other way?

R:

No.

(Press ENTER)

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(If the FR doesn’t ask the probe for this question, remind trainees to ask
the probe displayed on the screen for multiple entry questions.)

ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:

R:

Was all or part of the stolen property recovered, not
counting anything received from insurance?
No.

(Enter 3, None)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DAMAGED

FR:

Other than any stolen property, was anything that
belonged to you or other members of the household
damaged in this incident?

R:

Yes, some shrubs were damaged.

(Enter 1, Yes)
DAMAGEDREPAIRED
FR:

Were the damaged items repaired or replaced?

R:

Yes, we had to replace the two bushes that were
damaged.

(Enter 1, Yes, all)
ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE
FR:
How much was the repair or replacement cost?
R:

About $50.

(Enter 50)

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FR:

Who paid for the repairs or replacement?

R:

We did.

(Enter 2, Household member)
POLICEINFORMED FR:

R:

Were the police informed or did they find out about
this incident in any way?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
FR:

R:

What was the reason it was not reported to the
police?
We figured it was just kids playing around.

(Enter 14, Child offender(s); “kid stuff”)
FR:

Any other reason?

R:

No.

(Press Enter)
AGENCYHELP

FR:

Did you or someone in your household receive any
help or advice from any office or agency -- other than
the police -- that deals with victims of crime?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
What were you doing when this incident happened?
I was probably sleeping.

(Enter 18, Sleeping)

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JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Did you have a job at the time of the incident?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Did you lose any time from work because of this
incident for such things as cooperating with a police
investigation, testifying in court, or repairing or
replacing damaged or stolen property?
No.

(Enter 6, None)
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Were there any household members 16 years or
older who lost time from work because of this
incident?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
INCIDENTHATECRIME
FR:

Hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry occur
when offenders target people because of one or more
of their characteristics or religious beliefs.
Do you have any reason to suspect the incident just
discussed was a hate crime or crime of prejudice or
bigotry?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

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Now you need to write a summary about the incident. Remember to answer who,
what, when, where, and how in your summary. After you finish, turn to page 15 of
your workbook for the text you should enter. When you are done completing and
comparing the summary press Enter.
SUMMARY

In (enter date within reference period) lawn decorations
taken from L3’s front yard at night. Hhld sleeping.
Decorations belonged to the HH. Incident not reported to
police since kid’s stuff. Stolen items valued at $50.
Shrubs damaged; cost to replace shrubs was $50. L3
doesn’t know who took. No time lost from work. Nothing
recovered.
(Allow time)

After completing the summary you proceed to SUMMARYPROBE. You don't need
to edit or continue entering any more summary text, so enter 1 to continue. (Pause)
Now enter 2 at INCIDENTTOADD since the respondent did not recall during the
interview any additional incidents that were not already reported in the screen
questions. (Pause)

The next screen, CRIME_END, tells you that you have completed all incident
reports for Michael Goe. Enter 1 to continue. Also, enter 1 at the ENDINCIDENT
screen and a 1 at the ENDSCREENER screen, which tells you that there are no
more incidents to report.

In the next screen, INTRO_UNDUP, remember you read the text to the respondent
to let him or her know that you need to review the incidents reported during the
current interview for the household. (Pause) The unduplication process is an NCVS

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process to ensure that each reported incident is not a duplicate of another
incident already reported for the respondent or the sample household in the
current and previous enumeration periods. This quality assurance measure is
designed so that we can provide a more accurate measure of criminal victimization
in the United States.

A “duplicate” incident report is a report of the same crime incident, not similar
incidents. For example, when two different respondents report that Line Number 1's
bicycle was stolen in January, this is considered a duplicate incident. Whereas, if
Line Number 1 reports that their bicycle was stolen in November and Line Number
2's bicycle was stolen in September these incidents, although similar, are not
considered duplicates because they are two separate crimes. This section of the
instrument is set up to avoid double reporting of incidents.

Now enter 1 at the INTRO_UNDUP screen to continue. (Pause) If more than one
incident was reported by the respondent OR by the respondent and someone else
in the household during the current interview period, you review the remaining
incidents to identify whether the incidents are potential duplicates.

In this exercise, both Michael Goe and Brian Public reported incidents during the
current interview period, so at the UNDUP_CURINC screen, compare the incidents
reported. During the unduplication process, in order to keep the data confidential,
DO NOT discuss the incidents you are reviewing with the respondent, particularly
when the incidents are reported by different household members.

Q:

What comparisons will we be making in the unduplication section this time?

A:

1.

We’ll compare this respondent’s incident report to the incident report
collected for the household respondent.

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2.

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We’ll also compare this respondent’s incident report to the incident report
collected in the previous enumeration. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR.
Discuss any of these points that were not mentioned.)

Does everyone follow the logic that the instrument will prompt you to review the
current incident report against two other incident reports?

(Answer questions)

Q:

Based on the information displayed, how can we tell which incident report is the
current respondent’s incident and which incident report was collected during
the household respondent’s interview?

A:

1.

The row of data that contains the header “Enum” or enumeration, also has
the headers “Ln No.” for the Line number of the respondent who reported
that incident and “Inc. No.” for the incident number.

2.

You can also compare the summaries of the two incident reports to help
differentiate between the two. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. Discuss any
of these points that were not mentioned.)

As we discussed in the previous exercise, the unduplication screens were set up to
display the same type of information about the two incident reports. One incident
report is displayed in a column on the left and is compared to another incident report
displayed in a column to the right. Let’s take a minute to discuss the header Inc. No.
or “incident number.” That number is linked to the respondent who reported the
incident. For example, if Line Number 2 reported two incidents, their first incident

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would have an Incident Number of 1, while their second incident would have an
Incident Number of 2. As you can see from the UNDUP_CURINC screen, we are
comparing an incident reported by Line Number 2 to an incident reported by Line
Number 3.

The purpose of comparing the two incidents on this screen is to

determine if Line 2 and Line 3 are reporting the same incident, so please read each
summary carefully.

Does everyone understand the purpose of reviewing the summaries of the two
incidents displayed at this screen?

(Answer questions)

Let’s take a minute to compare the two incidents that are displayed.

(Allow time)

Q:

___________, are these incidents duplicates of each other? Why or why not?

A:

Yes, the incidents are the same; it was the same situation and it happened in
the same time frame. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. If any of these points
were left out of the answer, mention them now.)

Are there any questions about why these are duplicate incident reports?

(Answer questions)

Ask trainees, how and why are they different?

(Allow time)

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Now that we’ve established that these two incident reports are the same incident,
enter 1 at the UNDUP_CURINC screen.

In the next screen, UNDUP_OLDINC, incidents reported during the current interview
are also compared to incidents reported in previous interviews to ensure that they
aren't duplicates. Review the incidents to see if the current incident is a duplicate of
one previously reported.

(Allow time)

Q:

Are these two incident reports duplicates? Why or why not?

A:

No.
1. Because the incidents took place in different locations.
2. Because they are not the same type of incident. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR.
If any of these points were left out of the answer, mention them now.)

The incidents don’t appear to be duplicates so enter 2 at the UNDUP_OLDINC
screen. Continue this process until there are no more incidents to compare.

(Allow time)

At the UNDUP_DONE screen, the unduplication process is completed. Enter 1 to
continue.

_________, please continue the interview with the employment questions.

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INTRO_SOCIO_DEMO
FR:

Now we have some questions
demographic characteristics.

about

your

(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING

FR:

Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
VISION

FR:

Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing
even when wearing glasses?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT

FR:

Walking or climbing stairs?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
DRESS_BATH

FR:

Dressing or bathing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)

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LEAVING_HOME

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FR:

Because of a physical, mental or emotional
condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone
such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
CITIZENSHIP

FR:

Are you a citizen of the United States? That is, were
you born in the United States, born in a U.S. territory,
born of U.S. citizen parent(s), or become a citizen of
the U.S. through naturalization?

R:

Yes, I was born in Guam.

(Enter 2)
ORIENTATION_MALE
FR:

Which of the following best represents how you think
of yourself?
------

R:

Gay
Straight, that is, not gay
Bisexual
Something else
I don’t know the answer

I’d prefer not to answer.

(Enter 6, Refused)
GENID_BIRTH

FR:

What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original
birth certificate?

R:

Male.

(Enter 1)
GENID_DESCRIBE FR:

Do you currently describe yourself as male, female
or transgender?

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R:

Male.

(Enter 1)
ACTIVE_DUTY

FR:

Have you ever served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?

R:

No.

(Enter 1)

JOBLASTWEEK

FR:

Did you have a job or work at a business LAST
WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work
around the house.

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
JOBDESCRIPTION FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
Ask or verify
Which of the following best describes your job?
Were you employed in the –
Medical Profession?
Mental Health Services Field?
Teaching Profession?
Law Enforcement or Security Field?

R:

Yes, law enforcement.

(Enter 14, Law Enforcement or Security Field)
LAWENFORCEJOB
FR:

Were you employed as a --

Law enforcement officer?

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R:

Yes, I’m a police officer.

(Enter 26, Law enforcement officer)
EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT
FR:
Ask or verify
Is your job with A private company, business, or individual for
wages?
R:

No.

FR:

The Federal government?

R:

No.

FR:

A State, county, or local government?

R:

Yes, it’s with the state.

(Enter 3, A State, county, or local government)
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
FR:
R:

Are you employed by a college or university?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE
FR:

While working at your job, do you work mostly in
----

A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?

OR
--

Combination of these?

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R:

I would say it’s a combination.

(Enter 4, Combination of these)
INTVDONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY
(Enter 1 to continue)
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER
(Enter 0 to continue)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

This concludes Michael Goe’s interview. Enter 1 at the ENDPERSON. This ends
the interview for this practice exercise. In the next exercise we will continue with this
case. Are there any questions about this exercise?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #11 – Proxy Interview
Case ID: 00000005
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)

In this practice exercise you will complete a proxy interview. Turn to page 16 of your
Workbook to review the NCVS proxy rules.

(Allow time)

Now let’s continue with the interview. Everyone should be at the NEXTPERSON
screen. Notice that this is another screen where you are instructed NOT to F10.
Please make sure that you follow this instruction.

Q:

Can anyone tell me whose interview you still need to complete?

A:

Will Loe’s and Megan Moe’s

That’s correct.

After telling Michael Goe that you need to speak to Will Loe or Megan Moe he tells
you that Will Loe had a stroke that left him cognitively impaired and he is unable to
complete the interview himself.

Michael Goe is eligible to serve as the proxy

respondent for Will Loe and agrees to do so. At the NEXTPERSON screen enter
Will Loe’s line number, which is 4.

Take a look at the INTERVIEWSTATUS screen. It currently indicates that Will Loe’s
interview is a self-response interview. (Pause) Also, take a look at the “Talking to”

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and “About” fields at the bottom of the screen. Both of these fields contain Will Loe’s
name. (Pause) When you change the interview status to proxy and select a proxy
respondent, you will notice that the “Talking to” field will contain Michael Goe's
name, the proxy respondent.

To change the interview status from self to proxy, select Precode (2), “Change to a
proxy interview” since you will be conducting Will Loe’s interview by proxy and not
by self-response. When you enter 2, notice that you get a soft edit informing you
that the interview status is about to be changed to “Proxy interview.” Here you have
the option to either accept the change by clicking on the “Suppress” button or to go
back to the INTERVIEWSTATUS screen and change the entry. Since you want to
change the interview status for Will Loe to proxy, the entry of 2 is correct so click the
“Suppress” button.

Michael Goe told you that Will Loe had a stroke and is unable to answer the survey
questions, so at the PROXYREASON screen enter 2, “Proxy person is
physically/mentally

unable

to

answer.”

(Pause)

At

the

next

screen,

PROXYREASONSPEC, describe the physical or mental condition that prevents the
respondent from completing the interview by self-response. Turn to page 17 of your
Workbook for examples of acceptable or valid proxy reasons.

(Allow time)

Now in the PROXYREASONSPEC screen enter “L4 suffered a stroke.” Then
press Enter.

(Allow time)

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At the next screen, PICKPROXYRESP, enter the line number of the proxy
respondent. Notice that Megan Moe’s name is not listed as an eligible proxy
respondent. This is because she has not yet completed her interview by selfresponse.

Enter 3, which is Michael Goe’s line number, and then press Enter. (Enter 3)

At the next screen, INTROPROXYSTATUS, look at the five FR instructions in blue.
These instructions tell you that you are conducting a proxy interview; that the
interview is for Will Loe, and that you are talking to Michael Goe, the proxy
respondent. Also look at the Status bar located in the grey portion at the bottom of
the screen. Notice that the “Talking to” field now reflects the name of the proxy
respondent, Michael Goe. The survey questions will now be worded so that you are
asking Michael Goe about Will Loe. If you click on the HH Roster tab, you will notice
that Will Loe’s STATUS has changed from “NEED SELF” to “NEED PRXY.” After
look at this, go back to the interview by clicking the Main tab.

Enter 1 at this screen.

_________________, please be our FR. Remember to tell us what you enter at
each screen as you proceed through the interview.

TIMEATADDRESS

FR:

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some
questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.
How long has Will Loe lived at this address?

R:

10 years.

(Enter 10)

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SQTHEFT

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FR:

I'm going to read some examples that will give you an
idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.
As I go through them, tell me if any of these
happened to Will Loe in the last 6 months, that is,
since (date).
Was something belonging to WILL LOE stolen, such
as --------

Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, bookClothing, jewelry, or cellphoneBicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
toolsThings outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furnitureThings belonging to children in the householdThings from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs-

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to Will Loe?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to him?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKWHERE

FR:

Since (date), was Will Loe attacked or threatened OR
did he have something stolen from him ----

At home including the porch or yardAt or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
homeAt work or school-

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--

In places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airportWhile riding in any vehicleOn the street or in a parking lotAt such places as a party, theater, gym,
picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or
hunting-

----

OR
-

Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to him from any of these
places?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to Will Loe?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKHOW

FR:

Has anyone attacked or threatened Will Loe in any
of these ways -------

With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knifeWith anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stickBy something thrown, such as a rock or bottleInclude any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attackAny face to face threats-

OR
--

Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone
at all? Please mention it even if you are not
certain it was a crime.

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to Will Loe?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Did Will Loe have something
stolen from him or was he attacked or threatened
by-----

Someone at work or schoolA neighbor or friendA relative or family memberAny other person he has met or known?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to Will Loe?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFFTIMES
FR:
How many times?
R:

Two times.

(Enter 2)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFFSPEC
FR:
What happened?
R:

One of the guys at the rehab center where Will goes
threatened to beat him up.

(Enter “One of the guys at the rehab center where L4
goes threatened to beat him up”)
SQSEXUAL

FR:

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual
acts are often difficult to talk about. Other than
incidents already mentioned, has he been forced or

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coerced to engage in unwanted sexual activity by ---

Someone he didn't knowA casual acquaintance-

OR
--

Someone he knows well?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to him?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:

R:

During the last 6 months, other than any incidents
already mentioned, did Will Loe call the police to
report something that happened to HIM which he
thought was a crime?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
During the last 6 months, other than any incidents
already mentioned, did anything which Will Loe
thought was a crime happen to HIM, but he did NOT
report to the police?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
PRESENTFORSQS

(Enter 11, Telephone)

INC_REPORTS

(Enter 1 to continue)

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INCIDENTINTRO

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FR:

You said before that during the last 6 months one of
the guys at the rehab center where Will Loe goes
threatened to beat him up two times.

(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATE

FR:

In what month did the first incident happen?
(Interrupt and say)

Since this incident happened more than one time, make sure that you let the
respondent know that the questions you will be asking pertain to the first incident.
Be sure to read the words “the first” when asking this question.

R:

I think it happened sometime in October.

(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls OUTSIDE the reference
period.)
(Enter 10, October)
(Interrupt and say)
Because the incident occurred outside the reference period, an edit error message
pops up for you to verify the response given.

__________, please continue the interview by asking the question appearing in the
edit error message.

FR:

Did you say October?

R:

Yes.

(Select “Suppress” button)
OSINCNOTNEEDED

FR:

We are only asking about crimes that happened

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during the last 6 months. We will not collect
information on this incident.
(Interrupt and say)
This is a quick way to remove an incident if you make a mistake.
(Press 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATEPROBE
FR:

R:

Did Will Loe have anything else like this happen
between (date) and (date)?
This incident happened to him one other time.
(Interrupt and say)

The intent of this question is to find out if anything similar to the incident that is
outside the reference period happened to the respondent during the reference
period. However, this includes ONLY incidents that have NOT already been
reported to you. The production instrument makes it clearer that we only are asking
about incidents not already reported. For this exercise enter 2, No. By selecting “No”
the current incident entry will be deleted. Now at INC_REDUCE enter that the first
incident is outside the reference period, then press Enter. Enter 1 at ENDINCIDENT.
Notice that you have returned to INCIDENTINTRO which begins the incident report
for the next incident.

______________, please begin the incident report for the second incident.
INCIDENTINTRO

FR:

You said before that during the last 6 months one of
the guys at the rehab center where Will Loe goes
threatened to beat him up two times.

(Enter 1 to continue)

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INCIDENTDATE

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FR:

In what month did this incident happen?

R:

I believe it happened in May.

(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the reference
period.)
(Enter 5, May)
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR:
Ask or verify
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident
happen during the last 6 months?
R:

Once.

(Enter 1)
INCIDENTTIME

FR:

About what time did this incident happen?

R:

I’m not exactly sure but he he is at rehab in the
morning between 9 and 12.

(Enter 11, After 6a.m –12 noon)
INCIDENTPLACE

FR:

In what city, town or village did this incident occur?

R:

Right here in Any Town.

(Enter 3, Same city/town/village as present residence)
INCIDENTAIR

FR:

Did this incident occur on an American Indian
Reservation or on American Indian Lands?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
LOCATION_GENERAL
FR:

Did this incident happen…

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--------R:

In Will Loe’s home or lodging?
Near Will Loe’s home or lodging?
At, in, or near a friend’s/relatives/neighbor’s
home?
At a commercial place?
In a parking lot or garage?
At school?
In open areas, on the street, or on public
transportation?
Somewhere else?

It happened somewhere else, at the rehabilitation
center.

(Enter 36, Somewhere else)
LOCATION_SPEC

(Enter “Rehab center”)

RESTRICTEDAREA FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Did the incident happen in an area restricted to
certain people or was it open to the public at the
time?
It’s restricted.

(Enter 2, Restricted to certain people)
INSIDEOROUT

FR:

Ask or verify
Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?

R:

Indoors.

(Enter 1, Indoors)
FARFROMHOME

FR:

Ask or verify
How far away from home did this happen?

R:

The rehab center is about 10 miles from home.

(Enter 4, Fifty miles or less)

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HHMEMBERPRESENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Was Will Loe or any other household member
present when this incident occurred?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WHICHMEMBER

FR:

Which household members were present?

R:

Just Will.

(Enter 1, Victim only)
SEEOFFENDER

FR:

Did Will Loe personally see an offender?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WEAPONPRESENT FR:

R:

Did the offender have a weapon such as a gun or
knife, or something to use as a weapon, such as a
bottle or wrench?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
ATTACK

FR:

Did the offender hit Will Loe, knock him down or
actually attack him in any way?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
TRYATTACK

FR:

Did the offender TRY to attack Will Loe?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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THREATEN

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FR:

Did the offender THREATEN Will Loe with harm in
any way?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
HOWTHREATEN

FR:

How was Will Loe threatened?

R:

Well, the other guy at the rehab center threatened to
beat up Will.

FR:

Any other way?

R:

No, that’s it.

(Enter 13, Verbal threat of attack other than kill or rape)
IMPACT_JOB

FR:

Being a victim of crime affects people in different
ways. Next I would like to ask you some questions
about how being a crime victim may have affected
him.
Did being a victim of this crime lead Will Loe to have
significant problems with his job or schoolwork, or
trouble with his boss, coworkers, or peers?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
IMPACT_FAMILY

FR:

Did being a victim of this crime lead Will Loe to have
significant problems with family members or friends,
including getting into more arguments or fights than
he did before, not feeling he could trust them as
much, or not feeling as close to them as he did
before?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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HOW_DISTRESSING
FR:

R:

How distressing was being a victim of this crime to
Will Loe? Was it not at all distressing, mildly
distressing, moderately distressing, or severely
distressing?
Mildly distressing, I think.

(Enter 2, Mildly distressing)
PROTECTSELF

FR:

Did Will Loe do anything with the idea of protecting
HIMSELF or his PROPERTY while the incident was
going on?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No/took no action/kept still)
DURINGINCIDENT

FR:

Was there anything Will Loe did or tried to do about
the incident while it was going on?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No/took no action/kept still)
ANYONEPRESENT FR:

R:

Was anyone present during the incident besides Will
Loe and the offender? Other than children under age
12.
I don’t know.

(Enter 3, Don’t know)
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
FR:
Ask or verify
Was the crime committed by only one or by more
than one offender?
R:

Just one offender.

(Enter 1, Only one)

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SINGOFFENDERKNEW
FR:

R:

Was the offender someone Will Loe knew or a
stranger he had never seen before?
He knows the guy.

(Enter 1, Knew or had seen before)
SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL
FR:
How well did Will Loe know the offender -- by sight
only, casual acquaintance, or well known?
(Interrupt and say)

“Sight only” means that the victim had seen the offender before, but had never
said much to him or her. “Casual acquaintance” means that the victim knew the
offender well enough to say more than just “Hello,” but did not necessarily know the
offender by name. Determining whether the offender was “Well known” should be
the sole decision of the respondent. Only select this category when the respondent
says the offender was well known to him or her.

R:

By sight only.

(Enter 1, Sight only)
SINGLEOFFENDERSIGHT
FR:
Would Will Loe have been able to tell the police how
they might find the offender, for instance, where he
lived, worked, went to school, or spent time?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
SINGOFFENDERGENDER
FR:
Was the offender male or female?

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R:

Male.

(Enter 1, Male)
SINGOFFENDERAGE
FR:
R:

How old would Will Loe say the offender was?
He was probably in his forties.

(Enter 6, 30 or older)
SINGOFFENDERETHNICITY
FR:
Was the offender Hispanic or Latino?
R:

I don’t think so.

(Enter 2, No)
SINGOFFRRACE

FR:

What race or races was the offender? You may
select more than one. Was the offender…
------

White?
Black or African American?
American Indian or Alaska Native?
Asian?
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?

(Interrupt and say)

This question is asked to determine the offender’s race as perceived by the
respondent.

R:

He is White.

(Enter 1, White)
SINGOFFENDERGANG
FR:

Was the offender a member of a street gang, or
doesn’t Will Loe know?

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R:

I don’t think that Will knows.

(Enter 3, Don’t know)
SINGOFFENDERDRINKDRUG
FR:
Was the offender drinking or on drugs, or doesn’t Will
Loe know?
R:

He doesn’t know.

(Enter 3, Don’t know)
SINGLEOFFENDERONLYTIME
FR:
Was this the only time this offender committed a
crime or made threats against Will Loe or his
household?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No (there were other times)
THEFT

FR:

Ask or verify
Was something stolen or was taken without
permission that belonged to Will Loe or others in the
household?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
ATTEMPTTHEFT

FR:

Did the offender ATTEMPT to take something that
belonged to Will Loe or others in the household?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DAMAGED

FR:

Was anything that belonged to Will Loe or other
members of the household damaged in this incident?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
POLICEINFORMED FR:

R:

Were the police informed or did they find out about
this incident in any way?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

For a proxy interview, the next item, POLICEFINDOUT, begins a series of police
questions that will NOT be directed to Will Loe, the person for whom the proxy
interview is being taken. Instead, you ask the questions in Items POLICEFINDOUT
through ANYTHINGFURTHER directly of the proxy respondent, Michael Goe. Just
for this series of questions, we are interested in the proxy respondent’s feelings
about why the police were or were not informed.

As you ask these questions notice that instrument substitutes the word “you” rather
than Will Loe’s name.

_________, please continue the interview with POLICEFINDOUT.

POLICEFINDOUT

FR:

How did the police find out about it?

R:

When Will told us about the incident Brian called the
police to report the threat.

(Enter 12, Other household member)
POLICEARRIVE

FR:

Did the police come when they found out about the
incident?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
POLICECONTACT

FR:

Did you or anyone in your household have any later
contact with the police about the incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SIGNCOMPLAINT

FR:

Did you or someone in your household sign a
complaint against the offender to the police
department or the authorities?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
ARRESTMADE

FR:

As far as you know, was anyone arrested or were
charges brought against anyone in connection with
this incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
AGENCYHELP

FR:

Did you or someone in your household receive any
help or advice from any office or agency -- other than
the police -- that deals with victims of crime?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
CONTACTAUTHORITIES
FR:

Have you or someone in your household had contact
with any other authorities about this incident (such as
a prosecutor, court, or juvenile officer)?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
ANYTHINGFURTHER
FR:

R:

Do you expect the police, courts, or other authorities
will be doing anything further in connection with this
incident?
No, I really don’t.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

This concludes the series of police questions directed to Michael Goe. For the
remaining questions, Will Loe’s name is substituted in the questions.

Please continue,

.

DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
What was Will Loe doing when this incident
happened?
He was at rehab going through therapy.

(Enter 15, Shopping, errands)
(Interrupt and say)

Doctor appointments, such as therapy, can be considered an errand for this
question, so use precode 15.
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:

Ask or verify

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Did Will Loe have a job at the time of the incident?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
MAJORACTIVITY

FR:

What was his major activity the week of the incident
– was he looking for work, keeping house, going to
school, or doing something else?

R:

He’s retired, so he stays at home.

(Enter 5, Retired)
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Were there any household members 16 years or
older who lost time from work because of this
incident?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
INCIDENTHATECRIME
FR:

Hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry occur
when offenders target people because of one or more
of their characteristics or religious beliefs.
Does Will Loe have any reason to suspect the incident
just discussed was a hate crime or crime of prejudice
or bigotry?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

Now you must write a summary about the incident. Remember to include all
pertinent facts surrounding the reported crime incident. Write each summary so that

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anyone reading it can get a clear, well-defined picture of how the person was
victimized.

When writing the summary report remember the key words – WHO, WHAT,
WHERE, WHEN, and HOW. Use the words to explain who was victimized, what
happened, where and when the crime took place, and how the crime was executed.
Also include other details about the crime, such as whether or not a weapon was
used and whether or not the police were contacted.

Now complete the summary.

(Call on a couple of trainees to read the incident summary they wrote.
Help identify what other details they should include in the summary if it
seems incomplete.)
Example:
SUMMARY

On (date) bet 6am-noon at rehab center male offender
threatened to beat up L4. Happened once within last 6
months. L4 knows offender by sight only. L2 called
police. Police did not do anything. Nothing taken, no
weapon used.

At SUMMARYPROBE

enter

1

to

continue.

(Pause) Now

enter

2 at

INCIDENTTOADD since the respondent did not recall during the interview any
additional incidents that were not already reported in the screen questions. (Pause)

The next screen, CRIME_END, tells you that you have completed all incident
reports for Will Loe. Enter 1 to continue. Also, enter 1 at the ENDINCIDENT screen
and a 1 at the ENDSCREENER screen, which tells you that there are no more
incidents to report.

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Now proceed through

the incident unduplication

screens. Remember, the

UNDUP_CURINC screen displays incidents reported by the household during the
current interview period for you to compare. The UNDUP_OLDINC screen
compares incidents reported by the respondent during the current interview with
those that were reported in previous interviews, either by the respondent or
someone else in the household, to ensure that the incidents are not duplicates.

(Allow time)

INTRO_UNDUP

(Enter 1 to continue)

UNDUP_CURINC

(Enter 2, No)

UNDUP_CURINC

(Enter 2, No)

UNDUP_OLDINC

(Enter 2, No)

UNDUP_DONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

___________, please continue the interview with socio-demographic questions.

INTRO_SOCIO_DEMO
FR:

Now we have some questions about Will Loe’s
demographic characteristics.

(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING

FR:

Is Will Loe deaf or does he have serious difficulty
hearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)

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FR:

Is Will Loe blind or does he have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition does he have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT

FR:

Walking or climbing stairs?

R:

No.
(Enter 2)

DRESS_BATH

FR:

Dressing or bathing?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1)
LEAVING_HOME

FR:

Because of a physical, mental or emotional
condition, does he have difficulty doing errands
alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1)
CITIZENSHIP

FR:

Is Will Loe a citizen of the United States? That is, was
he born in the United States, born in a U.S. territory,
born of U.S. citizen parent(s), or become a citizen of
the U.S. through naturalization?

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R:

I’m not sure.

(Enter Ctrl+D)
ACTIVE_DUTY

FR:

Has Will Loe ever served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?

R:

No.

(Enter 1)

JOBLASTWEEK

FR:

Did Will Loe have a job or work at a business LAST
WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work
around the house.

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
JOBDURINGREFPERIOD
FR:

R:

Did he have a job or work at a business DURING
THE LAST 6 MONTHS?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
INTVDONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY
(Enter 1 to continue)
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER
(Enter 0 to continue)

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RESPINTERVIEWLANG
(Enter 2, No)
ENDPERSON

(Enter 1 to continue)
(Interrupt and say)

This concludes Will Loe’s interview. You still need to interview Megan Moe;
however, Michael Goe says that she is not home right now so at NEXTPERSON
enter code 33, No other person available now. (Pause) At REFCBBREAK_CP
select code 2, Callback. (Pause) Now at PERSAPPT press Control F7 and enter a
note to call back the household to complete Megan Moe’s interview, then press F10
to exit the Notes Editor. Be sure to save the notes you entered.

(Allow time)

Now enter 1 at PERSAPPT and also at THANKYOU_INDIV. (Pause) At the
VERIFY screen you don’t need to make any changes to the telephone number nor
do you need to review or edit the Interview Time Preferences application, so enter
2 to continue. (Pause)

At the “Case Level Notes Editor” enter a note that “Line 4, Will Loe, is cognitively
impaired and that his interview was completed by proxy by Line 3, Michael Goe.”
When you are done entering this note, press F10 to return to pCHI.

(Allow time)

Everyone should be at the CTATEMPT screen in pCHI. Is everyone there?

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(Allow time, help any trainees who are not at the correct screen)

Before we continue, let’s look at the household roster. Click on the “Roster
Information” tab. Here we see the same five people listed in the NCVS instrument.
Notice that L1 is in gray text and has an “I” next to the name. This means Joel Boe
is no longer a household member. L2, Brian Public, is also in gray text and there’s
a “C” next to the name; that means his interview is complete. That leaves L3, L4,
and L5 still eligible for entries in pCHI. We can also tell that Michael, Will, and Megan
are still eligible for pCHI because their information is displayed in blue text.

Q:

Who can tell me the two methods we can use now to get back to the
CTATEMPT screen?

A:

Either enter 1 to continue in the “Roster Information” tab or click on the pCHI
tab.

Thank you. Use either method to get back to pCHI. _________, please walk us
through the pCHI screens.

CTATEMPT

(Enter 2 for telephone, outgoing)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1, Yes)

pCASECONTACT

(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons)
(Interrupt and say)

Notice that the instrument automatically goes to Item PCONTACTPER for L3, since
we do not need to collect contact information for L1 or L2. _______, please
continue.

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PCONTACTPER(LN3) (Enter 1, made contact with Michael Goe.)
pCTTYPE

(Enter 1, completed interview)
(Interrupt and say)

For this respondent, let’s assume there were no concerns about completing the
interview and that no additional strategies were used. _______, please continue.
pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98, no concerns)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 5, called household)

Thank you. __________, please walk us through the remaining pCHI screens.

PCONTACTPER(LN4)
(Enter 2, made contact with proxy)
(If FR misses this, remind trainees that Will Loe’s interview was
completed by proxy.)

pCTTYPE

(Enter 1, completed interview)

pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98, no concerns)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 5, called household)

(If necessary: explain that the fact that the interview was conducted by
proxy was captured in a previous item, so we don’t need to enter that in
pSTRATEGS)

After completing the proxy interview for L4, Michael Goe tells you that Megan is not

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home. _________, please walk us through the pCHI items for L5.
PCONTACTPER(LN5)
(Enter 3, noncontact)
pNOCONTACT

(Enter 1, person not home)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 5, called
appointment)

household,

and

2,

scheduled

Press enter to return to Case Management. This concludes the interview for this
practice exercise. Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #12 – Quitting a Case at Onset of Interview
Case ID: 00000001
(Approximate time: 5 minutes)

The next practice exercise covers what to do if you get into the CAPI instrument for
a case but then decide that you don’t want to start the interview. For example, you
may realize that after checking the Interview Time Preferences that the time you
accessed the case was a time that the sample unit requested not to be contacted.
To quit a case is a simple process. At the Case Management Case List, highlight
the case 502 Stuart St., then press F2 to start the interview.

(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen enter Precode (6), “Quit, Do not attempt now.” Then at
the VERIFY screen, enter 2 since you don’t need to make any changes to the
telephone number nor do you need to review or update the interview time
preferences. At the “Case Level Notes Editor” press F10 without entering any notes.
When pCHI appears, enter Precode (4), “Not attempting contact” at CTATEMPT. At
NOATTEMPT enter Precode (6), “Opened case/CHI by mistake”. You return to the
Case Management main screen to select another case to interview. This concludes
this practice exercise. Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #13 – Incident of Rape
Case ID: 00000005
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)

In this exercise you will work with the training case with the address 116 Aphroditedr.
You already completed interviews with three of the four household members. Now
you are calling the household back to interview Megan Moe.

When you call the household back, Megan Moe answers the telephone and is
available to be interviewed.

Highlight the case, then start the interview by pressing the F2 function key to get
into the NCVS CAPI instrument for this case.

(Allow time)

__________, please begin the interview at the START_CP screen. Remember to
tell us what you enter at each screen as you proceed through the interview.

START_CP

(Enter 1, Telephone interview)

SHOW_CP_ROSTER (Enter 1 to continue)
SHOW_INFO_CP

(Enter 1 to continue)

WHOTOCALL_CP

(Enter 5, Megan Moe)

DIAL_CP

(Enter 1, Someone answers)

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FR:

Hello. This is (TRAINEE’S NAME) from the U.S.
Census Bureau. May I please speak to Megan Moe?

R:

This is Megan Moe.

(Enter 1, This is the correct person)
INTRO_REC_CP

FR:

We are talking with members of your household to
obtain statistics on the kinds and amount of crime
committed against individuals 12 years of age or
older.
We would like to complete your interview now.

R:

Ok.

(Enter 1, Proceed with interview)
You don’t need to re-ask the respondent questions that were answered when you
conducted the interview earlier. Therefore, press the “END” key to resume the
interview at the question where the interview was terminated.
(Press the End key to proceed to the next unanswer e d
question)
INTERVIEWSTATUS (Enter 1 to continue interview)
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT
(Enter 1 to continue interview)
TIMEATADDRESS

FR:

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some
questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.
How long have you lived at this address?

R:

2 months.

(Enter 0)

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(Make sure trainees enter zero at TIMEATADDRESS, otherwise if trainees
enter 2 the instrument interprets this entry as 2 years.)
MONTHSATADDRESS
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
How many months?
2 months.

(Enter 2)
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS
FR:

R:

Altogether, how many times have you moved in the
last 5 years, that is since (date)?
2 times.

(Enter 2)
SQTHEFT

FR:

I'm going to read some examples that will give you an
idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.
As I go through them, tell me if any of these
happened to you in the last 6 months, that is, since
(date).
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as ------

Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, bookClothing, jewelry, or cellphoneBicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
toolsThings from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs-

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?

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Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKWHERE

FR:

Since (date), were you attacked or threatened OR did
you have something stolen from you ---

At home including the porch or yardAt or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
homeAt work or schoolIn places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airportWhile riding in any vehicleOn the street or in a parking lotAt such places as a party, theater, gym,
picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or
hunting-

---

----

OR
-

Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to you from any of these
places?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

SQATTACKWHERETIMES
FR:
How many times?

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R:

Just once.

(Enter 1)
SQATTACKWHERESPEC
FR:
R:

What happened?
I was leaving a shopping mall when a man attacked
me and stole my purse.

(L5 was leaving a shopping mall when a man attacked
her and stole her purse.)
SQATTACKHOW

FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned, has
anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these
ways -------

With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knifeWith anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stickBy something thrown, such as a rock or bottleInclude any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attackAny face to face threats-

OR
--

Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone
at all? Please mention it even if you are not
certain it was a crime.

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Other than any incidents already

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mentioned, did you have something stolen from you
or were you attacked or threatened by -----

Someone at work or schoolA neighbor or friendA relative or family memberAny other person you have met or known?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQSEXUAL

FR:

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts
are often difficult to talk about. Other than any incidents
already mentioned, have you been forced or coerced
to engage in unwanted sexual activity by ---

Someone you didn't knowA casual acquaintance-

OR
--

Someone you know well?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:

During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did you call the police to report
something that happened to YOU which you thought
was a crime?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did anything which you thought
was a crime happen to YOU, but you did NOT report
to the police?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
PRESENTFORSQS

(Enter 11, Telephone)

INC_REPORTS

(Enter 1 to continue)

INCIDENTINTRO

FR:

You said that during the last 6 months that you were
leaving a shopping mall when a man attacked you
and stole your purse one time.

(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTADDRESS
FR:

Did this incident happen while you were living here
or before you moved to this address?

R:

A couple of months before I moved here.

(Enter 2, Before moving to this address)
INCIDENTDATE

FR:

In what month did this incident happen?

R:

It happened in May.

(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the reference
period.)
(Enter 5, May)

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INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR:
Ask or verify
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident
happen during the last 6 months?
R:

Just one time.

(Enter 1)
INCIDENTTIME

FR:

About what time did this incident happen?

R:

It happened around 9:30 in the evening.

(Enter 16, After 9 p. – 12 midnight)
INCIDENTPLACE

FR:

In what city, town or village did this incident occur?

R:

It happened in Midtown.

(Enter 4, DIFFERENT city/town/village
residence)

as

present

INCIDENTPLACESPEC
(Enter Midtown)
INCIDENTSTATE

FR:

In what state did it occur?

R:

California.

(Enter CA)
INCIDENTCOUNTY FR:
R

In what county did it occur?
Los Angeles County.

(Enter Los Angeles)
COUNTYSTATE

FR:

Is this the same county and state as your present
residence?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

INCIDENTAIR

FR:

Did this incident occur on an American Indian
Reservation or on American Indian Lands?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
LOCATION_GENERAL
FR:

Did this incident happen…
------

R:

In your home or lodging?
Near your home or lodging?
At, in, or near a friend’s/ relative’s/ neighbor’s
home?
At a commercial place?
In a parking lot or garage?

It happened in the parking lot at our shopping mall.

(Enter 15, In a parking lot or garage)
LOCATION_PARKING
FR:

Ask or verify
In what type of a parking lot or garage did this
incident happen?
(Interrupt and say)

Remember, sometimes you may need to probe to determine if the parking lot is
commercial or noncommercial. As mentioned earlier in training, noncommercial
parking lots or garages are those in which the general public can park free of charge,
such as a shopping mall. They also include a parking lot or garage that has parking

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meters and those operated by a local, state, or Federal government regardless of
whether or not a fee is required. Commercial parking lots or garages are those that
are privately operated for profit AND require a parking fee regardless of whether or
not the parking lot or garage is attended or unattended. Notice that these definitions
are provided on the screen. If it is unclear which type of parking lot the respondent is
referring to, probe to find out if the parking lot is privately owned and a fee is paid to
park.

R:

It’s the parking lot at the shopping mall.

(Enter 29, Noncommercial parking lot/garage)
RESTRICTEDAREA FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Did the incident happen in an area restricted to
certain people or was it open to the public at the
time?
It’s open to the public.

(Enter 1, Open to the public)
INSIDEOROUT

FR:

Ask or verify
Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?

R:

Outdoors.

(Enter 2, Outdoors)
FARFROMHOME

FR:

Ask or verify
How far away from home did this happen?

R:

Our mall is about 15 miles from our home.

(Enter 4, Fifty miles or less)
HHMEMBERPRESENT
FR:

Ask or verify
Were you or any other member of this household

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present when this incident occurred?
R:

I was the only member present.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WHICHMEMBER

FR:

Ask or verify
Which household members were present?

(If FR asks the full question, remind trainees that we can just verify the
answer since it was already given in HHMEMBERPRESENT.)
R:

Just me.

(Enter 1, Respondent only)
SEEOFFENDER

FR:

Ask or verify
Did you personally see an offender?

R:

Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
WEAPONPRESENT FR:

R:

Did the offender have a weapon such as a gun or
knife, or something to use as a weapon, such as a
bottle or wrench?
Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

The next question, WEAPON, asks about the type of weapon the offender had
during the incident. Hand guns, shot guns, knives, and most other types of guns are
considered weapons. Also considered a weapon are objects the offender had that
he or she intended to use as a weapon, such as scissors, an ice pick, an axe, a rock,

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club, or blackjack. Pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols, flare guns, stun guns, and tear
gas guns are NOT considered weapons, unless they are used as clubs. Other
objects which are not considered weapons include animals, parts of the body, , mace
or pepper spray, tear gas, chloroform, rings, and casts. You can press F1 at any
time during an interview for a help screen when asking the weapons questions.

_____________, please continue the interview.
WEAPON

FR:

What was the weapon?

R:

A knife.

FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Enter 3, Knife)
ATTACK

FR:

Did the offender hit you, knock you down or actually
attack you in any way?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
HOWATTACK

FR:

How were you attacked?

R:

Well, he raped me and stole my purse.

FR:

Any other way?

R:

No.

(Enter 11, Raped)
(Interrupt and say)

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Notice that when you enter code 11, “Raped,” you must ask the additional probe
question, “Do you mean forced or coerced sexual intercourse?” If the respondent
answers “No” to the probe question or was unsure of the answer to your probe
question, then you must probe further by asking, “What do you mean?” This
additional probe is needed to determine if the crime was actually a rape, an
attempted rape, or some other sexual assault. From the answer to the probe
question “What do you mean?” you will either accept the answer by selecting
“Suppress” or go back and change the response in HOWATTACK by selecting
“Goto.” Do not probe further for details beyond what the question is asking.
However, since the reporting of sexual crimes is rare, make sure to include in your
summary report as many details about the “rape” incident as the respondent
provides.

The same procedure must be followed when the respondent replies “Tried to rape.”
(Pause)

Open your Workbook to page 18. When you get to that page, read the NCVS
definition for rape.

(Allow time)

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

______________, please continue the interview with the rape probe.

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FR:

You mentioned rape. Do you mean forced or coerced
sexual intercourse?

R:

Yes.

(Select “Suppress”)
PRETHREATEN

FR:

Did the offender THREATEN to hurt you before you
were actually attacked?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
INJURY

FR:

What were the injuries you suffered, if any?
R:

A few bruises and scratches.

(Enter 20, Bruises, black eye ...)
FR:

Anything else?
(Interrupt and say)

In this item you MUST also select code 12, “Raped,” as an injury even though the
respondent did not report it as an injury. Mention to the respondent that for this
survey we always consider rape as an injury. That way the respondent will
understand why you are asking the following questions about an injury.

When you enter code 12, “Raped,” the special probe question is displayed again.
However, you don’t have to ask the special instruction in this case, since you have
already asked this probe question earlier in HOWATTACK.

(Select “Suppress”)

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R:

Nothing else

(Press Enter)
______________, please continue the interview.
INJURYNOTGUN

FR:

Ask or verify
Were any of the injuries caused by a weapon other
than a gun or knife?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
MEDICALCARE

FR:

Were you injured to the extent that you received any
medical care, including self-treatment?
(Interrupt and say)

By medical care we mean any care or treatment given for physical injuries. If the
victim is taken to the hospital, it is evident that he or she had medical treatment.
Medical care also includes home care, such as ice packs and bandages. When the
respondent receives any type of medical care the next series of questions asks the
respondent where medical care was received. A victim may receive emergency
treatment at the scene of the crime, further treatment at a doctor’s office, and
additional care at home. If the respondent received care in a hospital you ask if the
respondent stayed overnight in a hospital because of injuries received in the
incident and how many days the respondent stayed in the hospital. Questions are
also asked about medical insurance the victim had at the time of the incident and
the total amount of the victim’s medical expenses resulting from the incident.

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

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RECEIVEDCAREWHERE
FR:

Where did you receive this care?

R:

I went to the emergency room.

FR:

Anywhere else?

R:

No.

(Enter 15, Emergency room at hospital/emergency clinic)
MEDICALINSURANCE
FR:

R:

At the time of the incident, were you covered by any
medical insurance, or were you eligible for benefits
from any other type of health benefits program, such
as Medicaid, Veterans Administration, or Public
Welfare?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
MEDICALEXPENSES FR:

R:

What was the total amount of your medical expenses
resulting from this incident (INCLUDING anything
paid by insurance)? Include hospital and doctor bills,
medicine, therapy, braces, and any other injuryrelating expenses.
About $500.00.

(Enter 500)

IMPACT_JOB

FR:

Being a victim of crime affects people in different
ways. Next I would like to ask you some questions
about how being a crime victim may have affected
you.
Did being a victim of this crime lead you to have
significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or
trouble with your boss, coworkers, or peers?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
IMPACT_FAMILY

FR:

Did being a victim of this crime lead you to have
significant problems with family members or friends,
including getting into more arguments or fights than
you did before, not feeling you could trust them as
much, or not feeling as close to them as you did
before?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
HOW_DISTRESSING
FR:

R:

How distressing was being a victim of this crime to
you? Was it not at all distressing, mildly distressing,
moderately distressing, or severely distressing?
It was severely distressing.

(Enter 4, Severely distressing)
FEEL_WORRIED

FR:

Still thinking about your distress associated with
being a victim of this crime, did you feel any of the
following ways for A MONTH OR MORE? Did you
feel…
Worried or anxious?

R:

Yes

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_ANGRY

FR:

Angry?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_SAD

FR:

Sad or depressed?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_VULNERABLE
FR:
R:

Vulnerable?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_VIOLATED

FR:

Violated?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_MISTRUST

FR:
R:

Like you couldn’t trust people?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_UNSAFE

FR:

Unsafe?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_OTHER_WAY FR:
R:

Some other way?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
SEEK_PRO_HELP

FR:

Did you seek any kind of professional help for the
feelings you experienced as a result of being a victim
of this crime?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
HAVE_HEADACHES
FR:

Did you experience any of the following physical
problems associated with being a victim of this crime
for A MONTH OR MORE? Did you experience…
Headaches?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
TRBL_SLEEPING

FR:

Trouble sleeping?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
EATING_PROBS

FR:

Changes in your eating or drinking habits?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
UPSET_STOMACH FR:
R:

Upset stomach?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
FATIGUE

FR:

Fatigue:

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
HIGH_BLOOD_PRESS
FR:

Did you experience any of the following physical
problems associated with being a victim of this crime

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for A MONTH OR MORE?...
High blood pressure?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
MUSCLE_TENSION FR:
R:

Muscle tension:
No.

(Enter 2, No)
OTHER_PHYSICAL FR:
R:

Some other physical problem?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
SEEK_HELP_PHYPROBS
FR:

R:

Other than any medical care you received for the
injuries you suffered, did you seek any kind of
professional or medical help for the physical
problems you experienced as a result of being a
victim of this crime?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
PREGATTIEMOFINC
FR:

Research shows that pregnant women may be at a
higher risk of being the victim of a violent crime.
Were you pregnant at the time of this incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)

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FR:

Did you do anything with the idea of protecting
YOURSELF or your PROPERTY while the incident
was going on?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
ACTIONSDURINGINC
FR:

What did you do?

R:

I screamed as loud as I could out of fear.

FR:

Anything else?

R:

I ran away as soon as I could.

FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Enter 25, Screamed from pain or fear; 22, Ran or drove
away, or tried; hid, locked door)
INJACTION

FR:

Did you take these actions before, after, or at the
same time that you were injured?

R:

Well, at the same time and after.

(Enter 2, After injury, and 3, Same time)
INJACTIONHELP

FR:

Did any of your actions help the situation in any way?

R:

Yes, I think so.

(Enter 1, Yes)
HELP

FR:

How were they helpful?

R:

It kept him from hurting me worse.

FR:

Any other way?

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R:

No.

(Enter 1, Help avoid injury or greater injury)
ACTIONWORSE

FR:

Did any of your actions make the situation worse in
any way?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
ANYONEPRESENT FR:

R:

Was anyone present during the incident besides you
and the offender (other than children under age 12?)
No.

(Enter 2, No)
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
FR:
Ask or verify
Was the crime committed by only one or by more
than one offender?
R:

Only one.

(Enter 1, Only one)
SINGOFFENDERKNEW
FR:

R:

Was the offender someone you knew or a stranger
you had never seen before?
A stranger.

(Enter 2, Stranger)
SINGOFFENDERRECOG
FR:

Would you be able to recognize the offender if you
saw him?

.

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT
FR:

R:

Would you have been able to tell the police how they
might find the offender, for instance, where he lived,
worked, went to school, or spent time?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
SINGOFFENDERGENDER
FR:
Was the offender male or female?
R:

Male.

(Enter 1, Male)
SINGOFFENDERAGE
FR:
R:

How old would you say the offender was?
I would saw around 25.

(Enter 5, Twenty-one to twenty-nine)
SINGOFFENDERETHNICITY
FR:
Was the offender Hispanic or Latino?
R:

I don’t know.

(Enter 3, Don’t know)
SINGOFFENDERRACE
FR:

What race or races was the offender? You may
select more than one. Was the offender…
-----

White?
Black or African American?
American Indian or Alaska Native?
Asian?

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-R:

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?

White.

(Enter 1, White)
SINGOFFENDERGANG
FR:

R:

Was the offender a member of a street gang, or don’t
you know?
I don’t know.

(Enter 3, Don’t know)
SINGOFFENDERDRINKDRUG
FR:
Was the offender drinking or on drugs, or don’t you
know?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes (drinking or on drugs))
SINGOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG
FR:
Which was it? (Drinking or on drugs)?
R:

Drinking. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

(Enter 1, Drinking)
SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME
FR:
Was this the only time this offender committed a
crime against you or your household or made threats
against you or your household?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes (only time))
THEFT

FR:

Ask or verify
Was something stolen or was taken without
permission that belonged to you or others in the
household?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WHATWASTAKEN

FR:

What was taken that belonged to you or others in the
household?

R:

My purse and everything in it.

(Interrupt and say)

Since we need the respondent to tell us what was in the purse when it was stolen,
you need to probe for the respondent to itemize the stolen items. Please continue
by asking the respondent to tell you what was in the purse when it was stolen.
FR:

Can you tell me what was in your purse when it was
stolen?

R:

Well, my wallet, about $75, my driver’s license and
credit cards, and house keys.

FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Enter 12, “Purse”; 13, “Wallet”; 11, “Cash”; 29 “Other
personal and portable objects”; 14, “Credit cards,
checks, bank cards”; 26, “Jewelry, watch, keys”)
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY
FR:
Did the stolen purse and wallet contain any money?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)

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AMOUNTCASHTAKEN
FR:

R:

If not sure, ask
How much cash was taken?
$75.00.

(Enter 75)
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR:
Did the stolen property and money belong to you
personally, to someone else in the household, or to
both you and other household members?
R:

It was all mine.

(Enter 1, Respondent only)
ARTICLEINCAR

FR:

Ask or verify
Were the articles IN or ATTACHED to a motor vehicle
when they were taken?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
CASHONPERSON

FR:

Was the cash, purse, or wallet on your person, for
instance, in a pocket or being held?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
OTHERONPERSON

FR:

Ask or verify
Was there anything ELSE the offender took directly
from you, for instance, from your pocket or hands, or
something that you were wearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
PROPERTYVALUE FR:

What was the value of the PROPERTY that was

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taken? Include recovered property (Exclude any
stolen cash/checks/credit cards. If jointly owned with
nonhousehold members, include only share owned
by household members.)
R:

I’d say about $400.

(Enter 400)
DECIDEDVALUE

FR:

How did you decide the value of the property that
was taken?

R:

Based on what I paid for the items and how old they
were.

FR:

Any other way?

R:

No.

(Enter 11 “Original cost” and 13 “Personal estimate”)
ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:

R:

Was all or part of the stolen money and property
recovered, not counting anything received from
insurance?
I only got back my purse and my credit cards.
Nothing else.

(Enter 2, Part)
WHATRECOVERED FR:
R:

What was recovered?
As I just told you, only my purse and my credit cards.

(Enter 2 and 4, (Purse and credit cards, ect))
CONTAINMONEY

FR:

Did the recovered purse contain any money?

R:

Are you kidding? Of course not.

(Enter 2, No)

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RECOVEREDCASHVALUE
FR:
Considering any damage, what was the value of the
property after it was recovered?
R:

I’d say about $40.

(Enter 40)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
R:

I don’t have any insurance.

(Enter 4, Don’t have insurance)
DAMAGED

FR:

Other than the stolen property, was anything that
belonged to you or other members of the household
damaged in this incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
POLICEINFORMED FR:

R:

Were the police informed or did they find out about
this incident in any way?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
POLICEFINDOUT

FR:

How did the police find out about it?

R:

I ran into a store and a security officer called the
police.

(Enter 13, Someone offical)
POLICEARRIVE

FR:

Did the police come when they found out about the
incident?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE
FR:

R:

How soon after the police found out did they
respond? Was it within 5 minutes, within 10 minutes,
an hour, a day, or longer?
Within 10 minutes.

(Enter 2, Within 10 minutes)
POLICEACTION

FR:

What did they do while they were there?

R:

They searched the shopping mall area, took a report,
and said they would investigate the incident.

FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Enter 12, “Searched/looked around”; 11, “Took report”;
16, “Promised to investigate”)
POLICECONTACT

FR:

Did you or anyone in your household have any later
contact with the police about the incident?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
POLICEINTOUCH

FR:

Did the police get in touch with you or did you get in
touch with them?

R:

I got in touch with them.

(Enter 2, Respondent or other household member)
HOWPOLICECONTACT
FR:

Was that in person, by phone, or some other way?

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R:

By phone

(Enter 2, Not in person)
POLICEFOLLOWUP FR:

What did the police do in following up this incident?

R:

They said they had questioned witnesses.

FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Enter 12, Questioned witnesses or suspects)
SIGNCOMPLAINT

FR:

Did you or someone in your household sign a
complaint against the offender to the police
department or the authorities?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
ARRESTMADE

FR:

Ask or verify
As far as you know, was anyone arrested or were
charges brought against anyone in connection with
this incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
AGENCYHELP

FR:

Did you or someone in your household receive any
help or advice from any office or agency -- other than
the police -- that deals with victims of crime?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
TYPEOFAGENCY

FR:

Was that a government or private agency?

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R:

A private agency.

(Enter 2, Private)
CONTACTAUTHORITIES
FR:

R:

Have you or someone in your household had contact
with any other authorities about this incident (such as
a prosecutor, court, or juvenile officer)?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
ANYTHINGFURTHER
FR:

R:

Do you expect the police, courts, or other authorities
will be doing anything further in connection with this
incident?
Yes, hopefully they’ll make an arrest.

(Enter 1, Yes)
ANYTHINGFURTHERSPEC
(Enter “Make an arrest”)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:
R:

What were you doing when this incident started?
I was walking to my car after shopping.

(Enter 14, On the way to or from other place)
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Did you have a job at the time of the incident?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
MAJORACTIVITY

FR:

What was your major activity the week of the incident

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were you looking for work, keeping house, going to
school, or doing something else?
R:

Well, I’m taking college courses, but my major
activity would be keeping house.

(Enter 2, Keeping house)
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Were there any household members 16 years or
older who lost time from work because of this
incident?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
TYPETRANSPORTATION
FR:

Ask or verify
You told me earlier you were on the way (to/from)
some place when the incident happened.
What means of transportation were you using?

R:

I was walking to my car.

(Enter 14, On foot)
INCIDENTHATECRIME
FR:

Hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry occur
when offenders target people because of one or more
of their characteristics or religious beliefs.
Do you have any reason to suspect the incident just
discussed was a hate crime or crime of prejudice or
bigotry?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

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Now you need to write a summary about the incident. Remember to include who,
what, when, where, and how.

(Allow time; select an FR to read the summary they have written)

_____________, will you read us the summary you wrote?

(Allow time for FR to read summary, then solicit input from other FRs)

Does anyone else have additional information that should be in the summary?

(Accept suggestions, then say)

Now complete the next several screen items based the following information:
1. You don't need to make any changes to the summary.
2. The respondent didn't recall any additional incidents.
3. The incident is not a duplicate of any other incidents reported during the
current or previous enumeration period.

(Allow time)

SUMMARYPROBE

(Enter 1 to continue)

INCIDENTTOADD

(Enter 2, No: NONE to add)

CRIME_END

(Enter 1 to continue)

ENDINCIDENT

(Enter 1 to continue)

ENSCREENER

(Enter 1 to continue)

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INTRO_UNDUP

(Enter 1 to continue)

UNDUP_CURINC

(Enter 2, No) (Incident 1)

UNDUP_CURINC

(Enter 2, No) (Incident 2)

UNDUP_CURINC

(Enter 2, No) (Incident 4)

UNDUP_OLDINC

(Enter 2, No)

UNDUP_DONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

___________, please continue the interview with JOBLASTWEEK.

INTRO_SOCIO_DEMO
FR:

Now we have some questions
demographic characteristics.

about

your

(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING

FR:

Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1)
VISION

FR:

Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing
even when wearing glasses?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

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R:

Yes.

(Enter 1)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT

FR:

Walking or climbing stairs?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
DRESS_BATH

FR:

Dressing or bathing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEAVING_HOME

FR:

Because of a physical, mental or emotional
condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone
such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
CITIZENSHIP

FR:

Are you a citizen of the United States? That is, were
you born in the United States, born in a U.S. territory,
born of U.S. citizen parent(s), or become a citizen of
the U.S. through naturalization?

R:

Yes, I was born abroad.

(Enter 3)
ORIENTATION_FEMALE
FR:

Which of the following best represents how you think
of yourself?
-----

Lesbian or gay
Straight, that is, not lesbian or gay
Bisexual
Something else

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I don’t know the answer

Something else.

(Enter 4, Something else)
GENID_BIRTH

FR:

What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original
birth certificate?

R:

Female.

(Enter 2)
GENID_DESCRIBE FR:

R:

Do you currently describe yourself as male, female
or transgender?
Female.

(Enter 2)
ACTIVE_DUTY

FR:

Have you ever served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?

R:

I have.

(Enter 4)

ACTIVE_DUTYWHEN
FR:

R:

When did you serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed
Forces?
I served in January 2000 through 2004.

(Enter 11 and 12)
JOBLASTWEEK

FR:

Did you have a job or work at a business LAST
WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work
around the house.

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
JOBDURINGREFPERIOD
FR:

R:

Did you have a job or work at a business DURING
THE LAST 6 MONTHS?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
INTVDONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY
(Enter 1 to continue)
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER
(Enter 0 to continue)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
(Enter 2, No)
ENDPERSON

(Enter 1 to continue)

THANKYOU_CP

FR:

Six months from now we will be contacting you again.
Thank you for your time. You’ve been very helpful.
(Interrupt and say)

In addition to thanking the respondent, you should also mention to the respondent
that a supervisor may call them to conduct reinterview. If necessary, you may have
to explain to the respondent what reinterview is. You can tell respondents that
reinterview is a quality control measure used to evaluate your on-the-job
performance in which a sample of cases are recontacted to verify that the

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information collected was accurately recorded.

This concludes Megan Moe's interview and the last interview for the household. Now
enter 1 to continue. (Pause)

Now at the VERIFY screen, enter 2 since you don’t need to make any changes to
the telephone number nor do you need to review or update the Interview Time
Preferences. At the “Case Level Notes Editor” enter “L5 interview complete/hhld
done” and press F10. You will return to the Case Management main screen to select
another case to interview.

Since Megan is the last person we needed to interview, you only have to enter data
into the pCHI about your contact with her. __________, will you lead us through the
pCHI screens?

CTATEMPT

(Enter 2 for telephone, outgoing)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1 since you are entering pCHI at the time of the
contact attempt)

pCASECONTACT

(Enter 1 [made contact with one or more eligible persons]
because you were able to complete Megan Moe’s
interview during this contact attempt)

PCONTACTPER(LN5) (Enter 1 because you made contact with Megan Moe)
pCTTYPE

(Enter 1 for a completed interview.)

pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98 [no concerns]; we’ll assume Megan had no
concerns about completing her interview)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 98 [no strategies] because no additional
strategies were needed to complete L5’s interview)

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This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)

PRACTICE EXERCISE #14 – Series Incidents
Case ID: 00000001
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)

Highlight the case 502 Stuart St. Take a look at the interview number and segment
type designation displayed for this unit in the Assignment tab. (Pause) This case is
a first time in sample case (Int #: 01). Now get into the NCVS CAPI instrument to
begin the interview.

(Allow time)

Since this is a first time in sample case, your initial contact with the household
respondent must be by personal visit. Before selecting Precode (2) or (3) at the
START_CP screen for personal interview, let's see what happens if you entered
code 1, Telephone, for a personal visit case. Enter 1 and then press Enter. (Pause)
As you can see, an error message appears. ____________, please read the error
message.
(TRAINEE: This is an incoming case and requires a personal visit interview
with the household respondent, unless this is a last resort. If this is a last
resort, select  to continue with a telephone interview for this case.
Otherwise, select  to return to the START_CP screen and select
personal interview.)

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Thank you.

Sometimes when attempting to conduct interviews with cases whose interviews
must be conducted by a personal visit, the household respondent insists that his or
her interview be completed by telephone even though survey procedures require
you to complete the household respondent's interview in person. When

you

encounter such a situation and have exhausted all possible attempts to persuade
the household respondent to complete his or her interview in person, you can
complete the household respondent's interview by telephone as a LAST RESORT.
For this case, we don't want to conduct a telephone interview. Before going back to
the START_CP screen and correcting your entry, let me explain to you what to do
if you need to conduct a telephone interview for this case. As I describe the process
DO NOT press any keys until I tell you to.

If you need to conduct a telephone interview for this case, at the error pop-up screen
click the “Suppress” button to proceed to the next screen. Then press F10 to
terminate the interview. Pressing F10 takes you to the back of the instrument where
you can record the telephone number at which the household respondent requested
to be called.

Now let’s go back to the START_CP screen. Press the Escape key or click either
the Close or GoTo button. (Pause) Now enter 3 and then press Enter. (Pause)

For this exercise, let's assume that the person who answers the door is at least 18
years of age and knowledgeable about the household and is also ready to complete
the interview. So at the GEN_INTRO_CP screen enter 1, Respondent available, and
at the CAPI_INTRO_B screen enter 1 to continue to the interview.

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(Allow time)

__________, please be our FR for this exercise. Remember to tell us what you enter
at each screen.
GETLETTER_CP

FR:

I’m here concerning the National Crime Victimization
Survey. The Census Bureau is conducting a survey
here and throughout the Nation to determine how
often people are victims of crime. Did you receive our
introductory letter in the mail?

R:

I don’t think so.

(Enter 2, No)
VERADD_CP

FR:

I have your address listed as
502 Stuart St.
Any Town, AL 99996
Is that your exact address?

R:

Yes, it is.

(Enter 1, Same Address)
MAILINGSAME_CP FR:

R:

Is your mailing address the same as your physical
address?
Yes it is.

(Enter 1, Yes)
TENURE

FR:

Ask or verify
Are your living quarters…
--

Owned or being bought by you or someone in

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-R:

your household?
Rented for cash?

Rented for cash.

(Enter 2, Rented for cash)
STUDENTHOUSING FR:

R:

Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
PUBLICHOUSING

FR:

Is this building owned by a public housing authority?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No not public housing)
INDIANRESERVATIONHU
FR:

R:

Are your living quarters located on an American
Indian Reservation or on American Indian Lands?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
FARMSALES

FR:

During the past 12 months did sales of crops,
livestock, and other farm products from this place
amount to $1,000 or more?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

Now open your Workbook to page 19. Start by reading the three things to remember
about FARMSALES and then complete the exercise at the bottom of page 19.

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(Allow time)

Please read the exercise and question, and then give us your answer, __________.
(Trainee: Q: Jimmy Voe bought a cucumber farm two months ago. Since the
time he bought the farm, he has sold about $500 worth of cucumbers. The
previous owner, Carl Loe, told Mr. Voe that he sold almost $800 worth of
cucumbers during the last three months that he owned the farm. Which
precode do you enter in FARMSALES? A: I would enter Precode (1),Yes.)
Thank you. Is this clear to everyone?

(If not, explain further.)

Now to help you through the next couple of questions, here is some additional
information about the household. It is in a building consisting of two units each
having direct access.

___________, please continue.

ACCESS

(Enter 1, Direct)

TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT
(Enter 1, House, apartment, flat)
NUMBEROFUNITS FR:

R:

Observe or ask
How many housing units are in this structure?
About 2 units.

(Enter 2, Two)

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DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT
FR:
Observe or ask
Does the unit have an outside entrance, patio
doors, or windows, etc., on the ground level - or
outside stairs leading directly to this unit?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY
FR:
Ask if unsure
Is this unit in a gated or walled community that
restricts access by non-residents or requires entry
codes, key cards, or security guard approval to
access?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
RESTRICTEDACCESS
FR:

R:

Ask if unsure
Is this unit in a building that requires a special entry
system such as entry codes, key cards, or security
guard approval to access?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here? Start with the name of the person or
the people who rents this home.

R:

I’m the only one who lives here. My name is Jason
Doe.

(Enter Jason)

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HHROSTER_LNAME (Enter Doe)
SEX

FR:

Ask if necessary.
Is Jason Doe male or female?

R:

Male.

(Enter 1, Male)
HHMEMBER

FR:

Does Jason Doe usually live here?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:

What are the names of all the other people living or
staying here?

R:

There is no one else.

(Enter 999, then press Enter)
HHLDCOVERAGE

FR:

Have I missed anyone else living or staying here such
as any babies, any lodgers, or anyone who is away
at present traveling or in the hospital?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
PICK1STHHRESP

(Enter 1, line number of Jason Doe)

BRTHDATEMO

FR:

What is your date of birth?

R:

September 16, 1978

(Enter 9, September)
BRTHDATEDY

(Enter 16)

BRTHDATEYR

(Enter 1978)

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FR:

That would make you 38 years old. Is that correct?

R:

Yes.

(TRAINEES may read a different age than displayed if training is
conducted after 2017.)
(Enter 1, Yes)
MARITAL

FR:

If in doubt, ask
Are you now married, widowed, divorced, separated
or have you never been married?

R:

I’ve never been married.

(Enter 5, Never married)
ARMEDFORCES

FR:

Are you now in the Armed Forces?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN FR:

R:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school you completed or
the highest degree you received?
I really don’t have time to answer any more questions.
(Interrupt and say)

The respondent tells you that he doesn’t have the time to answer any more
questions right now and closes the door. You must exit this case.

______, what do we need to press to exit the case? (F10)

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At the next screen, REFCBBREAK_CP, what should we enter?

(Enter 3, Breakoff)
(Enter 2 at VERIFY)

At the “Case Level Notes Editor” record that the respondent, Jason Doe, broke off
the interview and you need to recontact the household to complete his interview.

(Allow time)

Now press the F10 function key or click on the F10 icon on the toolbar to exit the
"Notes Editor.” Next, click the “Yes” button to the save the notes entered. (Pause)

Now let’s update the pCHI. We need to record the contact attempt with Jason. Since
this is an incoming case and no roster existed before, you’ll see that pCHI knows
this is a one person household, based on the data it gets from the NCVS instrument.
Follow along now in the pCHI.

CTATEMPT

(Enter 1, personal interview)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1, Yes)

CASECONTACT

(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons)

CONTACTPER

(Enter 1, contact, made contact with Jason Doe)

CTTYPE

(Enter 2, partial interview)

Since we started but did not complete Jason’s NCVS interview we code this contact
attempt as a partial interview in pCHI.

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Q:

Which precode or precodes do we enter at PNONINTER?

A:

“Respondent is reluctant,” since he said he didn’t have time for more question
and closed the door before you could set up a callback appointment.

NONINTER

(Enter 2, respondent is reluctant)

Q:

Which precode or precodes do we enter at PRSPNDENT?

A:

Precode 2, “Too busy,” and Precode 9, “Hangup/slams door on FR)

RSPNDENT

(Enter 2, Too busy, and 9, Hangup/slams door on FR)

STRATEGS

(Enter 1, Advanced letter given, and 99, Other-specify)

STRATOTH

(Write in “Request Better Understanding Letter”)

In the next part of this exercise you will practice collecting incidents that are a series.
Remember, series incidents are incidents of 6 or more that all occurred during the
respondent's 6-month reference period, were reported all in the same screen item,
are all very similar in nature, and the respondent can't describe them separately in
enough detail.

Now let’s get back into the previous case, 502 Stuart St., to complete Jason Doe’s
interview. On your return visit to the household a couple of days later you find Jason
Doe at home.

____________, please be our FR. Remember to tell us what you enter at each
screen as you go through the interview.

START_CP

(Enter 3, Personal interview)

GEN_INTRO_CP

(Enter 1, Respondent available)

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(Interrupt and say)

You don’t need to re-ask the respondent questions that were answered when you
conducted the interview earlier. Therefore, press the “END” key to resume the
interview at the question where the interview was terminated. For this case, the
interview ended at the EDUCATIONATTAIN question.

_________, please continue the interview.

EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school you completed or
the highest degree you received?

R:

I have a Bachelor’s degree.

(Enter 16, Bachelor’s degree)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:

R:

Are you currently attending or enrolled either full-time
or part-time in a college or university, trade or
vocational school?
No.

(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
SP_ORIGIN

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Are you Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
RACE

FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Please choose one or more races that you consider

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yourself to be
-----R:

White
Black or African American
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

I’m White.

(Enter 1, White)
ROSTERREVIEW

(Enter 1, Yes)

TIMEATADDRESS

FR:

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some
questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.
How long have you lived at this address?

R:

6 years.

(Enter 6)
BUSINESS

FR:

Does anyone in this household operate a business
from this address?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFT

FR:

I'm going to read some examples that will give you an
idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.
As I go through them, tell me if any of these
happened to you in the last 6 months, that is, since
(date).
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as --

Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,

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-------

purse, briefcase, bookClothing, jewelry, or cellphoneBicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
toolsThings outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furnitureThings belonging to children in the householdThings from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs-

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQBREAKIN

FR:

Has anyone --

--

Broken in or ATTEMPTED to break into your
home by forcing a door or a window, pushing
past someone, jimmying a lock, cutting a
screen, or entering through an open door or
window?
Has anyone illegally gotten in or tried to get
into a garage, shed, or storage room?

OR
--

Illegally gotten in or tried to get into a hotel or
motel room or vacation home where you were
staying?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQTOTALVEHICLES
FR:

What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or
any member of that household during the last 6
months? Includes those you no longer own.

R:

Just one car.

(Enter 1)
SQMVTHEFT

FR:

During the last 6 months, was the vehicle ----

Stolen or used without permission?
Did anyone steal any parts such as a tire, car
stereo, hubcap or battery?
Did anyone steal any gas from them?

OR
--

Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal any vehicle or
parts attached to them?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQATTACKWHERE

FR:

Since (date), were you attacked or threatened OR did
you have something stolen from you -----

At home including the porch or yardAt or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
homeAt work or schoolIn places such as a storage shed or laundry

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room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airportWhile riding in any vehicleOn the street or in a parking lotAt such places as a party, theater, gym,
picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or
hunting-

----

OR
-

Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to you from any of these
places?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
SQATTACKWHERETIMES
FR:
How many times?
R:

It’s happened about 10 times.

(Enter 10)
SQATTACKWHERESPEC
FR:
R:

What happened?
Someone kept taking my newspaper off my porch.

(Enter: Newspaper taken from L1’s porch 10 times.)
SQATTACKHOW

FR:

Other than any incidents already mentioned, has
anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these
ways ---

With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knifeWith anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick-

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-----

By something thrown, such as a rock or bottleInclude any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attackAny face to face threats-

OR
--

Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone
at all? Please mention it even if you are not
certain it was a crime.

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Other than any incidents already
mentioned, did you have something stolen from you
or were you attacked or threatened by -----

Someone at work or schoolA neighbor or friendA relative or family memberAny other person you have met or known?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQSEXUAL

FR:

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts
are often difficult to talk about. Other than any incidents
already mentioned, have you been forced or coerced
to engage in unwanted sexual activity by -

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---

Someone you didn't knowA casual acquaintance-

OR
--

Someone you know well?

Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:

R:

During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did you call the police to report
something that happened to YOU which you thought
was a crime?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s)
already mentioned, did anything which you thought
was a crime happen to YOU, but you did NOT report
to the police?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)

This is the end of the screen questions for Jason Doe. No one besides the
respondent was present for the screen questions so at the PRESENTFORSQS
screen enter 12.

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The INC_REPORTS screen tells you that 10 incidents were reported by the
respondent. Enter 1 to continue the interview.

___________, please continue with the incident questions.
INCIDENTINTRO

FR:

You said before that during the last 6 months your
newspaper was taken from the porch 10 times.

(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATE

FR:

In what month did this incident happen?

R:

March.

(For training, make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the
reference period.)
(Enter 3, March)
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR:
Ask or verify
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident
happen during the last 6 months?
R:

About 10 times.

(Enter 10)
INCIDENTSIMILAR

RECALLDETAILS

FR:

If unsure ask
Are these incidents similar to each other in detail or
are they for different types of crimes?

R:

They are similar to one another.

(Enter 1, Similar)
FR:
If unsure ask
Can you recall enough details of each incident to
distinguish them from each other?

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R:

No I cant.

(Enter 2, No (is a series))
INCIDENTTIME

FR:

The following questions refer only to the most recent
incident.
About what time did the most recent incident
happen?
(Interrupt and say)

This screen contains an introductory statement only displayed when there is a
series of incidents, determined when item RECALLDETAILS is coded (2), “No (is a
series).” The introduction tells the respondent that we only want to collect data about
the most recent incident.
R:

It happened sometime before I left for work in the
morning probably around 6 o'clock.

(Enter 11, After 6 a.m. – 12 noon)
INCIDENTPLACE

FR:

In what city, town or village did this incident occur?

R:

Right here in Any Town.

(Enter 3, Same city/town/village as present residence)
INCIDENTAIR

FR:

Did this incident occur on an American Indian
Reservation or on American Indian Lands?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
LOCATION_GENERAL
FR:

Did this incident happen…

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--R:

In your home or lodging?
Near your home or lodging?

It happened on my porch.
(Interrupt and say)

You need to probe to find out if the porch is enclosed or unenclosed. Enclosed
structures on the respondent's property, such as an enclosed porch, garage, or
shed, are included in category 11 as being IN the respondent's home or lodging.
Unenclosed structures on the respondent's property are included in category 12,
Near home or lodging.

FR:

Is this an enclosed or unenclosed porch?

R:

Unenclosed.

(Enter 12, Near your home or lodging)
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME
FR:

Ask or verify
Where near your home or lodging did this incident
happen?

(If FR reads the question as worded, remind them they can verify the
answer without asking the full question because the answer has already
been given.)
R:

On my porch.

(Enter 15, Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, etc.)
Notice the pop-up that appears. It asks, “Did this happen in a garage? If yes, was
the garage attached or detached?” In this example, the incident did not happen in a

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garage, so click “Suppress.” __________, please continue.
INSIDEOROUT

FR:

Ask or verify
Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?

R:

Outdoors.

(Enter 2, Outdoors)
FARFROMHOME

FR:

Ask or verify
How far away from home did this happen?

R:

It was at my home.

(Enter 1, At, in, or near the building containing the
respondent’s home or next door)

HHMEMBERPRESENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Were you or any other household member present
when this incident occurred?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
Notice that we have another pop-up screen: “Verify whether or not the respondent
or another household member was at the immediate scene of the crime during the
incident. If after verifying presence, you determine they were present, press the
Close or Goto button. If after verifying presence, you determine they were not
present, press the suppress button.” You must verify that the household member
was in fact not present. After you verify, click “Suppress.”
KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS
FR:
Do you know or have you learned anything about the
offender for instance, whether there was one or more
than one offender involved, whether it was someone

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young or old, or male or female?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
THEFT

FR:

Ask or verify
Was something stolen or taken without permission
that belonged to you or others in the household?

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
WHATWASTAKEN

FR:

Ask or verify
What was taken that belonged to you or others in the
household?

R:

Newspaper.

(Enter 36, Other specify)
FR:

Anything else?

R:

No.

(Press Enter)
WHATWASTAKEN_SPEC
(Enter “Newspaper”)
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR:
Did the stolen property belong to you personally, to
someone else in the household, or to both you and
other household members?
R:

The newspaper belonged to me.

(Enter 1, Respondent only)
ARTICLEINCAR

FR:

Ask or verify

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Was the article IN or ATTACHED to a motor vehicle
when it was taken?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
OTHERONPERSON

FR:

Ask or verify
Was there anything the offender took directly from
you, for instance, from your pocket or hands, or
something that you were wearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
PROPERTYVALUE FR:

R:

What was the value of the PROPERTY that was
taken? Include recovered property (If jointly owned
with nonhousehold members, include only share
owned by household members.)
A dollar.

(Enter 1)
DECIDEDVALUE

FR:

How did you decide the value of the property that
was taken?

R:

That’s the cost of the paper each day.

(Enter 11, Original cost)
FR:
R:

Any other way?
No.

(Press Enter)
ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:

Was all or part of the stolen property recovered, not
counting anything received from insurance?

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R:

No.

(Enter 3, None)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DAMAGED

FR:

Other than any stolen property, was anything that
belonged to you or other members of the household
damaged in this incident?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
POLICEINFORMED FR:

R:

Were the police informed or did they find out about
this incident in any way?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
FR:

R:

What was the reason it was not reported to the
police?
Because it was so minor.

(Enter 13, Minor or unsuccessful crime)
FR:

Any other reason?

R:

No.

(Press Enter)
AGENCYHELP

FR:

Did you or someone in your household receive any
help or advice from any office or agency -- other than

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the police -- that deals with victims of crime?
R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
What were you doing when this incident happened?
Probably sleeping.

(Enter 18, Sleeping)
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:

R:

Ask or verify
Did you have a job at the time of the incident?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME
FR:

R:

Did you lose any time from work because of this
incident for such things as cooperating with a police
investigation, testifying in court, or repairing or
replacing damaged or stolen property?
No.

(Enter 6, None)
SERIESNUMTIMES FR:

R:

You have told me about the most recent incident.
How many times did this kind of thing happen to you
during the last 6 months?
About 10 times.

(Enter 10)
(Interrupt and say)

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The next questions ask about the series of incidents. In the production instrument,
the respondent will be asked what month or months the incidents took place. These are
not on path in the training instrument.

_____________, please continue.
SERIESLOCATION FR:

R:

Did all, some, or none of these incidents occur in the
same place?
They all happened in the same place.

(Enter 1, All in the same place)
SERIESOFFENDER FR:

R:

Were all, some, or none of these incidents done by
the same person(s)?
I don’t know.

(Enter 4, Don’t know)
SAMETHINGEACHTIME
FR:
R:

Did the same thing happen each time?
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
TROUBLEONGOING
FR:

Is the trouble still going on?

R:

No.

(Enter 2, No)
WHATENDEDIT

FR:

What ended it?

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R:

I don't know.

(Press Ctrl+D, then press Enter)
(Interrupt and say)

In the next screen, SERIESCONTACTORNOT, you are asked to select the
explanation that best describes the series of crimes reported. If more than one
category describes the series of incidents, enter the precode with the lowest
number. For example, if categories 21 and 22 apply, select category 21. For this
series of crimes, only one category applies. Enter 21 at this screen.

____________, please continue the interview.

INCIDENTHATECRIME
FR:

Hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry occur
when offenders target people because of one or more
of their characteristics or religious beliefs.
Do you have any reason to suspect the incident just
discussed was a hate crime or crime of prejudice or
bigotry?

R:

I really don’t know.

(Press Ctrl+D, then press Enter)
(Interrupt and say)

Now write a summary about the incident. Remember to answer the WHO, WHAT,
WHEN, WHERE, and HOW questions, such as who the offender was, who did the
property belong to, what happened, what the respondent was doing, where it

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happened, and so on.

(Allow time)

Your summary should include the following:
SUMMARY:

Newspaper stolen from L1 unenclosed front porch 10x
throughout last 6 mos while L1 was asleep, value $1,
belonged to L1 only, not reported to police, L1 not
present, no injury, no insurance

At the SUMMARYPROBE screen you don't need to edit or enter any more summary
text, so enter 1 to continue the interview.

We will continue the interview for this case in the next practice exercise so keep the
case open. But first, are there any questions about what we have covered so far with
handling series incidents?

(Answer questions)

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PRACTICE EXERCISE #15 – Adding an Incident
Case ID: 00000001
(Approximate time: 15 minutes)

Now let’s continue Jason Doe’s interview. During the interview, he recalled that
someone stole his car tools, which he hadn't reported in the screen questions. At
the INCIDENTTOADD screen, enter 1 indicating that another incident is needed
for this person.

The next screen, INCIDENTNUMTOADD, asks you how many incidents you want
to add. Since the respondent mentioned only one incident, enter 1 at this screen.
(Pause)

Now, in INCIDENTTOADDWHY enter a description of the incident you are adding.
For example, enter L1's car tools stolen.

(Enter 1 at ENDINCIDENT)
(Enter 1 at ENDSCREENER)
(Allow time)

Now we’ll complete an incident report for the newly added incident.

_________, please continue the interview.

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FR:

You said before that during the last 6 months your car
tools were stolen.

(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATE

FR:

In what month did this incident happen?

R:

September.

(For training, make sure the month the incident occurred falls OUTSIDE
the reference period.)
(Enter 9)
FR:

Did you say September?

R:

Yes.
(Interrupt and say)

Remember, when you enter a month that is outside the reference period, a soft edit
pops up for you to verify with the respondent the answer provided. Since the
respondent confirmed that his answer is correct, click on the “Suppress” button to
accept the entry.

_________, please continue.
OSINCNOTNEEDED

FR:

We are only asking about crimes that happened
during the last 6 months. We will not collect
information on this incident.

(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATEPROBE
FR:

Did you have anything like this happen between
(date) and (date)?

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R:

No.

(Enter 2, Deletes the current incident entered)
(Interrupt and say)

At the INC_REDUCE screen, you need to explain why the incident is being deleted,
such as the incident is out-of-scope or outside the reference period. Enter a reason.

(Allow time)

At the INCIDENTTOADD screen enter 2 since you don't have any more incidents to
add. (Pause) The next screen, CRIME_END, tells you that you have completed all
incident reports for Jason Doe. Enter 1 to continue. Also, enter 1 at the
ENDINCIDENT screen and a 1 at the ENDSCREENER screen, which tells you that
there are no more incidents to report. (Pause)

Now complete the incident unduplication screens.

INTRO_UNDUP

(Enter 1 to continue)

UNDUP_DONE

(Enter 1 to continue)
(Allow time)

___________, please continue the interview with the socio-demographic questions.

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INTRO_SOCIO_DEMO
FR:

Now we have some questions
demographic characteristics.

about

your

(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING

FR:

Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
VISION

FR:

Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing
even when wearing glasses?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT

FR:

Walking or climbing stairs?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
DRESS_BATH

FR:

Dressing or bathing?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)

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FR:

Because of a physical, mental or emotional
condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone
such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

R:

No.

(Enter 2)
CITIZENSHIP

FR:

Are you a citizen of the United States? That is, were
you born in the United States, born in a U.S. territory,
born of U.S. citizen parent(s), or become a citizen of
the U.S. through naturalization?

R:

Yes, I was born in the U.S.

(Enter 1)
ORIENTATION_MALE
FR:

Which of the following best represents how you think
of yourself?
------

R:

Gay
Straight, that is, not gay
Bisexual
Something else
I don’t know the answer

Straight.

(Enter 2)
GENID_BIRTH

FR:

What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original
birth certificate?

R:

Male.

(Enter 1)
GENID_DESCRIBE FR:

Do you currently describe yourself as male, female
or transgender?

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R:

Male.

(Enter 1)
ACTIVE_DUTY

FR:

Have you ever served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?

R:

No.

(Enter 1)

JOBLASTWEEK

FR:

Did you have a job or work at a business LAST
WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work
around the house.

R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
JOBDESCRIPTION FR:

(SHOWFLASHCARD)
Ask or verify
Which of the following best describes your job?
Were you employed in the –
Medical Profession?
Mental Health Services Field?
Teaching Profession?
Law Enforcement or Security Field?
Retail Sales?
Transportation Field?
Something else?

R:

It’s something else. I’m a real estate agent.

(Enter 17,Something else)
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC
(Enter “Real estate agent”)

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EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT
FR:
Ask or verify
Is your job with a private company, business, or
individual for wages?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Private company, business, or individual for
wages)
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
FR:
R:

Are you employed by a college or university?
No.

(Enter 2, No)
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE
FR:

While working at your job, do you work mostly in ----

A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?

OR
-R:

Combination of these?

Suburbs.

(Enter 2, Suburban area)
INTVDONE

(Enter 1 to continue)

HOUSEHOLDINCOME
FR:

(SHOW FLASHCARD)
Which category represents the TOTAL combined
income of all members of this HOUSEHOLD during
the past 12 months? This includes money from jobs,
net income from business, farm or rent, pensions,
dividends, interest, Social Security payments, and
any other money income received by members of this

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HOUSEHOLD who are 14 years of age or older.
R:

Its about $32,000.

(Enter 20, $30,000-$34,999)
TELEPHONEINUNIT FR:

R:

Is there a telephone in this home? Please include cell
phones, regular phones, and any other type of
telephone service.
Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
TELEPHONENUMBERFIRST
FR:
What is the telephone number?
R:

991-555-1134.

(Enter 9915551134)
TELEPHONETYPE1ST
FR:

R:

What type of phone is this for example, a home,
office, or cell phone?
Home.

(Enter 1, Home)
TELEPHONECK

(Enter 2, No, you don't want to ask for a second phone
number)

TELEPHONEACCEPTABLE
FR:
Is a telephone interview acceptable?
R:

Yes.

(Enter 1, Yes)
(Interrupt and say)

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The respondent doesn’t mention any specific day or time to call the household, so
at the BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY screen enter 1 to continue.

__________, please continue the interview.
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
FR:

R:

Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a
language other than English?
No

(Enter 2, No)
ENDPERSON

(Enter 1 to continue)

THANKYOU_CP

FR:

Six months from now we will be contacting you again.
Thank you for your time. You’ve been very helpful.

(Enter 1 to continue)
At the VERIFY screen enter 2 since you don’t need to make any changes to the
telephone number and you don’t need to access the Interview Time Preferences
application. At the “Case Level Notes Editor,” enter that you completed L1’s
interview, then press the F10 function key to exit the “Notes Editor,” and complete
pCHI and return to Case Management. __________, please lead us through the
pCHI screens.
CTATEMPT

(Enter 1, Personal interview)

TIMEOFCT

(Enter 1, Yes)

pCASECONTACT

(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons)

PCONTACTPER

(Enter 1, made contact with Jason Doe)

pCTTYPE

(Enter 1, completed interview)

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pRSPNDENT

(Enter 98, no concerns)

pSTRATEGS

(Enter 98, no strategies)
(Allow time)

This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)

PRACTICE EXERCISE #16 – Accessing the NCVS CAPI Spanish Instrument
Case ID: 00000003
(Approximate time: 10 minutes)

This next practice exercise covers accessing the Spanish NCVS CAPI instrument.
Highlight the case 611 Produce St. If you recall, this was a replacement household.
You started to interview John Zoe, who was the original household respondent, but
because he was unable to complete the interview you selected a new household
respondent, Maria Zoe, since she was present and willing to complete her interview
at the time of your visit. Since your initial contact with the household respondent was
by personal visit, survey procedures allow you to finish interviews with remaining
household members by telephone. Rosa Nombre, Maria's mother, still needs to be
interviewed, in addition to John Zoe.

Get into the CAPI instrument for this case.

(Allow time)

At the START_CP screen notice that the “Case Status” no longer says “New Case.”

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_______________, please read what is now displayed for “Case Status.”
(TRAINEE: Household respondent complete)
Thank you.

Since you completed the household respondent’s interview, the status for this case
changed. As mentioned earlier in training, the “Case Status” measures the progress
of the case throughout the interview process.

Now enter 1, Telephone interview, at the START_CP screen. (Pause) At the next
screen, look at the STATUS column, which tells you the interview status of each
eligible household member. Notice that John Zoe’s interview status says “Need
Self” rather than “Partial.”

This is because his interview ended before the

TIMEATADDRESS question. Maria Zoe’s interview is done and Rosa Nombre’s
interview has not been started (“Need self” is noted in the STATUS column).
(Pause)

Now enter

a 1 at the

SHOW_CP_ROSTER screen

and

also

at the

SHOW_INFO_CP screen.

(Allow time)

At the WHOTOCALL_CP screen, enter 3, Rosa Nombre's line number. (Pause) At
the DIAL_CP screen someone answers the phone so enter 1. (Pause) At the
HELLO_1_CP screen you introduce yourself to the person who answers the
telephone and ask to speak with Rosa Nombre. The person you are speaking to tells
you in Spanish that she does not speak English. If you speak Spanish, you can

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toggle to the NCVS Spanish instrument to continue the interview.

Let's take a look at the NCVS Spanish instrument. At the HELLO_1_CP screen,
press the SHIFT and F5 keys. (Pause) At the “Form Languages” screen arrow down
to “ESP” which is the name for the NCVS Spanish instrument. Then click OK.
(Pause) Notice that the question text is now in Spanish. Another way to access the
Spanish instrument is to press “Options” in the toolbar and then choose “Language.” In
some screens in the Spanish instrument, the answer categories that need to be read
to the respondent are also in Spanish; however, for this section they are not because
the categories do not need to be read to the respondent. You are ready to complete
the interview in Spanish.

Let's go through a couple of screens in the Spanish instrument. You are speaking
to Rosa Nombre so enter 1. This is the correct person at the HELLO_1_CP screen.
(Pause) At the INTRO_REC_CP screen, the respondent agrees to be interviewed
so enter 1 to proceed with the interview. At the VERADD_CP enter 1 to verify that
Rosa lives at the same address. Next, at the NEXTPERSON screen enter 3 to select
Rosa to be interviewed. Enter 1 at the INTERVIEWSTATUS screen to continue the
interview.

You are now ready to begin asking the survey questions starting with the
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT question. For this exercise, let's assume that Rosa
Nombre tells you she really doesn't have the time right now to complete the
interview and to call her back later around 8 o'clock. Before you set a callback
appointment for Rosa Nombre, let's practice how to toggle back to the English
version of the NCVS CAPI instrument. You don't need to be back into the English
version of the instrument to exit the case or to set a callback appointment. The intent
of this exercise is to show you how to toggle or move between instruments.

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Press the SHIFT and F5 keys or press “Options” and then “Languages.” Then arrow
up to “ENG.” (Pause) Click OK to return to the English NCVS CAPI instrument.

Now let's set a call back appointment for Rosa Nombre. Press the F10 function key.
At the REFCBBREAK_CP screen enter 2, Callback. Then at the PERSAPPT
screen press Ctrl+F7 to enter appointment information for Rosa Nombre in the Case
Level Notes. Enter a note that you need to call back Rosa Nombre to complete her
interview and that she is a Spanish speaking respondent. When you are done
entering a note, exit the Notes Editor and be sure to save the information entered,
then enter 1 at PERSAPPT to continue.

At the THANKYOU_INDV screen enter 1 after thanking the respondent. (Pause)
Now, enter 2 at the VERIFY screen. (Pause) At the “Case Level Notes Editor” if you
have any other notes you want to enter you can do that now, otherwise press F10
to exit to return to the pCHI, then the “Case List.” For this exercise we won’t fill out
the pCHI, so at CTATEMPT, enter Precode (4), “Not attempting contact.” At
NOATTEMPT enter Precode (6), “Opened case/CHI by mistake”.

(Allow time)

Although you still need to complete John Zoe’s interview, for this exercise you are
not going to get back into the case to complete his interview. This concludes this
exercise. Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

(Continue to the next chapter)

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Performance and Supervisory Topics

Chapter 9 – Performance and Supervisory Topics
(Approximate time: 1 hour)

Instructor Preparation:
•
•

Review the RO procedures on the measures used to evaluate the
performance of NCVS field representatives.
Review other RO administrative topics not covered in Chapter 2.

Objectives:
•

Provide trainees with an understanding of the measures in place to evaluate
their performance as NCVS field representatives.

The final part of this training covers the production and quality standards expected
of you, as well as other administrative topics and a paired practice interview.

As an NCVS field representative, there are established measures for various
elements of your job. Your performance is evaluated based on these measures. The
success of the NCVS depends on accurate and complete information. We count on
you, our field representatives, to help us succeed in this effort.

We hope that you will always strive for the highest level of quality and productivity in
your NCVS work. We also realize that a new field representative cannot be expected
to start out with an outstanding performance rating. However, we expect you to do
your best and to improve as you gain more interviewing experience using the NCVS
CAPI instrument. Your work will be monitored and measured. Your supervisor will
provide frequent feedback and direction about your work and its quality.

This survey operates on a fixed budget. The only way we can conduct the NCVS on
schedule and within budget is with your cooperation. We depend on you to conduct

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your work accurately and efficiently. Completing a sufficient number of NCVS
interviews within the specified interview period is not only important from a cost
standpoint, but also is essential for meeting the survey’s processing schedules.

The following are some pointers for saving survey costs and time without sacrificing
accuracy:
• With the exception of holidays, always begin your assignment on the first
working day of the month. Schedule your work so that your assignment is
completed before the closeout date for the interview month.
• Conduct interviews with units in sample for their second through seventh
interview by telephone. We realize that there are times when this is not
possible, such as when the unit is a Type A or Type B noninterview the
previous enumeration, there is no telephone available in the sample unit, or
the household said a telephone interview is not acceptable.
• Begin your telephone work first. In the process of doing the telephone
interview cases first, you may discover some replacement households as
well as some other situations where it becomes necessary to make a
personal visit. Because of these possible personal visits, it is extremely
important that you try to complete the telephone interviewing within the first
few days of the interview period. Since the primary purpose of the telephone
procedure is to save money by reducing travel costs, Do NOT go out to a
sample unit until you have attempted to complete telephone interviewing of
all the households that qualify for a telephone interview.
• To reduce travel costs, plan your travel route so you can do your NCVS work
and move from one case to another using the least amount of time and
mileage. Try to plan your personal visits during the most productive hours of
the day and days of the week, so you can find household members at home
and reduce the number of return visits to a sample address. Evening hours

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and weekends tend to be most productive in areas where a majority of the
household members work outside the home.
• Make the fewest number of trips to a sample area as possible to complete
your assignment. If you need to make personal visit callbacks in a sample
area where you still have some initial visits, try to complete these interviews
in one trip. If no one is at home at the time of your visit, try to find out the best
time to contact the household before you leave the sample area. You can
inquire of neighbors, apartment managers, janitors, and the like, but you
cannot mention the survey name to these people.
• After completing the household

respondent’s interview, always try to

complete interviews for all remaining eligible household members during the
same contact. Any follow-up contacts to interview remaining household
members should be done by telephone. For sample units that must be
interviewed

during a personal visit, if you complete the household

respondent’s personal interview, you may make telephone callbacks to get
interviews with the remaining household members.
• Become familiar with the sequence of the items in the NCVS instrument and
understand how to enter answers on each NCVS screen so the interview
flows smoothly.

For each interview month, we calculate the response rates for

your NCVS

interviewing assignment. This includes
• Household Response Rates – your Type As,
• Person-Level Response Rates – your Type Zs, and
• NCVS Supplement Response Rates.

The household response rates take into consideration how many interviews you were
able to complete from all eligible sample addresses assigned to you (excluding Type

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B and C noninterviews). Person-level response rates take into consideration how
many interviews you were able to complete from all eligible household members.
The NCVS supplement response rates take into consideration how many
supplement interviews you were able to complete for all eligible individuals. You can
find more detailed information on response rates on pages A4-7 thru A4-9 of your
NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives on your laptop.

By reviewing your response rates, you and your supervisor can track how effective
you are at obtaining interviews. The NCVS prides itself on having high response
rates. Maintaining such response rates is essential to ensure that the NCVS and
supplement data are representative of the entire U.S. population. Failure to interview
all eligible household members can introduce a serious bias into the survey. For
example, sample persons who are difficult to contact or who resist being interviewed
could have very different victimization experiences than those sample persons who
are easy to contact and interview.

There are a number of other performance measures. Data quality indicators are
incorporated into your performance plan; your supervisor will go over them with you when
you go over your performance plan together. The indicators are intended to help you
achieve a fully successful performance review while aligning your performance with the
sponsor’s and the Census Bureau’s goals of improving and maintaining NCVS data
quality. The indicators may change from time to time. These indicators include
• pCHI completion,
• time to administer screener questions,
• time to administer crime incident questions,
• monitoring when interviews are conducted outside of normal operating hours,
• monitoring when you begin your assignment during the interview month, and
• monitoring the quality of the crime incident data you collect.

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Now, I will take a moment to briefly explain each of these.

You should complete the pCHI for each contact you attempt. This helps you demonstrate
the level of effort you invested in achieving the specific disposition of the case. Not
completing pCHI misrepresents the level of effort you invested in a case.

You must read questions as worded. The time goal for going through the screener
questions with the household respondent is at least 4 minutes and at least 3.5 minutes
for all other eligible household members. Other eligible household members receive less
questions than the household respondent, hence, the lower time goal. The time goal for
going through the crime incident questions is 10 minutes for a violent crime and 8
minutes for all other crimes.

The time of day you conduct your interviews will also be monitored. While there may
be a legitimate reason for an NCVS interview to be conducted at 2 a.m. on occasion, FRs
who consistently conduct interviews at odd hours require further investigation and
explanation of the circumstances.

It is important to begin working your NCVS cases early.

When you begin your

assignment during the interview month will be monitored. This helps identify FRs that
are beginning their assignment (or a large percentage of it) so late in the interview month
that it may jeopardize the FR’s ability to maximize household and person response.

The quality of the crime incident data you collect is also monitored. All crime incidents
are reviewed once the data is collected. If critical items are mismarked that effect the
classification of a crime, you will get specific feedback from an NCVS supervisor.

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In fact, for all of these data quality indicators I mentioned, you will get feedback
from an NCVS supervisor if it appears you aren’t meeting quality expectations.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

Periodically, a portion of your assignment is eligible for reinterview. Remember,
reinterview is a method we use to evaluate your performance independently. An
independent Census Bureau interviewer reinterviews a portion of your assignment for
the interview month. The reinterviewer contacts some of the same households that
you have already contacted. The reinterview answers are compared against the
original answers that you recorded, differences are identified, and reasons for the
differences are determined. The reinterviewer verifies that the correct sample units
were interviewed, you properly followed procedures during interviews, and any
noninterviews were classified accurately.

In some cases, the extent and type of errors identified may require a special needs
observation and/or retraining.

Are there any questions?

(Answer questions)

If you have any other questions after you leave this training session, all the
information we discussed can be found in detail in your other NCVS materials – the
NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives on your laptop, the NCVS554 Information Card Booklet, and the NCVS-550.1 “At a Glance.” I encourage you

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to use all of these manuals and job aids if you ever have any questions about the
survey. If after consulting all your NCVS materials, you still can’t find an answer to
your question, get in touch with (me/your supervisor). Are there any questions about
these survey materials?

(Answer questions)

To conclude this chapter, we’re going to talk about some other topics that are of
concern for this regional office.

(Cover any other topics that you feel are important to the survey and the
relationship between the survey supervisor and the FR. Emphasize the
importance of the telephone communication process between the FRs
and the RO staff. Ask the FRs for suggestions on making survey
operations run smoothly.)

(Answer questions. Allow time for discussion.)

(If necessary, continue to Chapter 10, “2010 Redesign and Coverage” for new
hires who have not had the 2010 redesign and coverage training.
Otherwise, go to Chapter 11, “Paired Practice Interview”.)

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2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage

Chapter 10 – 2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage
(Approximate time: 1 hour)
Instructor Preparation:
•

Make sure each trainee has a copy of the 11-925, 2010 Redesign New Hire Listing
and Coverage Training (Classroom Workbook).

Objectives:
•

Introduce the trainees to the concept of Listing and Coverage.

Materials Needed:
•

11-924, 2010 Redesign New Hire Listing and Coverage Training (Training Guide)

11-924, New Hire Listing and Coverage Training (Training Guide)

If training NEW FRs on 2010 redesign topics, follow along with the 11-924, New
Hire Listing and Coverage Training (Training Guide). If there are no new FRs who
require this training, go on to Chapter 11. Otherwise, after this chapter, go on to
Chapter 11.

As of September 2017, FLD Training is in the process of updating generic initial
training for FRs to include a CLC exercise titled "LiMA Training - Locating Sample
Units (Stateside)." Once this is implemented, you will no longer need to review the
11-924 with NEW FRs.

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Paired Practice Interview

Chapter 11 – Paired Practice Interview
(Approximate time: 2 hours)
Instructor Preparation:
•

Make sure all trainees are logged into their laptops and using AC power. (Ensure all
trainees have access to electrical outlets to plug in their laptop computers. If necessary,
assist the trainees using extension cords or adaptors and connection to outlets in the
training room.)

Objective:
•

Provide trainees experience administering the survey and recording answers.

Materials Needed:
Trainee
• Laptop Computer
• Function Key Template
• NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook
• NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet
• NCVS-572(L) Introductory Letter

You will now have the opportunity to administer an NCVS interview. I will pair you
up and you will each have a chance to be the FR and the respondent.
(Pair up trainees, if they need to move, ensure that they bring their materials
with them.)
Turn to page 20 in your NCVS CAPI Classroom Workbook.

(If you are short on time, use Case ID 2 (286 Erasmus Dr) instead of Case ID 1
(502 Stuart St). In Case ID 2, trainees will not need to build a roster and will
instead just interview the 1 household member already listed; trainees
should follow the other information given in the workbook besides the first 4
bulleted items.)

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Follow the instructions for the paired practice interview. Please let me know if you
have any questions. Once you have fully completed the interview with the details
provided in your workbook, you may switch roles.

(Answer any questions that trainees have during and after the paired practice
interview. After answering all questions, conclude the training.)

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File Typeapplication/pdf
AuthorAndrea N Harrison (CENSUS/FLD FED)
File Modified2019-01-31
File Created2017-09-14

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