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pdfNCVS Attachments – Table of Contents
NCVS Control Card ................................................................................................................ 1
CAPI Screenshot of OMB Number and Expiration Date........................................................ 10
NCVS-110 (Factsheet) ........................................................................................................... 11
NCVS-110_SP (Spanish Factsheet) ........................................................................................ 13
NCVS-521 (CAPI Self-Study) .................................................................................................. 15
NCVS-522 (Initial Training Guide) ......................................................................................... 227
NCVS-522.1 (Initial Training Workbook) ............................................................................... 677
NCVS-541 (Reinterview Instrument)..................................................................................... 698
NCVS-546 (Reinterview Manual) .......................................................................................... 739
NCVS-547 (Reinterivew Self-Study) ...................................................................................... 769
NCVS-550 (CAPI Manual) ...................................................................................................... 851
NCVS-570 (Regional Office Manual) ..................................................................................... 1832
NCVS-572s (Initial Contact Letter – Regional and Different Languages) .............................. 2240
NCVS-573s (Follow-up Interview Letter)............................................................................... 2262
NCVS-593s (Thank You Letter) .............................................................................................. 2276
NCVS-594s (Final Interview Thank You Letter) ..................................................................... 2278
NCVS-1 (Screening Instrument) ............................................................................................ 2280
NCVS-2 (Incident Report) ...................................................................................................... 2291
TENURE
Ask or verify:
Are your living quarters...
1.
2.
3.
Read answer categories.
Owned or being bought by ^YOU_NAME or someone in
^YOUR_HIS_HER household?
Rented for cash?
Occupied without payment of cash rent?
STUDENTHOUSING
If apparent, enter precode without asking.
1.
2.
Are ^YOUR_NAME living quarters presently used as student housing
by a college or university?
Yes
No
1.
2.
Is this building owned by a public housing authority?
Yes, public housing
No, not public housing
1.
2.
3.
4.
If possible, verify PUBLICHOUSING entry of 1 (Yes) with the manager of
building.
Able to verify Public housing
Not public housing
Unable to verify Telephone
Other - Specify
PUBLICHOUSING
PUBLICHOUSING
MGRVERIFY
PUBLICHOUSING
MGRVERIFYSPEC
Specify the reason why you are unable to verify the public housing status
for this housing unit.
INDIANRESERVATION
HU
If apparent, enter precode without asking.
1.
2.
Are your living quarters located on an American Indian Reservation or
on American Indian Lands?
Yes
No
1.
During the past 12 months did sales of crops, livestock, and other farm
products from this place amount to $1,000 or more?
Yes
FARMSALES
2.
No
ACCESS
1.
2.
Please mark whether or not the sample household has direct access to
their living quarters.
Direct
Through another unit - Not a separate HU; combine with unit through which
access is gained
TYPEOFHOUSING
UNIT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Please select one box that describes the type of housing unit.
House, apartment, flat
HU in nontransient hotel, motel, etc.
HU permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
HU in rooming house
Mobile home or trailer with no permanent room added
Mobile home or trailer with one or more permanent rooms attached
HU not specified above - Describe
Quarters not HU in rooming or boarding house
Unit not permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
Student quarters in college dormitory
Other unit not specified above - Describe
TYPEOFHOUSING
UNITSPEC7
Please specify the other type of "Housing Unit".
TYPEOFHOUSING
UNITSPEC12
Please specify the other type of "Other Unit".
NUMBEROFUNITS
Observe or ask:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
DIRECTENTRANCE
TOUNIT
How many housing units are in this structure?
1
2
3
4
5-9
10+
Mobile home/trailer
Only OTHER units
Observe or ask:
1.
2.
3.
Does the unit have an outside entrance, patio doors, or windows, etc.,
on the ground level - or outside stairs leading directly to this unit?
Yes
No
Don't know
GATEDWALLED
COMMUNITY
Ask if unsure
1.
2.
Is this unit in a gated or walled community that restricts access by nonresidents or requires entry codes, key cards, or security guard approval
to access?
Yes
No
RESTRICTEDACCESS
Ask if unsure:
1.
2.
Is this unit in a building that requires a special entry system such as
entry codes, key cards, or security guard approval to access?
Yes
No
NAMECHECK
I have ^YOU_READ listed as living or staying at ^THIS_THAT address.
LN NAME
REL AGE SEX MARITAL STATUS
^L_NO ^NAME
^REL ^AGS ^SEX ^MARITAL ^PNEED
1.
2.
Are ALL of these people still living or staying at ^THIS_THAT address?
Yes
No
REFPERSTILLLIVE
Ask or verify
1.
2.
Does ^REFPERSON still live at this address?
Yes
No
NEWREFPER
What is the name of the person (or one of the persons) who owns or
rents that home? Would that be you?
Enter line number of the new reference person or 31 if someone not listed
LN NAME HHRESP REL SEX AGE
^L_NO ^NAME ^HHLD_R ^REL ^SEX ^AGS
01.-30.
31.
Line number 01 – Line number 30
Someone not listed above
NEWREFPER_FNAME
What is their name?
Enter the new reference person's first name on this screen and last name
on the next screen
NEWREFPER_LNAME
What is their last name?
Enter new reference person's last name.
VFYSEX
Ask if necessary:
1.
2.
^IS_ARE ^REFPERSON male or female?
Male
Female
MEMBERCHANGES
Enter reason why there is a change in household membership for this
person.
If no change is needed for this person, press the ENTER key without
selecting a precode.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
HHROSTER_FNAME
Use the arrow keys to move through the table and REVIEW/UPDATE
demographics. When done, press Page Down.
WHY ENTERED HOUSEHOLD: Person turned 12
Returned from school or college
Returned from institution
Entered because of marriage/separation/divorce
Person entered household for reasons other than above
WHY LEFT HOUSEHOLD: Person died
Left for school or college
Entered institution
Left because of marriage/separation/divorce
Person left household for reasons other than above
Visitor - residence elsewhere
NO Change to Membership
What are the names of all people living or staying ^HERE_THERE?
Start with the person who ^OWNS_RENTS this home.
Enter first name on this screen.
^MEM_NONMEM
Enter 999 to leave the table.
HHROSTER_LNAME
What are the names of all people living or staying ^HERE_THERE? Start
with the person who ^OWNS_RENTS this home.
Enter last name on this screen.
SEX
Ask if necessary:
1.
2.
^AREYOU_IS_C ^NONHHRNAME_CC male or female?
Male
Female
RELATIONSHIP
^NEWREFPERRVW
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
What is ^YOUR_NAME_CC^NMS_CC relationship to ^REFPERSON?
Husband
Wife
Son
Daughter
Father
Mother
Brother
Sister
Other relative
Nonrelative
HHMEMBER
^DO_DOES_C_CC ^YOU_NAME_CC usually live ^HERE_THERE?
1.
2.
If "No", probe for usual residence elsewhere.
Yes
No
1.
2.
^DO_DOES_C_CC ^YOU_NAME_CC have a usual place of residence
elsewhere?
Yes
No
HSEMEMURE
HHLDCOVERAGE
Have I missed anyone else living or staying ^HERE_THERE such as
any babies, any lodgers, or anyone who is away at present
traveling or in the hospital?
L_NO NAME
1.
2.
^L_NO ^NAME
Yes
No
ENTIREHHURE
All people on the household roster have a usual residence elsewhere.
Enter 1 to exit this case.
1.
Then, reenter this case to code it a Noninterview (Type B - Entire
Household URE) via START_CP.
Enter 1 to Continue
PICK1STHHRESP
Enter the line number for the person with whom you are speaking.
This person should be at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable about
the household.
LN
01.-30.
NAME
^L_NO ^NAME
Line number 01 – Line number 30
AGECHECK
1.
2.
I have ^YOU_NAME_CC listed as ^AGE_NO ^YEAR_YEARS
old^AS_OF_LAST_MONTH Is that correct?
Yes, age IS correct
No, age is NOT correct
BRTHDATEMO
What is ^YOUR_NAME_CC^NMS_CC date of birth?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Enter month on this screen.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
10.
11.
12.
October
November
December
BRTHDATEDY
What is ^YOUR_NAME_CC^NMS_CC date of birth?
Enter day on this screen
BRTHDATEYR
What is ^YOUR_NAME_CC^NMS_CC date of birth?
Enter year on this screen
If year is less than 1890, enter 1890
VFYAGE
1.
2.
That would make ^YOU_NAME_CC ^AGE_NO ^YEAR_YEARS
old^AS_OF_LAST_MONTH Is that correct?
Yes
No
ESTAGE
Even though you don't know ^YOUR_NAME_CC^NMS_CC exact
birthdate, ^AGE_GUESS ^HE_SHE_WAS_ON ^HIS_HER ^LAST_BDAY
AGERNG
^AGE_RANGE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Read appropriate age categories.
0 - 11 years old?
12 - 13 years old?
14 - 15 years old?
16 - 17 years old?
18 - 24 years old?
25 - 34 years old?
35 - 49 years old?
50 - 65 years old?
66 years old or older?
MARITAL
Enter new marital status for ^NAME_CC
LAST REPORTED AS: ^MARITAL
If in doubt, ask:
1.
^AREYOU_IS_C ^NONHHRNAME_CC now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or ^HAVE_YOU_HAS_HE_SHE_CC never been married?
Married
2.
3.
4.
5.
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
Never married
ARMEDFORCES
LAST REPORTED AS: ^MILITARY
1.
2.
^AREYOU_IS_C ^NONHHRNAME_CC now in the Armed Forces?
Yes
No
EDUCATIONATTAIN
(Page 6)
LAST REPORTED AS: ^EDUCATIONATTAIN
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
What is the highest level of school ^YOU_NAME_CC completed or the
highest degree ^YOU_HE_SHE_CC received?
1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
11th grade
12th grade (No diploma)
High school graduate (Diploma or equivalent)
Some college (No Degree)
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree (e.g. BA, AB, BS)
Master's degree (e.g. MA, MS, Meng, MSW, MBA)
Professional School degree (e.g. MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD)
Doctorate degree (PhD, EdD)
Never attended, preschool, kindergarten
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
LAST REPORTED AS: ^ATTENDINGSCHOOL
1.
2.
^AREYOU_IS_C ^NONHHRNAME_CC currently attending or
^REGULAR_SCHOOL enrolled either full-time or part-time in a college
or university, trade, or vocational school?
Regular school
College/University
3.
4.
5.
Trade school
Vocational school
None of the above schools
SP_ORIGIN
(Page 8)
1.
2.
^AREYOU_IS_C ^NONHHRNAME_CC Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
Yes
No
RACE
(Page 10)
If personal interview show flash card.
If telephone interview read answer categories.
Do not probe.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Please choose one or more races that ^YOU_NAME_CC
consider/considers ^YOURSELF_HIMSELF_HERSELF_CC to be.
White
Black or African American
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Other - Specify
RACE_SPECIFY
Specify the other race for this person.
Comparing Crime Data
Reporting Crimes to the Police
A Word About Confidentiality
Other Publications
• By comparing the NCVS data over time, criminal
justice planners can determine whether or not
there are any meaningful changes in criminal
victimization patterns for certain types of crime.
• The NCVS was intended to complement
what is known about crime from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation’s annual compilation of
information reported to police (Uniform Crime
Reports). The NCVS, which also counts incidents
not reported to the police, provides a detailed
picture of crime incidents, victims, and trends
from the victim’s perspective. In 2013, the
majority of crimes measured by the NCVS (60
percent) were not reported to the police (see
Figure 5).
• We use the information you provide for statistical
purposes only. Anyone who might
see your answers has to take an oath and is
subject to a fine and/or imprisonment for
improperly disclosing any information you
provide (U.S. Code, Title 13, Section 9 and 214).
• This factsheet contains only a few of the highlights
of the NCVS findings. The BJS publishes other
reports periodically to meet the needs of the many
interested people in law enforcement, government,
and the private sector who analyze the crime
problem and plan programs for combating it. By
participating in the NCVS, you are contributing to
the knowledge needed to plan effective programs
to combat crime.
• In 2012, the personal crime rate was 26.7
victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or
older, which is not statistically different from
23.7 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or
older in 2013 (see Figure 4).
• The overall property crime rate decreased from
155.8 victimizations per 1,000 households
in 2012 to 131.4 victimizations per 1,000
households in 2013.
Figure 5.
Figure 4.
Reporting Crimes to the Police in 2013
Comparison of Crime From 2012 to 2013
All crimes
(In percent)
(Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older)
2003
2012
155.8
131.4
Reported 39%
Not available 1%
26.7
23.7
Personal crimes
Note: Not available is not statistically different from zero.
Property crimes
Note: For personal crimes, the rates are not statistically different
from each other.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2012–2013.
• It is illegal for us to provide anyone, including
other government agencies, with information
about you as an individual.
Source and Accuracy
Not Reported 60%
2013
• The charts and graphs shown in this factsheet
were created from a compilation of data provided
by respondents like you and are examples of how
the data are used to provide information on many
topics related to crime and victimization. Your
name and address are NOT part of the statistical
totals released to the public.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2013.
• Data presented in this factsheet are based on
people and households that responded to the
NCVS in 2012 and 2013. The resulting estimates
are representative of the entire population.
However, the data are subject to error arising
from sampling and nonsampling error. All
comparisons presented in this factsheet have
taken sampling error into account, and are
significant at the 90 percent confidence level,
unless otherwise stated. For information on
sampling error, nonsampling error, and survey
methology, please see the “National Crime
Victimization Survey: Technical Documentation”
document located at .
2013
National Crime
Victimization Survey
Factsheet—2013 Data
• The BJS publishes a wide variety of special reports
on topics such as Black and Hispanic victims,
elderly victims, robbery victims, rape, motor
vehicle theft, and so forth. You may obtain the
most recent copies of these and other reports
based on the NCVS data by writing to or visiting
the BJS Web site at:
National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (NCJRS)
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
http://bjs.gov
Useful Information
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
National Center for Victims of Crime
1-202-467-8700
http://victimsofcrime.org/
Child Help®
National Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-CHILD
Eldercare Locator
1-800-677-1116
Issued February 2015
NCVS-110 (02-15)
U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
census.gov
What Is the National Crime
Victimization Survey?
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is a
nationwide survey based on a sample of households.
The survey is designed to obtain detailed information
about people victimized by certain types of crime,
such as theft, burglary, motor vehicle theft, robbery,
assault, rape, and purse snatching/pocket picking.
The NCVS:
• Reflects crimes that victims do not report to the
police, as well as those that are reported.
• Is the primary source of detailed information on
the characteristics of both the victim and the
crime and gives a more complete picture of the
extent and nature of crime in the United States.
Uses of the NCVS data:
• The NCVS provides information used by law
enforcement, judicial, and correctional agencies to
improve their effectiveness and planning.
• The U.S. Department of Education measures the
prevalence and nature of student victimizations
at school.
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development measures crime in public housing.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture measures how
crime affects farmers.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
identifies occupations and workplaces at high
risk for violence so that effective preventative
measures are developed.
• Academics and researchers in educational
institutions use the NCVS data to prepare reports
and scholarly publications, which are used in a
number of academic disciplines, including sociology,
criminology, psychology, and political science.
Who conducts this survey?
• The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the NCVS for
the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
• The Census Bureau collects and processes the
information and aids the BJS in the analysis of
the data.
• The BJS is responsible for the publication of the
results.
How is the information collected?
What Are the Results From the NCVS?
Personal Crimes
Property Crimes
• The NCVS involves interviews of households
scientifically sampled in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia.
• The BJS releases the results of the NCVS on an
annual basis, as well as issuing special topical
reports on a periodic basis. It publishes only
aggregate statistics on the country as a whole
and never releases information about you as
an individual.
Sex of victim:
• We classify property crimes reported to
the NCVS into three major types: burglary,
motor vehicle theft, and theft (includes both
attempted and completed crimes).
• Results for 2013, the most recent year in which
annual estimates are available, showed that
assaults were the single most prevalent type
of crime committed against persons age 12 or
older (personal crime). They comprised 82.7
percent of all personal victimizations in 2013
(see Figure 1).
Age of victim:
• Sample survey methods permit the study of
small numbers of people to obtain needed facts
about the entire population of the country. These
methods greatly reduce the cost of collecting
information.
• Interviews are conducted by Census Bureau
interviewers either in person or by telephone.
How was I selected for this survey?
• We scientifically select a cross-section of
addresses, not you personally, to represent all
households in the United States for this survey.
• We interview each selected address once every
6 months over a 3-year period for a total of
seven interviews.
• If you move away while your dwelling is still in the
survey, we will interview the family that moves in.
Your participation is important.
• Participation in this survey is voluntary and
there are no penalties for refusing to answer any
questions. However, whether you were victimized
or not, your cooperation is extremely important
to help ensure the completeness and reliability
of the survey results. Your answers not only
represent your household, but also hundreds of
other similar households.
What Information Do You Get From
This Survey?
• Types and amount of crimes committed.
• Characteristics of victims.
• Offender characteristics for violent offenses.
• Details of crimes, including:
•• When and where crimes occur.
•• Economic loss to the victim.
•• Extent of injuries suffered by the victim.
•• Whether the victim knew the offender
or whether they were strangers.
•• Whether the offender used a weapon.
•• Whether the police were notified.
• Assaults are defined as unlawful physical
attacks or threats of attack made directly toward
a person face-to-face. They are classified as
simple or aggravated, with the severity of attack
ranging from simple or minor to nearly fatal.
• The remainder of the personal crimes include
robbery, rape/sexual assault, and purse
snatching/pocket picking. These crimes
collectively account for the remaining 17.3
percent of personal victimizations in 2013.
• As illustrated in Figure 1, thefts, such as lawn
furniture stolen from a backyard or a bicycle
stolen from the driveway, were the most common
property crimes reported for 2013, accounting
for 76.5 percent of all property crimes. Other
property crimes included burglary, at 19.6
percent, and motor vehicle theft, at 3.9 percent.
• For personal crimes of violence in 2013, males
age 12 or older experienced 24 victimizations per
1,000 persons, which is not statistically different
from females age 12 or older who experienced 23
victimizations per 1,000 persons.
• A person’s age affects the likelihood of becoming
a victim of crime. In 2013, NCVS findings show
that people age 12 to15 are most likely to be
victimized and those 65 or older are least likely
to be victimized (see Figure 2).
• People age 12 to 15 had 62 victimizations per
1,000 persons. People age 65 or older had 4
victimizations per 1,000 persons.
Figure 2.
2013 Personal Crimes:
Age of Victim
(Rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older)
62
Figure 3.
39
31
30
21
2013 Property Crimes: Owners vs. Renters
(Rate per 1,000 households)
19
4
12–15
Figure 1.
•• Burglary consists of the actual or attempted
unlawful entry of a house, apartment, or
other residential structure, such as a
homeowner’s garage.
•• Motor vehicle theft includes theft and
attempted theft of cars, trucks, motorcycles,
and other vehicles legally entitled to use the
public roads and highways.
•• Theft, the most prevalent property crime,
occurs when an offender takes or attempts
to take cash or property without personal
contact. Incidents involving theft of property
from within the sample household would
classify as a theft if the offender has a legal
right to be in the house, otherwise the
incident would classify as a burglary.
• As illustrated in Figure 3, renters had higher
rates of victimization in 2013 than
homeowners for each of the three major
types of property crimes.
16–19
20–24 25–34 35–49 50–64
65+
137.1
Owners
Renters
Age of victim
2013 Personal Crimes
79.8
Note: Not all groups are statistically different from each other.
(Percent of total victimizations)
Assault 82.7%
Robbery 10.3%
Rape/sexual assault 4.8%
Purse snatching/
pocket picking 2.2%
2013 Property Crimes
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2013.
35.6
20.2
3.8
Burglary
7.6
Motor vehicle
theft
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2013.
(Percent of total victimizations)
Theft 76.5%
Burglary 19.6%
Motor vehicle theft 3.9%
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey, 2013.
Theft
Comparación de los Datos Sobre los
Delitos
• M
ediante la comparación de los datos de la NCVS
en el transcurso del tiempo, los planificadores de
justicia criminal pueden determinar si ha habido
cambios significativos o no en los patrones de casos
de víctimas de delitos para ciertos tipos de delitos.
• En el 2012, el número de personas que fueron
víctimas de delitos fue de 26.7 por cada 1,000
personas de 12 años o más, lo cual no es
estadísticamente diferente de 23.7 por cada 1,000
personas de 12 años o más en el 2013 (vea la
Ilustración 4).
• En los delitos de propiedad hubo una disminución
de 155.8 casos de víctimas de delitos por cada
1,000 hogares en 2012 a 131.4 casos de víctimas de
delitos por cada 1,000 hogares en el 2013.
Delitos Que se Reportaron a la Policía
Unas Palabras Sobre la Confidencialidad
Otras Publicaciones
• La NCVS fue concebida para complementar lo
que se conoce acerca de los delitos a partir de
la recopilación anual de información reportada a
la policía (Uniform Crime Reports). La encuesta,
que también cuenta los incidentes que no fueron
reportados a la policía, proporciona un panorama
detallado de los incidentes delictivos, las víctimas y
las tendencias desde la perspectiva de las víctimas.
En el 2013, la mayoría de los delitos calculados por
la NCVS (60 por ciento) no se habían reportado a la
policía (vea la Ilustración 5).
• Usamos la información que usted proporciona para
fines estadísticos solamente. Cualquier persona
que pueda ver sus respuestas tiene que prestar un
juramento y está sujeto a una multa o una condena
de cárcel si revela de manera inapropiada cualquier
información que usted proporcione (secciones 9 y
214 del título 13 del Código de los Estados Unidos).
• Esta hoja informativa solamente contiene algunos
de los datos de las conclusiones de la NCVS. El BJS
publica periódicamente otros reportes para satisfacer
las necesidades de muchas personas interesadas
en el orden público, el gobierno y el sector privado
que analizan los problemas criminales y planifican
programas para combatirlos. Al participar en la
NCVS, usted está contribuyendo al conocimiento que
se necesita para planificar programas efectivos para
combatir el crimen.
Ilustración 5.
Delitos reportados a la policía en el 2013
(en por ciento)
Todos los delitos
Ilustración 4.
(Tasa por cada 1,000 personas de 12 años o más)
No Reportados 60%
Reportados 39%
No disponibles 1%
155.8
2013
131.4
Nota: No disponibles no es estadísticamente diferente de cero.
Fuente: Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales, Encuesta Nacional de
Víctimas de Delitos, 2013.
26.7
23.7
Delitos personales
• Es ilegal que nosotros le proporcionemos
información sobre usted como individuo a cualquier
entidad, incluida cualquier otra agencia del gobierno.
Fuentes y Precisión
Comparación de delitos desde el
2012 al 2013
2012
• Las tablas y gráficas que se muestran en esta
hoja informativa han sido creadas a partir de una
recopilación de datos provistos por respondedores
como usted, y son ejemplos de cómo se usan los
datos para proveer información sobre muchos
temas relacionados con los delitos y los casos de
víctimas de delitos. Su nombre y su dirección NO
forman parte de los totales estadísticos que se
hacen públicos.
Delitos de propiedad
Nota: Para los delitos personales, las tasas no son
estadísticamente diferentes entre sí.
Fuente: Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales, Encuesta Nacional de
Víctimas de Delitos, 2012-2013.
• Los datos que se presentan en esta hoja
informativa se basan en las personas y los hogares
que respondieron a la NCVS en el 2012 y el 2013.
Los estimados que se obtuvieron como resultado
son representativos de toda la población. Sin
embargo, los datos están sujetos a errores de la
muestra y errores ajenos a la muestra. Todas las
comparaciones que se presentan en esta hoja
informativa han tenido en cuenta los errores
de la muestra y son significativos a un nivel
de confianza del 90 por ciento, a menos que
se indique de otra manera. Para obtener más
información sobre los errores de la muestra,
errores ajenos a la muestra y la metodología de la
encuesta, vea el documento “Encuesta Nacional de
Víctimas de Delitos: documentación técnica” que
se encuentra en .
2013
Encuesta Nacional
de Víctimas de Delitos
Hoja Informativa—2013
• El BJS publica una amplia variedad de informes
especiales sobre temas, tales como víctimas de raza
negra e hispanos, víctimas de edad avanzada, delito
de violación, víctimas de robos, robo de vehículos,
etc. Usted puede obtener las copias más recientes
de estos y otros informes de datos de la NCVS
escribiendo al BJS o visitando el sitio en Internet de
la BJS:
National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (NCJRS)
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
http://bjs.gov
Información útil
Línea Nacional Sobre
Violencia Doméstica
1-800-799-SAFE
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
Centro Nacional Para Víctimas
de Delitos
1-202-467-8700
http://victimsofcrime.org/
Ayuda Para los Niños
Línea Nacional Para Abuso Infantil
1-800-4-A-CHILD
Localizador de Atención
a Ancianos (Eldercare)
1-800-677-1116
Publicado en Febrero de 2015
NCVS-110 (2-15)
Departamento de Comercio de los EE.UU.
Administración de Economía y Estadísticas
OFICINA DEL CENSO DE LOS EE.UU.
census.gov
¿Qué es la Encuesta Nacional de Víctimas
de Delitos?
La Encuesta Nacional de Víctimas de Delitos (NCVS)
es una encuesta nacional que se basa en una muestra
hogares. La encuesta está diseñada para obtener
información detallada acerca de las personas que han
sido víctimas de determinado tipo de delitos, como robo,
hurto, robo de automóvil, atraco, asalto, violación y
víctima de carteristas o que le arrebataran el bolso.
La NCVS :
• Refleja los delitos que las víctimas no reportan a la
policía, así como aquellos que sí reportan.
• Actualmente es la única fuente de información detallada
sobre las características de las víctimas y de los delitos,
y proporciona una imagen más detallada de la extensión
y la naturaleza del delito en los Estados Unidos.
Usos de los datos de las NCVS:
• La NCVS provee información que es utilizada por las
agencias de orden público, judiciales y correccionales
para mejorar su eficacia y su planificación.
• El Departamento de Educación de los EE.UU. determina
la incidencia y la naturaleza de los casos en que los
estudiantes son víctimas de delitos en las escuelas.
• El Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de
los EE.UU. determina la incidencia de delitos en las
viviendas públicas.
• El Departamento de Agricultura de los EE.UU.
determina cómo los delitos afectan a los granjeros.
• El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de
los EE.UU. identifica las ocupaciones y los lugares de
trabajo en los que hay alto riesgo de violencia, de
manera que se creen medidas preventivas efectivas.
• Instituciones educativas: Muchos académicos e
investigadores usan los datos de la NCVS para
preparar informes y publicaciones científicas que se
utilizan en un sinnúmero de disciplinas, incluidas
la sociología, la criminología, la psicología y las
ciencias políticas.
¿Cómo se recopila la información?
¿Cuáles Son los Resultados de la NCVS?
Delitos Personales
Delitos de Propiedad
• La NCVS incluye entrevistas a una muestra científica de
hogares en los 50 estados y el Distrito de Columbia.
• El BJS publica anualmente los resultados de la NCVS,
además de la presentación de informes temáticos
especiales periódicamente. Solamente se publican
estadísticas generales sobre el país en su totalidad,
nunca se da a conocer información sobre usted
como individuo.
Sexo de las víctimas:
• Clasificamos los delitos de propiedad que se
reportan a la NCVS en tres tipos principales:
allanamiento de morada, robo de automóviles
y hurto (incluidos los intentos y los delitos
consumados).
• Los métodos de encuesta por muestra permiten el
estudio de pequeños números de personas, con el
objetivo de obtener datos acerca de toda la población
del país. Estos métodos reducen considerablemente el
costo de la recopilación de información.
• Los entrevistadores de la Oficina del Censo llevan a
cabo las entrevistas, ya sea en persona o por teléfono.
¿Cómo fui seleccionado para esta encuesta?
• Seleccionamos científicamente una muestra de
direcciones característica, no a usted personalmente,
para representar a todos los hogares en los Estados
Unidos para esta encuesta.
• Entrevistamos a cada una de las direcciones
seleccionadas una vez cada 6 meses en un periodo
de 3 años, para un total de siete entrevistas.
• Si usted se muda a otro lugar mientras su residencia
está incluida en la encuesta, entrevistaríamos a la
familia que se mude a su antigua residencia.
Su participación es importante.
• La participación en esta encuesta es voluntaria, y no
hay penalidad por negarse a contestar las preguntas.
Sin embargo, ya haya sido usted víctima de un delito
o no, su cooperación es de extrema importancia
para ayudar a garantizar que los resultados de la
encuesta estén completos y sean confiables. Sus
respuestas no solamente representan a su hogar,
sino también a otros cientos de hogares similares.
¿Qué Información Reciben Ustedes de
Esta Encuesta?
•
•
•
•
¿Quién lleva a cabo la encuesta?
• La Oficina del Censo de los EE.UU. lleva a cabo la
NCVS para el Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales (BJS) del
Departamento de Justicia de los EE.UU.
• La Oficina del Censo recopila y procesa la
información y ayuda al BJS en el análisis de los datos.
• El BJS es responsable por la publicación de los
resultados.
Los tipos y la cantidad de delitos cometidos.
Características de las víctimas.
Características de los infractores de delitos violentos.
Detalles de los delitos, incluidos:
••
••
••
••
Cuándo y dónde ocurren los delitos.
Las pérdidas económicas causadas a la víctima.
La magnitud de los daños sufridos por la víctima.
Si la víctima conocía al infractor o si
eran desconocidos.
•• Si el infractor usó un arma.
•• Si se notificó a la policía.
• Los resultados para el 2013, el año más reciente
en el que estuvieron disponibles los estimados
anuales, mostraron que las agresiones eran el
tipo de delito más frecuente cometido contra una
persona (delitos personales). Estos constituían
alrededor del 82.7 por ciento de todos los delitos
personales en el 2013 (vea la Ilustración 1).
• Para los delitos personales violentos en el 2013,
las personas de sexo masculino de 12 años o
más experimentaron 24 casos de víctimas de
delitos por cada 1,000 personas, lo cual no es
estadísticamente diferente de las personas de sexo
femenino de 12 años o más que experimentaron
23 casos de víctimas de delitos por cada 1,000
personas.
Edad de las víctimas:
• Las agresiones se definen como ataques físicos
ilegales o amenazas que se hacen directamente a
la persona frente a frente. Estas se clasifican como
menores o graves, y la severidad de los ataques
puede ir desde simple o menor hasta casi mortal.
• La edad de la persona influye en la probabilidad
de que se convierta en víctima de un delito. En el
2013, las conclusiones de la NCVS muestran que
las personas de edades entre 12 y 15 años tenían
más probabilidades de ser víctimas de un delito,
mientras la personas de 65 años de edad o más
tenían menos probabilidades (vea la Ilustración 2).
• Los delitos personales restantes incluyen robo,
violación/agresión sexual, arrebatar bolsos/
carteristas. Estos delitos en su conjunto constituyen
el restante 17.3 por ciento de los sufridos por las
víctimas de delitos personales en el 2013.
• Las personas de edades entre 12 y 15 años fueron
víctimas de 62 delitos personales por cada 1,000
personas. Las personas de 65 años de edad o
más fueron víctimas de 4 delitos por cada 1,000
personas.
• Como se muestra en la Ilustración 1, los hurtos,
como el robo de los muebles de jardín en el
patio o el robo de una bicicleta en la entrada
de la casa, fueron los delitos de propiedad más
comunes reportados en el 2013, lo cual constituye
alrededor del 76.5 por ciento de todos los delitos
de propiedad. Otros delitos contra la propiedad
incluyen el allanamiento de morada, con alrededor
del 19.6 por ciento, y los robos de automóviles, con
alrededor del 3.9 por ciento.
Ilustración 2.
Delitos personales en el 2013:
edad de las víctimas
Delitos de Propiedad en el 2013:
Propietarios comparados con Inquilinos
(Tasa por cada 1,000 hogares)
31
30
137.1
21
Delitos personales en el 2013
Propieterios
19
(Por ciento total de casos de víctimas de delitos)
Inquilinos
4
12–15
16–19
20–24 25–34 35–49 50–64
Hurto 76.5%
Allanamiento de morada 19.6%
Robo de vehículos 3.9%
Fuente: Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales, Encuesta Nacional de
Víctimas de Delitos, 2013.
79.8
65+
Edad de las Victimas
Nota: No todos los grupos son significativamente diferentes
entre sí estadísticamente.
(Por ciento total de casos de víctimas de delitos)
entrada o intento de entrada en una casa,
apartamento o estructura residencial, como el
garaje de un propietario de vivienda.
•• El robo de vehículos los robos e intentos de
robo de automóviles, camiones, motocicletas y
otros vehículos que tengan derecho legal a usar
las carreteras y autopistas públicas.
•• El hurto, el más común de los delitos de
propiedad, ocurre cuando el infractor adquiere
o trata de adquirir dinero o propiedades sin
contacto personal. Los incidentes que incluyan
la sustracción de propiedades desde el interior
de un hogar en la muestra deben ser
clasificados como hurto si el infractor tiene
derecho legal a estar en la casa, de lo contrario
se deben clasificar como allanamiento de
morada.
• Como se muestra en la Ilustración 3, los
inquilinos tuvieron mayores índices de casos
de víctimas de delitos en el 2013 que los
propietarios de viviendas para cada uno de los
principales tipos de delitos de propiedad.
62
39
Delitos de propiedad en el 2013
•• El allanamiento de morada consiste en la
Ilustración 3.
(Tasa por cada 1,000 personas de 12 años o más)
Ilustración 1.
Agresiones 82.7%
Robo 10.3%
Violación/agresión sexual 4.8%
Bolso arrebatado/
carterista 2.2%
Fuente: Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales, Encuesta Nacional de
Víctimas de Delitos, 2013.
35.6
20.2
3.8
Allanamiento
de morada
7.6
Robo de
vehiculos
Hurto
Fuente: Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales, Encuesta Nacional de
Víctimas de Delitos, 2013.
NCVS-521
(10/2014)
National Crime Victimization Survey
CAPI Self-Study
For NCVS 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 businesses, schools,
group quarters, or persons, especially any current or former Census Bureau employees.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Lesson
Title
Page
Self-Study Instructions ..............................................................
i
1
Introduction to the National Crime Victimization Survey ............
1-1
2
Basic Interviewing Techniques..................................................
2-1
3
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number ..............................
3-1
4
The NCVS Field Representative’s Manuals for CAPI ..............
4-1
5
Blaise and the NCVS ..............................................................
5-1
6
Case Management ..................................................................
6-1
7
The Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI) ...............
7-1
8
More Details About Your Job ....................................................
8-1
9
The Blaise Basics: the Survey Instrument .................................
9-1
10
The NCVS CAPI Instrument .....................................................
10-1
11
The NCVS Front Section ..........................................................
11-1
12
The NCVS Middle Section - Basic Household Questions ........
12-1
13
The NCVS Middle Section - NCVS Screen Questions ..............
13-1
14
The NCVS Middle Section - Crime Incident Report ...................
14-1
15
The NCVS Middle Section - Other Survey Questions ...............
15-1
16
The NCVS Back Section .........................................................
16-1
17
Practice Interview .....................................................................
17-1
18
Final Review Exercise ..............................................................
18-1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NOTES
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Instructions
Self-Study Instructions
Welcome!
Welcome to the U.S. Census Bureau and to the National
Crime Victimization Survey, also called the NCVS. This
self-study prepares you for the initial NCVS classroom
training and for your job as an NCVS field representative or
FR. As an NCVS FR, you will be conducting interviews via
computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI).
Computer-assisted interviewing allows you to key
responses from respondents directly into a computer
program on a laptop. We call the computer program that
runs the NCVS interview the “instrument.” The instrument
on your laptop consists of all the questions you could
possibly ask a respondent. For the NCVS, CAPI interviews
are those that you conduct by personal visit and telephone
interview.
Generic Pre-classroom
Training
Complete the generic interviewer pre-classroom training
before you start this NCVS self-study. Refer to your
Welcome Letter for a concise list of instructional products
for your generic pre-classroom training, as well as your
password, and the 11-900 Curriculum Plan. The Curriculum
Plan gives the sequence of instructions for the generic
pre-classroom training.
You must also complete the Automated Listing and Mapping
Instrument (ALMI) at Time of Interview (TOI) Self-study,
Form 11-826, before completing this self-study. If you do not
have the instructional materials for your generic
pre-classroom training and for the ALMI-TOI training,
contact your regional office immediately.
If you have not completed the generic pre-classroom
training, please notify your supervisor immediately and
DO NOT begin this self-study. Only proceed with this
self-study if you have completed the pre-classroom training.
Time Allowed
Charge only the actual time it takes you to complete this
self-study. You may charge up to 10 hours to complete the
self-study, so keep a record of the time you spend working
on it using the “NOTES” page at the end of self-study. Also
use the “NOTES” page to enter any questions you may
have as you complete each lesson, so you can discuss
them with your instructor during classroom training.
i
Instructions
Charge Time to Appropriate
Project Number
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Charge the time that you spend completing this self-study
(not to exceed 10 hours) to the appropriate project
number and task code 520. The project number depends
on the year the self-study is completed (refer to the chart
below). It is extremely important that you charge to the
correct project number.
Self-study
completed between
Review of the Generic
Pre-classroom Training
Charge to project
Task code
January – December 2014
7523014
520
January – December 2015
7523015
520
January – December 2016
7523016
520
January – December 2017
7523017
520
A summary of the generic pre-classroom training:
Laptop Computer
Video
The “Getting to Know Your Laptop Computer” video
instructed you on the use of your laptop computer. The
video included details on the hardware components of the
laptop, startup, log on, shut down procedures, steps to
change the laptop battery, and your legal responsibility
regarding the use and care of the laptop.
Windows CBT
The computer-based training (CBT) program taught you
basic windows usage and introduced you to laptop
applications such as transmissions, system tools, and mail.
InterAct Pre-classroom
Learning Magazine
From the 11-901, InterAct Preclassroom Learning
Magazine, you learned the role and responsibilities of an FR
and tools and techniques for succeeding in the field.
WINFRED
The 11-12 (WIN), Windows Field Representative Earnings
Data (WINFRED) Self-Study, provided you with the basic
knowledge of the time and attendance software. The
WINFRED CBT provided you with hands-on practice
entering your payroll information.
ii
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Instructions
ALMI TOI
From the ALMI TOI training you learned that this system
was developed to allow you access, in a read-only mode, to
the Demographic Area Address Listing (DAAL) results.
ALMI provides you with automated maps to help you locate
sample units in area segments at the time of current survey
interviewing. Since access to ALMI is read-only, you cannot
update the automated maps or listing.
Other Topics
In the generic pre-classroom training you also learned:
●
Safety on the job includes wearing the proper clothing,
packing emergency items in your vehicle, and locking
all valuables in the trunk while interviewing.
●
The Census Bureau conducts a decennial census
every ten years and conducts many surveys that
complement the decennial census.
●
Confidentiality is an important part of conducting
surveys for the Census Bureau.
●
Primary sampling units (PSUs) are sample counties
selected scientifically to represent the entire United
States for conducting surveys.
●
Practicing good interviewing techniques is necessary
for all field representatives.
●
The computer has distinct parts, such as a hard drive, a
monitor, a keyboard, and a battery.
Finally, a video was included to give you an idea of a typical
day for a Census Bureau FR.
iii
Instructions
Materials Needed for this
Self-Study
About this Self-Study
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
You need the following materials to complete this self-study.
Call your supervisor if you are missing any of:
1
Your laptop and all related accessories
2
NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives (electronic document on laptop)
3
NCVS-554, Field Representative’s CAPI Information
Card Booklet
4
NCVS-572(L), Introductory Letter (incoming)
5
NCVS-573(L), Introductory Letter (continuing)
6
Pen or Pencil
This self-study contains 18 lessons. Lesson 7 is a Computer
Based Training (CBT) on the Person Level Contact History
Instrument (pCHI). Lessons 1-6 and 8-16 each end with a
review exercise followed by an answer key. After you
complete each exercise, check your answers to see how
well you have learned the major points of the lesson.
Lessons 1 through 3 introduce you to the NCVS, basic
interviewing techniques, and the design of the NCVS
sample. Lesson 4 illustrates using your interviewing and
listing manuals. Lesson 5 introduces you to some of the
laptop keys you will use to navigate through the survey
instrument. Lessons 6 through 15 explain the different
components of the instruments used in managing your
sample cases and in conducting the NCVS interviews.
Lesson 17 consists of a practice interview and Lesson 18 is
a final review exercise which reviews key points presented
throughout the self-study.
Since we will discuss Lesson 18 during the classroom
training, make sure to bring your completed self-study with
you to the classroom training.
Throughout this self-study, you will see instructions to stop
and read other materials. Place a checkmark in the brackets
[ ] that follow these instructions so you can find your place
more easily when you return to the self-study.
iv
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Instructions
At the end of this self-study, you will:
Begin
●
See the differences in screen layouts in both case
management and the survey instrument;
●
Practice some basic navigation in the instrument;
●
Become familiar with the NCVS interviewing manual
and looking up answers to questions in the manual;
●
State the basic rules of interviewing;
●
Explain specific NCVS definitions and concepts;
●
Use the instrument by entering demographic data; and
●
Complete an interview by following a script.
Starting with Lesson 1, complete each lesson in the
sequence it is presented. If possible, complete each lesson
without interruption. Schedule any breaks between lessons.
v
Instructions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NOTES
vi
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Introduction to the NCVS
Lesson 1. Introduction to the
National Crime Victimization Survey
Objective
Purpose of the
NCVS
The objectives of this lesson are to:
●
Give you a brief overview of the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS).
●
Explain how the data collected for this survey are used.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), of the U.S. Department of
Justice, sponsors the NCVS, which is the Nation's primary source of
information on criminal victimization. Each year, data are obtained
from a nationally representative sample of 78,000 households on the
frequency, characteristics and consequences of criminal victimization
in the United States. The survey enables the BJS to estimate the
likelihood of victimization by rape, sexual assault, robbery, assault,
theft, household burglary, and motor vehicle theft for the population
as a whole, as well as for segments of the population such as women,
the elderly, members of various racial groups, city dwellers, or other
groups. The NCVS provides the largest national forum for victims to
describe the impact of crime and characteristics of violent offenders.
The BJS needs the NCVS data primarily to obtain an accurate,
up-to-date measure of the kinds of crimes, as well as the number of
crimes committed against persons 12 years of age and older. This
survey is widely used by policy makers at all levels of government -including crime prevention groups, people who help crime victims,
researchers, the media, as well as others. It has also been used by
the Supreme Court in making decisions. The survey informs data
users in a neutral, unbiased way to help them make public policy, plan
new ways to attack crime, and evaluate the effectiveness of existing
crime prevention programs.
Since not all crimes are reported to the police, the NCVS provides a
more complete picture of crime in the United States, because it not
only collects data about crimes reported to the police, but also about
crimes that are not reported to the police. The NCVS provides
statistics about crimes which supplement those maintained by police
records.
1-1
Introduction to the NCVS
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Statistics from the NCVS are published in reports that deal with types
of crime, characteristics of victims, locations of crime, and other
detailed information. The cover page from one such publication
issued by the BJS is shown on page 1-6.
Take a minute now and look at page 1-6.
[]
NCVS History
The NCVS has been conducted since 1972. Field Representatives
(FRs) contact a specific number of households every month and ask
the survey questions of each household member who is 12 years of
age and older. The addresses for these households are selected
randomly and scientifically from addresses throughout the country.
"Selling" the
Survey
If you can explain convincingly why the NCVS is being conducted,
your respondents will be more willing to participate. In other words,
you must be able to "sell" the survey. If you give solid, logical answers
to their questions, you can usually persuade reluctant respondents to
allow you to conduct the NCVS interview.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Listed below are some frequently asked questions and suggested
answers. By the end of the training, you should be able to answer
these questions without hesitation.
1.
What is this survey all about?
The NCVS is conducted monthly to collect information on the
kinds and amount of crime in the United States. From a
sample of households throughout the United States, we
interview all household members who are at least 12 years of
age.
2.
Why can't you get this information from police records?
Based on information received in previous survey years, we
have found that over half of all crimes go unreported to the
police. Since this survey includes crimes that are both
reported and unreported, data users can get a more complete
picture of crime in the United States from this survey.
1-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Introduction to the NCVS
3.
How can this survey help to fight crime?
The results of this survey show a variety of information about
crime victims, offenders, types of crimes being committed,
and types of places where these crimes occur. All of this
information is put to good use by law enforcement agencies,
community groups, and government agencies throughout the
country to lower the incidence of crime.
4.
Why was I selected for this survey?
Actually, we selected your address, not you personally. Using
statistical methods, we selected approximately 78,000
addresses across the country to represent the entire
population. If your household should move away while your
address is still in the survey, we interview the new family that
moves into the home.
5.
Why do you need to interview me when I don't have any
crimes to report?
Your participation is important whether or not you report a
crime. We cannot accurately find out the percentage of people
who experience crime unless we get information from both
victims and non-victims. By examining the differences
between victims and non-victims, we can try to determine why
certain individuals become victims, while others do not.
6.
Why waste my tax dollars on a silly survey?
The survey tells us about the amount and nature of crime, as
well as crime trends and crimes not reported to the police. It
can help save taxpayer money when new programs are
developed focusing on the people who are most likely to be
victims of crime by making crime prevention and control
programs more effective.
7.
How can I know for sure that you are who you say you
are?
Besides my identification badge, I can give you a telephone
number to call so you can verify with my supervisor that I work
for the U.S. Census Bureau.
1-3
Introduction to the NCVS
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
8.
Is this survey authorized by law?
Yes. We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title
13 of the United States Code, Section 8. Section 9 of this law
requires us to keep all information about you and your
household strictly confidential. We may use this information
only for statistical purposes.
Also, Title 42, Section 3732, of the United States Code
authorizes the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Justice to collect information using this survey.
Title 42, Sections 3789g and 3735 of the United States Code
also require us to keep all information about you and your
household strictly confidential.
Becoming familiar with these questions and answers will add to your
confidence in gaining a successful interview. A more complete list of
general survey questions and answers is on pages A2-23 through
A2-29 of the NCVS-550 manual.
Take a moment now to look over the complete list of questions and
answers in the NCVS-550 manual.
[]
Confidentiality
It is important that you understand and maintain strict confidentiality of
information. Information collected in the survey is released only in the
form of summary statistics. Information concerning an individual is
NEVER available to anyone except sworn Census Bureau
employees. Other government agencies, including the FBI and the
IRS, cannot gain access to individual Census Bureau records. The
assurance of confidentiality is one of the reasons people are usually
willing to participate. All Census Bureau employees must take an oath
to uphold this confidentiality. Do not permit any unauthorized persons,
even members of your own family, to see the information that you
collect. The Census Bureau takes its confidentiality promise to
respondents very seriously. A Census Bureau employee can be fined
up to $250,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years if the employee is
found guilty of an unauthorized disclosure of individual information
provided to the Census Bureau.
1-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Confidentiality
Rules
Review Exercise
Introduction to the NCVS
Rules to help you maintain confidentiality during everyday activities:
1.
Lock your car when it contains NCVS materials and store
these materials out of view.
2.
Do not leave phone numbers (other than your own) on notes
left at a respondent's door. For example, don't leave the phone
numbers of friends, other employees, or relatives.
3.
Do not leave completed NCVS materials at home where
others might see them or leave your NCVS cases opened on
your laptop so others can see the case.
4.
If you leave NCVS materials or your laptop in a hotel or motel
room, make sure that they are kept in a locked briefcase.
5.
Do not leave NCVS materials (such as survey brochures), with
nonhousehold members or apartment managers, unless left in
sealed envelopes.
6.
Use discretion when forced to interview a respondent on a
front porch, in a yard, or in a place where the interview can be
overheard. Also, use discretion when forced to conduct an
interview in the presence of a nonhousehold member.
Complete the review exercise that starts on page 1-7. Compare your
answers to the answer key which follows the review exercise, then
continue with Lesson 2.
1-5
Introduction to the NCVS
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Illustration of a Crime Victimization Report
1-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Introduction to the NCVS
Lesson 1 - Review Exercise
1.
Who sponsors the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)?
_________________________________________________________________
2.
3.
The purpose of the NCVS is to: (Mark all answers that apply.)
___
obtain an accurate, up-to-date measure of the kinds and amount of crimes
committed against persons who are 12 years of age and older.
___
provide statistical information on crime and its impact on society.
___
plan new ways to attack crime.
___
evaluate the effectiveness of existing crime prevention programs.
Field Representatives (FRs) contact a specific number of households every month and ask
the survey questions of each household member who is 12 years of age and older.
TRUE
4.
FALSE
If a reluctant respondent suggests that you get this crime information from the police, tell the
respondent that: (Mark the correct answer.)
___
Over half of all crimes go unreported to the police.
___
The police are not allowed to provide our agency with crime information.
___
It is easier to collect crime information directly from crime victims.
1-7
Introduction to the NCVS
5.
6.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
If a reluctant respondent says that she doesn’t have any crimes to report and there is no
need to complete the NCVS interview, you can explain that: (Mark the correct answer.)
___
You will ask the short version for respondents with no crimes to report.
___
After asking a few NCVS questions, the respondent may remember a crime.
___
By examining the differences between victims and non-victims, we can try to
determine why certain individuals become victims, while others do not.
All Census Bureau employees take an oath to uphold the confidentiality of information
collected for an individual or household participating in our surveys.
TRUE
FALSE
Now compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
1-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Introduction to the NCVS
Lesson 1 - Answer Key
1.
Who sponsors the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)?
Bureau of Justice Statistics, U. S. Department of Justice.
(Page 1-1)
2.
The purpose of the NCVS is to: (Mark all answers that apply.)
X
obtain an accurate, up-to-date measure of the kinds and amount of crimes
committed against persons who are 12 years of age and older.
X
provide statistical information on crime and its impact on society.
X
plan new ways to attack crime.
X
evaluate the effectiveness of existing crime prevention programs.
(Page 1-1 and 1-2)
3.
Field Representatives (FRs) contact a specific number of households every month and ask
the survey questions of each household member who is 12 years of age and older.
TRUE
(Page 1-2)
4.
If a reluctant respondent suggests that you get this crime information from the police, tell the
respondent that: (Mark the correct answer.)
X
___
Over half of all crimes go unreported to the police.
The police are not allowed to provide our agency with crime information.
___
It is easier to collect crime information directly from crime victims.
(Page 1-2)
1-9
Introduction to the NCVS
5.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
If a reluctant respondent says that she doesn’t have any crimes to report and there is no
need to complete the NCVS interview, you can explain that: (Mark the correct answer.)
___
You will ask the short version for respondents with no crimes to report.
___
After asking a few NCVS questions, the respondent may remember a crime.
X
By examining the differences between victims and non-victims, we can try to
determine why certain individuals become victims, while others do not.
(Page 1-3)
6.
All Census Bureau employees take an oath to uphold the confidentiality of information
collected for an individual or household participating in our surveys.
TRUE
(Page 1-4)
Continue with Lesson 2.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Interviewing Techniques
Lesson 2. Basic Interviewing Techniques
Objective
Three Basic Elements
The objectives of this lesson are to:
●
Introduce you to your job as an NCVS CAPI Field
Representative (FR).
●
Introduce you to interviewing techniques to help you do
your job.
There are three basic elements in any interview situation:
●
The interviewer (an FR like you)
●
The respondent (the person answering your questions)
●
The survey questions (the NCVS interview)
Let's look at each element separately.
Your Job: Personal Visit
and Telephone Interviews
As an FR working on the NCVS, you play a important role in
this vital program. Your primary goal is to obtain complete
interviews with each person who is 12 years age and older
at each sample address assigned to you. You will conduct
both personal visit and telephone interviews to complete
your monthly assignments for the NCVS.
You also must be able to reassure household members that
all information they report will be kept strictly confidential
and will be used only to prepare statistical summaries. No
information identifying an individual or household is
released.
Sell the Survey and Know
Its Data Uses
The first step in gaining cooperation from all respondents is
to know how to sell the survey and how the NCVS data is
used. You should be able to explain the importance of the
survey and be able to answer any questions that a
respondent may have.
In Lesson 1, you read about the most frequently asked
questions and how you should respond, along with the
importance of learning background information about the
2-1
Basic Interviewing Techniques
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS. Use this information to convince respondents of the
importance of the NCVS and show the benefits of the
survey results. Give brief, appropriate, and accurate
information when talking to a respondent about the NCVS.
Example
Let's look at an example. You visit Megan Moe and she tells
you that her house was broken into twice in the last 3
months. Since she reported these crimes to her local police
department, she wants you to go to them for a report.
You could tell Megan Moe that the NCVS obtains a more
complete picture of a crime than the police records can
provide, because we ask about the offender’s
characteristics and the consequences a victim suffers as a
result of a crime.
Explain the Sampling
Sometimes respondents may want to know how they were
chosen to be interviewed. You can say:
We select living quarters, not you personally for this survey.
We scientifically selected approximately 78,000 addresses
across the country to represent the entire population. At
each selected address, we interview household members
who are 12 years of age and older. If your household moves
away while your address is still in the survey, we interview
the new family that moves in.
Create an Objective
Atmosphere
Remain Neutral
During an interview, it is important to develop an objective,
non-threatening, non-judgmental atmosphere. While
interviewing a respondent, do not show signs of approval or
disapproval of any information that you receive. Your words
and actions can help or hinder the interview.
●
Shaking your head or frowning indicates disapproval
just as clearly as if you had spoken.
●
If the respondent thinks you favor one answer more
than the other, he/she may give that answer. As a
result, you will influence the interview and possibly the
survey.
The skill of remaining neutral and creating an objective
atmosphere is a difficult one. It comes with experience.
Practice using neutral expressions and gestures during an
2-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Interviewing Techniques
interview such as "uh-huh," "I've got that," a simple nod, or
"Yes, I see." These signs tell a respondent that you are
listening, without leading, influencing, or biasing the
information that you receive.
Be Sincere
A sincere interest in people will make your interviewing task
easier and more enjoyable. However, no instructions or
training can provide a substitute for the combination of
intuition and poise which an FR must use when someone in
the household opens the door or when a respondent
answers the telephone. Your voice, tone, and words must
convey your credibility and that of the survey. If your
approach is uncertain, the respondent will know it.
Be Professional
In your capacity as an FR, you represent the United States
Government. This is an important role which requires you to
take a professional approach towards your work.
FR's ID Card
When you come to class, you will be given an Identification
Card. It will prove that you are an employee of the United
States Census Bureau. Always carry it with you when you
are conducting personal visit interviews, and show it to the
respondent when you introduce yourself.
Introductory Letter
In many cases, the household members will be expecting
you. The regional office (RO) sends a letter to each sample
address before a sample household’s first personal visit
interview for the NCVS. This letter introduces the survey
and explains the voluntary nature of the study, while
stressing the importance of participation. It also tells
respondents that any information given to a Census Bureau
representative will be held in strict confidence.
The letter indicates that an FR will be visiting the household
soon. If you learn during your introduction that the
household did not receive a copy of this letter, you must
provide them with one and allow them time to read it.
Look among your materials for the NCVS-572(L),
Introductory Letter and read it now.
2-3
[]
Basic Interviewing Techniques
Introduce Yourself
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
When you access the NCVS interviewing instrument, it
gives you an introduction to read to the respondent. You will
be prompted to insert your name as part of the introduction,
which also contains:
●
The fact that you represent the United States Census
Bureau.
●
Your reason for contacting the household, whether in
person or by telephone.
●
An inquiry about whether or not the household received
a letter from the Census Bureau about the NCVS and
your visit.
An example of the introduction for the first visit to an
assigned household:
"Good (morning/afternoon). I'm (your name) from the
U.S. Census Bureau. Here is my identification. (Show
ID card.) The Census Bureau is conducting a survey
here and throughout the Nation to determine how often
people are victims of crimes. Did you receive our
letter?"
Feel Comfortable With Your
Introduction
You must feel comfortable with your introduction so it
sounds natural. Adapt your approach to the situation.
Different respondents have various kinds of concerns and
questions; be prepared to give correct and courteous
answers.
Two Types of Information
You collect two types of information in the NCVS interview:
Types of NCVS
Respondents
●
Information about the entire household, and
●
Information about each household member who is 12
years of age or older.
The NCVS respondents are classified as two types:
1) individual respondent and
2) household respondent.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Interviewing Techniques
Individual Respondents
Individual respondents are household members who are 12
years of age or older. Obtain information about each of
these household members by self-response; interview each
of these persons directly and separately.
Household
Respondent
Although most adult household members are technically
eligible to be the household respondent, try to interview the
most knowledgeable household member. This is
because in addition to the individual respondent questions,
the household respondent is asked questions about the
entire household. Therefore, the household respondent
should be the person who appears to know -- or might
reasonably be expected to know -- the answers to the
household questions.
The household respondent must be a current household
member who is at least 18 years of age, except for a few
unusual situations which we will discuss in class. The
household questions are asked only once in a sample
household during each interview period, which is once
every 6 months for 7 interview periods. You must complete
the household respondent’s interview before you can
interview any other eligible household members.
Proxy Interviews
You may encounter situations in which one household
member needs to provide the answers for another
household member. This is known as a "proxy" interview.
We will discuss these situations and who is eligible to be a
proxy respondent in detail during classroom training.
Become Familiar With the
Survey Questions
To be efficient in conducting interviews, become thoroughly
familiar with how to complete each NCVS question. We will
cover the specific items in detail in class.
Ask Questions as Worded
For now, the most basic rule to remember is to:
● Ask the NCVS questions EXACTLY AS WORDED on
the screen, and
● Follow all instructions carefully.
2-5
Basic Interviewing Techniques
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The information you collect for the NCVS, or any other
survey, is not valid unless all FRs ask all questions in the
same way.
If a question seems awkward, or if you feel you are talking
down to a respondent, resist the temptation to apologize or
change the question. Simply ask it as worded.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise that starts on the following
page. Compare your answers to the answer key which
follows the review exercise, then continue with Lesson 3.
2-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Interviewing Techniques
Lesson 2 - Review Exercise
1. Your primary goal is to obtain complete
with each sample
assigned to you.
2. As an NCVS FR, you should be able to: (Mark all answers that apply.)
____ (a) Explain the importance of the survey.
____ (b) Answer any questions that a respondent may have.
____ (c) Determine if a sample household keeps a home safe for valuables.
3.
As you complete your NCVS assignments, you will be conducting both
___________________ and _________________ interviews.
4.
Your _____________________ __________________ proves that you are an employee of
the United States Census Bureau.
5.
A proper introduction to the NCVS for a personal visit interview should contain the following
information: (Mark all answers that apply.)
____ (a) Your home address and telephone number.
____ (b) Your name.
____ (c) The fact that you represent the United States Census Bureau.
____ (d) Your reason for contacting the household whether in person or by telephone.
____ (e) An inquiry whether or not the household received a letter from the Census Bureau
about the NCVS and your visit.
2-7
Basic Interviewing Techniques
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6.
The household respondent must be a current household member who is at least
_______ years of age, except in a few unusual situations.
7.
In most cases, self response is not necessary and it is acceptable for one household
member to answer all of the survey questions for all other household members.
TRUE
8.
FALSE
It is important to ask the NCVS questions as worded so that all respondents hear the same
questions in the same order, ensuring the validity of the survey data.
TRUE
FALSE
Compare your answers against
the answer key on the next page(s).
2-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Interviewing Techniques
Lesson 2 - Answer Key
1.
Your primary goal is to obtain complete interviews with each sample address assigned to
you.
(Page 2-1)
2.
As an NCVS FR, you should be able to: (Mark all answers that apply.)
X
(a) Explain the importance of the survey.
X
(b) Answer any questions that a respondent may have.
____ (c) Determine if a sample household keeps a home safe for valuables.
(Page 2-1)
3.
As you complete your NCVS assignments, you will be conducting both personal visit and
telephone interviews.
(Page 2-1)
4.
Your Identification Card proves that you are an employee of the United States Census
Bureau.
(Page 2-3)
5.
A proper introduction to the NCVS for a personal visit interview should contain the following
information: (Mark all answers that apply.)
____ (a) Your home address and telephone number.
X
(b) Your name.
X
(c) The fact that you represent the United States Census Bureau.
X
(d) Your reason for contacting the household, whether in person or by telephone.
X
(e) An inquiry whether or not the household received a letter from the Census Bureau
about the NCVS and your visit.
(Page 2-4)
2-9
Basic Interviewing Techniques
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6.
The household respondent must be a current household member who is at least
18 years of age, except in a few unusual situations.
(Page 2-5)
7.
In most cases, self response is not necessary and it is acceptable for one household
member to answer all of the survey questions for all other household members.
FALSE
(Page 2-5)
8.
It is important to ask the NCVS questions as worded so that all respondents hear the same
questions in the same order, ensuring the validity of the survey data.
TRUE
(Page 2-5)
Continue with Lesson 3.
2-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
Lesson 3. NCVS Sample Design
and Control Number
Objectives
The objectives of this lesson are to:
● Provide a brief overview of what is referred to as a
"sample";
● Explain how the NCVS sample is selected; and
● Explain where to locate information about the NCVS.
Definition of "Sample"
A "sample" is a portion or specimen of a whole object,
group, population, etc., from which we learn something
about the whole object, group, population, etc.
For example: Television ratings for the entire United States
are based on a sample of about 1,500 households.
Sample Survey
The NCVS is a sample survey. The sample for the NCVS
consists of approximately 78,000 addresses throughout the
United States. These addresses are scientifically selected
so that characteristics of the people who reside at these
addresses are representative of the entire population.
NCVS Sample
Designations
The NCVS sample designations consist of the letter "J”,
"JB”, or “KB”, followed by a 2-digit number. The sample
designation for the 2000 sample design cases begins with
J25 or J26. Sample boost cases added (starting in 2013)
begin with JB or KB. 2010 sample design cases, the sample
designation is J or K, followed by 28, 29, 30, 16, or 17. The
sample designation for each unit is shown on the listing
sheets, along with the address of each unit assigned to you
for interview.
Sample Units
Addresses selected for the NCVS sample are called
"sample" units or "sample" addresses. A sample unit is
occupied usually by one household (a family, a group of
unrelated persons living together, or a person living alone).
Each sample unit represents hundreds of other similar units.
Therefore, when an FR omits or obtains incorrect
information about one sample unit, the error is multiplied
hundreds of times.
3-1
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
Control number
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
There are two parts of the sample (the 2000 sample cases
and the 2010 sample cases). Each part has a different style
of control number:
2000 SAMPLE: In the 2000 sample cases, each sample
unit is identified uniquely by a control number, which
consists of the following:
PSU number (5 digits)
Segment number (2 digits)
Segment number suffix (2 characters)
Sample designation (3 characters)
Sample designation suffix (1 digit)
Serial number (2 digits)
Serial number suffix (1 character)
Household number (1 digit)
Spinoff indicator (2 digits)
When you receive your assignment, the segment number
suffix, the sample designation suffix, and the serial number
suffix MAY often be blank.
2010 SAMPLE: In the 2010 sample cases, each sample
unit is identified uniquely by a control number, which
consists of the following:
Primary Sampling Unit
(PSU) (2000 sample design)
Survey code (2 digits)
PSU state code (2 digits)
PSU county code (3 digits)
Frame code (1 digits)
Sample designation code (3 digits)
Sequence number #1 (4 digits)
Sequence number #2 (2 digits)
Time of interview (5 digits)
To select the NCVS sample, the United States is first divided
into geographic areas. Each of these areas consists of one
county or pseudo-county (in Hawaii and New England) with
similar characteristics, such as geographic region, principal
industry, and rate of population increase.
3-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
This entire sample area of land is called a -"Primary Sampling Unit" (PSU).
All PSUs are identified by a 5-digit code. The first 2 digits
identify the state, and in most cases the last 3 digits identify
the county.
Segments
(2000 sample design)
We then divide each PSU into smaller land areas or
segments and assign each segment with a 4-digit segment
number. Two characters are reserved for the segment
number suffix. In most cases the segment number suffix will
be blank or 1 character.
Serial number/Suffix
(2000 sample design)
The 2-digit serial number and the 1-character serial number
suffix uniquely identify the sample units within a segment. In
most cases the serial number suffix is blank.
Sample Designation/Suffix
(2000 sample design)
The three-character sample designation (for example, J25)
and the one-digit sample designation suffix are part of the
control number. The “J” indicates that this is a sample
designated for the NCVS. The remaining digits indicate the
sample number. In most cases the sample designation
suffix is blank.
Household Number
(2000 sample design)
When a housing unit enters the sample, it is assigned a
household number of “1.” Each time a household moves out
of a sample address and a new household replaces the
previous household the household number increases by 1.
Spinoff Indicator
(2000 sample design)
For the NCVS, the 2-digit spinoff indicator is always zeros.
Survey code
(2010 sample design)
The survey code identifies the survey. For NCVS the code is
02.
Field Primary Sample Unit
(2010 sample design)
Primary Sample Unit is a five-digit number that shows the
geographic area where the sample unit is located. The first
two digits identify the FIPS (Federal Information Processing
Standards) state code; the last three digits identify the FIPS
county code.
3-3
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Frame Indicator
(2010 sample design)
The Frame Indicator shows what frame the sample unit is in.
A “G” indicates the group quarters frame, “U” for unit frame,
and “C” for coverage improvement frame cases.
Sample designation
(2010 sample design)
Sample designations are three characters in length and
vary, depending on the survey.
Sequence numbers 1 and 2
(2010 sample design)
Sequence numbers 1 and 2 are assigned to provide
uniqueness to each control number.
Survey-Specific
Time-of-Interview Codes
(2010 sample design)
These numbers indicate survey-specific time-of-interview
codes, such as Address ID or Spinoff Indicator.
How Often Is a Sample
Address Interviewed?
A sample address that is selected for the NCVS is contacted
every 6 months for 3 years, until the household has been
interviewed a total of 7 times. For example, if a household is
interviewed in January 2015 for the first time, that
household is interviewed again in July 2015, January 2016,
July 2016, January 2017, July 2017 and January 2018.
Only the first interview with a sample household must be
conducted in person. The remaining interviews (2nd
through 7th) are conducted by telephone by a field
representative (FR).
When Household Members
Change
The NCVS is a sample of addresses. If the occupants of a
sample address change, you interview the people who
currently live at the address and consider the address to be
their usual place of residence. Always interview the current
household members at an assigned sample address. Each
time an entire household changes, you assign the new
household the next higher household number.
Unique ID
No two sample addresses should ever have the same
combination of sample designation and control number.
This is the main source to identify a sample address.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise on the next page. Make sure
to compare your answers to the answer key that follows the
review exercise, then continue with Lesson 4.
3-4
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
NCVS-521-CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 3 - Review Exercise
1.
2.
Which households are interviewed in the NCVS each month? (Mark the correct answer.)
_____
All the households in the United States.
_____
All the households in selected counties.
_____
A sample of households which represents all households in the United States.
The NCVS sample is selected by a scientific process.
TRUE
3.
FALSE
The NCVS sample is selected from names, not addresses.
TRUE
4.
5.
FALSE
What do we call addresses selected for the NCVS sample? (Mark the correct answer.)
_____
Sample places
_____
Sample areas
_____
Sample units
_____
Segments
The information that you collect from a sample unit represents information for:
(Mark the correct answer.)
_____
The sample unit only
_____
Hundreds of other similar units
_____
All 78,000 units in the survey
3-5
NCVS-521-CAPI (10/2014)
6.
7.
8.
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
What happens when an FR omits or obtains incorrect information at a sample unit? (Mark
the correct answer.)
_____
The error affects only the sample unit.
_____
The error is multiplied hundreds of times.
How often is a sample unit normally interviewed in the NCVS? (Mark the correct answer.)
_____
Every 6 months for 3 years for a total of seven interviews
_____
Every month for 3 years
_____
Every month for 6 months
No two sample addresses should ever have the same combination of sample designation
and control number.
TRUE
FALSE
Compare your answers
to the answer key on the next page(s).
3-6
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
NCVS-521-CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 3 - Answer Key
1.
Which households are interviewed in the NCVS each month? (Mark the correct answer.)
_____
All the households in the United States.
_____
All the households in selected counties.
X
A sample of households which represents all households in the United States.
(Page 3-1)
2.
The NCVS sample is selected by a scientific process.
TRUE
(Page 3-1)
3.
The NCVS sample is selected from names, not addresses.
FALSE
(Pages 3-1, 3-3)
4.
What do we call addresses selected for the NCVS sample? (Mark the correct answer.)
_____
Sample places
_____
Sample areas
X
Sample units
_____ Segments
(Page 3-1)
5.
The information that you collect from a sample unit represents information for: (Mark the
correct answer.)
_____
X
The sample unit only
Hundreds of other similar units
_____ All 78,000 units in the survey
(Pages 3-1)
3-7
NCVS-521-CAPI (10/2014)
6.
NCVS Sample Design and Control Number
What happens when an FR omits or obtains incorrect information at a sample unit? (Mark
the correct answer.)
_____
The error affects only the sample unit.
X
The error is multiplied hundreds of times.
(Page 3-1)
7.
How often is a sample unit normally interviewed in the NCVS? (Mark the correct answer.)
X
_____
Every 6 months for 3 years for a total of seven interviews
Every month for 3 years
_____ Every month for 6 months
(Page 3-4)
8.
No two sample addresses should ever have the same combination of sample designation
and control number.
TRUE
(Page 3-4)
Continue with Lesson 4.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
FR CAPI Manuals
Lesson 4. The NCVS Field Representative's
Manuals for CAPI
Objective
In this lesson, we will discuss the primary sources of information that
you will have. These are electronic documents, located on your
laptop:
●
The NCVS-550 -- CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives;
●
The NCVS Form 11-922 – Field Representative’s Guide to
Locating Sample Addresses; and
●
The Form 11-8, Volume II -- Listing and Coverage: A Survival
Guide for the Field Representative Volume II: Demographic Area
Address Listing (DAAL).
We will start by going over your NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing
Manual for Field Representatives. Please get your laptop out and find
it now. Click on the “Manuals” icon on your laptop to locate it in the
Manuals folder.
[]
Introduction to the
NCVS-550
The NCVS-550 CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
is a reference document containing all the information you need to
successfully complete your NCVS assignment. It is installed on your
laptop as an indexed, searchable file. As you gain experience, you
will become a proficient FR, but the manual is designed to answer
specific questions about your assignment and the NCVS.
How the Manual is
Organized
Refer to your NCVS-550 manual as you read the following
paragraphs.
Your interviewing manual is divided into four main parts:
● Part A: The National Crime Victimization Survey and You,
● Part B: National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Instrument,
● Part C: Survey Concepts, and
● Part D: NCVS Case Management and Contact History
Instrument.
4-1
FR CAPI Manuals
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
At the front of the manual is a Table of Contents. The sections and
chapters are numbered using the following method, for example:
"Page A2-4" refers to Part A, Chapter 2, page 4.
"Page B3-5" refers to Part B, Chapter 3, page 5.
“Page C1-10" refers to Part C, Chapter 1, page 10.
Part A: The National
Crime Victimization
Survey and You
Part A contains information on the history of the NCVS and talks
about your job duties and materials. This section of the manual
discusses ● the purpose and sponsor of the survey,
● sample design,
● use of the data,
● eligible respondents,
● general interviewing techniques,
● basic survey procedures,
● your job duties, and so on.
Take a few minutes now to look through Part A.
[]
Part A, Chapter 6
“Noninterviews”
Now look at Part A, Chapter 6.
Chapter 6 includes information on NCVS noninterviews. When you
are assigned an NCVS case and cannot get a completed interview
either for the entire household or for an eligible household member,
that case is considered either a household or person noninterview.
The chapter starts off with a general discussion of the household
noninterviews, and then a topic for each type of noninterview (A, B, C,
and Z), and the procedures for classifying a case as a noninterview.
Read about the four types of NCVS interviews beginning on page
A6-2. Your reading ends on page A6-4 with the discussion of Type Z
noninterviews.
4-2
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FR CAPI Manuals
[]
Part B: The National
Crime Victimization
CAPI Instrument
Part B contains information on the NCVS interview, an explanation of
the three parts of the NCVS instrument (front, middle, and back), and
the items contained within each part.
Go to the Table of Contents in the front of your manual to Part B.
[]
Notice that Part B is further broken down into six chapters.
Chapter 1, “Overview
of the NCVS
Instrument”
Chapter 1 contains information about the NCVS Blaise CAPI
instrument, so before classroom training, review it carefully. This
chapter contains detailed information regarding the layout of the
question screens, navigating within the instrument, and using
function keys. Function keys are any of a set of keys on a computer
keyboard that when pressed activates a special function or operation.
Go to Topics 1 and 2 of this chapter. These topics introduce you to
the design of the survey instrument and the layout of the question
screens. Read these two topics now.
[]
Next, locate Topic 5, “Navigation and Using Function Keys” and read
this topic now. [ ]
You have the flexibility to navigate through the instrument as dictated
by your interview. You can navigate by using the mouse or the
keyboard (or a combination of both). However, this self-study focuses
on keyboard-based navigation only.
Take a few minutes to read through this topic now. You will learn
about this information in detail during classroom training. [ ]
Chapter 2, “Front
Section of the NCVS
Instrument”
This chapter gives you a basic overview of some of the front screens
of the instrument. The Front section of the instrument, which also will
be discussed in a later lesson, is designed to:
●
Provide the telephone number to dial and the introduction to read
to the person who answers your telephone call.
●
Identify possible interviewing problems.
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FR CAPI Manuals
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
●
Verify that you reached the correct address and household.
●
Verify that you are speaking to an eligible household
respondent and, if necessary, to select another eligible
household respondent.
Chapter 3,”Middle
Section of the NCVS
Instrument
-Introduction &
Screening Items”
Chapter 3 covers the screen layout and instructions for specific items
within the screening component of the instrument. The variable
names pertaining to a concept or other kind of information are
included in the manual.
Chapter 4, “Middle
Section of the NCVS
Instrument - Incident
Report Items”
Chapter 4 covers the screen layout and instructions for specific items
within the incident component of the instrument. Each item has a
unique variable name. The variable name pertaining to a concept or
other kind of information is included in the manual. Therefore, if you
are having trouble with a particular item within the instrument, identify
its variable name and look up that variable in your manual.
Chapter 4 also contains important information about how to write a
summary report when you have completed collecting details about a
crime incident. Each summary report should be written so that
anyone reading it can get a clear, well-defined picture of how the
respondent was victimized.
Detailed discussions of the Middle section of the instrument, which
contains the screening questions and the incident questions are
covered in Part C of the manual and also discussed later in this
self-study.
Chapter 5, “Middle
Section of the NCVS
InstrumentAdditional Incidents,
Unduplication, and
Help Screens”
This chapter gives you an overview of how to handle adding incidents
and reviewing incidents for duplication in the middle section of the
NCVS CAPI instrument. This chapter also provides a list of “Help”
screens available to you for specific NCVS items within the
instrument. Turn to Topic 3 of Chapter 5 in your NCVS CAPI
interviewing manual and look over the different help screens that are
available to you as you conduct NCVS interviews.
[]
4-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Chapter 6, “Back
Section of the NCVS
Instrument”
FR CAPI Manuals
This chapter discusses the Back section of the instrument which is
made up of screens that you use to:
● Make appointments to recontact a sample household to complete
an interview.
● Thank respondents for their participation in the NCVS.
● Enter any final notes about the case.
Further discussion of the Back section of the instrument is provided
later in this self-study.
Part C: “Survey
Concepts”
This part of the manual contains information related to survey
concepts, and not so much to the instrument. Part C covers all the
concepts used in the NCVS interview. Chapter 1 provides concept
definitions and examples for the basic NCVS concepts. Chapter 2
covers the concepts that you will encounter as you are screening for
crimes, and Chapter 3 explains the concepts pertaining to the
reporting of crime incidents. It is extremely important that you
develop a good understanding of these concepts.
Take a few minutes now to look through Part C.
Part D: NCVS Case
Management and
Contact History
Instrument
Part D discusses Case Management and the Person Level Contact
History Instrument (pCHI), which are the two systems you use to
track your cases and contacts with households and respondents.
Case Management helps you organize and manage your
assignments while the survey instrument contains the survey
questions you will ask respondents. These two systems are
integrated so that they “talk” to each other. That is, you must “tell”
case management what case you want to interview in order to pull
that case up. Likewise, any changes you make to the address,
contact information, or notes feed back and forth between the
instrument and case management.
Go to the Table of Contents for Chapter 1 now.
[]
4-5
FR CAPI Manuals
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Chapter 1 (about Case Management) is divided into four topics:
introduction,
getting into case management,
telecommunications, and
●
the address book.
Chapter 1, Topic 2,
Getting into Case
Management
Now go to Chapter 1, Topic 2 in Part D of your manual. [ ]
Chapter 1, Topic 3,
Telecommunications
Topic 3 covers important information on saving (backing up) and
transmitting your completed work. This topic also covers reading,
creating, and sending mail using the electronic mail transmission
program.
Chapter 2, Person
Level Contact History
Instrument
Chapter 2 covers all the details for using the Person Level Contact
History Instrument or pCHI. The pCHI allows you to keep track of
household contacts and contacts with individual respondents.
This section of your manual includes information on logging into your
laptop, as well as how the screens are set up and how the function
keys work in Case Management. You will practice using some of the
function keys and learning about your screen setup later in the
self-study. Also, during classroom training, you will practice using
these function keys and learn about your screen setup in more detail.
[]
Go to the Table of Contents for Chapter 2 now. You can see that the
chapter gives an overview of the pCHI, information on how it works
along with Case Management, how to handle contact information for
both households with rosters and households without rosters. The
final topic describes how to use pCHI in specific situations.
Index
The NCVS-550 manual contains an index that helps you locate
information in the manual for specific NCVS subjects or items in the
NCVS instrument. (You may also use the search function in Adobe
Acrobat to locate specific terms or phrases.)
4-6
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FR CAPI Manuals
Form 11-922 and 11-8
(Volume II) Manuals
The Form 11-922 Field Representatives’ Guide to Locating Sample
Addresses provides an overview of sample design, listing and
coverage terminology, and instructions for locating sample
addresses. The Form 11-8 (Volume II), Listing and Coverage: A
Survival Guide for the Field Representative Volume II: Demographic
Area Address Listing (DAAL) provides instruction for electronic listing
and mapping via the laptop computer. They are both in the “Manuals”
folder on your laptop.
Organization of the
Form 11-922 and 11-8
(Volume II) Manuals
FORM 11-922 -- Refer to Form 11-922, Field Representatives’ Guide
to Locating Sample Addresses as you read the following paragraphs.
On the laptop, go to Page i of this manual and look at the Table of
Contents.
[]
This manual is divided into five chapters and four appendixes. Also
provided is a glossary of terms used throughout the manual and a
subject index. After the Table of Contents, Chapter 1 provides a
general overview of the structure and contents of the manual.
FORM 11-8 (VOLUME II) -- Now look at the Form 11-8 (Volume II),
“Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for the Field Representative,
Volume II: Demographic Area Address Listing (DAAL)” on the laptop.
It consists of three chapters and seven appendixes. Go to Chapter 1,
Overview: Case Management, and see a complete list of the topics
covered in Chapter 1. A similar listing of topics appears at the
beginning of each chapter.
[]
Take a few minutes to look over this manual. You can also use the
“search” function to find terms and information here.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise on the following page. Check your
answers against the answer key that follows the review exercise,
then continue with Lesson 5.
4-7
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
FR CAPI Manuals
Lesson 4 - Review Exercise
1.
2.
3.
Which of the following two manuals contains a section covering basic NCVS survey
concepts?
____
Form 11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for Field
Representatives (Volume II)
____
NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
Identify the Part (A, B, C, or D) of the NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives, where you would find information on the following subjects:
____
Historical overview of the NCVS
____
How to answer questions from respondents
____
How to access a case to conduct an NCVS interview.
____
Discussion of the instrument’s front, middle, and back sections.
____
Where to look up a definition of the NCVS concept of presence during an
incident.
____
How the function keys work in case management
Which of the following manuals do you use to find listing and coverage procedures?
____
Form 11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for the Field
Representative, Volume II
____
NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
____
Form 11-922, Field Representatives’ Guide to Locating Sample Addresses
4-8
FR CAPI Manuals
NCVS-521-CAPI (10/2014)
4.
List the Part and Topic of the NCVS-550 manual which provides instructions for
completing the summary of the crime incident report.
5.
Which chapter of the 11-922 manual provides listing and coverage terminology?
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
4-9
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
FR CAPI Manuals
Lesson 4 - Answer Key
1.
Which of the following two manuals contains a section covering basic NCVS survey
concepts?
____
X
Form 11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for Field
Representatives (Volume II)
NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
(Page 4-1)
2.
Identify the Part (A, B, C, or D) of the NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives, where you would find information on the following subjects:
A
Historical overview of the NCVS
A
How to answer questions from respondents
D
How to access a case to conduct an NCVS interview.
B
Discussion of the instrument’s front, middle, and back sections.
C
Where to look up a definition of the NCVS concept of presence during an
incident.
B
How the function keys work in case management
(Page 4-1 and the NCVS-550 Manual Table of Contents)
3.
Which of the following manuals do you use to find listing and coverage procedures?
____
Form 11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for the Field
Representative, Volume II
____
NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives
X
Form 11-922, Field Representatives’ Guide to Locating Sample Addresses
(Page 4-7)
4-10
FR CAPI Manuals
4.
NCVS-521-CAPI (10/2014)
List the Part and Topic of the NCVS-550 manual which provides instructions for
completing the summary of the crime incident report.
Part B, Chapter 4
(Page 4-4)
5.
Which chapter of the 11-922 manual provides listing and coverage terminology?
Chapter 1, Part 1.3
(Pages 4-7 and Page i, 11-922 manual Table of Contents)
Continue with Lesson 5
4-11
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
FR CAPI Manuals
NOTES
4-12
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Blaise and the NCVS
Lesson 5. Blaise and the NCVS
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you will be familiar with the
system in which the NCVS survey instrument operates
and:
See the overall benefits of using a Blaise instrument.
Familiarize yourself with some of the basic keys that
you will use to navigate or “move around” in the NCVS
survey instrument.
What is Blaise?
Blaise is the name of the software in which the NCVS
instrument is programmed. The “instrument” is the
automated questionnaire, or the computer program used to
present the survey questions.
The Blaise system allows computer-assisted interviewing
to be done using Windows operating systems, which
simply means that features such as the use of color and
graphics are available. The NCVS also uses a Windowsbased Case Management system, important for managing
your work.
How does Blaise change
the way we look at
things?
The Windows environment enables user-friendly display
of information. Throughout training you will practice
identifying information and learning where to look for
things in Blaise.
Blaise Benefit
Some of the benefits of using Blaise are that:
Navigation is easy;
“Answer fields,” or places where you enter a
respondent’s answers, are visible on the screen so it is
easy to determine where you are within the
instrument;
There are a variety of ways to do the same thing so we
expect you will develop individual preferences that will
make interviewing on the laptop easier for you (i.e.,
using keystrokes or using the mouse to move the
cursor).
5-1
Blaise and the NCVS
Entering Information
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
You can enter information and navigate through the
instrument by using the keyboard and/or a mouse.
Throughout this self-study you will focus on using the
keyboard. To enter information and navigate through the
instrument, you use several keys on your laptop. Look at
the illustration on the next page and take note of where
these keys are.
You use various Function Keys:Tab, PageUp and
PageDown, Enter, and End, as well as the up, down, right
and left arrow keys to navigate through the instrument.
Typing the appropriate precode and pressing “Enter” takes
you to the next question or item in the Blaise instrument.
The “End” key takes you to the next unanswered question,
which is good for getting back to where you left off if you
need to re-enter the case.
You will practice using these keys later in the self-study
and during classroom training.
Summary Points
The Windows-compatible software we use for the NCVS
CAPI instrument is called Blaise.
The Blaise software offers many benefits such as: easy
navigation, more capability to see “where you are” within
the instrument; and a variety of ways to do the same thing
so you can develop individual preferences that make
interviewing on the laptop easier for you (i.e., using
keystrokes or using the mouse to move the cursor).
Familiarize yourself with the keys on your keyboard,
particularly the tab key, the enter key, the end key, the
PageUp and PageDown keys, the up, down, right and left
arrow keys, and the function keys.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise for this lesson. Compare
your answers to the answer key which follows the review
exercise and continue with Lesson 6.
5-2
[ ]
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Tab key
Blaise and the NCVS
Function keys
Arrow Keys
End key
Page Up
5-3
Page Down
Enter key
Blaise and the NCVS
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 5 - Review Exercise
1.
The Windows-compatible software we use for the NCVS CAPI instrument is called
CASES.
TRUE
2.
The advantage of using a “Windows” operating systems is that features such as the use of
color and graphics are available.
TRUE
3.
FALSE
FALSE
If you re-enter a case, which key do you press to take you to the next unanswered
question?
PageUp
PageDown
Enter
End
4.
Places where you enter a respondent’s answers on the screen are called
5.
The
is the automated questionnaire, or the computer program used to present the
survey questions.
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page.
5-4
.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Blaise and the NCVS
Lesson 5 - Answer Key
1.
The Windows-compatible software we use for the NCVS CAPI instrument is called
CASES.
FALSE
(Page 5-1)
2.
The advantage of using a “Windows” operating systems is that features such as the use of
color and graphics are available.
TRUE
(Page 5-1)
3.
If you re-enter a case, which key do you press to take you to the next unanswered
question?
PageUp
PageDown
Enter
X
End
(Page 5-2)
4.
Places where you enter a respondent’s answers on the screen are called answer fields.
(Page 5-1)
5.
The instrument is the automated questionnaire, or the computer program used to present
the survey questions.
(Page 5-1)
Continue with Lesson 6.
5-5
Blaise and the NCVS
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NOTES
5-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Case Management
Lesson 6. Case Management
Objectives
During this lesson, you will learn some of the basic ways that
information is displayed in Case Management for a Windows-based
survey. In this lesson, you will:
review some Case Management screen layouts;
learn how to identify different parts of the screen;
learn about the Case Management function keys.
What is Case
Management?
Case Management is an application that helps you (and staff at
headquarters) manage your work. Case Management provides a list
of all sample cases in your NCVS monthly assignment, along with
additional information that is helpful to you in managing your work,
such as appointments, telephone numbers, respondent names, and
so on. Some of the function keys used in Case Management work
differently than in the survey instrument screens.
Practice
The best way to familiarize yourself with NCVS Case Management is
by hands-on practice. To do this, get into Training Case Management
and install your training cases.
Turn your computer on, and log into Entrust using your profile
name and password.
Double click on the Training icon on your desktop.
Select NCVS from the survey list and press Enter (or click OK).
Highlight the row “NCS Classroom training” and press F5 to install
your training cases.
When you receive a message that the installation of training
cases was successful, press Enter (or click OK).
Get into the training cases in Case Management; press F8.
6-1
Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
You should have a list of training cases on your screen. When you
enter Case Management during production interviewing, a dialog box
appears that asks you to select the assignment (interview) period with
which you want to work (see example below of screen). Arrow up or
down to the appropriate assignment period. (When using training
cases, this screen does not appear.)
Follow the instructions in this lesson as you go through some Case
Management functions.
6-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Parts of Case
Management
Case Management
There are four main parts to the Case Management window. They are
the:
Menu Bar,
Tool Bar,
Case List Pane, and
Details Pane.
Menu Bar
Tool Bar
Case
List
Pane
Details
Pane
Tabs
MENU BAR
The first section of the Case Management window, called the
Menu Bar, is at the top left corner of the screen. The Menu Bar shows
the words File, Edit, View, Actions, and Help. These are called menu
items. Most applications have a menu; however, different applications
have different menu items.
Once a menu item is selected, you can move from one menu item
to the next by using your arrow keys or by pressing the Alt key
and the letter that is underlined in the menu item’s name, for
example, Alt+H will access the help drop down list. You can also
select a menu item by using the mouse pad and clicking on the
menu item you want to look at. A drop down menu appears,
displaying information contained within the menu item.
6-3
Case Management
TOOL BAR
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Look at the next section of the Case Management window just
below the menu bar. This section is the Toolbar. The Toolbar in Case
Management lists the function keys and contains a symbol and name
for each function key. Function keys are shortcuts for evoking specific
actions within Case Management.
For example, look at the question mark symbol just below the words
File and Edit on the Menu Bar. The question mark stands for the Help
function key (F1) which is printed directly below the question mark. If
you click on the question mark with your mouse you get the Help
window, but you can also access the Help window by pressing the F1
key.
Using the
Function Keys
In this section of the self-study, we will discuss each function key.
As you review each of the function keys listed on the Tool Bar, do not
press a key unless instructed to do so.
F1 - Help
The F1 key is the Help key. By pressing F1, you access Case
Management Help, which explains a specific function of
Case Management.
F2 - Interview
Press the F2 key to begin an interview for the case currently
highlighted on your case list.
Once you press the F2 key to begin an interview, you are no longer in
Case Management, and have at that point accessed the NCVS
interviewing instrument.
F3 - Next Tab
Press the F3 key and the view in the Details Pane changes from one
tab to another. For example, if you are looking at the Assignment tab
and press F3, the view changes to the HH Roster tab.
F4 - Go to
(Case
List/Details)
The F4 key allows you to switch your focus between the Case List
Pane and the Details Pane. Press F4 so that the label on the toolbar
for the F4 button reads Case List. Notice that the Assignment tab is in
red and your cursor is in the Control Number field. You are now in the
Details Pane. Notice the Title Bar now says “Case Management –
Details.” [ ]
Notice that some of the fields displayed in the Assignment tab are
shaded and others are white. The fields that are in white are
editable fields which means that you can make changes only to
those fields. If you make any changes in the Details Pane, it is
6-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Case Management
recommended that you save those changes (using the save shortcut
Ctrl + S) before returning to the Case List Pane. However, if you
do not save your changes before returning to the Case List Pane,
you will be prompted to save any changes upon exiting Case
Management or when you press F2 to interview a case.
Press the F4 key again, and you will see your cursor blinking in
the Case List Pane in the last column to the right titled, “RTE.”
Now any action you take affects the Case List Pane.
F5 - Reports
Press the F5 function key to view various reports to help you check
the status of your overall assignment. Some of the types of reports
you will be able to see are counts of your cases (all complete
interviews, all noninterviews or Type As, etc.), overall response rates
based on the information on your laptop, as well as your Type Z
noninterview rate. You can select the report you want to view by
using your down and up arrow keys until the report you want is
highlighted. Select “OK” to view the report.
Click on F5-Reports in the Toolbar. [ ]
Highlight the “Counts” report and select “OK.” When you are
done viewing the report click on the “Close” button, which takes
you back to your Case List.
F6 - Listing
The F6 key is not used for the NCVS and is grayed out.
F7 - Notes
The F7 key allows you to add notes and view existing notes for a
highlighted case.
F8 - View
The F8 key allows you to look at your cases in a variety of ways,
such as those cases - • Not Started,
• Interviewed,
• Transmitted, etc.
Click on the F8-View button now to see the different ways you
can view the cases in your assignment. [ ]
F9 - Sort
DO NOT press a key unless instructed to do so. You will have an
opportunity to use these function keys during classroom training.
In organizing your work, you may find that you need to be able to
see your cases in a different order, according to a specific field.
6-5
Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The F9 key allows you to sort the list according to any column
heading or any field within the Case List Pane. Cases are
automatically sorted in the order of the control number, but that
may not work best for you. For example, you may want to view
your cases according to where they are located, in which case you
may want to sort according to ZIP code. Or you may want to view
your cases according to appointments you have made, in which
case, you would sort according to appointment.
F10 - Exit
Use the F10 function key to exit Case Management.
F11
F11 is inactive for the NCVS in Case Management.
F12
Press F12 to access the Person Level Contact History Instrument
(pCHI).
Shft F6
Although this function is not active for your training cases, during
actual survey production work it opens the ALMI TOI map which
enables you to open either an overview map or a block map for the
case highlighted in your case list. Detailed instructions for opening
and closing a map and exiting ALMI are in the Automated Listing and
Mapping Instrument (ALMI) at Time of Interview (TOI) Self-study,
Form 11-826 which you should already have completed.
Ctrl T
Press the CTRL+T keys simultaneously to open the Interview
Time Preferences (also known as ITP) application. This application
allows you to view and record the best and worst times to contact a
case. You can also access the Interview Time Preferences by clicking
on the Ctrl +T ITP icon. You can view the interview time preferences
on the Case List toolbar or by clicking on the Interview Time
Preferences tab in the Details Pane.
Other Keys
In addition to using the function keys alone, Case Management
uses function keys in combination with other keys on the keyboard
to allow you to perform some additional operations in Case
Management. For example:
Shift + F1 - Displays General Help.
Alt + F4 - Closes the active window or exits the
active program or help screen.
Shift + F8 - Returns you to the main Case Management screen
from the Display Categories (F8) screen.
6-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Case Management
Other useful shortcut keys in Case Management include:
•
•
•
Ctrl + S - Saves any changes you made to one or more
editable fields.
Ctrl + Home - Moves you to the first case in the list.
Ctrl + End - Moves you to the last case in the list.
Practice Makes
Perfect
After you begin working with your actual assignment, you will use
Case Management functions every day. As you use them more,
you will see how they work best for you.
Things change
when you access
the survey
instrument ...
Case Management (and all of its functions) are separate from how
things operate once you access the NCVS instrument. Once you use
F2 in Case Management to access a case, you have then accessed
the NCVS instrument, and the function keys and the way in which you
view information, etc., changes somewhat. Later in this self-study,
you will have a chance to look at some NCVS screens and see how
they differ from Case Management.
CASE LIST PANE
The Case List Pane is directly under the Toolbar. (See the illustration
on Page 6-3.) It shows a line-by-line summary of some of the
information about the housing units in your assignment.
All of your monthly cases are listed in the Case List Pane, and
more information for the highlighted case is listed in the Details
Pane. As you complete interviews, cases will no longer appear on
this list.
The information displayed in the Case List Pane includes Control
Number, *, Address, Place Name/City, Zip, Appointment, P/T,
Status, Telephone #, Int #, and Rte. Most of the information
displayed is self-explanatory; however, a few of the columns require
further explanation.
Asterisk (*)
Column
The appearance of an asterisk in the column between the Control
Number and Address columns indicates that there is something
special about the case, such as the case is a confirmed refusal and
you are not to contact the case, or the case has been reassigned from
another FR. When there is a special characteristic about a case, in
addition to the asterisk, one or more small icons appear in the upper
right corner of the Assignment tab in the Details pane. For example, if
a case is a confirmed refusal a STOP sign icon displays. To view what
is special about the case without getting into the Assignment tab,
right click on the icon and a description of the icon is displayed.
6-7
Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
P/T Column
The P/T column indicates that the case is to be contacted either by
personal visit or by telephone. A “P” appears for those cases that
require a personal visit and a “T” for those cases that are eligible for
a telephone interview.
Status
Column
The Status column indicates the status of the case. A code is
entered in this column depending upon the outcome of the case.
Some of the codes you frequently see are -•
no code (blank) appears in the Status column if the case has not
been started;
•
an “O” appears if you have opened a case but have not
Completed the household respondent’s interview; and
•
a “P” appears if you have completed the household
respondent’s interview but need to complete interviews for other
eligible members of the household.
Rte Column
The last column, “Rte” or route is a function that can be used to plan
your route each day by prioritizing cases in the order in which you
plan to interview each case. The entry of “999” that you see for all
of your cases is the default setting for route. You will learn more
about this during classroom training.
Scroll Through
Your Case List
As you scroll through your case list (in the Case List Pane), the
information in the Details Pane (portion of the screen below the Case
List Pane) changes to reflect the case that is currently highlighted. Try
this now using your up arrow and down arrow keys.
You can also use your Tab key to scroll down. Note how the
information in the Details Pane changes. Scroll back to the top
and make sure you have the first case on the case list highlighted.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
DETAILS PANE
Case Management
Look at the last part of the Case Management window, the Details
Pane, in the illustration on Page 6-3. The Details Pane is the section
of the screen just below the Case List Pane. Notice that the Details
Pane has several sections called tabs. The names of these tabs are
listed horizontally at the top of the Details Pane (about the middle of
your screen). The tabs in the Details Pane are:
Assignment
HH Roster
Additional Information
Notes
Contacts
Letter Mgmt
History
Contact History
Returning Contact History
Interview Time Preferences.
Bldg Mgmt
Each tab is like a folder in a file cabinet. Now click on each tab as
they are discussed. Take a moment to look at the information under
each tab in the Details Pane.
Assignment
The Assignment tab (which is highlighted by default) shows more
detailed information about a case, such as the full address,
telephone number, case ID, current outcome code, and so on. You
can make changes in the white editable fields. [ ]
HH Roster
The HH Roster tab shows the household roster, which consists of
the names of all household members from the last interview. It is
updated by the instrument if any changes are made during the
current interview period. The information in this tab is useful for
callbacks to households with missing data. [ ]
Additional
Information
This tab provides additional information for those cases that are in
Group Quarters (GQ), such as the GQ name, type, number of units,
contact name, contact address, etc. [ ]
Notes
The Notes tab only allows you to view notes regarding this case.
If you or another FR enter notes for a case, you will see a red
checkmark in front of the word “Notes.” The red checkmark is a
quick way to tell if there is any information in the Notes folder.
To add or edit notes use the F7 function key. [ ]
6-9
Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Contacts
The Contacts tab contains the names, addresses, and telephone
numbers of contact people who are persons other than members of
the household. Sometimes you get information about the status of a
unit from someone other than the occupant. This happens when a
unit is vacant and you talk to a neighbor or a real estate agent, 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 can see the information in the
Contacts folder. [ ]
Letter Mgmt
This tab shows the history of the letters that have been sent from the
regional office to the household, by type and date. [ ]
History
The History tab gives historical information about the case, such as
the previous outcome, whether the case was a replacement
household, or if the case was previously assigned to another FR. It
also shows you the previous addresses during the current interview
periods and captures and shows the outcome code, action code,
and the date/time each time an FR enters into a case by pressing
the F2 function key. [ ]
Contact History
and Returning
Contact History
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.
Contact History contains contact history for the current interview
period; Returning Contact History contains history for the previous
interview period. [ ]
Interview Time
Preferences
This tab allows you to view the best and worst times to contact a
case. The best times are shown in green and the worst times in red.
To edit or enter good or bad times to contact, you may press “Ctrl” +
“T” at any time during an interview. [ ]
To return to the Case List Pane, press the F4 function key.
Bldg Mgmt
Review Exercise
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. [ ]
Complete the review exercise on the next page. Compare your
answers to the answer key that follows the review exercise, then
continue with Lesson 7.
6-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Case Management
Lesson 6 - Review Exercise
1. One of the purposes of Case Management is to help you manage your monthly assignment.
TRUE
FALSE
2. Match the function keys below with their function in Windows Case Management:
_____F1 Help
A - Lets you rearrange the listed cases according to your criteria.
_____F2 Interview
B - Enables you to move from tab to tab in the Details Pane.
_____F3 Next Tab
C - Displays the Notes field for the selected case.
_____F4 Go to
D - Displays Case Management Help information about the active
window.
_____F5 Reports
E - Closes Case Management.
_____F7 Notes
F - Opens the selected case so you can interview the respondent.
_____F8 View
G - Toggles focus between the Case List pane and the Details
pane.
_____F9 Sort
H - Displays the CM Report Selection dialog box, in which you
choose the report(s) you want.
_____F10 Exit
I - Activates the Display Category Selected dialog box, in which you
choose the category of cases you would like to see. This lets you
look at a shorter list of cases, only those which fall into the
category you choose.
_____Ctrl+T
J - Opens the ALMI TOI map.
_____Shft F6-Map
K - Opens the Interview Time Preferences application.
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Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
3. Identify the main section(s) of the Case Management system.
_____ Menu Bar
_____ File Bar
_____ Case List Pane
_____ Info Pane
_____ Tool Bar
_____ Details Pane
4. Which section of the Case Management lists all of your monthly cases?
_____ Menu Bar
_____ File Bar
_____ Case List Pane
_____ Info Pane
_____ Tool Bar
_____ Details Pane
5. Match the function keys below with their function in Case Management.
_____Shift + F1
A - Saves any changes you made to one or more editable fields.
_____Alt + F4
B - Moves you to the last case in the list.
_____Shift + F8
C - Displays General Help.
_____Ctrl + S
D - Moves you to the first case in the list.
_____Ctrl + Home
E - Returns you to the main Case Management screen from the
Display Categories (F8) screen.
_____Ctrl + End
F - Closes the active window or exits the active program or help
screen.
6-12
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Case Management
6. Match the tab in the Details Pane with its function.
___ Assignment
A - Displays notes.
___ HH Roster
B - Shows the contact people names, addresses and telephone
numbers.
___ Additional
Information
C - Displays the previous outcome code and the FR code of the
person who previously interviewed the case.
___ Notes
D - Shows more detailed information about a case, such as the full
address, telephone number, case ID, current outcome code.
___ Contact History
E - Displays the names of all household members.
___ Contacts
F - Contains information about previous visits, strategies used, and
respondent behavior.
___ Letter Mgmt
G - Displays the best and worst times to contact a case.
___ History
H - Contains building manager contact information for large
multi-unit buildings.
___ Bldg Mgmt
I - Provides additional information for GQ cases.
___ Interview Time
Preferences
J - Provides type and date of respondent letters sent
by the regional office.
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page.
6-13
Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 6 - Answer Key
1. One of the purposes of Case Management is to help you manage your monthly
assignment.
TRUE
(Page 6-1)
2. Match the function keys below with their function in Windows Case Management:
D F1 Help
A. Lets you rearrange the listed cases according to your criteria.
F F2 Interview
B. Enables you to move from tab to tab in the Details Pane.
B F3 Next Tab
C. Displays the Notes field for the selected case.
G F4 Go to
D. Displays Case Management Help.
H F5 Reports
E. Closes Case Management.
C F7 Notes
F. Opens the selected case so you can interview the respondent.
I F8 View
G. Toggles focus between the Case List pane and the Details pane.
A F9 Sort
H. Displays the CM Report Selection dialog box, in which you
choose the report(s) you want.
E F10 Exit
I. Activates the Display Category Selected dialog box, in which you
choose the category of cases you would like to see. This lets you
look at a shorter list of cases, only those which fall into the
category you choose.
K Ctrl+T
J. Opens the ALMI TOI map
J Shft F6-Map
K. Opens the Interview Time Preferences application.
(Pages 6-4 through 6-6)
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Case Management
3. Identify the main section(s) of the NCVS Case Management system.
_X _ Menu Bar
____ File Bar
_X _ Case List Pane
____ Info Pane
_X _ Tool Bar
_X _ Details Pane
(Page 6-3)
4. Which section of the Case Management lists all of your monthly cases?
____ Menu Bar
____ File Bar
_X _ Case List Pane
____ Info Pane
____ Tool Bar
____ Details Pane
(Page 6-7)
5. Match the function keys below with their function in Case Management.
C Shift + F1
A - Saves any changes you made to one or more editable fields.
F Alt + F4
B - Moves you to the last case in the list.
E Shift + F8
C - Displays General Help.
A Ctrl + S
D - Moves you to the first case in the list.
D Ctrl + Home
E - Returns you to the main Case Management screen
from the Display Categories (F8) screen.
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Case Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
B Ctrl + End
F - Closes the active window or exits the active program or help
screen.
(Pages 6-6 through 6-7)
6. Match the tab in the Details Pane with its function.
D Assignment
A - Displays notes.
E HH Roster
B - Shows the contact people names, addresses and telephone
numbers.
I Additional Information
C - Displays the previous outcome code and the FR code of the
person who previously interviewed the case.
A Notes
D - Shows more detailed information about a case, such as the full
address, telephone number, case ID, current outcome code.
F Contact History
E - Displays the names of all household members.
B Contacts
F - Contains information about previous visits, strategies used, and
respondent behavior.
J Letter Mgmt
G - Displays the best and worst times to contact a case.
C History
H - Contains building manager contact information for large
multi-unit buildings.
H Bldg Mgmt
I - Provides additional information for GQ cases.
G Interview Time
J - Provides type and date of respondent letters sent
Preferences
by the regional office.
(Pages 6-9 through 6-10)
Continue with Lesson 7
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Person Based Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
Lesson 7. The Person Level Contact
History Instrument (pCHI)
Person Level Contact
History Instrument (pCHI)
The Person Level Contact History instrument (also known as
pCHI) allows you to track NCVS contact history on a person
level basis.
pCHI Computer Based
Training (CBT)
Log onto your laptop and complete the pCHI Computer Based
Training. Click on the NCVS pCHI icon in the CBT folder as
shown below and follow instructions to complete the training.
When you have completed it, continue with Lesson 8.
7-1
Person Based Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
NOTES
7-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
More Details About Your Job
Lesson 8. More Details About Your Job
Objective
This lesson will help you understand the basic
procedures for the NCVS, as well as provide you with an
overview of specific household procedures.
Length of Time in Sample
Each address that is selected as a sample unit for the
NCVS is usually interviewed seven times. These
interviews are conducted once every 6 months over a
period of 3 years. This allows us to compile a continuous
record of the sample household's experiences at a
reasonable cost and with the least amount of
inconvenience to the household.
Enumeration Periods
We refer to each time a sample household's address is
assigned for interview as an "enumeration period." Since
we interview or attempt to interview each sample
household seven times, there are seven "enumeration
periods" for each sample address.
Reference Periods
The reference period for the NCVS covers the 6-month
time period prior to the interview day. When conducting
interviews, we are only interested in crime incidents that
occurred during a household member's specific 6-month
reference period. Even though the NCVS instrument
inserts the appropriate reference period start date, it is
still important that you understand how a household
member's reference period is determined.
For the first enumeration period, each household
member's reference period will start 6 months prior to the
interview date on the first day of that month, and end on
the day prior to the interview date.
For example: If a household respondent's first
enumeration period interview is conducted on March 1,
2015, the current reference period for the household
respondent is September 1, 2014 to February 28,
2015. If the remaining household members were
interviewed for the first enumeration period on March 4,
2015, the current reference period for each of these
household members is September 1, 2014 to March 3,
2015.
After the first enumeration period, reference periods for
all remaining enumeration periods start on the date of
the household member's last interview and end on the
8-1
More Details About Your Job
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
day prior to the member's current interview date. For
example, if the respondent was previously interviewed
on February 3, 2015 and you are conducting the
respondent’s current interview on August 8, 2015, then
the current reference period for this respondent is
February 3, 2015 to August 7, 2015.
By using this type of reference period, we can compile a
continuous record of the household's experiences for the
entire 3 years that they are in sample.
Personal vs Telephone
Interviews
The first interview at a sample address is always
conducted in person. Interviews with units in sample for
their second through seventh interview should be
conducted by telephone from a secure place in your
home. We realize that there will be times when this is not
possible, such as when the unit was a noninterview the
previous enumeration, there is no telephone available in
the sample unit, or the household indicated that a
telephone interview is not acceptable.
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 are to be interviewed using the personal visit
procedure, after you complete the household
respondent’s personal interview, you are allowed to
make telephone callbacks to obtain interviews with the
remaining household members.
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 to reduce the
number of return visits to a sample address. Always
remember to make the fewest number of trips to a
sample area as possible to complete your assignment.
Interview Period
An interview period is the time that you are allowed to
complete all of the NCVS interviews assigned for an
interview month. Typically, the interview period begins
on the first day of the month and continues almost the
entire month. Your close-out date is typically a day or
two before the last business day of the month.
8-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Refusals
More Details About Your Job
Occasionally, an entire household may refuse to
participate in our survey. Make every effort to persuade
the household to participate. If your attempts to gain a
household's cooperation are unsuccessful, you need to
indicate through the NCVS instrument that the
household refuses to participate.
If the household respondent refuses his/her interview
and there is not another eligible household member who
can serve as the new household respondent, discontinue
interviewing in the sample household. However, if there
is another eligible household member who can serve as
the new household respondent, you can interview that
person as the new household respondent. Remember,
BEFORE you can interview any other eligible household
members, you must complete the household
respondent’s interview. When there is more than one
eligible individual respondent, the refusal of one
individual respondent does NOT end the NCVS
interviews in the sample household.
Replacement Households
When an entire household moves out and the new
household moves in (i.e., the sample household is not
the same household as was interviewed in the previous
enumeration period) the new household at the sample
unit is referred to as a “replacement” household.
Replacement households are treated as incoming or first
time in sample households -- 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.
Callbacks for individual respondents can be done by
telephone.
NCVS Changes
The survey sponsor, the BJS, is always looking for ways
to improve the NCVS interview, as well as ways to
collect information on topics of current interest. Some of
these changes are temporary, while other changes could
become permanent. Over the past few years, new or
revised questions have been incorporated into the NCVS
interview including questions about:
Industries and occupation
Hate crimes
Disabilities
8-3
More Details About Your Job
Starting With the Household
Respondent
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
ALWAYS complete the household respondent's
interview before interviewing any remaining eligible
household members (household members who are 12
years of age and older).
When you get into the NCVS CAPI instrument and the
case is a returning (continuing) household, that is, a
household in sample for its second through seventh
interviews, you will be prompted to ask to speak with the
household member who was the household respondent
for the previous enumeration period. If that household
member is not available, you will be instructed to identify
another eligible household respondent.
Screening for Crime
Incidents
The NCVS instrument presents questions for you to ask
of the respondent that are designed to determine
whether the respondent or the sample household has
experienced any crime incidents during the 6-month
reference period. This includes both actual crimes
committed against the respondent as well as attempts.
8-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Reporting Crime Incidents
Review Exercise
More Details About Your Job
If the respondent reports one or more crime incidents,
then proceed through the incident report screens for
each reported incident that occurred during the 6-month
reference period. These screens are designed to gather
information about:
Where the incident took place
Whether or not the respondent or other household
members were present during the incident
How the incident happened
Any injuries that the respondent or other household
Information about the offender(s).
Details about the respondent’s employer and job
when the incident occurred while the respondent was
working or on duty when the incident occurred.
Whether or not the police were notified and reasons
for not reporting the incident to the police.
What the respondent was doing when the incident
happened.
members may have experienced during the incident
Complete the review exercise that starts on the following
page. Compare your answers to the answer key which
follows the review exercise, then continue with Lesson 9.
8-5
More Details About Your Job
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 8 - Review Exercise
1.
2.
3.
Each address that is selected as a sample unit for the NCVS is usually interviewed: (Mark
the correct answer.)
_____
Only one time
_____
Seven times
_____
Three times
The reference period for the NCVS covers the following time period: (Mark the correct
answer.)
_____
The 12 months prior to the interview month
_____
The 6 months prior to the interview day
_____
The 2 years prior to the interview month
The first NCVS interview at a sample address is always conducted in person.
TRUE
4.
FALSE
When conducting first interviews at a sample household, you must complete the
household respondent’s interview as well as interviews with all other eligible household
members by personal visit.
TRUE
FALSE
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
5.
6.
More Details About Your Job
Typically, your interview period begins on the first day of the month and lasts for about:
(Mark the correct answer.)
_____
2 1/2 weeks
_____
One month
_____
1 week
It does not matter which household member gets interviewed first for the NCVS.
TRUE
FALSE
7.
When an entire household moves out and a new household moves in, the new household
is referred to as a ______________________ and the interview with the new household
should be treated like ______________________ households.
8.
For the NCVS, we are only interested in actual crime incidents and want to exclude
attempted incidents.
TRUE
9.
FALSE
Interviews with units in sample for their second through seventh interview should be
conducted by telephone from a secure place in your home.
TRUE
FALSE
Compare your answers against the answer key on the next page(s).
8-7
More Details About Your Job
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 8 - Answer Key
1.
Each address that is selected as a sample unit for the NCVS is usually interviewed: (Mark
the correct answer.)
Only one time
X
Seven times
Three times
(Page 8-1)
2.
The reference period for the NCVS covers the following time period: (Mark the correct
answer.)
The 12 months prior to the interview month
X
The 6 months prior to the interview day
The 2 years prior to the interview month
(Page 8-1)
3.
The first NCVS interview at a sample address is always conducted in person.
TRUE
(Page 8-2)
4.
When conducting first interviews at a sample household, you must complete the
household respondent’s interview as well as interviews with all other eligible household
members by personal visit.
FALSE
(Page 8-2)
8-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
5.
More Details About Your Job
Typically, your interview period begins on the first day of the month and lasts for about:
(Mark the correct answer.)
2 1/2 weeks
X
1 month
1 week
(Page 8-2)
6.
It does not matter which household member gets interviewed first for the NCVS.
FALSE
(Page 8-4)
7.
When an entire household moves out and a new household moves in, the new household
is referred to as a replacement household and the interview with the new household
should be treated like incoming or first time in sample households
(Page 8-3)
8.
For the NCVS, we are only interested in actual crime incidents and want to exclude
attempted incidents.
FALSE
(Page 8-4)
9.
Interviews with units in sample for their second through seventh interview should be
conducted by telephone from a secure place in your home.
TRUE
(Page 8-2)
Continue with Lesson 9.
8-9
More Details About Your Job
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NOTES
8-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The Survey Instrument
Lesson 9. The Blaise Basics: The Survey Instrument
Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is to familiarize you with the basic
setup of the NCVS instrument screens. At the end of this
section, you will be able to:
Section tabs
Menu bar
differentiate between respondent questions and
FR instructions;
locate different types of information on the screen; and
locate Help items and other information on your screen.
Title bar
Info
Pane
Form
Pane
Status bar
9-1
The Survey Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Elements of a
NCVS Instrument
Screen
The illustration on the previous page shows a screen from
the NCVS instrument. The Blaise software features a
distinctive split-screen display. The “screen” in Blaise refers
to the entire area of the Blaise window, from the title bar on
top to the status bar on the bottom.
Title Bar
The Title Bar identifies the name of the survey.
Menu Bar
The Menu Bar contains five menus:
• Forms
• Answer
• Navigate
• Options, and
• Help
These menus each contain lists that help you navigate,
enter data, and access help throughout the NCVS
instrument.
Section Tabs
Section Tabs show the different sections of the NCVS
instrument, as well as give you the option of displaying the
household roster or answers to the most frequently asked
questions about the survey.
Info Pane
The panes are the different areas of the screen. Each pane
is surrounded by a border. The Info Pane contains the
question text and any FR instructions for an item as well as
the list of answer choices below the question.
9-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Location of Info Card Booklet
and Help screen indicator
The Survey Instrument
FR instruction
Question text
Answer list
Help Screens
Some questions have a “Help” screen. By accessing the
Help screen, you can look at additional information to help
you enter information for that screen. Access Help screens
by pressing F1. For those questions that have a specific
Help screen, the question mark (?) followed by [F1] appears
in blue text in the top left of the question screen.
Information Card
Booklet Icon
Looking at the illustration above, notice the graphic of a
book (this type of graphic is called an icon). This icon
indicates that, for this question, you must show the
respondent the Information Card Booklet for your personal
visit interviews and refer to it for your telephone interviews.
Sometimes a number appears next to the icon.
9-3
The Survey Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The number next to the book indicates the page to refer to
within the booklet. On your laptop, the graphic and page
number reference, if provided, are in blue text.
Blue Text
Any time you see blue text in the Info Pane, it is an FR
instruction for you to read to yourself, not aloud, to the
respondent. For example, you may see an instruction that
says “Read answer categories.”
Bold Black Text
Bold black text in the Info Pane indicates that this is a
question you read aloud to the respondent. On the previous
page, the Income question appears in bold black text and is
read aloud to the respondent. Note that some questions
require you to read the answer categories aloud to the
respondent. Remember, you are only required to read the
answer categories to the respondent when the categories
are in bold black text.
Gray Text
Gray text in the Info Pane indicates that you have the option
to read the text to the respondent. This appears for
questions in which you have read the same text to the
respondent in a previous question. You may want to re-read
the question text to reinforce the intent of the question.
Form Pane
The Form Pane contains data entry cells or spaces for
entering responses. It shows a “map” of where you are
within a section and displays previous information that has
been collected for that part. Look at the illustration of the
Form Pane on the next page.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Variable name
The Survey Instrument
Page number
Status bar
The Form Pane is formatted differently depending on the
type of information being obtained. You can change or
update the information in boxes with white backgrounds.
For example, if you make a mistake, you can back up and
correct an entry. If the information is in a box with a gray
background, it cannot be changed.
Locating Your
Position Within
the Form Pane
Looking at the second column of the Form Pane, you see
that the information in the last box is displayed in white text
within a dark box (on your screen that box is blue). This is
how you know where you are within the Form Pane, or
where your cursor is.
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The Survey Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Status Bar
The Status Bar appears at the bottom of the screen and
gives information about the case you are interviewing, such
as the case ID, where you are within the instrument (i.e.,
section, page number), as well as the variable name. When
you encounter an error that you must report to your regional
office, supply the regional office with specific information
from the Status Bar, including the section, page number,
and the variable (screen) name.
Navigation
To navigate through the instrument, the key you use most
often to move from one question to another is the Enter
key. Pressing Enter after typing an entry ensures that the
entry is “accepted” within the CAPI instrument and also
takes you to the next question on the instrument path. Also,
remember that if you need to re-enter a case and want to
return to where you left off, pressing the End key takes you
to the next unanswered question.
Use the arrow keys mostly when navigating sequentially
from one item to the next. Use the Left and Right Arrows to
navigate horizontally, and use the Up and Down Arrows to
navigate vertically. Use the Page Up (PgUp) and Page
Down (PgDn) keys when navigating sequentially, from one
Form Pane to the next.
You will learn about the types of navigation, such as
backing up and jumping to another section of the
instrument, during classroom training. The Tab key, the
PgUp and PgDn keys, the up, down, right and left arrow
keys, the function keys, and of course, the End and Enter
keys – are the ones you will use the most.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise that starts on the following
page. Compare your answers to the answer key which
follows the review exercise, then continue with Lesson 10.
9-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The Survey Instrument
Lesson 9 - Review Exercise
1. The Form Pane contains the specific survey questions and/or FR instructions for an item
as well as listing the answer categories.
TRUE
FALSE
2. Text appearing in blue in the Info Pane is for you to read to yourself and not out loud to
respondents.
TRUE
FALSE
3. Which key, when pressed, ensures that the entry is “accepted” within the CAPI
instrument?
____ Tab key
____ End key
____ PgUp key
____ Enter key
4. The Info Pane shows you where you are within a section and displays previous
information that has been collected within that section.
TRUE
FALSE
5. Where within the CAPI screen do you find information about the case such as the case ID
and the question name?
____ Title Bar
____ Menu Bar
____ Status Bar
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The Survey Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6. For those questions that have a specific Help screen associated with that question, which
symbol appears in blue text followed by which function key?
____ Exclamation point (!) followed by F1
____ Question mark (?) followed by F10
____ Exclamation point (!) followed by F10
____ Question mark (?) followed by F1
7. Which color text indicates that you have the option to read the text to the question to
reinforce its intent?
____ Blue text
____ Grey text
____ Black text
____ Red text
Compare your answers against the answer key on the next page.
9-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The Survey Instrument
Lesson 9 - Answer Key
1. The Form Pane contains the specific survey questions and/or FR instructions for an item
as well as listing the answer categories.
FALSE
(Page 9-2)
2. Text appearing in blue in the Info Pane is for you to read to yourself and not aloud to
respondents.
TRUE
(Page 9-4)
3. Which key, when pressed, ensures that the entry is “accepted” within the CAPI
instrument?
____ Tab key
____ End key
____ PgUp key
X Enter key
(Page 9-6)
4. The Info Pane shows you where you are within a section and displays previous information
that has been collected within that section.
FALSE
(Page 9-4)
5. Where within the CAPI screen do you find information about the case such as the case ID
and the question name?
____ Title Bar
____ Menu Bar
X Status Bar
(Page 9-6)
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The Survey Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6. For those questions that have a specific Help screen associated with that question, which
symbol appears in blue text followed by which function key?
____ Exclamation point (!) followed by F1
____ Question mark (?) followed by F10
____ Exclamation point (!) followed by F10
X Question mark (?) followed by F1
(Page 9-3)
7. Which color text indicates that you have the option to read the text to the question to
reinforce its intent?
____ Blue text
X Grey text
____ Black text
____ Red text
(Page 9-4)
Continue with Lesson 10.
9-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Lesson 10. The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Objective
This lesson will familiarize you with certain features of the NCVS
instrument, as well as its different sections. At the end of this lesson
you should know the difference between the instrument’s:
Front section,
Middle section, and
Back section.
Ask Questions
As Worded
When asking NCVS questions, do not change the words or omit
any parts of the questions. Even if the change seems insignificant
to you, it could change the way the respondent interprets the
question. We want each respondent to hear the NCVS questions the
same way, so the answers we get are comparable throughout the
entire sample. Use neutral probes when the respondent does not
seem to understand the question. When appropriate, verify the
information entered.
Answer
Categories
Notice that some question answer lists contain values starting with
“11” rather than “1.” This was designed to minimize errors in the data
collected.
Answer
List
10-1
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Question/Item
Name
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
A descriptive name or label has been assigned to each
question/item.This label is referred to as the Blaise
Variable Name and is displayed on the screen’s Status
Bar. For the NCVS, we refer to the Blaise Variable Name
as the screen or item name. For example, the Blaise
Variable Name for the question below is START_CP.
Variable name
Single and Multiple
Response Categories
Some questions allow you to enter only one response,
while others allow multiple answers. Notice that there are
two types of responses, noted by radio buttons and
boxes. Radio buttons () are used beside the response
categories when a single response is required. Boxes ()
are used beside the response categories when multiple
entries are acceptable. Also, for questions that allow
multiple responses the screen displays the FR instruction
10-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
“Enter all that apply.” In the illustrations below and on the
next page, notice that the response field to the left of the
answer categories differs between multiple and single
response questions.
Single Response Question –
“Radio Buttons”
10-3
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Multiple Response Question –
“Boxes”
When you see response categories with boxes, before
pressing “Enter,” keep asking the appropriate probe,
“Anything else?” or “Any other way?” and record all
responses. Continue probing in this manner until you get
a “No” response.
Edit Checks
In order to detect inconsistencies in the data at the time of
collection, several questions contain edit checks. The edit
checks examine the response to individual items and
determine if the responses are consistent with the other
data entered. An error message appears when possible
errors (inconsistencies) are detected in the respondent’s
answers. The screen displays an error message and
identifies the questions that are inconsistent.
10-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Items with Inconsistent Responses
Types of Edit Checks
Edit Check Error Message
There are two types of edit checks, soft edit checks and
hard edit checks. A soft edit check appears for a situation
like a 14 year old attending college (possible but not
likely); a hard edit check appears for a situation like a 4
year old attending college (not possible).
For soft edit checks, you can either accept the
responses and therefore the inconsistency (select the
Suppress button) OR resolve the error by going back
(select the GoTo button) to the items in question and
rechecking the responses.
For hard edit checks, you must go back and resolve
the inconsistency.
10-5
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
In many cases, the inconsistencies occur as a result of
keying errors. To go back and correct a particular item,
make sure that the item displayed in the "Questions
involved" column of the "Edit Check Error Message" (refer
to illustration on page 10-5) is highlighted; then click the
GoTo button, which takes you to the question that needs
correcting.
When resolving inconsistencies in a soft edit check, the
pop-up window displays two screens in the “Questions
Involved” column which you can choose from to select
which answer you want to change. In the example on
Page (10-5), if you want to fix the inconsistency by
updating the relationship value, highlight the
“RELATIONSHIP: Relation” row and select the GoTo
button to return to the Relationship Screen to change the
answer. If the respondent’s gender was incorrect,
highlight the second row “SEX:sex” and select the GoTo
button to change the respondent’s gender.
Don’t Know and
Refused Responses
Some questions allow a “Don’t know” response. In the
NCVS CAPI instrument, such questions either have a
“Don’t know” category displayed as a valid response
category or the category is “blind.” A blind “Don’t know”
category is not displayed. The instrument allows you to
enter a “Don’t know” response by pressing the “CTRL” +
“D” keys if the respondent does not know the answer to
the question. A question mark (?) then appears in the
answer field. Also, some questions allow a “blind” refusal.
For those questions, you can press the “CTRL” + “R”
keys if the respondent refuses to answer. An exclamation
point (!) then appears in the answer field.
Specify Fields
Some questions require that you enter a description of the
respondent’s answer. For example, in the screener
questions you enter a brief description of the incident
when the respondent reports that he/she was a victim of
crime. For questions that contain an “Other - specify”
category record the respondent’s answer on the “Other specify” screen if you are unable to classify the
respondent’s answer into a predefined category. For
these types of questions, as well as the crime incident
report summary, the length of the “Specify” field varies:
10-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Screener questions – limited to 100 characters
“Other – specify” categories, most are 35 characters
Crime incident summary – 300 characters
If you need to record more information for a particular
item, enter additional text in the “Item Level” notes by
pressing the F7 function key.
Overview of Front
Section
The Front Section of the NCVS instrument lets you:
Introduce and reintroduce the survey to the
respondent;
Record the type of interview you are conducting
(personal visit or telephone);
Record the outcome of your attempts to contact the
household respondent or individual respondents; and
Select a new household respondent when necessary.
The Front Section of the instrument also includes screens
for verifying the sample address, the mailing address, and
the sample address’ phone number and also captures
person and household noninterview information.
Look at the START_CP screen shown on the next page.
This is the first screen in the instrument’s Front Section
that appears when you enter the NCVS CAPI instrument
from Case Management. At this screen you select
whether to:
Interview by telephone or personal visit,
classify the case as a noninterview,
transmit the case, or
exit the case before attempting to conduct an
interview.
If a case is a Type A, B, or C noninterview, select category
(4), “Noninterview” at the START_CP screen which takes
you to the screen to classify the type of noninterview and
code appropriate noninterview reasons.
10-7
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
For a noninterview, select Precode (4) at START_CP
10-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Select the type of noninterview at NONTYP
Select the reason for the noninterview at TYPEA (shown here), TYPEB, or TYPEC
However, if you are unable to interview an eligible
household member and the household member is not the
household respondent you must classify the respondent
as a Type Z person noninterview. In CAPI, you classify
household members for whom an interview was not
obtained after you have completed interviews with all
other eligible household members and are ready to
transmit the case. When you enter “5 ” at START_CP, the
Type Z block appears and asks you to record the best
reason data were not collected for the respondent. We will
practice classifying a household member as a Type Z
noninterview during classroom training.
10-9
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Also notice that at the START_CP Main Menu, the
following information about the case is displayed:
•
Case Status - Measures the progress of the case,
such as “New Case,” “Unreached Household,”
“Household reached, no respondent contact,”
“Household Refusal,” “Household Respondent
(complete),” “Noninterview,” etc. (See illustration
below.)
•
Date and Time - Displays the current date and time.
•
Incoming (Interview 1)/Continuing (Interviews 2-7)
- Identifies whether the case is an incoming or
continuing case.
Case status
10-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
•
Interview Number - Identifies the case’s interview
number or enumeration period (1-7).
•
Confirmed Refusal - Indicates whether or not the
case is a confirmed refusal. An entry of “Yes” indicates
that the case is a confirmed refusal and an entry of
“No” indicates that it is not a confirmed refusal.
A replacement household is always considered
“incoming,” and requires a personal visit interview but
retains the interview number of the parent. This is
because the interview number is associated with the
sample address, not with the current household.
Overview of
Middle Section
The Middle Section of the NCVS instrument collects
household characteristics and collects/updates the
person level characteristics of the household roster.
Information collected includes:
•
the sample unit’s tenure
•
basic household data (names of all persons living in
the household, relationship, household membership,
birthday, age, marital status, sex, armed forces,
education, ethnicity, and race)
•
changes in household composition,
•
use of telephone,
•
building characteristics,
•
household income, and so on.
The Middle Section of the NCVS instrument also contains:
•
the screen questions,
•
the incident questions asked on the Crime Incident
Report, and
•
screens for comparing/unduplicating incidents
reported in the current enumeration and previous
enumeration periods.
10-11
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
To ensure that we do not collect duplicate information
about incidents, the unduplication screens compare
incident(s) reported by the current respondent against -•
other incidents reported during the current
enumeration by the current respondent,
•
incidents reported during the current enumeration by
other respondents, and
•
up to four incidents reported by any respondent in the
household during the previous enumeration.
An example of a unduplication screen is shown below:
10-12
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Overview of Back
Section
The Back Section of the instrument includes thank you
screens, screens for setting appointments and recording
information, such as telephone numbers, best time to call,
whether there are any language or hearing problems,
case level notes, and screens for recording the
incomplete status (either Refusal/Callback/Breakoff) of a
household respondent's interview. The information you
enter in the back of the instrument is fed back into Case
Management and appears in different tabs in Case
Management after you exit the case.
Tabs
Throughout the instrument, starting at the START_CP
screen, there are various tabs you can access anytime
during the interview. Four tabs appear on all screens:
•
Main tab - used to return to the interview after
pressing the “HH roster” or “FAQs” tab.
•
HH Roster tab - Displays the Household composition.
For an incoming case this tab is empty until you
complete the household coverage items,
•
FAQs tab - provides responses to Frequently Asked
Questions about the survey.
•
F10 tab - which ends the interview.
Other tabs display depending on the progress of the
interview. For example, the New HHR tab appears until
you have completed the household roster. This tab can be
used to change the household respondent. This tab will
only display the persons eligible to act as the household
respondent. If displayed, the tabs items are accessible
from any item in the instrument.
Instrument
Function Keys
Function keys are shortcuts for specific actions in the
instrument. The function of some of the keys in the CAPI
instrument differs from their function in Case
Management. In the CAPI survey instrument you can
display the function keys at any time by going to the
Navigate menu and selecting “Show Function Keys.” You
can also display the function keys by pressing the Ctrl+K
keys.
10-13
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
KEY
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
F12
FUNCTION
Question Help
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
Jump Menu
Show Status
(Unassigned)
Item Notes/Remarks
Return
Skip Forward
Exit
Calculator
Copy Down (Repeat)
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
KEY
Shift+F1
Shift+F2
Shift+F3
Shift+F4
Shift+F5
Shift+F6
Shift+F7
Shift+F8
Shift+F9
Shift+F10
Shift+F11
Shift+F12
Alt +F4
FUNCTION
Show HH
FAQs
RI FAQs
(Unassigned)
Language
(Unassigned)
Show notes/Remarks
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
Show Function Keys
Show Standard Abbr
Show Original Notes (RI)
Closes active window or
exits active program or
help screen
10-14
KEY
END
HOME
Ctrl+F3
Ctrl+D
Ctrl+F
Ctrl+H
Ctrl+F7
Ctrl+K
Ctrl+M
Ctrl+R
Ctrl+F11
Ctrl+T
Alt+S
Alt +F4
FUNCTION
Next Question on Path
First Question on Path
Show Question Text
Don't Know
Search Tag
Info
Case Level Notes
Show Function Keys
Show DK & Refused
Refused
Calendar
Interview Time Preferences
Save
Closes active window or
help screen
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
The chart below further explains the operations of function keys in the NCVS survey instrument. During
classroom training, you will practice using some of the function keys.
If you press
function key:
F1
You can perform this operation within the instrument
during the interview
QUESTION HELP Displays any help screens for the current question. Help
screens are designed to aid you with a particular concept, to define the
meaning or intent of a particular word, to provide specific probes, and so on.
F4
JUMP MENU Accesses a “Jump” menu, which enables you to jump back to
a previously answered section of the incident report items. Note that this
function only works in the incident report items, which are part of the middle
section of the NCVS instrument.
ALT + F4
Closes the active window, closes help screen, or exits the active program.
F7
ITEM NOTES/REMARKS Allows you to view or add comments and
explanations for the screen currently displayed.
F8
RETURN Allows you to skip back over a block of questions.
F10
EXIT Skips from the present question to the REFCBBREAK_CP Screen at
the back of the instrument. You do this whenever you must make an early
exit from the interview.
SHIFT + F5
LANGUAGE
Allows you to switch from the English version of the instrument to the
Spanish version for the current question and all subsequent questions.
SHIFT + F11
SHOW STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS
Displays the standard recommended and accepted abbreviations for the
NCVS. Abbreviations can be used to conserve space when entering text
in item text boxes that allow only a limited number of characters.
END
Takes you to the next unanswered question in the instrument path.
CTRL + D
DON’T KNOW
Allows you to record a don’t know response to a question when a separate
“Don’t Know” response category is not a Precode in the answer list. Also
referred to as a “Blind” Don’t Know.
CTRL + R
REFUSED Allows you to record a refusal to a question by the respondent.
CTRL + T
INTERVIEW TIME PREFERENCES
Accesses the BOOST/BLOCK feature of the instrument for you to view
or record the best times or worst times to contact the household.
10-15
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Review Exercise
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Complete the review exercise that starts on the
following page. Compare your answers to the
answer key that follows the review exercise and
continue with Lesson 11.
10-16
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Lesson 10 - Review Exercise
1. How can you tell questions that allow multiple responses from those that allow a single
response in the NCVS CAPI instrument?
_____ The answer fields for multiple response questions have radio buttons, while single
response questions have square boxes.
_____ An asterisk appears in the answer list.
_____ The answer fields for multiple response questions have square boxes, while single
response questions have radio buttons.
_____ There is no distinction between the two types of responses.
2. The Middle Section of the NCVS CAPI instrument contains thank you screens and screens
for setting callback appointments.
TRUE
FALSE
3. The uses of the function keys within the survey instrument are identical to those in Case
Management.
TRUE
FALSE
4. You will capture Type Z information about NCVS noninterview respondents at the time
you discover that the respondent is a noninterview.
TRUE
FALSE
5. A “blind” “Don’t know” or “blind” “Refusal” means that the survey instrument accepts
such responses for certain questions even though “Don’t know” and “Refused” categories
are not displayed.
TRUE
FALSE
6. What appears in the answer field when you press Ctrl+D for a blind “Don’t know”?
_____ D
_____ !
_____ CtrlD
_____ ?
10-17
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
7. What appears in the answer field when you press Ctrl+R for a blind “Refusal”?
_____ R
_____ !
_____ CtrlR
_____ ?
8. Some items contain edit checks that identify data inconsistencies or errors. “Suppress”
accepts the inconsistency in a hard edit check.
TRUE
FALSE
9. “Goto” in an edit check returns you to inconsistent item(s) to make corrections to the items
in both soft and hard edit checks.
TRUE
FALSE
10. Which keys do you press to display the function keys for the NCVS CAPI instrument?
_____ Ctrl E
_____ Ctrl K
_____ Ctrl M
_____ Ctrl R
Compare your answers against the answer key on the next page(s).
10-18
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS CAPI Instrument
Lesson 10 - Answer Key
1. How can you tell questions that allow multiple responses from those that allow a single
response in the NCVS CAPI instrument?
_____ The answer fields for multiple response questions have radio buttons, while single
response questions have square boxes.
_____ An asterisk appears in the answer list.
__X__ The answer fields for multiple response questions have square boxes, while single
response questions have radio buttons.
_____ There is no distinction between the two types of responses.
(Page 10-2)
2. The Middle Section of the NCVS CAPI instrument contains thank you screens and screens
for setting callback appointments.
FALSE
(Page 10-11)
3. The uses of the function keys within the survey instrument are identical to those in Case
Management.
FALSE
(Page 10-13)
4. You will capture Type Z information about NCVS noninterview respondents at the time
you discover that the respondent is a noninterview.
FALSE
(Page 10-9)
5. A “blind” “Don’t know” or “blind” “Refusal” means that the survey instrument accepts such
responses for certain questions even though “Don’t know” and “Refused” categories are not
displayed.
TRUE
(Page 10-6)
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The NCVS CAPI Instrument
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6. What appears in the answer field when you press Ctrl+D for a blind “Don’t know”?
_____ D
_____ !
_____ CtrlD
__X__ ?
(Page 10-6)
7. What appears in the answer field when you press Ctrl+R for a blind “Refusal”?
_____ R
__X__ !
_____ CtrlR
_____ ?
(Page 10-6)
8. Some items contain edit checks that identify data inconsistencies or errors.
“Suppress”accepts the inconsistency in a hard edit check.
FALSE
(Page 10-5)
9. “Goto” in an edit check returns you to inconsistent item(s) to make corrections to the items in
both soft and hard edit checks.
TRUE
(Page 10-6)
10. Which keys do you press to display the function keys for the NCVS CAPI instrument?
_____ Ctrl E
__X__ Ctrl K
_____ Ctrl M
_____ Ctrl R
(Page 10-13)
Continue with Lesson 11.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Front Section
Lesson 11. The NCVS Front Section
Objective
Introduction
The objectives of this lesson are to:
Explain the design of the Front Section of the NCVS
CAPI instrument.
Provide an overview of the items that make up the Front
Section of the survey instrument.
The Front Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to:
Give you case-level information to review before
attempting to contact the sample household.
Guide you through screens for making contact with a
household respondent or an individual respondent
for personal visit or telephone interviews, and record
possible interviewing problems.
Guide you through screens for selecting a new
household respondent or new individual respondent.
Update sample address, mailing address, and
telephone number information for the household with
the household respondent.
Getting into the NCVS
Instrument
To access the NCVS instrument from Case Management to
begin interviewing a sample case, press the F2 key. Later in
the self-study you will practice getting into the NCVS
instrument and conducting an interview. For now, let’s
review some of the main screens you see when you enter
the Front Section of the instrument.
START_CP
Go to page B2-3 in your NCVS-550 manual and read about
the START_CP screen, which is the first screen in the
instrument’s Front Section that appears when you enter the
NCVS instrument from Case Management. The reading
ends on page B2-4.
[ ]
At this screen you select whether to proceed to interview the
case by telephone or personal visit, classify the case as a
Type A, B, or C noninterview, transmit the case, or get out of
11-1
The NCVS Front Section
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
the case before attempting to conduct an interview.
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
After indicating at START_CP that you are ready to proceed
to interview the sample case, when conducting interviews
with continuing households (households that have been in
sample previously) the instrument takes you to
SHOW_CP_ROSTER. This screen displays the name and
other information regarding the composition of the
household, as shown below. Once you have reviewed this
screen, enter 1 to proceed to the next screen.
Introductory Screen
The instrument goes to an introduction screen where you
introduce yourself and the survey to the respondent. When
talking to the household respondent, you inquire about
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Front Section
whether or not the respondent received the NCVS
introductory letter, at the GETLETTER screen.
Before the interview, your regional office sends an advance
letter to the household to say that you will be contacting the
household for an interview. For personal visit interviews, if
the respondent does not recall receiving the letter, you must
hand the respondent a copy of the introductory letter. Allow
the respondent time to read the letter.
VERADD_CP
The next question you ask the household respondent is if
the address listed on the screen for the household is the
household’s exact address. The question reads:
I have your address listed as ...
Is that your exact address?
If the respondent says: "This is 3423 Randolph Place," and
the address reads, “3423 Randolph Street,” first make sure
that you are at the correct address before indicating in
VERADD_CP that an “incorrect address was previously
recorded.”
From the VERADD_CP screen the instrument proceeds to
CHGPH_CP, which asks if you need to change the
household’s current telephone number. Sometimes you
may know that the current telephone number recorded for
the household needs to be changed to another number. For
example, when verifying the household’s address the
respondent may tell you to start calling at a different
telephone number than previously recorded.
If you need to change the telephone number, the instrument
takes you to screen NEWPH_CP to enter the new
telephone number. (See illustration on next page.)
11-3
The NCVS Front Section
NEWADDNO_CP
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
If you discover that you reached the correct sample address
but the address needs additions or corrections, you can edit
the address at one of the NEWADDNO_CP screens as
shown on the next page. Go to page B2-56 in your
NCVS-550 manual and read about the address information
you can update or correct when you are at this screen.
[ ]
11-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Front Section
If you discover that an assigned housing unit is actually a
Group Quarters (GQ) unit and the “New Group Quarters”
description is incorrect or needs to be completed, enter the
description before pressing Enter. A GQ unit is a type of
living quarters where the residents share common facilities,
such as a college dormitory, or where residents receive
authorized care or custody. Detailed procedures for working
with GQs and explanations of the types of GQs are covered
in Chapter 4 of the 11-922 FRs’ Guide to Locating Sample
Addresses, and in Chapter 3 of the 11-8 Volume II Listing
and Coverage Manual.
Open your 11-922 Manual to Appendix C and read over the
descriptions for institutional and noninstitutional GQs that
begin on page 45 and end on page 50.
11-5
The NCVS Front Section
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
You can either press the TAB key or the ENTER key to
move through the items and enter the correct information for
those items that need to be updated. To exit this screen you
need to proceed to the “New Group Quarters” field and then
press Enter.
ADRCHECK_CP
The address check screen prompts you to select a reason
or multiple reasons as to why the address information
provided by the respondent did not match the displayed
address for the household.
Go to page B2-57 of the NCVS-550 Manual and read the
description of the 15 reasons you can select.
[ ]
MAILINGSAME_CP
At MAILINGSAME_CP you ask the respondent if the
mailing address is the same as the household’s physical
address. If the address is not the same because the
household’s mail is sent to a different address, the
instrument goes to the VERIFYMAILING_CP screen.
VERIFYMAILING_CP
At VERIFYMAILING_CP you re-verify the mailing address.
If the respondent indicates that the mailing address is
correct, the instrument goes to the Middle Section of the
NCVS instrument. If the mailing address is incorrect, the
instrument goes to the NEWMAIL_CP screen.
NEWMAIL_CP
NEWMAIL_CP allows you to modify the mailing address
information for the household. It includes all of the same
address fields for the sample address except the physical
location description, such as “red house on corner,” which is
not part of the mailing address.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise on the next page. Compare
your answers to the answer key that follows the review
exercise, then continue with Lesson 12.
11-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Front Section
Lesson 11 - Review Exercise
1. The Front Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to: (Mark all that apply)
Provide information about the case for you to review before attempting contact
with the sample household.
Screen for crime incidents.
Guide you through screens for making contact with a household respondent or an
individual respondent.
Collect detailed information about the incident reported.
Update sample address, mailing address, and telephone number information for
the household with the household respondent.
2. Which function key do you press in Case Management to start the interview process with the
household?
F1
F2
F7
F10
3. The first screen in the survey instrument’s Front Section that appears when you enter the
NCVS instrument from Case Management is:
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
VERADD_CP
START_CP
HHROSTER
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The NCVS Front Section
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
4. A
is a type of living quarters where the residents share common facilities or
where residents receive authorized care or custody.
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
11-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Front Section
Lesson 11 - Answer Key
1. The Front Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to: (Mark all that apply)
X
Provide information about the case for you to review before attempting contact
with the sample household.
Screen for crime incidents.
X
Guide you through screens for making contact with a household respondent or an
individual respondent.
Collect detailed information about the incident reported.
X
Update sample address, mailing address, and telephone number information for
the household with the household respondent.
(Page 11-1)
2. Which function key do you press in Case Management to start the interview process with the
household?
F1
X
F2
F7
F10
(Page 11-1)
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The NCVS Front Section
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
3. The first screen in the survey instrument’s Front Section that appears when you enter the
NCVS instrument from Case Management is:
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
VERADD_CP
X
START_CP
HHROSTER
(Page 11-1)
4. A Group Quarters is a type of living quarters where the residents share common facilities or
where residents receive authorized care or custody.
(Page 11-5)
Continue with Lesson 12.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
Lesson 12. NCVS Middle Section
Basic Household Questions
Objective
NCVS Middle Section
The objectives of this lesson are to:
Explain the design and components of the Middle
Section of the NCVS CAPI instrument.
Provide an overview of the items that make up the first
part of the Middle Section of the survey instrument:
questions about the characteristics of the sample unit
and its members.
The Middle Section of the NCVS instrument is made up of
four main parts or sets of questions. These include:
1. Questions about the characteristics of the sample unit
and its members.
2. Screening questions designed to identify all crime
incidents which occurred during the respondent’s
6-month reference period.
3. Incident questions designed to collect detailed
information about each crime incident reported by a
sample household member.
4. Questions about employment, household income, use
of telephone, contact information, and language
requirements.
Basic Household
Questions
The purpose of this first set of questions is to collect or
update information about the characteristics of the
household and its members. These questions are asked
initially during the first interview and may be verified or
updated in subsequent interviews. This part of the
instrument contains questions about:
the sample unit’s tenure,
building characteristics and basic household information
(names of all persons living in the household),
each person’s relationship,
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Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
household membership,
birthday,
age,
marital status,
sex,
armed force status,
education,
ethnicity, and
race.
The Basic Household Questions can be divided into two
parts:
Household Characteristics
Questions designed for the collection of household
characteristics and
Questions designed for the collection/updating of
person level characteristics of the household roster.
Questions about the characteristics of the sample unit
include the following:
TENURE
Go to page B2-61 of your interviewing manual and look at
the question screen shot at the top of the page.
[]
Item TENURE determines if the sample unit is owned or
being bought, rented for cash, or occupied without payment
of cash rent. You ask TENURE for each sample unit in the
first, third, fifth, and seventh interview (enumeration)
periods. This question is used to determine if people who
own their own home are more or less victimized than people
who rent. The reason for asking this question four different
times is that the tenure status could change.
STUDENTHOUSING
Go to page B2-63 of your interviewing manual and look at
the screen shot for the STUDENTHOUSING question.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
[]
This question determines if the sample unit is being used as
student housing by a college or university. You ask or verify
this question each enumeration period. The reason for
asking or verifying this question each time is that the status
of the housing unit could change between enumeration
periods.
PUBLICHOUSING
The public housing question is asked during the odd
numbered enumerations. This question determines if the
sample unit is owned by a public housing authority, and is
asked only if the sample unit is “Rented for cash” or
“Occupied without payment of cash rent.”
To be considered public housing the unit must be in a
federally funded project. A unit located in a building that is
funded by a state or local government or part of a federal
assisted program, such as VA (veteran), FHA (Federal
Housing Authority), voucher, or certificate assisted housing
is NOT considered public housing for the NCVS.
PUBLICHOUSINGMGR
VERIFY
If you determine that the sample unit is in a building that is
owned by a public housing authority, you must:
Locate the building manager and
Verify that this is correct and that the building is indeed
owned by a public housing authority.
This verification should be done during the first enumeration
period for incoming cases and in the third, fifth, and seventh
interview periods for continuing cases (or replacement
households).
INDIANRESERVATIONHU
This item asks if the sample unit is located on an American
Indian Reservation or American Indian Lands. On page
B2-66 of your interviewing manual, read what is meant by
an American Indian Reservation and American Indian
Lands. The reading ends in the middle of page B2-67.
This screen only appears for you to ask during the sample
unit’s initial interview.
FARMSALES
FARMSALES is asked only during the first enumeration
period interview. This question asks if sales of crops,
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Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
livestock, and other farm products from the sample unit (or
land on the sample unit’s property) during the past 12
months were $1,000 or more, or less than $1,000. This item
will be covered in more detail during classroom training.
ACCESS
Complete ACCESS by observation during your initial visit to
the sample housing unit. This item is designed to indicate
whether or not a sample household has direct access to
their living quarters.
A living quarters has direct access when an occupant can
either:
Enter his/her living quarters directly from the outside of
the structure, or
Enter his/her living quarters from a common hall or
lobby that is used by occupants of more than one unit.
If the only entrance to an occupant’s living quarters is
through a room or hall of another household’s living
quarters, then the living quarters does not have direct
access. Therefore, the unit is not a separate housing unit
and should be considered part of the housing unit through
which access to it is gained.
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT
A housing unit (HU) is a group of rooms or a single room
occupied as separate living quarters or intended for
occupancy as separate living quarters. A housing unit may
be occupied by a family or one person, as well as by two or
more unrelated people who share the living quarters. For
this item you will select a category that best describes the
housing unit from one of the following types:
House, apartment, flat
HU in nontransient hotel, motel, etc.
HU permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
HU in rooming house
Mobile home or trailer with no permanent room added
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
Mobile home or trailer with one or more permanent
rooms attached
HU not specified above
Quarters not HU in rooming or boarding house
Unit not permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
Student quarters in college dormitory
Other unit not specified above
NUMBEROFUNITS
During your initial or first interview with a household, you
need to determine how many housing units are in the
structure. A structure is a separate building that either:
Has open space on all sides (no other building attached
to it) or
Is separated from other structures by dividing walls that
extend from ground to roof.
You can either ask the respondent this question if you have
any doubt about the number of units in the structure or you
can complete this item by observation.
DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT
This question determines if there is some means of entering
the sample unit directly from the outside, such as a door,
patio doors, or windows, etc., on the ground level, or from
outside stairs that lead directly to an outside entrance for the
sample unit.
GATEWALLEDCOMMUNITY
This question determines if access to the household’s
community requires some kind of special entry procedure
and the community is surrounded by walls, fences, or other
barriers to restrict entrance to the community’s homes by
non-residents of the community. Some resort and
retirement communities are good examples of gated or
walled communities.
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Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
RESTRICTEDACCESS
This question determines if the household’s unit is in a
building that has restricted access that requires some type
of special entry system, such as an intercom system where
the occupants can identify and buzz in visitors or a security
guard who monitors access into the building.
Person Level Characteristics
After collecting basic information about the sample unit, you
go through a series of questions that builds or updates the
household roster or composition. You collect or update
information on the names of all persons living in the
household and their
sex,
relationship to the reference person,
household membership status,
birthday and age,
marital status
armed forces status,
education,
ethnicity, and
race.
You also select (or change, if necessary) the household’s
reference person. The reference person is one of the
persons who owns or rents the sample unit AND who is
normally 18 years of age or older. The reference person for
the household can be the household respondent, but he/she
does not have to be the household respondent.
This lesson does not go over each of the personal
characteristic items, as these items are addressed in the
practice exercise as well as during classroom training when
you complete the practice interview exercises.
Household Roster
When building the household roster, list the names of:
All persons living or staying at the sample unit at the
time of your visit or telephone call, and
Any persons who usually live there but are temporarily
absent.
Go to pages B2-81 and B2-82 in your NCVS-550 manual
and read about who else to list.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
[]
The preferred order for entering names when building the
household roster is shown below. The order is by
relationship to the reference person and is as follows:
Reference person
Husband or wife of reference person
Unmarried children of the reference person or his/her
spouse, starting with the oldest and ending with the
youngest.
Married sons and/or daughters of the reference person
or his/her spouse followed by the married child’s
spouse, and each of their children (oldest to youngest)
Other persons related to the reference person or his/her
spouse.
Lodgers and other nonrelatives staying at the sample
address.
As you build the household roster, each person is assigned
a unique line number. These numbers correspond to the
order in which you list the occupants of a sample unit. The
first person listed on the roster is always the reference
person and therefore has a line number of one.
These numbers are important since you use line numbers,
rather than names, to refer to any household member when
entering text in the screening questions about what
happened and in the incident summary. You refer to the
reference person as L1, the second person listed as L2, and
so on. Since the survey sponsor periodically requests to
review the entries in the screening items and summary
reports, we want to ensure that no identifying information
about the respondent or the household are entered, such as
names, address, telephone numbers. The only time it is
acceptable to include information such as names, phone
numbers, address location directions, etc., is in the Case
Level Notes, particularly for difficult, potential, and actual
noninterview cases. The lack of such information can
impact subsequent interviews and can also prevent your
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Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
supervisor from effectively working on following up with
household refusals.
RELATIONSHIP
In RELATIONSHIP, collect the precise relationship of all
members of the household to the reference person, such
as husband, wife, son, daughter, and so on.
HHMEMBER
After determining the person's relationship to the reference
person, identify whether or not each person is a member of
the household by asking, "Does (person's name) usually
live here?"
HHMEMBERURE
If you discover in HHMEMBER that a person does not
usually live at the sample unit, the instrument goes to
HHMEMBERURE to find out whether the person has a
usual place of residence elsewhere by asking,
"Does (person's name) have a usual place of residence
elsewhere?"
If a person usually lives and sleeps at the sample address
and does not have a usual residence elsewhere, he or she
is a household member.
"Usual residents" include such persons as lodgers and
servants who usually live at the sample address. Also
included are persons who usually live at the address, but
are temporarily away for some reason. However, do not
consider students living away at school as "usual residents."
Now take out your NCVS-554, Information Card Booklet,
and open it to Page 5. Look over this summary table
designed to help you determine household membership.
HHLDCOVERAGE
This question: “Have I missed anyone else living or
staying (HERE/THERE) such as any babies, any
lodgers, or anyone who is away at present traveling or
in the hospital?” is asked each time the household is
interviewed to ensure that we do not omit persons who may
have moved into the household since the previous
interview. Many household respondents forget to mention
babies, lodgers, and visitors when asked about persons
staying at their home.
12-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
Once you determine that the listing of persons in the
household roster is complete, you will select a household
respondent. This is the household member at the sample
address who is answering the questions about the
household for the current enumeration period and is one of
the household members who is most knowledgeable about
household matters. In most cases, this person must be at
least 18 years of age.
SP_ORIGIN
This question: “Are you Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?”
is asked of each household member to determine if the
person is Spanish, Hispanic or Latino. Go to Page B2-135 in
your NCVS-550 manual and scan the list of groups, in the
middle of the page, which distinguishes a person as being
Spanish, Hispanic or Latino.
[]
Now open your NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet to
Page 8 and look at the Hispanic Origin flash card. During a
personal visit interview, show this flash card to the
respondent as you ask this item. For Spanish-speaking
respondents show the Hispanic Origin flash card on
Page 9. During telephone interviews you must read the
categories to the household respondent.
[]
SP_ORIGIN is asked of each household member during the
initial visit and when a new person is added to the
household during subsequent interviews.
RACE
This question is asked of the household respondent to
choose one or more races that each household member
considers himself/herself to be. It is asked separately for
each household member and allows up to five different
races to be reported for each household member. You also
ask this race question during subsequent enumeration
periods when a new person is added to the household.
During a personal visit interview, show the respondent the
Race flash card on page 10 in your NCVS-554 Information
Card Booklet. For Spanish-speaking respondents show this
the Race flash card on page 11. During telephone
interviews you must read the categories to the household
respondent.
12-9
Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Take a moment now to look over this flash card.
[]
The Office of Management of Budget requires that the
collection of data on race be based on self-identification.
Therefore, you MUST ask this question for each household
member even when the race of the respondent may seem
obvious. If a respondent refuses to answer the race
question, do NOT fill it by observation.
ROSTERREVIEW
Review Exercise
When you have completed the demographic questions in
the NCVS instrument for all household members, the
ROSTERREVIEW screen appears. At this screen you can
make changes to some of the demographic information you
entered, such as the respondent’s name, relationship, or
sex. You will have the opportunity to make changes to the
household roster later in training.
Complete the review exercise for this lesson that starts on
the following page. Compare your answers to the answer key
which follows the review exercise and continue with Lesson
13.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
Lesson 12 - Review Exercise
1.
The tenure question determines if the sample unit is owned or being bought, rented for
cash, or occupied without payment of cash rent.
TRUE
2.
FALSE
To be considered public housing for the NCVS, a unit can be located in a building that is
funded by the Federal government, a state or local government, or part of a federal
assisted program.
TRUE
FALSE
3.
The
AND who is normally
is one of the persons who owns or rents the sample unit
years of age or older.
4.
When building the household roster, the household respondent is always the first person
listed.
TRUE
5.
FALSE
You discover that a sample unit’s garage was converted into an apartment. The only
entrance to the apartment is through the kitchen of the sample unit. (Mark the correct
answer.)
The apartment has direct access and is considered a separate housing unit from
the sample unit through which access to it is gained.
The apartment does not have direct access but is considered a separate housing
unit from the sample unit through which access to it is gained.
The apartment has direct access but is not a separate housing unit from the
sample unit through which access to it is gained.
The apartment does not have direct access and is not a separate housing unit
from the sample unit through which access to it is gained.
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Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6.
The household roster should include all persons living or staying at the sample address at
the time of the interview, including visitors and other persons who are not household
members, but are in the sample unit and have stayed at the sample address at least
_______________
before the interview.
7.
As you build the household roster, each person is assigned a unique line number. These
numbers correspond to the order in which you list the occupants of a sample unit.
TRUE
FALSE
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Basic Household Questions
Lesson 12 - Answer Key
1.
The tenure question determines if the sample unit is owned or being bought, rented for
cash, or occupied without payment of cash rent.
TRUE
(Page 12-2)
2.
To be considered public housing for the NCVS, a unit can be located in a building that is
funded by the Federal government, a state or local government, or part of a federal
assisted program.
FALSE
(Page 12-3)
3.
The reference person is one of the persons who owns or rents the sample unit AND who
is normally 18 years of age or older.
(Page 12-6)
4.
When building the household roster, the household respondent is always the first person
listed.
FALSE
(Page 12-6)
5.
You discover that a sample unit’s garage was converted into an apartment. The only
entrance to the apartment is through the kitchen of the sample unit. (Mark the correct
answer.)
The apartment has direct access and is considered a separate housing unit from
the sample unit through which access to it is gained.
The apartment does not have direct access but is considered a separate housing
unit from the sample unit through which access to it is gained.
The apartment has direct access but is not a separate housing unit from the
sample unit through which access to it is gained.
X
The apartment does not have direct access and is not a separate housing unit from
the sample unit through which access to it is gained.
(Page 12-4)
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Basic Household Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6.
The household roster should include all persons living or staying at the sample address at
the time of the interview, including visitors and other persons who are not household
members, but are in the sample unit and have stayed at the sample address at least one
night before the interview.
(NCVS-550, page B2-96)
7.
As you build the household roster, each person is assigned a unique line number. These
numbers correspond to the order in which you list the occupants of a sample unit.
TRUE
(Page 12-7)
Continue with Lesson 13
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS Screen Questions
Lesson 13. The NCVS Middle Section
NCVS Screen Questions
Objective
The objectives of this lesson are to:
Explain the design of the second component of the
Middle Section of the NCVS CAPI instrument.
NCVS Screen Questions
Provide an overview of the items that make up this
section of the instrument.
The second component of the Middle Section of the NCVS
instrument is comprised of screening questions. These
questions are referred to as the screening items of the
NCVS instrument.
These questions can be subdivided into three parts:
1. Mobility Questions
2. Business Operated From Sample Address Questions
3. Crime Screen Questions.
Discussion of the individual questions within each set will be
covered in detail during the classroom training.
Mobility Question:
TIMEATADDRESS
TIMEATADDRESS is the first question in the screening
section of the NCVS instrument and is used to determine
the length of continuous time the respondent has lived at the
sample address.
Business at Sample
Address: BUSINESS
You ask the BUSINESS question only of the household
respondent to determine if a sample household member
operates a business from the sample address. If a business
is operated from the sample address you will next need to
determine if the business is a recognizable or
unrecognizable business. Knowing this distinction is
important for the following reasons:
We keep crime incidents that involve property stolen
from an unrecognizable business, but
We do NOT keep crime incidents that ONLY involve
property stolen from a recognizable business.
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NCVS Basic Screen Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Go to Topic 2 in Part B, Chapter 3 of your NCVS-550
manual and read about recognizable and unrecognizable
businesses on pages B3-7 and B3-8.
[ ]
Crime Screen Questions
These screen questions cover a wide variety of situations.
They are designed to stimulate respondent recall of
incidents by providing concrete examples of the kinds of
crimes typically reported for the NCVS that could be
overlooked by respondents. These screen questions ensure
that we collect ALL incidents of crimes in a sample
household that occurred during each respondent’s 6-month
reference period.
All eligible NCVS respondents are asked questions about
crime incidents for which they may have been a victim.
However, the household respondent is asked a few
additional screen questions about crimes against the
household, as well as personal and property crimes
committed against the household respondent. The
additional questions cover:
Things stolen from outside the house, such as lawn
furniture or a garden hose.
Things stolen from a household member under 12 years
of age, such as a bicycle stolen from the home’s
driveway.
Break-ins, attempted break-ins, or illegal entries at the
sample address or at a hotel, motel, or vacation home
where the respondent was staying.
The total number of motor vehicles owned by the entire
household during the six months prior to the interview.
Thefts or attempted thefts of motor vehicles owned by
the household including gasoline and motor vehicle
parts.
If in the screen questions a respondent reports an incident
that involves an attack or a threat of attack, or a theft or
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS Screen Questions
attempted theft, you collect details about the incident later in
the Crime Incident Report section of the instrument.
Go to Page B3-9 in your NCVS-550 Interviewer Manual on
the laptop now and read about the crime screen questions.
The reading ends on Page B3-29.
[ ]
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise for this lesson that starts on
the following page. Compare your answers to the answer
key which follows the review exercise and continue with
Lesson 14.
13-3
NCVS Basic Screen Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 13 - Review Exercise
1.
The Crime Screen Questions asked of the household respondent include additional
questions about the household such as attempted break-ins or illegal entries.
TRUE
2.
FALSE
A business operated from a sample unit by a household member is considered
recognizable if: (Mark all that apply.)
There is a business sign visible from outside the sample unit.
The business is advertised in a newspaper, magazine, telephone book, or on
the Internet.
A business sign must be located on the sample household’s property.
There is a vehicle parked in the housing unit’s driveway or in front of the sample
unit that carries the business logo on it.
3.
Crime incidents involving property stolen from a/an
NCVS.
TRUE
4.
business are kept for the
FALSE
The two parts of the screener question are referred to as the “question stem” and the
“screener cues.”
TRUE
FALSE
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
13-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NCVS Screen Questions
Lesson 13 - Answer Key
1.
The Crime Screen Questions asked of the household respondent include additional
questions about the household such as attempted break-ins or illegal entries.
TRUE
(Page 13-2)
2.
A business operated from a sample unit by a household member is considered
recognizable if: (Mark all that apply.)
X
There is a business sign visible from outside the sample unit.
The business is advertised in a newspaper, magazine, telephone book, or on the
Internet.
X
A business sign must be located on the sample household’s property.
There is a vehicle parked in the housing unit’s driveway or in front of the sample
unit that carries the business logo on it.
(NCVS-550, Pages B3-7 and B3-8)
3.
Crime incidents involving property stolen from a/an unrecognizable business are kept for
the NCVS.
TRUE
(Page 13-1)
4.
The two parts of the screener question are referred to as the “question stem” and the
“screener cues.”
TRUE
(NCVS-550, Page B3-9)
Continue with Lesson 14.
13-5
NCVS Basic Screen Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NOTES
13-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
Lesson 14. The NCVS Middle Section
Crime Incident Report
Objective
Crime Incident Report
Questions
The objectives of this lesson are to:
Explain the design of the third component of the Middle
Section of the NCVS CAPI instrument.
Provide an overview of the items that make up this
section of the instrument.
This third component of the NCVS instrument is designed to
collect detailed information about each crime incident
reported by each sample household member. It is important
to record accurate and complete information about each
reported crime incident to give a clear picture of what
happened during the incident.
In most cases, you complete a separate set of crime
incident report questions for each crime incident that a
household member reports during his/her 6-month
reference period. The only exception is a series of crimes
which we will discuss in your classroom training.
Kinds of Information
Collected
When you complete the Crime Incident Report section of
the NCVS instrument, you ask the respondent about:
When the crime incident took place;
Where the crime incident occurred;
Whether the respondent or other household members
were present when the incident happened;
How the crime incident was committed;
What injuries the respondent may have suffered as a
result of the crime incident;
What actions the respondent took and whether those
actions helped the situation in any way;
Who committed the crime;
14-1
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
NCVS-521 (10/2014)
Whether property that was stolen or damaged during
the crime incident will be covered by insurance; and
Whether the police were informed.
You also ask whether or not the respondent:
Had a job or business at the time of the incident;
Has any reason to suspect that the incident was a hate
crime or crime of prejudice or bigotry; and
Has any disabilities that may make the offender see
him/her as being more vulnerable and, therefore, more
likely to be victimized.
Later in this self-study as well as during classroom training,
we will discuss the crime incident report items in detail. For
this lesson, we will highlight just a few of these items.
OFFENDERLIVE
When the respondent tells you that the incident happened in
his/her own home, in a detached building on his/her
property, in a vacation home or second home, or in his/her
hotel/motel room, you must determine whether or not the
offender had a legal right to enter the respondent’s home or
lodging by asking:
Did the offender live (here/there) or have a right to be
(here/there), for instance, as a guest or a repair
person?
An offender has a legal right to enter a respondent’s home
or lodging when the offender:
Was living or staying with the respondent at the time of
the incident
OR
Had the right to be in the home or lodging or had
permission at the time of the incident to be inside the
home or lodging, such as a maid from a cleaning service
or a hotel maid, a babysitter, nurse, salespersons,
14-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
friend, and so on. However, the offender must not have
entered the sample unit fraudulently by misrepresenting
his/her purpose to enter the dwelling.
RESTRICTEDAREA
When an incident happened in a commercial place, parking
lots or garages, or on school property you determine if the
incident happened in a restricted area by asking:
Did the incident happen in an area restricted to
certain people or was it open to the public at the
time?
A “restricted area” is one which only certain people are
allowed to enter without being considered trespassers. An
area “open to the public” at the time of the incident is one in
which anyone has a right to enter the place.
HHMEMBERPRESENT
Understanding whether or not the respondent or any other
current member of the household was “present” during an
incident is a very important part of the Crime Incident
Report interview.
For the NCVS, “presence” during an incident is intended to
determine whether any household member at the time of
the interview:
Was at the immediate scene of the crime during the
incident; and
Was in a place that was reachable by the offender so
that the offender could have or did attack, threaten to
attack, or stolen something directly from the household
member.
ATTACK
Ask ATTACK to determine if the respondent was actually
attacked during the incident. In other words, there was
some type of physical contact between the offender and
the respondent.
TRYATTACK
Ask TRYATTACK to determine if the offender tried to attack
the respondent during the incident, but did NOT have any
physical contact with the respondent. If there is any
question in your mind whether or not the offender tried to
attack the respondent, go with the respondent's perception.
14-3
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
THREATEN
NCVS-521 (10/2014)
Ask the question in Item THREATEN to determine whether
the offender made a face-to-face verbal threat to
physically harm the respondent during the incident. Both
the respondent and the offender must be present and the
threat must be voiced by the offender directly to the
respondent.
Do NOT include threats made by:
Telephone,
Letter,
Electronic mail or on the internet,
FAX machine, or
Threats delivered by someone other than the offender.
INJURY
Ask INJURY to determine if the respondent experienced
any personal injuries during the attack and, if so, to identify
what type of bodily injuries were suffered from the incident.
Do not include mental or emotional suffering as an injury.
POLICEINFORMED
Item POLICEINFORMED is used to determine whether the
police are aware that this incident took place, regardless of
how they found out about it. For the NCVS, consider the
police to be all regular police officers at the city, county,
State, or Federal government level, as well as officers who
work for sheriff's departments. Also include officers working
for specialized police forces who are authorized to make
arrests in a special area or jurisdiction (for example, campus
police, park police, transit police, harbor police, and airport
police).
For the NCVS, exclude as police officers any security
forces, building guards, prison guards, fish and game
wardens, fire marshals, and all others who do not have the
authority to make police arrests.
14-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
DISABILITY QUESTIONS
Research has shown that people with disabilities may be
more vulnerable to crime victimization. This series of
questions asks about any health conditions, impairments, or
disabilities the respondent has.
SUMMARY
SUMMARY is designed for you to summarize all of the
pertinent facts surrounding a reported crime incident. Each
summary report must be written so that anyone reading it
can get a clear, well-defined picture of how the respondent
was victimized. This field allows a maximum of 300
characters.
Include in the summary report any details that you feel are
not evident from the answers in the incident report items.
This is very important because, before sending a case for
processing, editors often need more specific details than
they can get from other entries for the incident report items.
When this happens, they must rely on what is written in your
summary report.
As you write your summary report, be careful not to use
misleading words or phrases that may raise more
questions about the incident, instead of clarifying what really
happened. Also, when writing the summary it is very
important that you refer to respondents by their line number,
such as L1, L2, L3, and so forth and not by their name.
Since the survey sponsor periodically requests to review the
summary reports, we want to ensure that no identifying
information about the respondent or the household, such as
names, address, telephone numbers, are entered in the
summary.
Other Incident Questions
We will cover some of the other incident report items in
detail during the classroom training.
Probing
As you ask the detailed crime incident questions, there may
be times when you need to probe for more information. At
other times, you only need to verify answers.
You may encounter situations when the respondent gives
an answer that does not quite fit the question. Probing is a
technique in which you casually get the respondent to
provide an answer that meets the question’s objective. At
these times, you must ask one or more probing questions.
14-5
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
NCVS-521 (10/2014)
Whenever the respondent's answer is not relevant to the
question or the answer is unclear or incomplete, probe to
get the required information.
Sometimes probes are displayed for you to ask the
respondent when probing is necessary. These are called
structured probes.
For example, for item FARFROMHOME, the question text
incorporates a structured probe.
How far away from home did this happen?
Probe: Was it within a mile, 5 miles, 50 miles or
more?
This probe asks a more specific question than the original,
more general, question. It is worded so that we can get a
more accurate answer from the respondent.
For item WHATHAPPEN, the following probe appears only
if the respondent states he/she experienced unwanted
sexual contact with force.
You mentioned some type of unwanted sexual
contact with force. Do you mean forced or
coerced sexual intercourse including attempts?
This probe is necessary in order to determine if the
unwanted sexual contact actually is an incident of rape.
Ways to Probe
If a probe is not displayed for a particular question, there are
many ways to probe, including:
Repeating the question;
Pausing to give the respondent time to think;
Asking for more information to find out what the
respondent means;
Stressing the generality of the question by asking for an
estimate;
Zeroing in (In the example you just read, "How far away
from home did this happen?", you would probe by
asking, "Was it within a mile, 5 miles, 50 miles or
more?").
14-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Probes Must Not Suggest
Responses
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
As an FR, you may often think that you know what
respondents mean, how they feel, and what their real
opinion is, even though they have not expressed these
feelings.
Do not assume and suggest an answer when you are
probing. Avoid any comments that may lead a respondent to
an answer. Probes must always be NEUTRAL.
Do Not Over Probe
Since probes, by nature, tend to press or challenge a
respondent, limit your use of probes so that they do not
have an adverse effect on the interview. Unless indicated in
the questionnaire, only use probes when necessary to
clarify a response.
Once the respondent has answered your question, do not
continue to probe. You can avoid over-probing by knowing
the question’s objective. If you understand the main
purpose for asking the question, then you will know when
the respondent has answered it appropriately.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise for this lesson that starts on
the following page. Compare your answers to the answer
key which follows the review exercise, then continue with
Lesson 15.
14-7
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
NCVS-521 (10/2014)
Lesson 14 - Review Exercise
1.
In most cases, you complete a separate set of crime incident report questions for each crime
incident that a household member reports during his/her 12-month reference period.
TRUE
2.
Collecting details about a reported crime incident is important so that we have a clear picture
of what happened during the incident.
TRUE
3.
FALSE
FALSE
An offender has the right to be in the respondent’s home if:
(Mark all that apply)
He was living or staying with the respondent when the incident happened.
Pushed his way into the dwelling when the respondent answered the door.
Was let into the dwelling by a child even though the parents would not have
allowed access to the offender.
Had permission to enter the respondent’s home because he was a repairman who
was called to fix the kitchen sink.
Had permission to enter the respondent’s home even though he fraudulently
misrepresented himself as a repair person.
4.
To be considered present during an incident, the household member must be at the
of the crime during the incident and was in a place that was reachable
by the offender so that the offender could have or did attack, threaten to attack, or stolen
something directly from the household member.
5.
An area that is
is one which only certain people are allowed to enter without
being considered trespassers.
6.
Probing is a technique in which you casually get the respondent to provide an answer that
meets the question’s objective.
TRUE
FALSE
14-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
7.
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
Threats by an offender to physically harm the respondent includes face-to-face verbal
threats as well as those made over the telephone.
TRUE
FALSE
8.
The
screen is designed for you to summarize all of the pertinent facts
surrounding a reported crime incident.
9.
How do you complete the POLICEINFORMED question, which asks “Were the police
informed or did they find out about this incident in any way?” if the respondent states that
she reported the theft of her purse to the building’s security guard?
Yes (Police informed)
No (Police not informed)
Don’t know
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
14-9
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
NCVS-521 (10/2014)
Lesson 14 - Answer Key
1.
In most cases, you complete a separate set of crime incident report questions for each crime
incident that a household member reports during his/her 12-month reference period.
FALSE
(Page 14-1)
2.
Collecting details about a reported crime incident is important so that we have a clear picture
of what happened during the incident.
TRUE
(Page 14-1)
3.
An offender has the right to be in the respondent’s home if: (Mark all that apply)
X
He was living or staying with the respondent when the incident happened.
Pushed his way into the dwelling when the respondent answered the door.
Was let into the dwelling by a child even though the parents would not have
allowed access to the offender.
X
Had permission to enter the respondent’s home because he was a repairman who
was called to fix the kitchen sink.
Had permission to enter the respondent’s home even though he fraudulently
misrepresented himself as a repair person.
(Pages 14-2, 14-3)
4.
To be considered present during an incident, the household member must be at the
immediate scene of the crime during the incident and was in a place that was reachable by
the offender so that the offender could have or did attack, threaten to attack, or stolen
something directly from the household member.
(Page 14-3)
5.
An area that is restricted is one which only certain people are allowed to enter without being
considered trespassers.
(Page 14-3)
14-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
6.
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
Probing is a technique in which you casually get the respondent to provide an answer that
meets the question’s objective.
TRUE
(Page 14-5)
7.
Threats by an offender to physically harm the respondent includes face-to-face verbal
threats as well as those made over the telephone.
FALSE
(Page 14-4)
8.
The SUMMARY screen is designed for you to summarize all of the pertinent facts
surrounding a reported crime incident.
(Page 14-5)
9.
How do you complete the POLICEINFORMED question, which asks “Were the police
informed or did they find out about this incident in any way?” if the respondent states that
she reported the theft of her purse to the building’s security guard?
Yes (Police informed)
X _ No (Police not informed)
Don’t know
(Page 14-4)
Continue with Lesson 15.
14-11
The NCVS Crime Incident Report
NCVS-521 (10/2014)
NOTES
14-12
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Other NCVS Questions
Lesson 15. The NCVS Middle Section
Other Survey Questions
Objective
Additional NCVS Questions
The objectives of this lesson are to:
Explain the design of the fourth component of the Middle
Section of the NCVS CAPI instrument.
Provide an overview of the items that make up this
section of the instrument.
The fourth component of the Middle Section of the NCVS
instrument is made up of questions about:
1. Employment
2. Total Household Income
3. Use of Telephone and Contact Information
4. Language requirements
Employment Questions
The employment questions are asked of each respondent
who is 16 years of age or older. These questions are used to
determine if the respondent had a job or worked at a
business during the week prior to the interview. We also
determine the type of job and the type of area in which the
person is working. These questions are asked to identify
those jobs which may increase or decrease a person's
likelihood of becoming a crime victim.
Open your NCVS-554, Information Card Booklet, to
page 12 and look over the employment flash card. This flash
card is also provided in Spanish on page 13.
[]
During personal visit interviews, show the respondent the
flash card as you ask the question and ask the respondent
to choose the category which best describes his/her job.
During telephone interviews, read the main employment
categories until you get a "Yes" answer. Then read the
subcategories contained within the main category selected.
15-1
Other NCVS Questions
Total Household Income
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
During the first, third, fifth, and seventh enumeration periods
you ask the household respondent the household income
(HOUSEHOLDINCOME) question. During the first interview
with a household, show the household respondent the
flashcard on page 14 of the Information Card Booklet and
allow the respondent time to read the categories, make an
estimate, and respond. For telephone interviews, read each
of the following categories until the respondent identifies the
appropriate income category.
Less than $5,000
$5,000 - $7,499
$7,500 - $9,999
$10,000 - $12,499
$12,500 - $14,999
$15,000 - $17,499
$17,500 - $19,999
$20,000 - $24,999
$25,000 - $29,999
$30,000 - $34,999
$35,000 - $39,999
$40,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 and over
The purpose of this question is to determine the TOTAL
combined income of all members of the HOUSEHOLD
during the past 12 months. This includes:
Income received from jobs
Net income from business, farm or rent
Pensions
Dividends and interest
Social Security payments
Alimony and child support
Public assistance
Any other money income received by members of the
household who are 14 years of age or older.
We do not need the respondent to identify the actual total
household income just the income range. We are interested
in the household’s combined income during the 12 months
immediately preceding the date of interview, not the last
calendar year unless they happen to coincide.
15-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Use of Telephone and
Contact Information
Other NCVS Questions
At the end of your first interview with a sample household,
you ask the household respondent about the presence of a
telephone in the sample unit, what the telephone number is,
and whether a telephone interview is acceptable. You may
need to explain to the respondent the reason for asking
these questions. You can tell a household respondent that:
In order to limit survey costs, future interviews should be
conducted by telephone whenever possible.
We need the household’s telephone number to:
Make appointments to call other household
members who are not present during your initial visit
to their interview.
Re-contact respondents to obtain any missing
information that a respondent may be unable to
supply during an interview.
You can also record the best time to call or visit the
household by accessing the Interview Time Preferences
screen by pressing “CTRL” + “T.” Collecting this information
ensures that we contact each household at an acceptable
time of day. You will practice using the Interview Time
Preferences during classroom training.
After each respondent’s interview, you also have the ability
to collect phone numbers for each individual respondent.
Language Questions
The last questions in the Middle Section of the NCVS
instrument pertain to language needs. These questions ask
If the respondent’s NCVS interview was conducted in a
language other than English, and if so, what language.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise for this lesson that starts on
the following page. Compare your answers to the answer
key which follows the review exercise, then continue with
Lesson 16.
15-3
Other NCVS Questions
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 15 - Review Exercise
1.
The employment questions are asked of each respondent who is 12 years of age or older.
TRUE
2.
FALSE
When asking the household respondent the household income question, only include
income received from jobs.
TRUE
3.
FALSE
The TOTAL combined household income includes money income received:
during the 6 months preceding the interview by all members of the household who
are 12 years of age or older.
during the 6 months preceding the interview by all members of the household who
are 14 years of age or older.
during the 6 months preceding the interview by all members of the household who
are 16 years of age or older.
during the 12 months preceding the interview by all members of the household
who are 12 years of age or older.
during the 12 months preceding the interview by all members of the household
who are 14 years of age or older.
during the 12 months preceding the interview by all members of the household
who are 16 years of age or older.
4.
One reason why questions are asked about the presence of a telephone in the sample unit
and whether a telephone interview is acceptable is so you are able to conduct future
interviews with the sample household by telephone in order to save survey costs.
TRUE
FALSE
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
15-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Other NCVS Questions
Lesson 15 - Answer Key
1.
The employment questions are asked of each respondent who is 12 years of age or older.
FALSE
(Page 15-1)
2.
When asking the household respondent the household income question, only include
income received from jobs.
FALSE
(Page 15-2)
3.
The TOTAL combined household income includes money income received:
during the 6 months preceding the interview by all members of the household who
are 12 years of age or older.
during the 6 months preceding the interview by all members of the household who
are 14 years of age or older.
during the 6 months preceding the interview by all members of the household who
are 16 years of age or older.
during the 12 months preceding the interview by all members of the household
who are 12 years of age or older.
X _ during the 12 months preceding the interview by all members of the household
who are 14 years of age or older.
during the 12 months preceding the interview by all members of the household
who are 16 years of age or older.
(Page 15-2)
15-5
Other NCVS Questions
4.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
One reason why questions are asked about the presence of a telephone in the sample unit
and whether a telephone interview is acceptable is so you are able to conduct future
interviews with the sample household by telephone in order to save survey costs.
TRUE
(Page 15-3)
Continue with Lesson 16.
15-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Back Section
Lesson 16. The NCVS Back Section
Objective
Introduction
The objectives of this lesson are to:
Explain the design of the Back Section of the NCVS
CAPI instrument.
Provide an overview of the items that make up the back
part of the survey instrument.
The Back Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to
guide you through screens for:
Setting appointments.
Recording information, such as telephone numbers,
best time to call, and whether there are any language or
hearing problems
Recording the incomplete status (either Refusal/
Callback/Breakoff) of a respondent's interview.
Entering case level notes to record appointments for an
individual respondent other than the household
respondent.
Thanking the respondent for completing the interview.
The information you enter in the back of the instrument is
fed back into Case Management and appears in different
tabs in Case Management after you exit the case. Now let’s
review some of the main screens you see when you enter
the Back Section of the instrument.
REFCBBREAK_CP
When you terminate an interview by pressing the F10 key or
clicking on the F10 tab, the instrument goes to
REFCBBREAK_CP. This item asks you if the interview
ended because of a refusal, a callback is needed to
complete the interview, if a breakoff occurred (for example,
if the respondent hung up the telephone), or there was
some other problem you encountered.
16-1
The NCVS Back Section
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
If you indicate that you need to call the respondent back to
complete the interview, the instrument goes to APPT during
a household respondent’s interview; to PERSAPPT when
interviewing individual respondents.
APPT
At APPT you set an appointment to conduct or complete the
interview with the household respondent. Ask the
respondent for a date and time that is best to complete the
interview.
THANKYOU_CP
At THANKYOU_CP, thank the respondent for his/her
participation in the survey. For all sample cases (except
those that are in sample for the last time) you tell
respondents that they will be contacted again in six months.
Read the text displayed at THANKYOU_CP:
"Six months from now we will be contacting you again.
Thank you for your time. You've been very helpful."
For cases that have completed their final interview, tell
respondents that this is their last interview. Read the text
displayed at THANKYOU_CP:
"This is the last regularly scheduled interview for this
household, for the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Thank you for your participation in this survey."
At THANKYOU_CP you also tell the respondent that a
supervisor may call them to conduct reinterview. You may
have to explain to respondents that reinterview is a quality
control measure on interviewing. In reinterview, a sample of
interviewed households are recontacted shortly after the
original interview is completed and interviewed again. The
purpose of the reinterview program is to deter and detect
falsification by survey enumerators or FRs.
Review Exercise
Complete the review exercise on the next page. Compare
your answers to the answer key that follows the review
exercise, then continue with Lesson 17.
16-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
The NCVS Back Section
Lesson 16 - Review Exercise
1.
The Back Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to guide you through screens for:
(Mark all that apply.)
Setting appointments.
Updating sample address, mailing address, and telephone number information for
the household with the household respondent.
Recording information, such as telephone numbers, best time to call, and whether
there are any language or hearing problems.
Making contact with a household respondent or an individual respondent.
Thanking the respondent for his/her participation.
Recording the incomplete status of a household respondent's interview.
2.
When you terminate an interview by pressing the
_____ .
3.
The information you enter in the back of the instrument is retained within the survey
instrument and not fed back into Case Management.
TRUE
4.
The purpose of the
representatives.
key, the instrument proceeds to
FALSE
program is to
and
_ falsification by field
Compare your answers to the answer key on the next page(s).
16-3
The NCVS Back Section
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Lesson 16 - Answer Key
1.
The Back Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to guide you through screens for:
(Mark all that apply.)
X
Setting appointments.
Updating sample address, mailing address, and telephone number information for
the household with the household respondent.
X
Recording information, such as telephone numbers, best time to call, and whether
there are any language or hearing problems.
Making contact with a household respondent or an individual respondent.
X
Thanking the respondent for his/her participation.
X
Recording the incomplete status of a household respondent's interview.
(Page 16-1)
2.
When you terminate an interview by pressing the F10 key, the instrument proceeds to
REFCBBREAK_CP.
(Page 16-1)
3.
The information you enter in the back of the instrument is retained within the survey
instrument and not fed back into Case Management.
FALSE
(Page 16-1)
4.
The purpose of the reinterview program is to deter and detect falsification by or field
representatives.
(Page 16-2)
Continue with Lesson 17.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
Lesson 17. Practice Interview
Objective
During this lesson, you will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself
with the NCVS CAPI instrument by going through a practice interview.
Since this is your first attempt at completing an NCVS CAPI interview,
this interview will be much simpler than most of your actual interviews
will be. The purpose of this self-study interview is to make you more
familiar with the instrument. Concentrate on mastering navigation of
the NCVS instrument and understanding the NCVS questions during
your classroom training session.
Caution
To keep things simple, go straight through the scripted interview. DO
NOT attempt to jump around to different sections or to enter “Don’t
Know” and “Refused” answers unless instructed in the interview. If
you follow the instructions throughout this lesson, you should not
have any problems.
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 will take you to the
previous question so you can change the answer. If you enter an
invalid response by mistake you may get a pop-up screen telling you
that the value entered is invalid. Click the “OK” button or press the Esc
(Escape) key to return to the question, then enter the correct answer.
What do I do when
I have questions?
Write down any questions or comments you have while completing
this interview on the pages at the end of this lesson and mention them
during classroom training. Remember to write down the screen name
if your question or comment pertains to a particular screen.
Follow the Instructions
Complete this practice interview in its entirety. The script includes the
survey questions, statements, etc., that you, as the FR, will read as
well as the respondent’s answers. Throughout this interview, you will
see "FR" used to indicate what you, the field representative, should
say or do, and an "R" is used to indicate what the respondent’s
answers are. Below each FR and R exchange, the information to
enter is in bold and parentheses. In order for a response to be
recorded, you must press the ENTER key. All instructions to you are
written in bold.
17-1
Practice Interview
Access Training Case
Management
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Your practice interview is in Training Case Management. To access:
●
Double click on the Training icon from your desktop.
●
The window that pops up should read “Training Case
Management” in the upper left corner of the screen.
●
Use the up or down arrow key on your keyboard to highlight
“NCVS” on the “Survey List” that is displayed in the “Survey
Selection Dialog box.”
●
Click the OK button or press Enter. When the Training Case
Management main screen appears, make sure that “NCS
Classroom” training is highlighted using the up or down
arrow key.
Your NCVS 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 are already installed you
will see an N in the “Need to Install” column. Otherwise, a Y appears
in that column.
If you need to install your cases, 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, press Enter
to proceed.
***If you have trouble installing the training cases,
notify your supervisor. It’s important to complete the
practice exercise in this lesson before you go to
classroom training.***
●
Press F8 to enter Training Case Management.
17-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Access Your Case
Practice Interview
For this practice interview, highlight the address 104 OCEAN VIEW
LANE and press F2.
DO NOT at any time get into the other households listed in your Case
List as these cases will be used during classroom training. Also, after
completing this practice exercise, DO NOT restart or re-install your
training cases since doing so will delete the information you entered
for this practice interview.
At the “NCVS Selected Case Confirmation Screen,” press Enter (or
click OK).
TRAININGCASE
The first screen you see when accessing a training case is Item
TRAININGCASE. When you are conducting a live interview with a
production case this screen does not appear.
START_CP
START_CP is the first screen that is displayed. Look at the left of the
status bar (bottom of your screen; second box from the left). You
should see the word “START_CP.” This is the item or variable name.
While completing this interview, if you feel lost, look for the variable
name in the status bar. If it does not match the variable name you see
in this lesson, use the “left” or “up” arrow to back up until you get to a
screen that does match. Then re-enter your answers from that point.
At START_CP, notice that this is a continuing case. Also notice the
“Interview Number” is “3” which indicates this is the third time this
case will be interviewed. Therefore, there may be information already
entered for this case from a previous interview.
Now let’s begin the interview. Remember to follow the scripted
interview and make the entries as indicated using the keyboard. Be
sure to read the instructions in bold since they describe specific
screens and concepts as you go through the script.
17-3
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
PRACTICE INTERVIEW
START_CP
The interview date and time are displayed on the screen.
(Enter 1, Telephone Interview)
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
Review the household roster. The screen shows the names of
all persons living or staying at the household, their relationship,
whether they are members of the household, their sex, age, and
interview status. An interview NEED SELF tells you that you
need to complete an interview with the respondent by
self-response. After reviewing the household roster, enter 1 to
continue.
(Enter 1 to continue)
SHOW_INFO_CP
This screen prompts you to review or edit any case level notes,
if any were entered in previous interviews, as well as any
interview time preferences (best and worst times) to contact the
household if such times were previously recorded. You can also
enter new case level notes at this screen and interview time
preferences. Access the Case Level Notes now.
(Press Ctrl+F7 keys to view the Case Level Notes.)
(Enter a note into the Case Level Notes to practice this)
To exit the Case Level Notes Editor, press F10. Do that now.
[ ]
[ ]
Any time you change or enter any notes, a pop-up screen would
appear asking you if you want to save the notes. Click on “Yes”
now.
Now look to see if any preferred times to contact or not contact
the household were recorded previously.
(Press the Ctrl+T keys to view the “Interview Time
Preferences.”)
[ ]
If the best times to contact the household were previously
recorded, the time blocks appear in green. The worst time
blocks appear in red. This grid can be accessed anywhere in the
instrument by pressing Ctrl+T.
17-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
At this screen you can also enter the best and worst times to
contact the household. To enter best or preferred times, left
click on the appropriate hour slot. Left click 7:00 p.m. under
Monday now.
Notice that this time slot is now green.
[
]
To enter the worst times to contact a household, right click on
the hour slot. Right click on 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. under
Sunday now.
[ ]
Notice that these slots are now red. To exit this screen, press
F10. Do that now.
[ ]
Since you made changes to the grid, an Interview Time
Preferences pop-up screen will appear asking if you want to
save the changes. For this exercise, click on the “No” button.
(Enter 1 to continue)
HHNUM_VR_CP
(Enter 2, since you do not yet know whether this is a
replacement household.)
DIAL_CP
This screen instructs you to dial the household’s telephone
number, which is displayed in the screen along with the name of
the prior household respondent and the sample unit’s address.
(Enter 1, Someone answers)
HELLO_1_CP
FR:
Hello. This is (your name) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
May I please speak with Megan Moe?
R:
Yes, this is Megan Moe speaking.
(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 months ago. Did you receive our introductory letter in
the mail?
17-5
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
R:
I don’t think so.
For personal visit interviews, hand the respondent the
introductory letter and give him/her time to read the letter before
continuing with the interview. For telephone interviews, press
the F1 function key and read through the lesson now. The key
points contained within the letter are highlighted in this Help
Screen and can be read to the respondent. Then press the Esc
key to exit the Help screen.
(Enter 3)
VERADD_CP
FR:
I have your address listed as 104 OCEAN VIEW LANE, Any
Town, AR 99997. Is that your exact address?
R:
Yes it is.
(Enter 1, Same address)
CHNGPH_CP
Sometimes at the beginning of an interview you may know that
the household’s telephone number has changed. At this screen
you are given the opportunity to change the telephone number.
DO NOT read the question to the respondent. For this interview,
you do not need to change the phone number so select “No.”
(Enter 2)
MAILINGSAME_CP
FR:
Is your mailing address the same as your physical address?
R:
Yes it is.
(Enter 1)
TENURE
FR:
Ask or verify - Are your living quarters
- Owned or being bought by you or someone in your
household?
R:
Yes, we own our home.
Even though some items may already be pre-filled with a value
based upon responses from a previous interview, it is important
to ask or verify the question during the current enumeration in
case there are changes since the previous interview. If in the
current interview the response is the same, you can press the
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
Enter key rather than re-entering the response value. In this
case, the response is different.
(Enter 1, Owned or being bought)
STUDENTHOUSING
FR:
Are your living quarters presently used as student housing by a
college or university?
R:
No
(Enter 2)
NAMECHECK
FR:
I have Ted Moe and Megan Moe listed as living or staying at
that address.
Are ALL of these people still living or staying at that address?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1)
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)
AGECHECK
FR:
I have Ted Moe listed as 70 years old. Is that correct?
R:
Yes it is.
(For purposes of this exercise, enter 1 “Yes” even if the age is
different. This scenario will be discussed further in the classroom
training.)
(Enter 1)
MARITAL
FR:
If in doubt ask - Is Ted Moe now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has he never been married?
R:
He’s married.
17-7
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Remember, some items may already be pre-filled with a value based upon
responses from a previous interview. If in the current interview the response
is the same, you can press the Enter key rather than re-entering the
response.
(Press Enter)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
What is the highest level of school Ted Moe completed or the
highest degree he received?
R:
He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
(Enter 16)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:
Is Ted Moe currently attending or enrolled either full-time or
part-time in a college or university, trade, or vocational school?
R:
No
(Enter 5)
AGECHECK
FR:
I have you listed as 71 years old. Is that correct?
R:
Yes it is.
(Enter 1)
MARITAL
FR:
If in doubt ask - Are you now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or have you never been married?
R:
I’m married.
(Press the Enter key since there is already a 1 pre-filled)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
What is the highest level of school you completed or the
highest degree you received?
R:
I have a bachelor’s degree in education.
(Enter 16)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:
Are you currently attending or enrolled either full-time or
part-time in a college or university, trade, or vocational school?
R:
No.
17-8
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
(Enter 5)
ROSTERREVIEW
At this screen review the name, relationship, age, sex, and
marital status information for correctness. If the information is
not correct, you have the opportunity to make corrections to
these items if you enter 2 in this screen. Let’s assume that
Megan Moe’s age is incorrect because her birthday was not
correct.
(Enter 2)
WHOTOCHANGE
At this screen enter Megan Moe’s line number, which is 2, since
she is the respondent whose information you need to change.
(Enter 2)
WHATFIX
Now select the category that needs to be changed. Since Megan
Moe’s age is incorrect, you must fix her birth date.
(Enter 3)
CHNG_BRTHDATE
MO
(Press Enter)
CHNG_BRTHDATE
DY
(Press Enter)
CHNG_BRTHDATE
YR
(Enter 1944)
CHNG_ANYOTHER
At this screen you can review your changes and back up if you
need to make any further corrections. No additional changes are
needed, so you can proceed with the interview.
(Enter 1)
ROSTERREVIEW
The information displayed is now correct so you don’t need to
make any other changes.
(Enter 1)
TIMEATADDRESS
FR:
Before we get to the crime questions, I have some questions
that are helpful in studying where and why crimes occur.
17-9
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
How long have you lived at this address?
R:
15 years.
(Enter 15)
BUSINESS
FR:
Does anyone in this household operate a business from this
address?
R:
No.
(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,
book -- Clothing, jewelry, or cell phone -- Bicycle or sports equipment -- Things in your home - like a TV, stereo, or tools -- Things outside your home such as a garden hose or lawn
furniture -- Things belonging to children in the household -- Things 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.
This household was previously interviewed on (date).
Reminder! The date of the last interview is the basis for a
respondent’s reference period.
(Enter 1)
SQTHEFTTIMES
FR:How many times?
17-10
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
R: Once.
(Enter 1)
SQTHEFTSPEC
FR:What happened?
R: A co-worker and I were walking to my car when two young men
grabbed my leather tote bag and ran.
Briefly describe the incident in SQTHEFTSPEC. Remember, you
are limited to 100 characters.
Also remember, when writing a description of what happened
refer to the respondent and any other household member by his
or her line number (for example L1, L2) and NOT by their name.
If you click on the HH ROSTER tab, you will see the names of
those persons living or staying in the household and their
corresponding line number. Click on the HH ROSTER tab now.
You will see that Megan Moe’s line number is 2. Now either click
on the “Main” tab or enter 1 to continue on the toolbar to go
back to SQTHEFTSPEC.
Enter the following summary.
L2 and co-worker were walking to L2's car when 2 young men
grabbed L2's leather tote bag and ran.
(Press Enter to continue)
SQBREAKIN
FR:
Other than any incident already mentioned, 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?
17-11
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
SQTOTALVEHICLES
FR:
What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or any
other member of that household during the last 6 months?
Include those you no longer own.
R:
We have two cars.
(Enter 2)
SQMVTHEFT
FR:
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s) 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
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
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 yard -- At or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's home-- At work or school 17-12
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
-- In places such as a storage shed or laundry room, a
shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or airport-- While riding in any vehicle -- On the street or in a parking lot -- At such places as a party, theater, gym, picnic area,
bowling lanes, or while fishing or huntingOR
-- 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:
Just the incident I told you about earlier.
(Enter 2)
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 knife -- With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick -- By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle -- Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
-- Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of sexual attack -- Any 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)
SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
FR: People often don't think of incidents committed by someone
they know. Other than any incidents already mentioned, did
17-13
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
you have something stolen from you or were you attacked or
threatened by-----
Someone at work or school A neighbor or friend A relative or family member Any other person you have met or known?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
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 know -- A casual acquaintance OR
-- Someone you know well?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No
(Enter 2)
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?
R:
No
(Enter 2)
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
R:
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?
No
(Enter 2)
PRESENTFORSQS
(Enter 11, since this is a telephone interview)
INC_REPORTS
This screen tells you that you have completed the screening
questions and indicates the number of incidents reported in the
screen questions and the number of refusals in the screen
questions.
(Enter 1)
INCIDENTINTRO
FR:
You said before that during the last 6 months you and your
co-worker were walking to your car when 2 young men
grabbed your leather tote bag and ran. This happened just one
time?
R:
Yes, just once.
(Enter 1)
INCIDENTDATE
FR:
In what month did this incident happen?
R:
It happened in (pick date within 6-month reference period).
(Enter precode for appropriate month)
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR:
R:
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident happen
during the last 6 months?
Just once.
(Enter 1)
INCIDENTTIME
FR:
About what time did this incident happen?
R:
Around 5:00 in the evening.
17-15
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
(Enter 13)
INCIDENTPLACE
FR:
In what city, town, or village did this incident occur?
R:
Right here in Any Town.
(Although you may think that Precode (1) is the natural choice
here, Precode (3) is actually the correct choice.)
It is important to be aware of what the precodes are for each
question. In this screen, the appropriate precode to enter is (3)
“SAME city/town/village as present residence,” based on the
respondent’s answer.
(Enter 3)
INCIDENTAIR
FR:
Did this incident occur on an American Indian Reservation or
on American Indian Lands?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
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?
At school?
In open areas, on the street, or on public transportation?
Somewhere else?
At school where I teach.
(Enter 16)
LOCATION_SCHOOL
FR:
Ask or verify - Where at school did this incident happen?
R:
In the school’s parking lot.
(Enter 32)
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
RESTRICTEDAREA
Practice Interview
FR:
Ask or verify - Did the incident happen in an area restricted to
certain people or was it open to the public at the time?
R:
Well, it was the school parking lot, but that’s open to the public.
(Enter 1)
INSIDEOROUT
FR:
Ask or verify - Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?
R:
Outdoors.
(Enter 2)
FARFROMHOME
FR:
Ask or verify - How far away from home did this happen?
R:
The school is about 5 miles from my home.
(Enter 3)
HHMEMBERPRESENT
FR:
Ask or verify - Were you or any other member of this household
present when this incident occurred?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1)
WHICHMEMBER
FR:
Ask or verify - Which household members were present?
R:
Just me.
(Enter 1)
SEEOFFENDER
FR:
Ask or verify - Did you personally see an offender?
R:
You bet I did.
(Enter 1)
WEAPONPRESENT
FR:
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?
R:
No, I don't remember anything like that. They just used their
hands to grab my tote bag.
(Enter 2)
17-17
Practice Interview
ATTACK
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
FR:
Did the offender hit you, knock you down, or actually attack you
in any way?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
TRYATTACK
FR:
Did the offender TRY to attack you?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
THREATEN
FR:
Did the offender THREATEN you with harm in any way?
R:
No. In fact, I don't think they said anything.
(Enter 2)
WHATHAPPEN
FR:
What actually happened?
R:
Like I said, these two guys came running at us as we were
getting into my car, grabbed my tote bag, and ran off.
(Enter 11,)
FR:
Anything else?
R:
No
(Press Enter)
PROTECTSELF
FR:
Did you do anything with the idea of protecting YOURSELF or
your PROPERTY while the incident was going on?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1)
ACTIONSDURINGINC
FR:
What did you do?
R:
I yelled at the guys.
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
(Enter 19)
FR:
Anything else?
R:
No.
(Press Enter)
INJACTIONHELP
FR:
Did your action help the situation in any way?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
ACTIONWORSE
FR:
Did your action make the situation worse in anyway?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
ANYONEPRESENT
FR:
Was anyone present during the incident besides you and the
offender? (Other than children under age 12.)
R:
Yes, my co-worker.
(Enter 1)
OTHERSACTIONS
FR:
Did the actions of this person help the situation in any way?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
OTHERSACTIONSWORSE
FR:
R:
Did the actions of this person make the situation worse in any
way?
No.
(Enter 2)
PERSONSHARMED
FR:
Not counting yourself, were any of these persons present
during the incident harmed (Pause), threatened with harm
(Pause), or robbed by force or threat of harm?
17-19
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
(Do not include yourself, the offender, or children under 12
years of age.)
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
FR:
R:
Ask or verify - Was the crime committed by only one or by more
than one offender?
There were two offenders.
(Enter 2)
HOWMANYOFFENDERS
FR:
How many offenders?
R:
As I just told you, there were two offenders.
Remember, even though you know the answer to this
question, you must ask it because it does not show the
“Ask or verify” instruction.
(Enter 2)
MULTOFFENDERKNEW
FR:
Were any of the offenders known to you, or were they all
strangers you had never seen before?
R:
No, neither of us had seen them before.
(Enter 3)
MULTOFFENDERRECOG
FR:
Would you be able to recognize any of them if you saw them?
R:
Possibly.
(Enter 2)
MULTOFFENDERSIGHT
FR:
Would you have been able to tell the police how they might find
any of them, for instance, where they lived, worked, went to
school, or spent time?
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NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
MULTOFFENDERGENDER
FR:
R:
Were they male or female?
They were both male.
(Enter 1)
MULTOFFENDERYOUNG
FR:
How old would you say the youngest was?
R:
He was about 18.
(Enter 4)
MULTOFFENDEROLD
FR:
How old would you say the oldest was?
R:
Probably about 22.
(Enter 5)
MULTOFFETHNICITY
FR:
Were any of the offenders Hispanic or Latino?
R:
No
(Enter 2)
MULTOFFENDERRACE
FR:
Were the offenders White, Black or African American,
American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander?
R:
They were both White.
(Enter 1)
MULTOFFENDERGANG
FR:
Were any of the offenders a member of a street gang, or don't
you know?
R:
I don't know.
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Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
(Enter 3)
MULTOFFENDERDRINKDRUG
FR: Were any of the offenders drinking or on drugs, or don't you
know?
R:
I really don't know.
(Enter 3)
MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME
FR:
R:
Was this the only time any of these offenders committed a
crime against you or your household or made threats against
you or your household?
Yes.
(Enter 1)
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)
WHATWASTAKEN
FR:
What was taken that belonged to you or others in the
household?
R:
My leather tote bag.
(Enter 29,)
FR:
Anything else?
R:
I had three credit cards in my tote bag.
(Enter 14,)
FR:
Anything else?
R:
My car keys.
(Enter 26,)
17-22
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
FR:
Anything else?
R:
Yes, my watch. I had taken it off in the classroom and it was in
my tote bag when the tote bag was stolen.
Category 26, which you already entered, includes watches.
FR:
Anything else?
R:
No.
(Press Enter)
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:
It was all mine.
(Enter 1)
ARTICLEINCAR
FR:
Ask or verify - Were the articles IN or ATTACHED to a motor
vehicle when they were taken?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
OTHERONPERSON
FR:
Ask or verify - Was there anything the offenders took directly
from you, for instance, from your pocket or hands, or
something that you were wearing?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1)
ITEMSTAKEN
FR:
Which items did the offenders take directly from you?
R:
My tote bag and the items in it.
For this item, the categories selected in item WHATWASTAKEN
are displayed.
17-23
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
(Enter 40, since all the items stolen were taken directly from the
respondent or click on all the categories displayed.)
PROPERTYVALUE
FR:
What was the value of the PROPERTY that was taken?
Include recovered property. (Exclude any stolen cash, checks,
or credit cards.)
R:
I don't suppose the keys had any real monetary value. The tote
bag was worth about $150 and the watch about $85.
To help you add the different values reported, you can press the
F11 key to access the calculator function. You can also get to
the calculator function by clicking on the Options tab and
selecting Calculator.
Take a moment now to use the calculator. Then verify the total
amount with the respondent before proceeding.
[ ]
FR:
(Probe) So, altogether, the stolen property was worth about
$235. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 235, then press Enter)
DECIDEDVALUE
FR:
How did you decide the value of the property that was taken?
R:
That was the cost for me to purchase the items.
(Enter 11,)
FR:
Any other way?
R:
Well, I paid about the same amount to replace some of the
stolen items.
(Enter 12,)
FR:
Any other way?
R:
No.
(Press Enter)
17-24
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
ALLPARTRECOVERED
Practice Interview
FR:
Was all or part of the stolen property recovered, not counting
anything received from insurance?
R:
No, nothing.
(Enter 3)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
DAMAGED
FR:
Other than stolen property was anything that belonged to you
or other members of the household damaged in this incident?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
POLICEINFORMED
FR:
Were the police informed or did they find out about this incident
in any way?
R:
Oh yes!
(Enter 1)
POLICEFINDOUT
FR:
How did the police find out about it?
R:
I called them.
(Enter 11)
REASONREPORT
FR:
Besides the fact that it was a crime, did YOU have any other
reason for reporting this incident to the police?
R:
Well, I wanted to recover everything the two men stole from
me.
(Enter 13,)
FR:
Any other reason?
17-25
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
R:
No
(Press Enter)
REPORTIMPORTANT
FR:
Which of these would you say was the most important reason
why the incident was reported to the police?
R:
I wanted to recover my property.
(Enter 13)
POLICEARRIVE
FR:
Did the police come when they found out about the incident?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1)
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE
FR:
How soon after the police found out did they respond? Was it
within 5 minutes, within 10 minutes, an hour, a day, or longer?
R:
They came about 25 minutes after I called.
(Enter 3)
POLICEACTION
FR:
What did they do while they were there?
R:
They took a report from both me and my friend, questioned
some of the people that had seen the incident, and told us they
would investigate.
(Enter 11, 14, 16,)
FR:
Anything else?
R:
No.
(Press Enter)
POLICECONTACT
FR:
Did you or anyone in your household have any later contact
with the police about the incident?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1)
17-26
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
POLICEINTOUCH
Practice Interview
FR:
Did the police get in touch with you or did you get in touch with
them?
R:
The police called me.
(Enter 1)
HOWPOLICECONTACT
FR:
Was that in person, by phone, or some other way?
R:
By phone.
(Enter 2)
POLICEFOLLOWUP
FR:
What did the police do in following up this incident?
R:
They told me they had uncovered no leads in the case and that
they thought the possibility of recovering the tote bag and its
contents was unlikely. They were just staying in touch.
(Enter 16,)
FR:
Anything else?
R:
No.
(Press Enter)
SIGNCOMPLAINT
FR:
Did you or someone in your household sign a complaint
against the offenders to the police department or the
authorities?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
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:
Not that I know of.
(Enter 2)
17-27
Practice Interview
AGENCYHELP
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
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)
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)?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
ANYTHINGFURTHER
FR:
Do you expect the police, courts, or other authorities will be
doing anything further in connection with this incident?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:
Ask or verify - What were you doing when this incident
happened?
R:
I had just left work and was about to drive home.
(Enter 12)
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME
FR:
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?
R:
No.
(Enter 6)
17-28
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
Practice Interview
FR:
Were there any household members 16 years or older who lost
time from work because of this incident?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
TYPETRANSPORTATION
FR:
Ask or verify - You told me earlier you were on the way from
work when the incident happened.
What means of transportation were you using?
R:
I was walking.
(Enter 14)
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)
DISABILITY_INTRO
FR:
Research has shown that people with disabilities may be more
vulnerable to crime victimization. The next questions ask about
any health conditions, impairments, or disabilities you may
have.
(Enter 1)
HEARING
FR:
Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty hearing?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
17-29
Practice Interview
VISION
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
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)
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)
SUMMARY
Now write a summary about this incident. Remember, your
summary must include all of the pertinent facts surrounding the
reported incident and be written so that anyone reading it can
get a clear, well-defined picture of how the respondent was
victimized. Because you are limited to 300 characters, you may
use abbreviations when writing your summary. Go to page
B5-16 of your interviewing manual and review the acceptable
17-30
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
abbreviations you can use for the NCVS. The list of
abbreviations ends on page B5-20.
[ ]
In addition to using these abbreviations when preparing your
summary for an incident, you can also use them when entering
any other written entries or notes in the NCVS instrument. Also
remember when writing the summary to use the respondent’s
line number, not the respondent’s name, when referring to the
respondent. If you need additional space, you can press F7 to
include additional notes.
Here is an example of what to enter, "In 1/2013 at 5:15 pm 2 men
took L2's leather tote bag as L2 & co-worker were walking to
L2's car in school parking lot where L2 teaches. L2 not attacked,
injured, or threatened. L2's tote bag contained credit cards,
keys, & L2's watch. Total value of property stolen was $235. L2
called police.”
After completing the summary, read it back to the respondent to
make sure you have the facts entered correctly and have not
omitted any pertinent information. When you read back the
summary to the respondent insert the appropriate pronoun in
place of the respondent’s line number. As a result you may have
to reword the summary slightly. For example, you would say:
In 1/2013 at 5:15 pm 2 men took your leather tote bag as you and
a co-worker were walking to your car in your school parking lot
where you teach. You were not attacked, injured, or threatened.
Your tote bag contained credit cards, keys, and your watch. The
total value of the property stolen was $235. You called the
police.
(Press Enter)
SUMMARYPROBE
This screen asks if you have completed the summary. If you
need to edit or need to continue entering summary text, press
the “up” arrow key, otherwise enter 1 to continue. If you use the
“Up” arrow key to return to the Summary, the next box is
highlighted in blue. If you need to edit the Summary, move your
mouse key to access the next box. Do this before making any
revisions. Please Note: If you begin clicking inside the text box,
you will lose the Summary you just typed.
(Enter 1)
17-31
Practice Interview
INCIDENTTOADD
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
If, during the course of the interview, the respondent recalls any
incidents that were not reported in the screen questions, at
INCIDENTTOADD you indicate that other incidents need to be
added for the respondent.
(Enter 2)
CRIME_END
This screen tells you that you have completed all incidents for
Megan Moe.
(Enter 1)
ENDINCIDENT
The current incident is completed so enter 1 to continue.
ENDSCREENER
Since there are no more incident reports to complete enter 1 to
continue.
JOBLASTWEEK
FR:
Did you have a job or work at a business LAST WEEK?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1)
JOBDESCRIPTION
FR:
Ask or verify -- Which of the following best describes your job?
Were you employed in the --- Medical Profession?
-- Mental Health Services Field?
-- Teaching Profession?
R:
Yes, teaching profession. I teach the third grade.
If you were conducting a personal visit interview you would
show the respondent the Employment 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 13)
TEACHINGJOB
FR:
Were you employed in a
-- Preschool?
-- Elementary school?
17-32
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice Interview
R:
Yes, elementary school.
(Enter 19)
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 a county public school.
(Enter 3)
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
FR:
Are you employed by a college or university?
R:
No.
(Enter 2)
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE
FR:
While working at your job, do you work mostly in
---Or
--
R:
A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?
Combination of any of these?
In a suburban area.
(Enter 2)
HOUSEHOLDINCOME
FR:
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
17-33
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
members of this HOUSEHOLD who are 14 years of age or
older.
R:
I really don’t want to answer that question.
For personal interviews, remember to always show the
household respondent the Household Income flashcard
located in the Information Card Booklet BEFORE asking this
question. Allow the respondent time to read the categories,
make an estimate, and respond. If necessary, explain that we do
not need the respondent to identify the actual amount of the
total household income, just the income range that it falls
within.
FR:
If you are more comfortable, you can provide a range that your
household income falls within.
R:
I’d rather not.
(Press Ctrl + R keys to record a refusal, then press Enter)
BESTTIME_NO SUNDAY Use this screen to update the interview time preference chart. After
updating the chart (or if you do not need to update now), press “1” to
continue.
RESPONDENTPHONE
NUMBER
RESPONDENTPHONE
TYPE
FR: What is the telephone number where you would like to be called?
R: It’s (555)555-5555.
FR: What type of phone is this (for example, a home, office, or
cell phone?
R: It’s my cell phone.
(Enter 3)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a language other than
English?
(Enter 2)
ENDPERSON
(Enter 1)
ENDSCREENER
(Enter 1)
17-34
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NEXTPERSON
Practice Interview
FR:
I also need to talk with Ted Moe. Is Ted Moe at home now?
R:
No, he is not at home.
Ted Moe is not available at the time of your interview with
Megan Moe.
(Enter 33)
REFCBBREAK_CP
This question asks you if the interview with the household
ended because of a refusal, a callback was needed, or a
breakoff occurred. Since Ted Moe is not available at the time of
your interview with Megan Moe and there are no other persons
in the household to be interviewed, you will need to call back
the household to complete Ted Moe’s interview.
(Enter 2)
PERSAPPT
This screen tells you that you can enter appointment
information for Ted Moe in the Case Level Notes by pressing
Ctrl+F7.
Megan Moe tells you to call her husband back later in the day
after 6:00 p.m. Press the Ctrl+F7 keys and enter a note to call the
household back at 6:00 p.m. to complete Ted Moe's interview.
Remember, the only time it is acceptable to include information
such as names, phone numbers, address location directions,
etc., is when you are entering such information in the Case
Level Notes.
After entering this note, press F10 to exit the Case Level Notes.
After pressing the F10 key, a Note Editor pop-up screen will
appear asking if you want to save the notes entered. Click
“Yes.”
Since Ted Moe is the only remaining household member to be
interviewed, enter 1 to continue at PERSAPPT.
THANKYOU_INDIV FR: Thank you. I’ll call back at the time suggested.
(Enter 1)
VERIFY
This screen asks if you need to change the household’s
telephone number or review or edit the interview time
17-35
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
preferences for this household. For this interview, you don’t
need to do either, so enter 2.
(Enter 2)
CASE LEVEL NOTES
Enter any additional notes about the case that you feel will be
helpful for completing interviews with remaining eligible
household members or for future interviews with the
household.
Here is an example of what to enter in the Case Level Notes: “L2
completed interview, set up callback with L1.”
(Press F10)
After pressing the F10 key, save the notes entered by pressing
the “yes” button. You will then automatically return to Case
Management. Click on the “OK” button at the Case Management
pop-up screen.
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
(Enter 3 [noncontact] for L1 because Ted Moe was not at home
during this contact.)
PNOCONTACT
(Enter 1 [person not home]) because Megan Moe said he was
not at home [Page 17-34])
PSTRATEGS
(Enter 2 [scheduled appointment] because Megan Moe was able
to provide a time for a callback)
Now enter the contact information for Megan Moe (L2):
PCONTACTPER
(Enter 1 [made contact with Megan Moe])
PCTTYPE
(Enter 1 [completed interview]) because you were able to
complete L2’s interview)
17-36
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Practice 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 L2’s interview)
After answering pSTRATEGS, you exit the pCHI and return to
Case Management.
This concludes the practice interview. During classroom
training you will complete the interview with Ted Moe and then
practice transmitting the completed case. Also, you will practice
using the NCVS CAPI instrument in more detail during
classroom training using the other training cases; therefore, DO
NOT get into these cases before classroom training. DO NOT
restart or re-install your training cases; otherwise, all the
information you entered during this practice interview will be
lost.
When you return to the Case Management case list, notice that a
“P” appears in the “Status” column for this household. This
indicates that the case is a sufficient partial which means that
you completed the household respondent’s interview but there
remain other eligible household members whose interview still
needs to be completed.
You can now exit Case Management by pressing the F10 key or
clicking on the F10-Exit button on the Case Management
toolbar.
Complete the final review exercise in Lesson 18
17-37
Practice Interview
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
NOTES
17-38
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Final Review Exercise
Lesson 18. Final Review Exercise
Complete each item in the final review exercise. Bring all of your self-study materials to the
classroom training, including your completed self-study.
1.
The BJS needs the NCVS data primarily to obtain an accurate, up-to-date measure of the
kinds and amount of crimes committed against persons 12 years of age and older.
TRUE
FALSE
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 6-month reference period for crimes committed?
Date Of Interview
Reference Period
August 5
April 1
December 3
3. Listed below are the Moe family members and their ages. Answer the questions
(3a - c) which follow:
Name
Age
Household Relationship
John Moe
46
Reference person
Megan Moe
42
Wife
Mary Moe
20
Daughter
Michael Moe
8
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.
18-1
Final Review Exercise
a.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Who is the household respondent?
___________________________________________________________________
b.
Which members of the Moe household are eligible respondents for the NCVS?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
c.
Are there any members of the Moe household who are not required to be interviewed
for the NCVS?
YES
NO
If yes, who?
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.
Interview the people who currently live at the sample address and who consider the
address to be their usual place of residence.
5.
___________________ 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.
18-2
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Final Review Exercise
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
NOT PRESENT
b. A man fell asleep on the beach and when he woke up his CD player and keys were gone.
PRESENT
NOT PRESENT
c. A woman’s leather coat was stolen from the coat room in the restaurant lobby while she
was eating dinner at the restaurant.
PRESENT
NOT PRESENT
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
NOT PRESENT
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.
PRESENT
f.
NOT PRESENT
A woman was asleep in her house and someone stole a motorcycle from the attached
garage.
PRESENT
NOT PRESENT
g. A man was asleep in his house and someone stole a lawn mower from the detached
garage.
PRESENT
NOT PRESENT
h. A woman was walking at the shopping mall and a man walked up behind her and shoved
her.
PRESENT
NOT PRESENT
18-3
Final Review Exercise
i.
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
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
j.
NOT PRESENT
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
NOT PRESENT
7. Enter the letter next to each item that corresponds to the letter that points to a specific part of
the NCVS Case Management window illustrated below.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Case List Pane
Toolbar
Tabs
Details Pane
Menu Bar
A
B
C
D
E
18-4
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Final Review Exercise
8. Which button in the Case Management toolbar opens the ALMI TOI map? __________
9. Which key(s) when pressed in Case Management –
a. Opens the selected case so you can interview the household? __________
b. Opens the Interview Time Preferences application so you can review the best and worst
times to call a case? __________
c. Shows reports such as response rates? __________
d. Allows you to look at cases in a variety of ways, such as those not yet opened and those
already interviewed. __________
e. Allows you to toggle between the Case List Pane and the Details Pane? __________
10. Which tab within Case Management displays the names of all household members from the
last interview?
____________________
11. Which tab within Case Management shows detailed information about a case, such as the
address, telephone number, case ID, current outcome code, and so on?
____________________
12. List two possible reasons why an asterisk might appear in the second column of the Case
List Pane for a case.
(1) ___________________________________________________________________
(2) ___________________________________________________________________
18-5
Final Review Exercise
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
13. 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.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Info Pane
Title bar
Section Tabs
Form Pane
Menu Bar
Status Bar
A
B
C
E
D
F
18-6
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
Final Review Exercise
14. Describe in the answer space below how you identify or differentiate each item from
other information on the screen.
a. FR Instructions: _________________________________________________
b. Questions to ask respondents: _______________________________________
c. Questions that require you to use the information booklet to show respondents:
________________________________________________________________
d. Questions that allow multiple answers: ________________________________
e. Questions that allow only a single response: ____________________________
15. Which key, when pressed in the NCVS CAPI instrument, ensures that the entry is
“accepted” within the instrument and moves to the next question?
____________________________
16. Which Function key in the NCVS CAPI instrument allows you to enter Item Level
Notes?
____________________________
17. Which keys, when pressed while in the NCVS CAPI instrument, allow you to enter Case
Level Notes?
____________________________
18. Which Function key in the NCVS CAPI instrument allows you to end the interview?
____________________________
19. Which section of the NCVS CAPI instrument collects basic household data as well as
characteristics of the sample unit?
_____
_____
_____
Front section
Middle section
Back section
18-7
Final Review Exercise
NCVS-521 CAPI (10/2014)
20. The information entered in this section of the NCVS CAPI instrument is fed back into
Case Management.
_____
_____
_____
Front section
Middle section
Back section
21. At the START_CP screen, select category 4, Noninterview, to classify a person as a
Type Z noninterview. (See illustration of this item on Page 18-6.)
TRUE
FALSE
22. In Case Management, fields that appear in ___________________ are
____________________ fields to which you may make changes.
23. In the NCVS CAPI instrument, ___________________ accepts data item inconsistencies in a
___________________ edit check.
24. 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.
TRUE
FALSE
Bring your laptop and this completed self-study
to the classroom training. Write down any
questions you want to ask during the training.
18-8
NCVS-522(I)
(10/2014)
National Crime Victimization Survey
CAPI Classroom Guide for
Initial Training of NCVS 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 businesses, schools, group quarters,
or persons, especially any current or former Census Bureau employees.
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Title
Page
Suggested Training Schedule
Instructions to the Trainer
Welcome and Introduction
Administrative Topics
Probing for Accuracy
Power of Persuasion
Case Management
ALMI TOI
Review of Self-study/Final Review Exercise
NCVS Concepts and Definitions
NCVS CAPI Instrument
SS-1
i
1-1
2-1
3-1
4-1
5-1
6-1
7-1
8-1
9-1
Practice Exercise 1- Building a Household Roster
9-8
Practice Exercise 2 - Picking a New Household
Respondent
9-42
Practice Exercise 3 - Replacement Household
by Telephone
9-72
Practice Exercise 4 - Type A Noninterview
9-77
Practice Exercise 5 - Type B Noninterview
9-90
Practice Exercise 6 - Changing the Household
Respondent
9-99
Practice Exercise 7 - Selecting a New Reference
Person
9-105
Table of Contents -- 1
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Title
9
Page
NCVS CAPI Instrument (Continued)
Practice Exercise 8 - Re-entering a Case to
Complete Interview with Remaining Eligible
Household Members
9-159
Practice Exercise 9 - Classifying an NCVS
Respondent as Type Z Noninterview
9-164
Practice Exercise 10 - Unduplication of Incidents
9-167
Practice Exercise 11 - Proxy Interview
9-193
Practice Exercise 12 - Quitting a Case at
Onset of Interview
9-224
Practice Exercise 13 - Incident of Rape
9-225
Practice Exercise 14 - Series Incidents
9-265
Practice Exercise 15 - Adding an Incident
9-298
Practice Exercise 16 - Accessing the NCVS
CAPI Spanish Instrument
9-306
10
Transmission of Work
10-1
11
Performance and Supervisory Topics
11-1
12
2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage
12-1
Table of Contents -- 2
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI 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
Title
Time
(Mins.)
Time
Elapsed
1
Welcome and Introduction
: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
1:00
7:00
2
3
4
SS - 1
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
Suggested Training Schedule
DAY 2
Chapter Title
Time
(Mins.)
Time
Elapsed
4
Power of Persuasion (Continued)
1:00
1:00
BREAK
:15
1:15
Case Management
1:00
2:15
LUNCH
1:00
3:15
Case Management (Continued)
1:00
4:15
BREAK
:15
4:30
6
ALMI TOI
1:30
6:00
7
Review of Self-Study
:30
6:30
5
5
SS - 2
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule
Suggested Training Schedule
DAY 3
Chapter Title
Time
(Mins.)
Time
Elapsed
1:00
1:00
Practice Exercise 1- Building a Household Roster
:45
1:45
BREAK
:15
2:00
:45
2:45
:30
3:15
LUNCH
1:00
4:15
Practice Exercise 4 - Type A Noninterview
:20
4:35
Practice Exercise 5 - Type B Noninterview
:20
4:55
Practice Exercise 6 - Changing the Household
Respondent
:15
5:10
BREAK
:15
5:25
Practice Exercise 7 - Selecting a New Reference
Person
:45
6:10
Practice Exercise 8 - Re-entering a Case to
Complete Interview with Remaining Eligible
Household Members
:15
6:25
Practice Exercise 9 - Classifying an NCVS
Respondent as Type Z Noninterview
:15
6:40
Practice Exercise 10 - Unduplication of Incidents
:30
7:10
8
NCVS Concepts and Definitions
9
NCVS CAPI Instrument
Practice Exercise 2 - Picking a New Household
Respondent
Practice Exercise 3 - Replacement Household
by Telephone
SS - 3
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Suggested Training Schedule
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
Suggested Training Schedule
DAY 4
Chapter
Time
(Mins.)
Time
Elapsed
Practice Exercise 11 - Proxy Interview
:30
:30
Practice Exercise 12 - Quitting a Case at
Onset of Interview
:05
:35
BREAK
:15
:50
Practice Exercise 13 - Incident of Rape
:30
1:20
LUNCH
1:00
2:20
Practice Exercise 14 – Series of Incidents
:30
2:50
Practice Exercise 15 – Adding an Incident
:10
3:00
Practice Exercise 16 - Accessing the NCVS
CAPI Spanish Instrument
:10
3:10
BREAK
:15
3:25
10
Transmission of Work
2:10
5:35
11
Performance and Supervisory Topics
:30
6:05
12
2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage
1:00
7:05
9
Title
NCVS CAPI Instrument (Continued)
SS - 4
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI 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)
i
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
✓
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 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 an
introduction 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
ii
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NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
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)
The pre-classroom survey specific training materials
consist of the following:
NCVS-521, CAPI Blaise Self-Study for New Field
Representatives
NCVS-550, CAPI Interviewing Manual for Field
Representatives (electronic document on laptop)
NCVS-554, Field Representative’s CAPI
Information Card Booklet
NCVS-572(L), Introductory Letter
NCVS-573(L), 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)
iii
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
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.
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.
At the Training Site
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.
iv
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
✓
Make sure electrical outlets are located along the
walls so trainees can plug in laptop computers or
extension cords.
✓
Make sure that a television, VCR, 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.
✓
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
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.
✓
Remove ash trays (if any) and provide water.
v
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
✓ 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.
vi
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NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
Staying on Schedule
The schedule for this training session is a full four (4)
days. To help you to stay on schedule:
1. Do not allow discussions to get out of control.
While the training schedule allows for some open
discussion periods, try not to spend too much time
on any one topic.
2. Try to keep the walkthrough practice interview
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.
Training Materials for As the TRAINER you need:
Classroom Training
1. NCVS-522(I) Guide for Training New NCVS CAPI
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.
Video player and monitor
5.
VIDEO: “Generic Refusal Avoidance”
6.
11-903, Getting Started - Administrative (Training
Guide)
vii
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
7.
11-903a, Getting Started - Administrative
(Classroom Workbook)
8.
11-904, Probing for Accuracy (Training Guide)
9.
11-904a, Probing for Accuracy (Classroom
Workbook)
10. 11-905, Power of Persuasion (Training Guide)
11. 11-905a, Power of Persuasion (Classroom
Workbook)
12. 11-908, Payroll Trainer’s Guide [Field
Representative]
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. 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
3.
Data Quality Indicators handout (available in pdf
on the FLD portal; ROs must supply copies)
4.
NCVS-572(L), Introductory Letter
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NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
5.
NCVS-573(L), Introductory Followup Letter
6.
Form 11-38 and 11-38A, Request of Appointment
7.
NCVS Function Key Template
8.
Black lead pencil
9.
11-903a, Getting Started - Administrative
(Classroom Workbook)
10.
11-904a, Probing for Accuracy (Classroom
Workbook)
11.
11-905a, Power of Persuasion (Classroom
Workbook)
12.
NCVS-110 Fact Sheet
13.
11-830a ALMI TOI Workbook
14.
11-837 ALMI TOI Quick Reference Guide
15.
11-925, 2010 Redesign New Hire Listing and
Coverage Training (Classroom Workbook).
Materials Trainees
Need to Bring to
Classroom Training
Each trainee must bring with them to the classroom
training session:
1.
Laptop computer (with electronic NCVS-550 CAPI
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives)
2.
Self-Study for New Field Representatives (NCVS521) (Final review exercise completed)
3.
NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet
4.
Field Representative Safety Viewing Guide
5.
11-6(WIN), Quick Reference Guide
ix
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
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
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”
Post-Classroom
Training Materials
At the conclusion of the training session, provide
trainees with the following items, to complete at home
as part of their post-classroom training:
x
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
Training
Techniques
Questions and
Answers
✓
11-906, InterAct II Post Classroom Learning
Magazine
✓
11-907, Safety Video Viewing Guide
✓
“Safety” video
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
such as (Allow time). These instructions are for
you, the trainer, to follow. Do not read them
aloud.
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
xi
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
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 “__________” 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
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
xii
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
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. 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.
Control of Training
Session
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.
xiii
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
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
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 FLD Team at
Headquarters so that we may respond to them.
Post Classroom
Training
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
✓
11-831, ALMI TOI Post-classroom Self-study
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.
xiv
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NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Instructions to the Trainer
______________________________________________________________________________
Your credibility and the credibility of the program can
quickly be undermined if discretion and confidentiality
are not observed.
Training Updates
In the past few years, our survey sponsor, the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, has incorporated new questions or
modified existing ones about every 6 months to address
current crime issues. We will issue updated training
materials as quickly as possible following NCVS
interview changes.
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.
Practice Interviews
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 flowchart on the next page shows the
interrelationship of the practice exercises.
xv
PRACTICE EXERCISES
PRACTICE EXERCISE 1
(Replacement Household identified
during PV interview. Build the
household roster for the
replacement household.)
Case ID: 00000003
PRACTICE EXERCISE 2
(Selecting a HR)
Case ID: 00000003
PRACTICE EXERCISE 16
(Accessing the Spanish NCVS
CAPI Instrument)
Case ID: 00000003
PRACTICE EXERCISE 3
(Replacement Household
identified during telephone
interview.)
Case ID: 00000006
PRACTICE EXERCISE 5
(Replacement Household
Vacant – Type B)
Case ID: 00000006
PRACTICE
EXERCISE 4
(Type A – Refusal)
Case ID: 00000002
Self-study Practice
Exercise
Case ID: 00000004
PRACTICE
EXERCISE 12
(Quitting a case
before starting the
interview)
Case ID: 00000001
PRACTICE
EXERCISE 6
(Changing the HHR)
Case ID: 00000005
PRACTICE EXERCISE 7
(Changing the Reference
Person)
Case ID: 00000005
PRACTICE EXERCISE 10
(Unduplication of Incidents)
Case ID: 00000005
PRACTICE
EXERCISE 8
(Re-entering a case to
complete interviews
with other HHLD
members)
Case ID: 00000004
PRACTICE EXERCISE 9
(Type Z - Noninterview)
Case ID: 00000004
PRACTICE EXERCISE 11
(Proxy Interview)
Case ID: 00000005
PRACTICE EXERCISE 14
(Series Incidents)
Case ID: 00000001
PRACTICE EXERCISE 13
(Incident of Rape)
Case ID: 00000005
PRACTICE EXERCISE 15
(Adding an Incident)
Case ID: 00000001
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI 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
1-1
NCVS CAPI Initial Training Guide
Welcome and Introduction
NCVS-522(I) (10/2014)
______________________________________________________________________________
behind schedule. Charge time and travel for this training session to (Enter
project and task code).
(Trainer: Refer to the chart below to determine the correct project
number and task code to which trainees are to charge their time and
travel for this training session.)
Training Occurs Between
Charge to Project
Task Code
January – December 2014
7523014
520
January – December 2015
7523015
520
January – December 2016
7523016
520
January – December 2017
7523017
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
much as you can about the NCVS.
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.
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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 6month 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 ever 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 Census Bureau employee. 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
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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 penalties for violating this provision of the
law can be severe. You could be fined up to $250,000 and/or imprisoned for up to
5 years if you are found guilty of an unauthorized disclosure of individual
information provided to the Census Bureau. Title 13 of the United States Code is
the current law that controls Census Bureau operations and it is very specific
regarding the protection of personal information.
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 and listing manuals in the NCVS self-study
you completed before coming to class. You will have the opportunity to use both
reference manuals again in this classroom training.
Also, during the self-study you were introduced to the NCVS Case Management,
the Person Level Contact History instrument, and the survey instrument.
Throughout this training, you also will have a chance to use them some more as
you complete several practice exercises and interviews.
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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 with the next chapter)
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NOTES
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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 11.)
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)
11-908, Payroll Trainer’s Guide [Field Representative]
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Review of the 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).
11-908, Payroll Trainer’s
Guide
Follow along with the 11-908, Payroll Trainer’s
Guide. This Guide also covers the 11-12 (WIN),
WINFRED Self-Study as well as time and
attendance and reimbursables.
(Continue with the next chapter)
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Probing for Accuracy
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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)
11-904, Probing for
Accuracy (Training
Guide)
Follow along with the 11-904, Probing for
Accuracy (Training Guide), then continue
with the next chapter.
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(Continue with 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
Follow along with the 11-905, Power of
Persuasion (Training Guide) then
proceed to the next appropriate chapter.
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(Continue with the next chapter)
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Chapter 5 - Case Management
(Approximate time: 2 hours)
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
Now we will discuss the NCVS Case Management. During the pre-classroom
self-study, 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 “Training” to access Training Case Management. The window that pops
up should read “Training Case Management” in the upper left corner of the
screen. (Pause)
Now use the up or down arrow key on your keyboard to highlight “NCVS” 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 “NCS Classroom” training is highlighted, using
the up or down arrow key. (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
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menu; 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,
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each function key performs a Case Management operation that may differ from
the operation it performs when you get into the NCVS instrument.
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 102 Maple Avenue. 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
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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.
(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.
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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
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 the third case 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)
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Now go to the case 102 Maple Avenue. 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.”
(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)
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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, 102 Maple Avenue, is highlighted on your
case 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)
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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, 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
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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
This report calculates your
clicking the OK button or by pressing Enter. (Pause)
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.
Close this report. (Pause)
Now press F5 one final time and select the Type Z Rate report. (Pause)
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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"
pop-up 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.
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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
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.
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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
“Sort-Specify 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 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.
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(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?
(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. 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. 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)
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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
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
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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
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 -- Contact History Instrument (CHI)
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
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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
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 103 Riverside Blvd 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.
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(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)
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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 seven 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 these tabs.
First highlight the case, 105 Beach Road. (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)
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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 such as those in permit segments, is
introduced into sample "in the middle" of the interviewing 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)
Notice that the control number for the case “101 Railroad Drive” is different from
the others. This is because 101 Railroad Drive is a case in the 2010 sample
design. All the others are in the 2000 sample design. You saw examples of these
and details about what all the different numbers mean in Lesson 3 of the selfstudy you completed before you came to class.
On the next line of the Assignment tab, you will see a confirmed "Refusal" field. If
the case is a confirmed 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.
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"Outcome" 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 to close it. You
should be back at the Case Management Details pane. (Pause)
The next field in the Assignment tab is "Segment type." This field displays the
appropriate segment type designation depending on whether the case is in a unit
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or group quarters segment. For cases that are in group quarters, the letters “GQ”
will be displayed in the segment type field. The GQ flag, the next field in the
Assignment tab, will contain the letter “Y.” For area, unit, and permit segments,
the GQ flag displays the letter “N.”
The "Status" field in the Details pane contains the same information that is
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.
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
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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.
(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 you may have entered for the non-English
language spoken by any eligible household member(s) that didn't fit into one of
the predefined language categories.
“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)
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At the end of the household respondent’s interview, you can also change or enter
additional phone numbers for the household. The information recorded is passed
back to Case Management and copied to the "Phone number" and "Type" fields
in Case Management.
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
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.
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(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.
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-
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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. The NCVS sample is from the 2000 sample design, therefore all cases have a
value of “00” in this field.
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
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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 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
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be able to see the information in the "Contacts" folder. However, for the NCVS,
contact information is only collected for one contact person.
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 Sent.” “Letters Requested” shows pending requests already sent,
and lets you initiate new respondent letter requests. “Letters Sent” displays letters
your Regional Office has sent. This list may be updated at varying time intervals
depending on your Regional Office procedures.
(Tell trainees about your RO’s specific procedures and letter
management policies here. Details of Letter Management system are
contained in NCVS FR Memorandum 12-16, November 26, 2012)
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
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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.
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
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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 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” tab. (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” tab 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 right mouse button. (Pause) The entire day
is now blocked. To clear the entry, click on your right mouse button again.
(Allow time)
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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.
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 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” tab. (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)
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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.
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.
Shift F6 Map
Now let's go back and talk about the last function on the Case Management
toolbar, Shift F6. The "Shift F6 MAP” icon opens the ALMI TOI map. This
function enables you to open either an overview map or a block map for the case
highlighted in your Case List. These maps are not available for training but you
will have access to them during production interviewing. If you need detailed
instructions for opening and closing a map and exiting ALMI, refer to the
Automated Listing and Mapping Instrument Self-study, Form 11-826.
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Now in the Assignment tab, look at the space to the right of the Interview number
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.
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 non-contact and refusal cases on the NCVS, then formulate strategies for
dealing with them.
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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 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, so that they are targeted to a
certain group of respondents who consistently refuse to participate.
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.
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●
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. 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 with the next lesson)
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Chapter 6 – ALMI TOI
(Approximate time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Instructor Preparation:
•
Make sure each trainee has a copy of the 11-830a, Automated Listing and Mapping
Instrument (ALMI) Time of Interview (TOI) Training (Classroom Workbook).
Objectives:
•
Introduce the trainees to the concept of ALMI TOI.
Materials Needed:
•
11-830, Automated Listing and Mapping Instrument (ALMI) Time of Interview (TOI)
Training (Training Guide)
•
11- 830a, Automated Listing and Mapping Instrument (ALMI) Time of Interview (TOI)
Training (Classroom Workbook). (1 for each trainee)
•
11-831 Post Classroom Self Study (1 for each trainee)
•
11-837 ALMI TOI Quick Reference Guide. (1 for each trainee)
•
11-837 GPS Instruction “Locating Sample Units” (1 for each trainee)
11-830, ALMI TOI
(Training Guide )
Follow along with the 11-830, ALMI TOI
(Training Guide) then continue with the
next chapter.
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(Continue with next chapter)
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Chapter 7 – 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 NCVS-521
CAPI Self-Study.
Materials Needed:
Trainee
11-901, InterAct Pre-Classroom Learning Magazine (completed)
NCVS-521, CAPI Blaise Self-Study (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.
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Let’s start with the video you watched, “Getting to Know Your Dell D400 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,
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
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you must leave it in the car, place something over it to hide it. 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
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!
Never use any diskette or CD in this computer other than those we provide to
you. Personal software packages or other diskettes or CDs 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.
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(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,
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
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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 screen layout and
functions and uses of the pCHI instrument, 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 on a Field Representative.
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?
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(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, CAPI 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
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
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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-to-date
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 6-month
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)
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3.
Listed below are the Moe family members and their ages. Answer the
questions (3a - c) which follow:
Name
Age
Household Relationship
John Moe
Megan Moe
Mary Moe
Michael Moe
46
42
20
8
Reference person
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 2-5)
b.
Which members of the Moe household are eligible respondents for the
NCVS?
John, Megan, and Mary Moe
(NCVS-521, Page 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 2-5)
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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.
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.)
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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
(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.)
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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.
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.)
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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)
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7.
Enter the letter next to each item that corresponds to the letter that points to
a specific part of the NCVS Case Management window illustrated below.
C Case List Pane
B Toolbar
D
E
Tabs
Details Pane
A Menu Bar
(NCVS-521, Page 6-3)
A
B
C
D
E
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8.
Which button in the Case Management toolbar opens the ALMI TOI map?
Shift+F6
(NCVS-521, Page 6-6)
9.
Which key(s) when pressed in Case Management - a.
Opens the selected case so you can interview the household? F2
b.
Opens the Interview Time Preferences application so you can review
the best and worst times to call a case? Ctrl+T
c.
Shows reports such as response rates? F5
d.
Allows you to look at cases in a variety of ways, such as those not
yet opened and those already interviewed. F8
e.
Allows you to toggle between the Case List Pane and the Details
Pane? F4
(NCVS-521, Pages 6-4 through 6-7)
10.
Which tab within Case Management displays the names of all household
members from the last interview?
HH ROSTER
(NCVS-521, Page 6-9)
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11.
Which tab within Case Management shows detailed information about a
case, such as the address, telephone number, case ID, current outcome
code, and so on?
ASSIGNMENT
(NCVS-521, Page 6-9)
12.
List two possible reasons why an asterisk might appear in the second
column of the Case List Pane for a case:
(1) Reassigned from another FR
(2) Confirmed refusal or Language problem
(NCVS-521, Page 6-7)
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13. 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
C
D
B
F
C
Info Pane
Title bar
Section Tabs
Form Pane
Menu Bar
Status Bar
(NCVS-521, Page 9-1)
B
A
E
D
F
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14.
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
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)
15.
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 9-6)
16.
Which Function key in the NCVS CAPI instrument allows you to enter
Item Level Notes?
F7
(NCVS-521, Pages 10-14 and 10-15)
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17.
Which keys, when pressed while in the NCVS CAPI instrument, allow you
to enter Case Level Notes?
Ctrl+F7
(NCVS-521, Page 10-14)
18.
Which Function key in the NCVS CAPI instrument allows you to end the
interview?
F10
(NCVS-521, Pages 10-14 and 10-15)
19.
Which section of the NCVS CAPI instrument collects basic household
data as well as characteristics of the sample unit?
_ Front section
X
Middle section
_ Back section
(NCVS-521, Page 10-11)
20.
The information entered in this section of the NCVS CAPI instrument is
fed back into Case Management.
_ Front section
_ Middle section
X
Back section
(NCVS-521, Page 10-13)
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21.
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)
22.
In Case Management, fields that appear in white are editable fields to
which you may make changes.
(NCVS-521, Page 6-4)
23.
In the NCVS CAPI instrument, suppress accepts data item
inconsistencies in a soft edit check.
(NCVS-521, Page 10-5)
24.
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 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.)
(NCVS-521, Page 8-3)
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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 with the next chapter)
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Chapter 8 – NCVS Concepts and Definitions
(Total approximate time: 1 hour)
Instructor Preparation:
•
Make sure each trainee has a copy of the NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook and a
copy of the NCVS-550.1, National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) "At a Glance."
Objectives:
•
Familiarize trainees with survey concepts and definitions.
Materials Needed:
•
•
•
•
NCVS-550.1 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) "At a Glance"
NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook
NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual (electronic document on laptop)
NCVS-554 Information Card Booklet
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 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.
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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.
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Thank you.
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, the whole household
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will be classified as a Type A Noninterview. Now go to page C1-14 in the
interviewing manual on your laptop 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 about household information: birthdates, education levels,
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 should be the first person you list as you build the
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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 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,
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OR
• Staying temporarily at the sample address AND doesn’t have a usual place
of residence elsewhere.
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)
Q:
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.
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Q:
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.
Q:
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.
Q:
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.
Q:
If you list someone as living and staying at the sample unit as of the night
before the interview and then determine at HSEMEMURE that the person
usually lives somewhere else, what precode do you enter in
HSEMEMURE?
A:
Precode 2, “No.”
When you enter precode 2, “No” in HSEMEMURE for a person, that person is
NOT considered a household member and you do not complete an NCVS
interview for that person.
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Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)
Each NCVS case assigned to you starts with a sample address. You 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
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.
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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 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 manual 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
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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 early October. Can
you conduct a proxy interview with Mrs. Coe for Fred, ____________?
A:
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)
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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, personal robbery, aggravated and simple assault,
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, personal robbery, 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.
Go to page C2-3 in your interviewing manual and read Topic 2, Crimes Measured
by the NCVS. The reading ends on page C2-6.
(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.
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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, ____________?
A:
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
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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.
Any crime involving personal contact is not a household crime.
Q:
What are personal crimes of violence,
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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 Interviewing Manual, and read the
definitions for recognizable and unrecognizable businesses. The reading ends on
page C2-10.
(Allow time)
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Q:
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.
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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.
Q:
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.
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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 Interviewing Manual and read the definition for series of
crimes.
(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, because although all the incidents were reported in the same screen
question, all occurred during the 6-month reference period, and the
respondent cannot recall enough details to report each incident separately,
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the respondent reported less than six similar incidents. (OR SOMETHING
SIMILAR)
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 twelve 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
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.
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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. Disability section asks questions about any disabilities the respondent may
have and whether they believe they were targeted because of their disability.
12. Summary section is where you enter a detailed descriptive summary of the
crime incident.
Are there any questions about these twelve sections of the incident report?
(Answer questions)
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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 FR
manual on your laptop to Item LOCATION_GENERAL so you can follow along.
(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
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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.
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. 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.
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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
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.
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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.
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.
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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. (OR
SOMETHING SIMILAR)
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 the place such as hospital, library, church, on the beach, and so on.
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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. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)
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.
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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 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
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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 Interviewing Manual on your laptop and read the
definition of “presence.”
(Allow time)
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
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garage, she discovered that some power tools were missing. Was the
respondent present at the immediate scene of the crime,
? Why
or why not?
A:
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)
Q:
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. (OR SOMETHING
SIMILAR)
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. (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR)
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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
Interviewing Manual on your laptop and read the definition of a “reference period.”
(Allow time)
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?
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(Answer questions)
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NOTES
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Chapter 9 – NCVS Practice Interviews
(Total approximate time: 6 hours, 50 minutes)
Instructor Preparation:
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 NCVS-522.1 Classroom Workbook.
Make sure trainees have copy of the NCVS-572(L) and the NCVS-573(L) Introductory
letters, NCVS-110, Fact Sheet, and Forms 11-38 and 11-38A, Request for Appointment.
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)
Trainer
Same as trainee materials
Projection device
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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 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 musk 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 parts of questions. It’s so
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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.
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
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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 over 16,000
respondents each month ensures 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 they are
worded. Take your time and allow the questions to do the job for which they were
intended – 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 so 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
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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
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.
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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.
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.
(Hold up a template for Trainees to see)
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(Allow time)
Now look at the chart on pages 2 and 3 of your Workbook and read over the
more detailed description of the operations performed by each function key.
(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 103 Riverside Blvd 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 may 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.
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This screen provides you with the survey title, the case status, the current date
and time, the incoming/continuing status, and confirmed refusal status.
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.
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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 additional information about the noninterview, such as the reason for the
noninterview. (Pause)
Enter Precode (5) for cases that are a sufficient partial. 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
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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.
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 members in this household, Roy, Mary, and Colin Coe.
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
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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 one of the owners or renters of the sample unit.
Now take a look at the last column, 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.
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(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.
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)
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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 identification.
Notice the third instruction in the middle of the Info Pane. This instruction tells you
to ask for an eligible respondent. Since this is a replacement household you can’t
ask to speak to a specific person since this household was not previously
interviewed and there is no household respondent from the previous enumeration
period. You need to ask for an eligible respondent.
_____________, please read the instruction of who qualifies as an eligible
respondent.
(TRAINEE: A household member at least 18 years of age and
knowledgeable about the household.)
Thank you.
Let’s assume for this exercise that the person who answered the door is an
eligible respondent.
Let’s suppose that after introducing yourself and asking to speak to Roy Coe, the
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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,
press 1, “Yes,” and then press Enter.
The next screen, CK_REPLACE_CP, is a check 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?
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(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.
At GETLETTER_CP, since this is a new household, before proceeding with the
interview, you need to hand the respondent a copy of the NCVS-572(L)
introductory letter and allow the respondent time to read it. (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. For continuing or second
through seventh enumeration period households, hand the respondent a copy of
the NCVS-573(L) letter. 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. Depending on procedures, the regional office or the field representative
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mails the NCVS-572(L) to a household just before it comes into sample for the
first enumeration period. The NCVS-573(L) letter is usually mailed before each
subsequent enumeration period.
For telephone interviews press the F1 function key and read to the respondent
key points contained within the letter. 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 strictly confidential by law and used
for statistical purposes only.
Survey results provide an understanding of the experiences of victims and
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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 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)
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VERADD_CP
FR:
I have your address listed as
103 Riverside Blvd
Anytown, AZ 99997
Is that your exact address?
R:
Yes, it is.
(Enter 1, Same Address)
CHNGPH_CP
(This is an FR instruction asking if the current phone
number needs to be changed)
(Enter 2, No)
MAILINGSAME_CP
FR:
Is your mailing address 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.
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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?
--
R:
Rented for cash?
Yes, rented for cash.
(Enter 2, Rented for cash)
STUDENTHOUSING
FR:
If apparent, enter precode without asking
Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
R:
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?
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(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
Lands so enter Precode (2), “No.” 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).
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___________, please continue.
NUMBEROFUNITS
FR:
Observe or ask
How many housing units are in this structure?
R:
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?
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:
Ask if unsure
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Is this unit in a building that requires a special
entry system such as entry codes, key cards, or
security guard approval to access?
R:
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.
_____________, please continue.
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:
What are the names of all 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, press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME
(Enter Zoe, press Enter)
SEX
FR:
Ask if necessary
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Is John Zoe male or female?
(Interrupt and say)
You seldom need to ask this question, since you will either be talking directly to
the respondent or you can usually determine the gender of other household
members from the name you have collected. If there is any doubt, for example,
when a household member’s name is Jamie or Chris, then ask the household
respondent if the person is 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
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field for each subsequent person. If the last name is correct for each subsequent
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
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information without asking the full question, since the respondent already
mentioned it in a previous 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)
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HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:
What are the names of all the other people living
or staying here?
R:
My mother-in law, Rosa Nombre, is staying with
us.
(Enter Rosa, then press Enter)
HHROSTER_LNAME
SEX
(Enter Nombre)
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)
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HHROSTER_LNAME
(Press Enter since Nombre already appears)
SEX
FR:
Ask if necessary
Is Carlos Nombre male or female?
R:
Male
(Enter 1, Male)
RELATIONSHIP
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?
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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 MEMBER
column would be changed to 1 indicating that he is indeed a member of the
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
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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 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
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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 36 years old on
April 1, the age displayed will be “35.”
_____________, please continue the interview.
VFYAGE
FR:
That would make you 34 years old. Is that
correct?
R:
Yes
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed
if training is conducted after 2014.)
(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
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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.
(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.
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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:
(SHOW FLASHCARD)
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)
(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. __________, 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
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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)
__________, 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
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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)
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
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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 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.
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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 31 years old. Is that
correct?
R:
Yes
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed
if training is conducted after 2014.)
(Enter 1, Yes)
MARITAL
FR:
If in doubt, ask
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.
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R:
She’s married.
(Enter 1, Married)
ARMEDFORCES
FR:
Is Maria Zoe now in the Armed Forces?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
R:
(SHOW FLASHCARD)
What is the highest level of school Maria Zoe
completed or the highest degree she received?
She has a bachelor’s degree.
(Enter 16, Bachelor’s degree)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:
Is Maria Zoe currently attending or enrolled either
full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade,
or vocational school?
R:
No
(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
SP_ORIGIN
FR:
SHOW FLASHCARD
Is Maria Zoe Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
RACE
FR:
SHOW FLASHCARD
Please choose one or more races that Maria Zoe
considers herself to be.
R:
White
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(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 58 years old. Is
that correct?
R:
Yes
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed
if training is conducted after 2014.)
(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)
ARMEDFORCES
FR:
Is Rosa Nombre now in the Armed Forces?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
(SHOW FLASHCARD)
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What is the highest level of school Rosa Nombre
completed or the highest degree she received?
R:
I don’t know.
(Enter Ctrl+D, then press Enter)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:
Is Rosa Nombre currently attending or enrolled
either full-time or part-time in a college or
university, trade, or vocational school?
R:
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)
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
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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
of your 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.
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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 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.
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.”
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_________, please continue the interview with Maria Zoe. 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 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
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this case, probe to get their best estimate.
_________, please continue.
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS
FR:
R:
Altogether, how many times have you moved in
the last 5 years, that is since (date)?
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?
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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 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 “screening questions.”
The purpose of these questions is to remind the household respondent of crimes
that 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
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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.
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?”
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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:
“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
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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 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.
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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.)
_________, 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).
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Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as
--------
Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, book
Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone
Bicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools
Things outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furniture
Things belonging to children in the
household
Things 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?
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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.
Go to page C2-16 in your Interviewing Manual and read Topic 5, Ownership of
Motor Vehicles. The reading ends on page C2-17.
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(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.
Q.
While a 19-year-old household member is away at college, his father
allows him to use his older car. The car is stolen from the son’s college
dormitory parking lot. Do you count the theft of this older car when
interviewing his father, _______________?
A.
No, because the son is not considered a household member while he is
living away from home attending college.
For the purpose of the NCVS, this car belongs to the son at college. While away
at college, his residence at college is his usual place of residence. However, if the
son was interviewed for the NCVS at his college residence, the theft would be
recorded during the son’s interview.
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______________, 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 other member of that household during the
last 6 months? Include those you no longer own.
R:
We have two cars.
(Enter 2)
SQMVTHEFT
FR:
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?
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.
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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,
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 yard
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-------
At or near a friend's, relative's, or
neighbor's home
At work or school
In places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airport
While riding in any vehicle
On 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)
SQATTACKHOW
FR:
Has anyone attacked or threatened you in any of
these ways?
-------
With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knife
With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick
By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle
Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attack
Any face to face threats
OR
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--
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 school
A neighbor or friend
A relative or family member
Any 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 --OR
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--
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 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?
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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 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)
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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 employment questions. (Pause)
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 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
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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
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 12 in your
Information Card Booklet before asking the question. 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.
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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:
SHOW FLASHCARD
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:
Something else
(Enter 17, Something else)
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC
FR:
R:
Please specify the job.
I’m a Dividends Analyst
(Enter Dividends Analyst)
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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?
In a city
(Enter 1, A city)
(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 14 in the Information Card Booklet BEFORE asking this
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question. (Pause)
Now turn to page B3-46 in your NCVS-550 manual and read “What to Include”
and “What to Exclude” in this item. The reading ends on page B3-47.
(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, _______ ?
A:
Yes.
Q:
What if a person received a lump sum inheritance of $10,000 from an uncle
__________?
A:
No.
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.
___________, please continue the interview.
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
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payments, and any other money income received
by members of this HOUSEHOLD who are 14
years of age or older.
R:
Category 23
(Enter 23, $50,000-$74,000)
(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
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)
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RESPINTERVIEWLANGFR: Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a
language other than English?
R:
Yes
(Enter 2, No)
This concludes Maria Zoe’s interview. Enter 1 at the ENDPERSON screen and at
the ENDSCREENER 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.
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?
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(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 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 then press 1 to
continue at PERSAPPT.
(Allow time)
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At the thank you 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 go to pCHI and then 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.
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)
(Interrupt and say)
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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
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)
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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 “Assignment Period” 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.
(TRAINEE: Sufficient partial – follow-up needed)
Thank you.
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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)
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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 106 Robin Street and press F2 to get into the NCVS CAPI
instrument.
(Allow time)
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)
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____________, 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 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
106 Robin Street
Any Town, CO 99997
Is that your exact address?
R:
No, we moved three months ago.
(Enter 2, Moved (NOT same address))
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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)
As you can see, when you entered code 1 at MOVED_CP indicating that the
household moved, a hard edit 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.
(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
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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)
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.
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.
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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.
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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 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
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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 “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.
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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 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, provides summarized results
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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,
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)
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Highlight the case, 102 Maple Avenue. 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 interview for this case is 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 times that are worse times to contact the household.
(Allow time)
As you can see, no such times have been specified.
Now press the F2 function key to start the interview and at the “Confirmation
Screen” click OK or press Enter.
(Allow time)
Next, enter 1, “Telephone Interview” and at the next two screens,
SHOW_CP_ROSTER and SHOW_INFO_CP, enter 1 to continue.
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(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.
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.
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(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. 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.” (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?
A:
Precode 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons, because we
made contact with Line 1, David Citizen.
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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 98, no strategies in PSTRATEGS. Use that precode when
no additional strategies were used. 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.
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, 102 Maple Avenue, 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
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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 follow the instructions, you will encounter major
instrument problems.
Since David Citizen refused to participate, enter 3, “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)
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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.
(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
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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.
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 106 Robin Street 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 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.
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Highlight the case 106 Robin Street and press the F2 function key to get into the
NCVS CAPI instrument for this case.
(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
“Vacant-regular” Type B noninterview.
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regular” 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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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:
108 Robin Street
City:
Any Town
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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 third 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
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.
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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 3, noncontact)
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)
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
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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.
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)
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A unit is considered “Condemned” 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 a category called “Other.”
Also notice the category “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, 105 Beach Road, 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: Four)
That’s correct.
(Call on Trainee)
______________, who is the household respondent for this case?
(TRAINEE: Line 1, Joel Boe)
That’s correct.
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Press the F2 function key to start the interview. Make sure that you have selected
the correct address, 105 Beach Road.
(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 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)
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______________, 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
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)
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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
105 Beach Road
Any Town, CA 99997-9997
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.
CHNGPH_CP
(Instruct trainees to enter 2, No)
____________, please continue.
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MAILINGSAME_CP
FR:
Is your mailing address the same as your physical
address?
R:
Yes it is.
(Enter 1, Yes)
TENURE
FR:
Ask or verify - Are your living quarters
-- Owned or being bought by you or someone
in your household?
-- Rented for cash?
R:
Yes, we rent this home.
(Press Enter since the item is pre-filled or enter 2,
Rented for cash)
STUDENTHOUSING
FR:
Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
PUBLICHOUSING
FR:
Is this building owned by a public housing
authority?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No not public housing)
NUMBEROFUNITS
FR:
Observe or ask
How many housing units are in this structure.
R:
Just one.
(Enter 1, One)
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(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)
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REFPERSTILLLIVE
FR:
Does Joel Boe still live at this address?
(Interrupt and say)
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,
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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. 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.
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(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)
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 selfstudy, 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)
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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
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.
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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)
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?
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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.
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:
Yes, my sister is recently separated from her
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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)
RELATIONSHIP
FR:
What is Megan Moe’s relationship to you?
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(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.
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That’s correct. Thank you.
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 30 years old.
Is that correct?
R:
Yes it is.
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is
conducted after 2014.)
(Enter 1, Yes age IS correct)
MARITAL
FR:
If in doubt, ask
Are you now married, widowed, divorced,
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separated or have you never been married?
R:
I’ve never been married.
(Press Enter, since the item is pre-filled, or enter 5)
ARMEDFORCES
FR:
Are you now in the Armed Forces?
R:
No
(Enter 2 or press the Enter key if there is already a 2
pre-filled)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
What is the highest level of school you
completed or the highest degree you received?
R:
I have a Master’s degree
(Enter 17, Master's degree)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:
Are you currently attending or enrolled either
full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade,
or vocational school?
R:
No
(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
AGECHECK
FR:
I have Michael Goe listed as 33 years old.
Is that correct?
R:
Yes it is.
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is
conducted after 2014.)
(Enter 1, Yes age IS correct)
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MARITAL
FR: If in doubt, ask
Is Michael Goe now married, widowed, divorced,
separated or has he never been married?
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:
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 Michael has a bachelor’s degree, is that still correct?”)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
FR:
Is Michael Goe currently attending or enrolled
either full-time or part-time in a college or
university, trade, or vocational school?
R:
No
(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
AGECHECK
FR:
I have Will Loe listed as 53 years old.
Is that correct?
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R:
Yes it is.
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed if training is
conducted after 2014.)
(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:
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
full-time or part-time in a college or university,
trade, or vocational school?
R:
No
(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
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BRTHDATEMO
FR:
What is Megan Moe’s date of birth?
R:
June 1, 1978
(Enter 6, June)
BRTHDATEDY
(Enter 1)
BRTHDATEYR
(Enter 1978)
VFYAGE
FR:
That would make Megan Moe 36 years old. Is
that correct?
R:
Yes
(Trainees may read a different age than displayed
if training is conducted after 2014.)
(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 B2-110 in your NCVS-550
manual.
(Allow time)
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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.
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:
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:
Is Megan Moe currently attending or enrolled
either full-time or part-time in a college or
university, trade, or vocational school?
R:
No
(Enter 5, None of the above schools)
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SP_ORIGIN
FR:
Is Megan Moe Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino? Add in
specific categories?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
RACE
FR:
Please choose one or more races that Megan
Moe considers herself to be.
- - White
- - Black or African American
- - American Indian or Alaska Native
- - Asian
- - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
R:
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.
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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:
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, book
-Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone
-Bicycle or sports equipment-Things in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools
-Things outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furniture
-Things belonging to children in the
household
-Things from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs
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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)
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, 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
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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)
SQTOTALVEHICLES
FR:
What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you
or any other member of that household during the
last 6 months? Include those you no longer own.
R:
We have three cars and an 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
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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
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 yard
At or near a friend's, relative's, or
neighbor's home
At work or school
In places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airport
While riding in any vehicle
On 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
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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 knife
With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick
By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle
Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attack
Any 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)
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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 school
A neighbor or friend
A relative or family member
Any 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
--OR
--
Someone you didn't know A casual acquaintance Someone you know well?
Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
R:
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?
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 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.
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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, so 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 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 right
side 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.
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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.
Refer to chart on page 9-310.)
(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?
R:
It happened sometime during the night but I’m not
sure what time.
(Enter 18, Don’t know what time of night)
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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.
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Select category 11 ONLY if the 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:
R:
Where in your home or lodging did this incident
happen?
In my front yard
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(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
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:
Did the offender actually get INSIDE your house?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
OFFENDERTRY
FR:
Did the offender TRY to get in your house?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)
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_____________, 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.
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 a 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.
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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.)
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)
(Interrupt and say)
FARFROMHOME
FR:
Ask or verify
How far away from home did this happen?
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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)
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:
R:
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?
No
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(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?
(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
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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 must 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, without using commas or pressing the spacebar to separate the
values, enter 28 but don't press Enter. Notice that the check mark for the first
category entered gets deselected or unmarked and the second category never
gets selected or marked. It is extremely important to enter commas or spaces
between the answer values; otherwise, we may lose valuable data.
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.
Q:
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.)
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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 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 and the other household
member(s))
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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)
OTHERONPERSON
FR:
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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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PROPERTYVALUE
FR:
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.)
R:
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)
FR:
Any other way?
R:
No
(Press ENTER)
ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:
Was all or part of the stolen property recovered,
not counting anything received from insurance?
R:
No
(Enter 3, None)
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RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
R:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
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:
Were the police informed or did they find out
about this incident in any way?
R:
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)
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(If FR doesn’t ask the probe for this question, remind trainees to ask the probe
displayed on the screen for multiple entry questions.)
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)
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JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:
Ask or verify - Did you have a job at the time of
the incident?
R:
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)
(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.
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____________, 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)
DISABILITY_INTRO
FR:
Research has shown that people with disabilities
may be more vulnerable to crime victimization.
The next questions ask about any health
conditions, impairments, or disabilities you may
have.
(Enter 1 to continue)
(Interrupt and say)
The introduction you just read begins a series of questions pertaining to disability.
This introduction prepares the respondent for the type of questions you are about
to ask and to explain why we are asking about possible health conditions,
impairments, or disabilities.
The "disability" questions are used to collect information about the victimization of
persons with health conditions, impairments, and disabilities. Many believe that
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people with disabilities are more likely to be targeted for victimization because
offenders see them as being more vulnerable.
There are two main purposes for collecting this information. First, to increase our
knowledge and awareness about crimes in which persons with disabilities have
been victimized and second, to help the Federal government in developing new
strategies for reducing crimes against disabled persons. (Pause)
_____________, please continue.
HEARING
FR:
Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
VISION
FR:
Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have any difficulty in doing any
of the following activities:
Concentrating, remembering, or making
decisions?
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R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Walking or climbing stairs?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
DRESS_BATH
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Dressing or bathing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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, No)
(Interrupt and say)
If a respondent reports multiple incidents, you ask the full series of disability
questions only for the first incident. However, if you have already completed an
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incident report for the respondent and the respondent reported a health
condition, impairment, or disability, for subsequent incidents you will re-ask only
two of the disability questions rather than re-asking all the disability questions.
Also, when you have already completed an incident report for the respondent and
the respondent didn't report a health condition, impairment, or disability, the
instrument skips over all the disability questions for any subsequent incidents and
continues with the summary report for the incident. (Pause)
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. 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 24 and 25
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. Now turn to page 14 of your Workbook for the text you should
enter in the Incident Summary.
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(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
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 "Ornaments 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.
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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
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.
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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. 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.
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(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)
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 employment questions.
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
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(Enter 1, Yes)
(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:
R:
Ask or verify
Which of the following best describes your job?
Were you employed in the - Medical Profession?
Mental Health Services Field?
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 Profession?
R:
It’s professional, I’m a social worker .
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(Enter 15, Professional)
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
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(Enter 1, A city)
HOUSEHOLDINCOME FR:
SHOW FLASHCARD
(Interrupt and say)
Since this is a telephone interview, 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 24, $75,000 and over)
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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RESPINTERVIEWLANGFR:
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 screen and
at the ENDSCREENER screen.
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.
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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.
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.
(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)
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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)
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.
(Allow time)
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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, 104 Ocean View Lane. 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,
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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 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.
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(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.
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
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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)
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)
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(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,
_________?
PRSPNDENT
(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.
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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 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 104 Ocean View Lane. 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. Click on the household roster
(HH Roster) tab on the toolbar to check the interview status of other eligible
household members. Notice that Ted Moe’s status is "REFUSED" and that there
are no other household members whose interview you need to complete.
Now click on the Main tab to return to the START_CP screen. 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
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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?
(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 105 Beach Road. 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
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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)
At the DIAL_CP screen call the household. Assume someone answers, so enter
1. (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)
INTERVIEWSTATUS
(Enter 1 to continue interview)
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TIMEATADDRESS
FR: Before we get to the crime questions, I have
one or two 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, book
Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone
Bicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools
Things from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDsOR
--
Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?
Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
Yes
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(Enter 1, Yes)
SQTHEFTTIMES
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 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 yard
At or near a friend's, relative's, or
neighbor's home
At work or school
In places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airport
While riding in any vehicle
On 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?
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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 knife
With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick
By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle
Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attack
Any 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
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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 school
A neighbor or friend
A relative or family member
Any 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
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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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
R:
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?
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.
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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 time one time.
(Enter 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATE
FR:
In what month did this incident happen?
R:
It think it happened sometime in March.
(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the
reference period. Refer to the chart on page 9-310.)
(Enter 3, March)
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.
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(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
-- In your home or lodging?
-- Near your home or lodging?
R:
It happened in my front yard.
(Enter 12, Near your home or lodging)
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,
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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.” __________, 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
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respondent’s home or next door)
HHMEMBERPRESENT FR:
R:
Ask or verify
Were you or any other member of this household
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:
R:
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?
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
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(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 and the other household
member(s))
OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
FR: Besides you, which household members owned
the stolen property?
R:
They belonged to everyone.
(Enter 40, Household property)
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 offenders 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
taken? Include recovered property. (If jointly
owned with a nonhousehold member, include only
share owned by household members.)
R:
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 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:
Was all or part of the stolen property recovered,
not counting anything received from insurance?
R:
No
(Enter 3, None)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
R:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
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:
R:
Were the damaged items repaired or replaced?
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?
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R:
About $50
(Enter 50)
PAIDREPAIRS
FR:
Who paid for the repairs or replacement?
R:
We did.
(Enter 2, Household members)
POLICEINFORMED
FR:
Were the police informed or did they find out
about this incident in any way?
R:
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
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(Enter 2, No)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:
R:
What were you doing when this incident
happened?
I was probably sleeping.
(Enter 18, Sleeping)
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
FR:
Did you have a job at the time of the incident?
R:
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
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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)
DISABILITY_INTRO
FR:
Research has shown that people with disabilities
may be more vulnerable to crime victimization.
The next questions ask about any health
conditions, impairments, or disabilities you may
have.
(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING
FR:
Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
VISION
FR:
Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition,do you have serious difficulty:
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Concentrating, remembering or making
decisions?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Walking or climbing stairs?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
DRESS_BATH
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Dressing or bathing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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, No)
(Interrupt and say)
Now you need to write a summary about the incident. Remember to answer who,
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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
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during the current interview for the household. (Pause) The unduplication
process is an NCVS 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
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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.
2. 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.)
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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 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 the first incident reported by Line Number 2 to the first
incident reported by Line Number 3.
Does everyone understand what the Incident Number is and how it is displayed at
this screen?
(Answer questions)
Let’s take a minute to compare the two incidents that are displayed.
(Allow time)
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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)
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.
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(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.
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:
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)
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MENTALHEALTHJOB FR:
Were you employed as a Law enforcement officer?
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
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-R:
Combination of these?
I would say it’s a combination.
(Enter 4, Combination of these)
(Interrupt and say)
At BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY enter 1 to continue.
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER (Enter 0 to continue)
RESPONDENTPHONETYPE (Enter 1, home)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG (Enter 2, No)
This concludes Michael Goe’s interview. Enter 1 at the ENDPERSON screen and
at the ENDSCREENER screen.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.
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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” 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)
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Now in the PROXYREASONSPEC screen enter “L4 suffered a stroke.” Then
press Enter.
(Allow time)
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. Now take a look at the last column in the Info Pane. Notice that Will
Loe’s “Interview Status” changed from “Need Self” to “Need Prxy.”
Enter 3, which is Michael Goe’s line number, and then press Enter. 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.
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.
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TIMEATADDRESS
FR: Before we get to the crime questions, I have
one or two 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)
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 Will Loe in the last 6 months,
that is, since (date).
Was something belonging to WILL LOE
stolen, such as –
-----OR
--
Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, book
Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone
Bicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools
Things from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDsDid anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to Will Loe?
Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to him?
R:
No
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(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 yard
At or near a friend's, relative's, or
neighbor's home
At work or school
In places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airport
While riding in any vehicle
On 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
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
knife
With anything like a baseball bat, frying
pan, scissors, or stick
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-----
By something thrown, such as a rock or
bottle
Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attack
Any 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?
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 school
A neighbor or friend
A relative or family member
Any other person he has met or known?
Did any incidents of this type happen to him?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
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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
any incidents already mentioned, has he been
forced or coerced to engage in unwanted sexual
activity by --OR
--
Someone he didn't know A casual acquaintance Someone he knows well?
Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to him?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
R:
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?
No
(Enter 2, No)
PRESENTFORSQS
(Enter 11, Telephone)
INC_REPORTS
(Enter 1 to continue)
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)
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.
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R:
I think it happened sometime in October.
(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls OUTSIDE the
reference period. Refer to the chart on page 9-310.)
(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
during the last 6 months. We will not collect
information on this incident.
(Press 1 to continue)
INCIDENTDATEPROBE
FR:
Did Will Loe have anything else like this
happen between (date) and (date)?
R:
This incident happened to him one other time.
(Interrupt and say)
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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.
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)
INCIDENTDATE
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. Refer to the chart on page 9-310.)
(Enter 5, May)
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
FR: Ask or verify
Altogether, how many times did this type of
incident happen during the last 6 months?
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R:
Once
(Enter 1)
INCIDENTTIME
FR:
About what time did this incident happen?
R:
I’m not exactly sure but he is at rehab in the
mornings between 9 and 12.
(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
-------
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?
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--R:
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:
Ask or verify
Did the incident happen in an area restricted to
certain people or was it open to the public at the
time?
R:
It’s restricted
(Enter 2, Restricted to certain people)
INSIDEOROUT
FR:
Did it happen indoors, outdoors, 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)
HHMEMBERPRESENT FR:
R:
Ask or verify
Was Will Loe or any other member of this
household present when this incident occurred?
Yes
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(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:
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?
R:
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)
THREATEN
FR:
Did the offender THREATEN Will Loe with
harm in any way?
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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 you.
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?
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R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
HOW_DISTRESSING
FR:
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?
R:
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:
Was anyone present during the incident besides
Will Loe and the offender? Other than children
under age 12.
R:
I don’t know
(Enter 3, Don’t know)
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ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
FR:
R:
Ask or verify
Was the crime committed by only one or by more
than one offender?
Just one offender
(Enter 1, Only one)
SINGOFFENDERKNEW
FR:
Was the offender someone Will Loe knew or a
stranger he had never seen before?
R:
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)
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SINGLEOFFENDERSIGHT
FR:
R:
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?
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
SINGOFFENDERGENDER
FR:
R:
Was the offender male or female?
Male
(Enter 1, Male)
SINGOFFENDERAGE
FR:
How old would Will Loe say the offender was?
R:
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, or Native Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander?
(Interrupt and say)
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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?
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?
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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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
POLICEINFORMED
FR:
Were the police informed or did they find out
about this incident in any way?
R:
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.
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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?
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)
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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)?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
ANYTHINGFURTHER
FR:
Do you expect the police, courts, or other
authorities will be doing anything further in
connection with this incident?
R:
No, I really don’t.
(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)
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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:
What was Will Loe doing when this incident
happened?
He was at rehab going through therapy.
(Enter 20, Other)
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME_SPEC
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
(Enter “At rehab doing therapy")
FR:
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:
Were there any household members 16 years or
older who lost time from work because of this
incident?
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R:
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)
DISABILITY_INTRO
FR:
Research has shown that people with disabilities
may be more vulnerable to crime victimization.
The next questions ask about any health
conditions, impairments, or disabilities Will Loe
may have.
(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING
FR:
Is Will Loe deaf or does he have serious difficulty
hearing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
VISION
FR:
Is Will Loe blind or does he have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?
R:
No
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(Enter 2, No)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, does Will Loe have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering or making
decisions?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, does Will Loe have serious difficulty:
Walking or climbing stairs?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
DRESS_BATH
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, does Will Loe have serious difficulty:
Dressing or bathing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
LEAVING_HOME
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, does Will Loe have difficulty doing
errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or
shopping?
R:
No
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(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 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.
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.
(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.)
At SUMMARYPROBE enter 1 to continue. (Pause) Now enter 2 at
INCIDENTTOADD since the respondent did not recall during the interview
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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.
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_OLDINC
(Enter 2, No)
UNDUP_DONE
(Enter 1 to continue)
___________, please continue the interview with JOBLASTWEEK.
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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)
BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY (Enter 1 to continue)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG (Enter 2, No)
ENDPERSON
(Enter 1 to continue)
ENDSCREENER
(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.
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(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, then Case
Management.
(Allow time)
Everyone should be at the CTATEMPT screen in pCHI. Is everyone there?
(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
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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.
PCONTACTPER
(Enter 1, made contact with Michael Goe.)
PCTTYPE
(Enter 1, completed interview)
(Interrupt and say)
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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 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 household, and 2, scheduled appointment)
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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 101 Railroad Drive, 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 105 Beach
Road. 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)
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DIAL_CP
(Enter 1, Someone answers)
HELLO_1_CP
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)
INTERVIEWSTATUS
(Enter 1 to continue interview)
TIMEATADDRESS
FR:
Before we get to the crime questions, I have one or
two questions that are helpful in studying where and
why crimes occur.
How long have you lived at this address?
R:
2 months
(Enter 0)
(Make sure trainees enter zero at TIMEATADDRESS,
otherwise if trainees enter 2 the instrument interprets this
entry as 2 years.)
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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, book
Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone
Bicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools
Things from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDsOR
--
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:
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 yard
At or near a friend's, relative's, or
neighbor's home
At work or school
In places such as a storage shed or laundry
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airport
While riding in any vehicle
On 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:
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 knife
With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick
By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle
Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attack
Any 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
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(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 school
A neighbor or friend
A relative or family member
Any 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 know A casual acquaintance -
OR
--
Someone you know well?
Ask only if necessary
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No
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(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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
R:
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?
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.
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(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. Refer to the chart on page 9-310.)
(Enter 4, May)
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.m. – 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 as present
residence)
INCIDENTPLACESPEC (Enter Midtown)
INCIDENTSTATE
FR:
In what state did it occur?
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R:
California
(Enter CA)
INCIDENTCOUNTY
FR:
In what county did it occur?
R:
Los Angeles County
(Enter Los Angeles)
COUNTYSTATE
FR:
Is this the same county and state as your present
residence?
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:
Where did this incident happen?
R:
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?
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(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 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.
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:
Ask or verify
Did the incident happen in an area restricted to
certain people or was it open to the public at the
time?
R:
It’s open to the public.
(Enter 1, Open to the public)
INSIDEOROUT
FR:
Did it happen indoors, outdoors, or both?
R:
Outdoors.
(Enter 2, Outdoors)
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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:
R:
Ask or verify
Were you or any other member of this household
present when this incident occurred?
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:
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?
R:
Yes
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(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, 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, food, empty cans, 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)
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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)
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
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definition for rape.
(Allow time)
Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)
______________, please continue the interview with the rape probe.
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)
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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”)
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.
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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)
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:
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?
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R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
EXPENSES
FR:
What was the total amount of your medical
expenses resulting from this incident? Include
hospital and doctor bills, medicine, therapy,
braces, and any other injury-relating expenses.
R:
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?
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)
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HOW_DISTRESSING
FR:
How distressing was being a victim of this crime
to you? Was it not at all distressing, mildly
distressing, moderately distressing, or severely
distressing?
R:
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?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_VULNERABLE
FR:
Vulnerable?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_VIOLATED
FR:
Violated?
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R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_MISTRUST
FR:
Like you couldn’t trust people?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_UNSAFE
FR:
Unsafe?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes)
FEEL_OTHER_WAY
FR:
Some other way?
R:
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?
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)
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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:
Upset stomach?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No)
FATIGUE
FR:
Fatigue:
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No)
HIGH_BLOOD_PRESS FR:
R:
Did you experience any of the following physical
problems associated with being a victim of this
crime for A MONTH OR MORE?... High blood
pressure?
No.
(Enter 2, No)
MUSCLE_TENSION
FR:
Muscle tension?
R:
No.
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(Enter 2, No)
OTHER_PHYSICAL
FR:
Some other physical problem?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No)
SEEK_HELP_
PHYPROBS
FR:
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?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No)
PREGATTIMEOFINC
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)
PROTECTSELF
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?
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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?
R:
No
(Enter 1, Help avoid injury or greater injury)
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ACTIONWORSE
FR:
Did any of your actions make the situation worse
in any way?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
ANYONEPRESENT
FR:
Was anyone present during the incident besides
you and the offender (other than children under
age 12?)
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
FR:
R:
Was the crime committed by only one or by more
than one offender?
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:
R:
Would you be able to recognize the offender if
you saw him?
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
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SINGOFFENDERSIGHT
FR:
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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
SINGOFFENDERGENDER
FR:
R:
Was the offender male or female?
Male, of course
(Enter 1, Male)
SINGOFFENDERAGE
FR:
How old would you say the offender was?
R:
I would say around 25.
(Enter 5, Twenty-one to twenty-nine)
SINGOFFETHNICITY
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?
-- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
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R:
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 taken without
permission that belonged to you or others in the
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household?
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 11, “Cash”; 12, “Purse”; 13, “Wallet”; 14,
“Credit cards, checks, bank cards”; 26, “Jewelry,
watch, keys”)
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY
FR: Did the stolen purse and wallet contain any
money?
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R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes)
AMOUNTCASHTAKEN
FR:
If not sure, ask
How much cash was taken?
R:
$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
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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
taken? Include recovered property. (Exclude any
stolen cash/checks/credit cards. If jointly owned
with a nonhousehold member, 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 and 13 (Original cost and Personal
estimate))
ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:
Was all or part of the stolen money and property
recovered, not counting anything received from
insurance?
R:
I only got back my purse and my credit cards.
Nothing else.
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(Enter 2, Part)
WHATRECOVERED
FR:
What was recovered?
R:
As I just told you, only my purse and my credit
cards.
(Enter 2 and 4, (Purse and credit cards, etc))
CONTAINMONEY
FR:
Did the recovered purse contain any money?
R:
Are you kidding? Of course not.
(Enter 2, No)
RECOVEREDCASHVALUE
FR:
R:
Considering any damage, what was the value of
the property after it was recovered?
I’d say about $40.
(Enter 40)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
R:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
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)
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POLICEINFORMED
FR:
Were the police informed or did they find out
about this incident in any way?
R:
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 official)
POLICEARRIVE
FR:
Did the police come when they found out about
the incident?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE
FR:
How soon after the police found out did they
respond? Was it within 5 minutes, within 10
minutes, an hour, a day, or longer?
R:
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?
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R:
No
(Enter 11, “Took report”; 12, “Searched/looked
around”; 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?
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)
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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?
R:
A private agency
(Enter 2, Private)
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:
Do you expect the police, courts, or other
authorities will be doing anything further in
connection with this incident?
R:
Yes, hopefully they’ll make an arrest.
(Enter 1, Yes)
ANYTHINGFURTHERSPEC
(Enter “Make an arrest” )
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
FR:
What were you doing when this incident started?
R:
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 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)
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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)
DISABILITY_INTRO
FR:
Research has shown that people with disabilities
may be more vulnerable to crime victimization.
The next questions ask about any health
conditions, impairments, or disabilities you may
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have.
(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING
FR:
Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
VISION
FR:
Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering or making
decisions?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Walking or climbing stairs?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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DRESS_BATH
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Dressing or bathing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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, No)
VICTIMDUETODISABLE
FR:
R:
During the incident you just told me about, do you
have reason to suspect you were victimized
because of your health conditions, impairments,
or disabilities?
No
(Enter 2, No)
(Interrupt and say)
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)
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_____________, 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)
Your summary should include the following points:
Around 9:30 p.m., on (date) L5 was leaving a shopping mall when a 25-year-old
male with a knife attacked and raped her, and then stole her purse which
contained her wallet, about $75, her driver’s license and credit cards, and house
keys. Rape, minor bruises and scratches are L5's injuries. No injury caused by
knife. Offender had been drinking. Police contacted by a security officer, after L5
ran to security officer for help. Only the empty purse and her driver’s license were
returned to L5.
Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)
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.
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(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)
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 3)
UNDUP_OLDINC
(Enter 2, No)
UNDUP_DONE
(Enter 1 to continue)
___________, please continue the interview with JOBLASTWEEK.
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:
No
(Enter 2, No)
JOBDURINGREFPERIOD
FR:
Did you have a job or work at a business
DURING THE LAST 6 MONTHS?
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R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY(Enter 1 to continue)
ENDPERSON
(Enter 1 to continue)
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER (Enter 0 to continue)
RESPONDENTPHONETYPE (Enter 1, home)
RESPINTERVIEWLANG (Enter 2, No)
ENDSCREENER
(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
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
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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
(Line 5, 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 L2’s interview)
This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)
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PRACTICE EXERCISE #14 – Series Incidents
Case ID: 00000001
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)
Highlight the case 101 Railroad Drive. 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.)
Thank you.
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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
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available" and at the CAPI_INTRO_B screen enter 1 to continue to the interview.
(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 3, Don't know)
VERADD_CP
FR:
I have your address listed as
101 Railroad Drive
Any Town, AL 99997
Is that your exact address?
R:
Yes it is.
(Enter 1, Same Address)
MAILINGSAME_CP
FR:
Is your mailing address the same as your physical
address?
R:
Yes it is.
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(Enter 1, Yes)
TENURE
FR:
Ask or verify
Are your living quarters
-Owned or being bought by you or someone
in your household?
--
R:
Rented for cash?
Rented for cash.
(Enter 2, Rented for cash)
STUDENTHOUSING
FR:
Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
R:
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?
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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.
(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)
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TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT (Enter 1, House, apartment, flat)
NUMBEROFUNITS
FR:
Observe or ask - How many housing units are in
this structure?
R:
About 2 units
(Enter 2, Two)
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
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(Enter 2, No)
HHROSTER_FNAME
FR:
What are the names of all people living or staying
here? Start with the name of the person or one of
the people who rents this home.
R:
I’m the only one who lives here. My name is
Jason Doe.
(Enter Jason)
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 other people living or
staying here?
R:
There's no one else.
(Enter 999)
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
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(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)
VFYAGE
FR:
That would make you 34 years old. Is that
correct?
R:
Yes
(TRAINEES may read a different age than displayed if training is
conducted after 2014.)
(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
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(Enter 2, No)
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
What is the highest level of school you
completed or the highest degree you received?
R:
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, so press F10.
At the next screen, REFCBBREAK_CP, enter 3, "Breakoff" and a 2 at the
VERIFY screen. (Pause) Then 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)
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TIMEOFCT
(Enter 1, Yes)
pCASECONTACT
(Enter 1, made contact with one or more eligible persons)
PCONTACTPER
(Enter 1, contact, made contact with Jason Doe)
PCTTYPE
(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.
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.
PNONINTER
(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)
PRSPNDENT
(Enter 2, Too busy, and 9, Hangup/slams door on FR)
PSTRATEGS
(Enter 98, no strategies, since no additional strategies
were used/respondent didn’t give FR a chance to use any
strategies.)
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
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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, 101 Railroad Drive, 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)
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP
FR:
Hello, this is (TRAINEE’S NAME) from the U.S.
Census Bureau. We completed part of your
interview for the National Crime Victimization
Survey and would like to finish it now.
R:
OK
(Enter 1, Proceed with interview)
(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.
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_________, please continue the interview.
EDUCATIONATTAIN
FR:
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:
Are you 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)
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 yourself to be
- - White
- - Black or African American
- - American Indian or Alaska Native
- - Asian
- - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
R:
I’m White.
(Enter 1, White)
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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,
purse, briefcase, book
Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone
Bicycle or sports equipmentThings in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools
Things outside your home such as a garden
hose or lawn furniture
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---
Things belonging to children in the
household
Things 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?
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 other member of this household during the
last 6 months? Include 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 it?
OR
--
Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal any vehicle or
parts attached to it?
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 yard
At or near a friend's, relative's, or
neighbor's home
At work or school
In places such as a storage shed or laundry
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----
room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or
airport
While riding in any vehicle
On 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:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes)
SQATTACKWHERETIMES
FR:
R:
How many times?
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.)
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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 knife
With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick
By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle
Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of
sexual attack
Any 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 school
A neighbor or friend
A relative or family member
Any other person you have met or known?
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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 know A 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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
FR:
R:
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?
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.
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 the first incident happen?
R:
March
(For training, make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN
the reference period. Refer to chart on page 9-310.)
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(Enter 3)
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
FR:
If unsure ask – Are these incidents similar to each
other in detail or are they for different types of
crimes?
R:
They are all similar to one another.
(Enter 1, Similar)
RECALLDETAILS
FR:
If unsure ask - Can you recall enough details of
each incident to distinguish them from each
other?
R:
No I can’t.
(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)
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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
---
R:
In your home or lodging?
Near your home or lodging?
It happened on my porch.
(Interrupt and say)
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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 garage, so click “Suppress.” __________, please continue.
INSIDEOROUT
FR:
Ask or verify
Did it happen outdoors, indoors, or both?
R:
Outdoors
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(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 young or old, or male or female?
R:
No
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(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?
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)
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ARTICLEINCAR
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:
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:
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.)
R:
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:
Any other way?
R:
No
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(Press ENTER)
ALLPARTRECOVERED
FR:
Was all or part of the stolen property recovered,
not counting anything received from insurance?
R:
No
(Enter 3, None)
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
FR:
R:
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
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:
Were the police informed or did they find out
about this incident in any way?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
FR:
R:
What was the reason it was not reported to the
police?
Because it was so minor.
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(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 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:
Ask or verify - Did you have a job at the time of
the incident?
R:
Yes
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME
FR:
(Enter 1, Yes)
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
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or replacing damaged or stolen property?
R:
No
(Enter 6, None)
SERIESNUMTIMES
FR:
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?
R:
About 10 times
(Enter 10)
(Interrupt and say)
The next questions ask about the series of incidents. Record how many incidents
from the series happened in each quarter that falls within the reference period.
_____________, please continue.
SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1
FR:
R:
In what month or months did these incidents take
place?
They all happened in March.
(Enter 3)
(Make sure the month the incident occurred falls WITHIN the
reference period; that is, within the last six months.
Refer to chart on page 9-310.)
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(Interrupt and say)
Because all 10 incidents have been accounted for in Quarter 1, you don't need to
enter a number in the next two questions for Quarters 2 and 3; however, you do
need to enter zero to move on.
SERIESWHICHMONTHQ2 (Enter 0)
SERIESWHICHMONTHQ4 (Enter 0)
SERIESLOCATION
FR:
Did all, some, or none of these incidents occur in
the same place?
R:
They all happened in the same place.
(Enter 1, All in the same place)
SERIESOFFENDER
FR:
Were all, some, or none of these incidents done
by the same person(s)?
R:
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
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(Enter 2, No)
WHATENDEDIT
FR:
What ended it?
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)
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DISABILITY_INTRO
FR:
Research has shown that people with disabilities
may be more vulnerable to crime victimization.
The next questions ask about any health
conditions, impairments, or disabilities you may
have.
(Enter 1 to continue)
HEARING
FR:
Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty
hearing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
VISION
FR:
Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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, No)
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
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Walking or climbing stairs?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
DRESS_BATH
FR:
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Dressing or bathing?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No)
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, No)
(Interrupt and say)
When a respondent reports multiple incidents, you only have to ask the set of
disability questions you just went through once per respondent. However, if the
respondent reports a disability, the respondent is asked one or two disability
questions for each subsequent interview but not the entire series.
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
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the property belong to, what happened, what the respondent was doing, where it
happened, and so on.
(Allow time)
Your summary should include the following:
SUMMARY: Newspaper stolen from resp unenclosed front porch 10x
throughout last 6 mos while he was asleep, value $1, belonged to resp only,
not reported to police, resp 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. Also enter a 1 at the ENDINCIDENT screen
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: 10 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."
(Allow time)
Now we’ll complete an incident report for the newly added incident.
_________, please continue the interview.
INCIDENTINTRO
FR:
You said before that during the last 6 months your
car tools were stolen.
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(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. Refer to chart on page 9-310.)
(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)
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INCIDENTDATEPROBE
FR:
Did you have anything like this happen between
(date) and (date)?
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)
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___________, please continue the interview with the employment questions.
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:
SHOW FLASHCARD
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”)
EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT
FR: Ask or verify
Is your job with a private company, business, or
individual for wages?
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R:
Yes
(Enter 1, A 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)
HOUSEHOLDINCOME FR:
R:
SHOW FLASHCARD
Which category on this card 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.
It’s about $32,000
(Enter 20, $30,000-$34,999)
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TELEPHONEINUNIT
FR:
Is there a telephone in this home? Please include
cell phones, regular phones, and any other type of
telephone service.
R:
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)
The respondent doesn’t mention any specific day or time to call the household, so
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at the BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY screen enter 1 to continue.
__________, please continue the interview.
RESPINTERVIEWLANGFR:
R:
Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a
language other than English?
No
(Enter 2, No)
ENDPERSON
(Enter 1 to continue)
ENDSCREENER
(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)
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pCONTACTPER
(Enter 1, made contact with Jason Doe)
PCTTYPE
(Enter 1, completed interview)
pRSPNDENT
(Enter 98, no concerns)
PSTRATEGS
(Enter 98, no strategies)
(Allow time)
This concludes this practice exercise. Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)
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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 103 Riverside Blvd. 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.”
_______________, please read what is now displayed for “Case Status.”
(TRAINEE: Household respondent complete)
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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 doesn’t 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. In most screens in
the Spanish instrument, the answer categories are also in Spanish; however, for
this section they are not because the categories do not match the respondent’s
possible reply. 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. Also enter 1 at the
INTERVIEWSTATUS screen to continue the interview.
You are now ready to begin asking the survey questions starting with the
TIMEATADDRESS 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 again and 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. 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)
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Reference Period
MONTH
January
WITHIN REFERENCE
PERIOD
July-December
OUTSIDE REFERENCE
PERIOD
January-June
February
August-January
February-July
March
September-February
March-August
April
October-March
April-September
May
November-April
May-October
June
December-May
June-November
July
January-June
July-December
August
February-July
August-January
September
March-August
September-February
October
April-September
October-March
November
May-October
November-April
December
June-November
December-May
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Transmission of Work
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Chapter 10 – Transmission of Work
(Approximate time: 2 hours 10 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. (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.)
Make sure all trainees have an RSA token.
Objective:
•
Provide trainees with instructions on how to transmit completed work to Headquarters.
Materials Needed:
Trainee
• Transmissions Classroom Workbook
Trainer
• Laptop computer with “Transmissions” Power Point presentation
• Projection device
• 11-909, Trainer’s Guide: Transmissions with the RSA Token (Field Representative)
11-909, Trainer’s Guide:
Transmissions with the
RSA Token (Field
Representative)
Follow along with the 11-909, Trainer’s Guide:
Transmissions with the RSA Token (Field
Representative), then continue with the next
chapter.
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(Continue with the next lesson)
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Performance and Supervisory Topics
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Chapter 11 – Performance and Supervisory Topics
(Approximate time: 30 minutes)
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 Lesson 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.
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
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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 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.
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• 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 in a segment
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 telephone segment until you have attempted to complete
telephone interviewing of all the households in the segment 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 segment to another using the least amount of
time and mileage. You can use the “RTE” column in Case Management to
make an efficient travel plan. 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 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
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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, your supervisor will calculate the response rates for
your NCVS interviewing assignment. The response rates take into consideration
how many interviews you were able to complete from all eligible sample
addresses and persons assigned to you (excluding Type B and C noninterviews).
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
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NCVS 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. Please look at your handout
entitled “Data Quality Indicators.”
(Allow time)
This handout is to give you an idea of the data your supervisor currently use(s) to
evaluate your performance. These data quality indicators are incorporated into
your performance plan; your supervisor will go over them with you when you go
over the 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 year to year. I’m going to
distribute a list of the current set of data quality indicators and discuss each one
briefly.
(Pass out FR Data Quality Indicator List, then read the Initial Training Guide
Data Quality Addendum [Available on the FLD portal; see Instructions to the
Trainer on Page viii])
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Periodically, a portion of your assignment is eligible for reinterview. Remember,
reinterview is a method we use to evaluate your performance independently. Your
supervisor or his/her representative 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,
The listing sheets were completed or updated properly,
All screen questions were asked,
Crime incident reports were completed for each reported incident, and
Any noninterviews were classified accurately.
Once the reinterview is completed, the reinterviewer contacts you so you can
review the results together. During this review, errors are discussed and
appropriate concepts and procedures reviewed. In some cases the extent and
type of errors may require a "special needs" observation and/or retraining.
Are there any questions?
(Answer questions)
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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 FR Manual on your laptop, the NCVS-554 Information Card
Booklet, and the NCVS-550.1 “At a Glance.” I encourage you 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 with Chapter 12, “2010 Redesign and Coverage” for
new hires who have not had the 2010 redesign and coverage training.
Otherwise, conclude the training session.)
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NOTES
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2010 Redesign Listing and Coverage
______________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 12 – 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, conclude the
training session. Otherwise, after this
chapter, conclude the training session.
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NOTES
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National Crime Victimization Survey
CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
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 businesses, schools, group quarters,
or persons, especially any current or former Census Bureau employees.
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
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Household Membership
1.
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?
Yes
2.
Janet Voe is a paid housekeeper who lives in the sample unit. Is
Janet a household member?
Yes
3.
No
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?
Yes
5.
No
When you interview the Zoe household, Mr. Zoe tells you that his
daughter Emily is away at college. Is Emily a household member?
Yes
4.
No
No
If you list someone as living and staying at the sample unit as of the
night before the interview and then determine at HSEMEMURE that
the person usually lives somewhere else, what precode do you enter
in HSEMEMURE?
Precode 1, Yes
Precode 2, No
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Function Keys
Press function
key:
To perform this operation within the instrument during the
interview:
F1
QUESTION HELP
Displays any help screens for the current question. Help screens are
designed to aid you with a particular concept, to define the meaning or
intent of a particular word, to provide specific probes, etc.
F4
JUMP MENU
Accesses a “Jump” menu, which enables you to jump back to a
previously answered section of the incident report items. Note that this
function only works in the incident report items, which are part of the
middle section of the NCVS instrument.
F7
ITEM NOTES/REMARKS
Allows you to view or add comments and explanations for the screen
current displayed. After pressing F7, a pop-up “Notes” box appears.
Enter the text of your note, and then click the “Save” button in the box to
leave the F7 notes mode. When F7 notes are entered for an instrument
screen, a paperclip icon will appear next to the item name on the form
pane telling you that a “Note Exists.”
F8
RETURN
Allows you to return or skip back to the item from which you pressed the
F10 key, which skips to the end of the interview. This would come in
handy if you should press the F10 key by mistake.
F10
EXIT
Skips from the present question to the end of the instrument when a
respondent breaks off the interview before you can complete it or
whenever you must make an early exit from the interview. After pressing
the F10 function key, you will skip to the back section of the instrument to
the callback screen where you can schedule a callback. The instrument
sets a person’s interview status to “partially completed,” so that you can
resume the interview for that person later when the respondent is
available.
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SHIFT + F1
DISPLAY HOUSEHOLD ROSTER
Accesses the household roster at the SHOWROS_CP screen. You can
access the household roster at any time during an NCVS interview to
reference the information shown on this screen. The SHOWROS_CP
screen does not allow you to make changes to the household roster.
SHIFT + F2
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Accesses the help screens for nine frequently asked NCVS questions
from the FAQMain screen. These help screens will help you answer
respondent’s questions.
SHIFT + F5
LANGUAGE
Switches to the Spanish version of the NCVS instrument for the current
question and all subsequent questions. To return to the English version,
press the SHIFT and F5 keys simultaneously again and select “English”
from the pop-up menu.
SHIFT + F7
VIEW NOTES
Allows you to only view notes. To add more notes use the F7 function
key.
SHIFT + F11
SHOW STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS
Displays the standard recommended and acceptable abbreviations for
the NCVS. Abbreviations can be used to conserve space when entering
text in item text boxes that allow only a limited number of characters to
be entered.
END
Takes you to the next unanswered question in the instrument path.
CTRL + D
DON’T KNOW
Allows you to record a don’t know response to a question when a
separate “Don’t Know” response category is not part of the question
answer list.
CTRL + R
REFUSED
Allows you to record a refusal to a question by the respondent.
CTRL + T
INTERVIEW TIME PREFERENCES
Accesses the BOOST/BLOCK feature of the instrument for you to view or
record the best times or worst times to contact the household.
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THE PARTS OF THE CRIME INCIDENT REPORT
The crime incident report is made up of twelve sections:
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
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.
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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.
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. Disability section asks questions about any disabilities the respondent may
have and whether they believe they were targeted because of their disability.
12. Summary section is where you enter a detailed descriptive summary of the
crime incident.
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Practice Exercise #1
(Household Roster)
Who to List:
• All persons living or staying at the sample address at the time
of your contact.
• All persons who usually live at the sample address, but who are
temporarily away for reasons such as visiting friends or
relatives, traveling for their jobs, in “general” hospitals, and so
forth.
• All children who usually live at the sample address, including
infants under 1 year of age.
• Any lodgers, servants, hired hands, and other persons who
usually live at the sample address.
• Visitors and other persons who are not household members (do
not usually live at the sample address), but are in the sample
household at the time of your interview and have stayed at the
sample address at least one night before your interview, such
as a visitor or student with a usual residence elsewhere.
• Households consisting entirely of persons who are not
household members and who have a usual residence
elsewhere. If you determine that the entire household has a
usual residence elsewhere (URE), you will classify the
household as a Type B noninterview, “Temporarily occupied by
persons with URE.”
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Practice Exercise #1
(Armed Forces)
A household member is considered to be “in the Armed Forces” when
the person is:
• Serving on active duty at the time of the interview in the U.S.
Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps.
• In the reserve branch of any of the above Armed Services and
is currently on active duty status for several months.
• In the U.S. Public Health Service as commissioned officers
who are attached to any branch of the above Armed Services.
• In the National Guard in Federal Service (if his/her unit has
become part of the regular forces by Presidential Order.)
• In the U.S. military academies as Cadets.
Members of the regular component of any branch of the Armed
Forces are ALWAYS considered to be on active duty, unless they are
retired. 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 duty by military order and are currently on active
duty for several months.
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 7th and his wife
says that he is away on active duty with the Army Reserve,
what do you enter in ARMEDFORCES and why?
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Practice Exercise #2
(Household Respondent)
The household respondent is someone who is at least 18 years old
and the most knowledgeable household member, that is, the one who
appears to know or might reasonably be expected to know the
answers to the household questions. Most frequently this will be the
reference person or spouse.
Exceptions:
• In households in which the reference person and/or spouse are
under 18, either of them may be the household respondent.
• If ALL household members are under 18, interview the most
knowledgeable household member as the household
respondent.
The household respondent MUST be the first person interviewed in a
household whether you are conducting the interview in person or by
telephone.
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Practice Exercise #4
(Noninterview Reasons by Noninterview Type)
TYPE A
213 Language problems
216 No one home
217 Temporarily absent
218 Refused
219 Other occupied
TYPE B
225 Temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence
elsewhere (URE)
226 Vacant - regular
227 Vacant - storage of HH furniture
228 Unfit or to be demolished
229 Under construction, not ready
230 Converted to temporary business and storage
231 Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
232 Permit granted, construction not started
233 Other
TYPE C
240 Demolished
241 House or trailer moved
242 Outside segment
243 Converted to permanent business or storage
244 Merged
245 Condemned
246 Built after April 1, 2000
247 Unused line of listing sheet
248 Other (including permit abandoned)
256 Removed during subsampling
257 Unit already had a chance of selection
258 Unlocatable sample address
259 Unit does not exist or unit is out of scope
9
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #7
(Reference Person)
The reference person is one of the persons who owns or rents the
sample unit or is any adult household member if the unit is occupied
without payment of cash rent.
10
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #7
(Example of Soft Edit Screen)
11
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #7
(Example of Hard Edit Screen)
12
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #7
(Reference Period)
Incoming and Replacement Households
For first period households and replacement households, the
reference period begins on the first day, six months preceding the
month of interview and extends up to the day prior to the day of
interview.
Second and Subsequent Enumeration Periods
For second and subsequent enumeration periods, the reference
period is from the day of the last interview to the day prior to the
current interview. Each person within a household may have a
different reference period depending on the day each household
member was interviewed.
For households that were a Type A noninterview the previous
enumeration or persons who were a Type Z noninterview in previous
interview period, the reference period begins on the first day, six
months preceding the month of interview and extends up to the day
prior to the day of interview
13
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #7
(Incident Summary for Brian Public)
Use the following information to write your summary report for Brian
Public.
Household Roster
L2 Brian Public
L3 Michael Goe
L4 Will Loe
L5 Megan Moe
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 property $51. L2 doesn’t know
who took the ornaments. Nothing recovered.
14
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #10
(Incident Summary for Michael Goe)
Use the following information to write your summary report for
Michael Goe.
Household Roster
L2 Brian Public
L3 Michael Goe
L4 Will Loe
L5 Megan Moe
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.
15
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #11
(NCVS Proxy Rules)
Household Member Proxy Respondent
The proxy respondent MUST be a household member who is at least
18 years old with the exception of those households in which the
reference person and/or spouse or all members of the household are
under 18 years. In this case, select a knowledgeable household
member to serve as the proxy respondent.
Nonhousehold Member Proxy Respondent
A nonhousehold member may serve as a proxy respondent for a
household member only if ALL of the following five (5) conditions
apply:
1.
All household members are unable to be interviewed because
of health problems or mental incompetence.
2.
All the household members have been unable to leave home
unaccompanied during the ENTIRE reference period.
3.
One of the proxy interviews obtained using a nonhousehold
member proxy respondent must be the household
respondent’s.
4.
The proxy respondent is 18 years of age or older.
5.
The proxy respondent has had responsibility for the care of the
individual household member for the entire reference period.
16
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #11
(Acceptable Proxy Reasons)
You may obtain information about an individual household member
by conducting a proxy interview only under ONE of the following
circumstances:
• If a household member is 12 or 13 years old, you should obtain
a self-response interview. However, if the parents or guardian
refuse to let you speak to the 12 or 13 year old, you may
instead conduct a proxy interview with the parent or guardian.
• If a household member 12 years of age or older is temporarily
absent and is NOT expected to return to the sample household
at all during the entire interview period, you may instead accept
a proxy interview for him/her.
• If a household member 12 years of age or older is physically or
mentally incapacitated. For a household member to be
physically or mentally incapacitated, the person MUST be
unable to be interviewed due to health problems or mental
incompetence. This condition MUST be continuous during the
entire interview period and DOES NOT include colds or flu,
drunkenness, drugs, or problems that might be aggravated
because the questions are upsetting. Old age alone is NOT an
acceptable reason for proxy interview.
17
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
NCVS DEFINITION OF RAPE
Forced sexual intercourse includes both
psychological coercion as well as physical force.
Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or
oral penetration by the offender(s). This category
also includes incidents where the penetration is
from a foreign object such as a bottle.
18
NCVS-522.1 (10/2014)
NCVS CAPI Initial Training
Classroom Workbook
________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercise #14
FARMSALES
Remember these three things about FARMSALES:
1
This question refers to the “past 12 months.” If you are
interviewing on February 5, 2015, “past 12 months” means
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2015.
2
FARMSALES asks for the amount of farm sales. Do not include
food grown for the consumption of household members
themselves; only include farm products that were actually sold.
3
This question refers to sales of farm products from this place.
We are not concerned with who was living on the farm during the
past 12 months. For example, if a respondent moved to a farm 5
months ago, it is possible the respondent may know the amount
of farm sales during the entire 12 months before the interview.
Exercise: 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 Item FARMSALES?
19
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Instrument Screens
Survey Quality and Measurement Staff
Demographic Statistical Methods Division
Front Section
RIREASON
Reinterview Help Menu
Press F8 to proceed to the reinterview.
1. Why are you calling me again?
2. Are you calling everyone or am I just lucky?
3. Don't you have anything better to do with my tax dollars? I'm too busy to answer
your questions again.
4. Are you “checking up” on me? I told you the truth the first time you called.
5. Do I have to answer your questions?
6. Return to Reinterview
RIREF1
Why are you calling me again?
Like any business, we're interested in maintaining the quality of our product, so each
month we reinterview a few households who are in the survey to ensure we are
efficiently and accurately collecting data.
1. Continue
2. Back to Reinterview Help Menu
RIREF2
Are you calling everyone or am I just lucky?
We are able to get a reliable measure of data quality by reinterviewing only a small
percentage of the total households interviewed in the survey.
1. Continue
2. Back to Reinterview Help Menu
RIREF3
Don't you have anything better to do with my tax dollars?
I'm too busy to answer your questions again.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
2
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) will use the data to prepare periodic and special
reports about crimes. Occasionally, questions are added to the survey to obtain
information on important crime issues. The Census Bureau feels a strong need for an
independent measure of the data’s quality. Consequently, we feel that the results
from our reinterview are a wise use of our tax dollars.
1. Continue
2. Back to Reinterview Help Menu
RIREF4
Are you “checking up” on me?
I told you the truth the first time you called.
The purpose of reinterview is not to check up on respondents. In order to ensure that
we are efficiently and accurately collecting data, we reinterview a few households
who are in the survey.
1. Continue
2. Back to Reinterview Help Menu
RIREF5
Do I have to answer your questions?
Your participation in this survey is voluntary. However, the information you provide
will help us to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of our data collection procedures.
Like any business, we’re interested in maintaining the quality of our product.
1. Continue
2. Back to Reinterview Help Menu
H_PURPOSE
Choose from the following topics of frequently asked questions:
Press F8 to proceed with the reinterview.
1. (800) Number
2. Wasting taxpayers money
3. Why not ask the police about crimes?
4. Who uses this information? What good is it?
5. Why so many questions when I told you “No crimes”?
6. No crimes here, so go ask somebody else
7. Survey doesn’t seem to be working, crimes still occur
8. How many times will I be contacted?
9. How can I get information regarding BJS/NCVS?
10. OMB NOTICE statement for respondents with a serious grievance
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
3
11. Return to Reinterview
H_PURPOSE1
Confirm Call/Survey
To verify that I am calling from the Census Bureau, you may call our toll free number:
1‐800‐392‐6975 (HTC)
1‐800‐642‐0469 (TTC)
or provide your regional office number.
When you call, please provide your name and the following identification number:
[Fill: CASEID]
Read if necessary:
To verify that the toll free number is legitimate, you may call Directory Assistance
on 1‐800‐555‐1212.
1. Continue
2. Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE2
YOU ARE WASTING TAXPAYERS MONEY BY CONDUCTING THIS USELESS SURVEY.
The survey tells us about the amount and nature as well as crime trends and crimes
not reported to the police. It can help save taxpayer money where new programs are
developed by focusing on the people who are most likely to be victims of crime and
making crime prevention and control programs more effective.
1. Continue
2. Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE3
WHY DON’T YOU CALL THE POLICE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT CRIME...
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 crime on the victim. The survey provides much more
detailed information than we get from the police on both reported and unreported
crime.
1.
2.
Continue
Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
4
H_PURPOSE4
WHO USES THIS INFORMATION? WHAT GOOD IS IT?
The 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.
1.
2.
Continue
Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE5
WHY DO I HAVE TO ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS WHEN I ALREADY TOLD
YOU NO CRIMES WERE COMMITTED AGAINST US IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS?
We have studied asking fewer questions, but have found that people sometimes don’t
think about a crime until a specific question reminds them about it. We need to ask all
people the same questions to guarantee the quality of the data.
1. Continue
2. Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE6
I DON’T HAVE ANY CRIMES TO REPORT. WHY DON’T YOU INTRERVIEW MY
NEIGHBOR? I KNOW HE’D HAVE SOME CRIMES TO REPORT.
Your participation is important whether or not you report a crime. We cannot
accurately find out the percentage of people who experience crime, unless we get
information from both victims and non‐victims.
1. Continue
2. Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE7
I ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS BUT CRIMES STILL OCCUR. THIS SURVEY
DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WORKING.
It may not be possible to eliminate all crime, although we want to reduce it as much as
possible. The survey is also used to develop and improve programs for assisting those
who have become crime victims.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
5
1.
2.
Continue
Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE8
I’VE ALREADY ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS ONCE. HOW MANY TIMES WILL
I BE CONTACTED?
You will probably be contacted a total of seven times over three years. We hope that
you will not become a victim of crime during that time, but we need to keep asking
the questions to find people who do become victims. Research has shown that by
contacting the same households a number of times we get the most accurate
information.
1. Continue
2. Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE9
I ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, BUT NEVER SEE ANY RESULTS. HOW CAN I GET
INFORMATION REGARDING BJS/NCVS?
You can find detailed results from the survey at the BJS website at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Many newspapers and television stations write about the survey results when reports
come out so you may see something there too.
1. Continue
2. Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
H_PURPOSE10
OMB NOTICE
Read the NOTICE statement to the respondent only if they have a serious grievance
and would like to make a complaint regarding the survey.
Allow the respondent time to copy the agency title and addresses listed in the NOTICE
statement.
OMB No. 1121‐0111: Approval Expires: 08/31/2015
NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY NOTICE ‐
We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code,
Section 8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and
your household strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
6
purposes. Also, Title 42, Section 3732, United States Code, authorizes the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to collect information using this survey.
Title 42, Sections 3789g and 3735, United States Code, also requires us to keep all
information about you and your household strictly confidential. According to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection
of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB number. Comments
about this survey or recommendations for reducing its length may be sent to the
Chief, Victimization Statistics Branch, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, D.C.
20531.
1.
2.
Continue
Back to Frequently Asked Questions menu
KEY_REF
Function Keys Description:
F1
Item specific Help
F2
(Unassigned)
F3
(Unassigned)
F4
Jump menu
F5
(Unassigned)
F6
(Unassigned)
F7
Enter item specific notes
F8
Return from skip
F9
(Unassigned)
F10
Exit‐skip to END
F11
(Unassigned)
F12
Copy
Shift‐F1 Display the household roster
Shift‐F2 FAQs
Shift‐F3 Reinterview FAQs
Shift‐F4 (Unassigned)
Shift‐F5 (Unassigned)
Shift‐F6 (Unassigned)
Shift‐F7 View Remarks/Item Notes
Shift‐F8 (Unassigned)
Shift‐F9 (Unassigned)
Shift‐F10 Display function keys
Shift‐F11 Display standard abbreviation list
Shift‐F12 Display original CAPI notes
Ctrl‐D
Don’t Know (D)
Ctrl‐F3
(Unassigned)
Ctrl‐E
(Unassigned)
Ctrl‐F
(Unassigned)
Ctrl‐F7
Access reinterview notes
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
7
Ctrl‐H
Ctrl‐K
Ctrl‐M
Ctrl‐R
Show info
Display function key descriptions
Show Don’t Know & Refusals
Refusal (R)
H_ABBREV1
Standard Abbreviation List
[Display the standard abbreviation list]
NOTE: This screen can be accessed at any time during the reinterview by pressing "Shift
F11."
FIN
THIS CASE IS NOT COMPLETED.
Enter 1 to continue.
1. Continue
START
[Fill: SURVEY_NAME]
CAPI Quality Control Reinterview
Time: [Fill: TIME_C]
Date: [Fill: RIDATE]
Reinterview Case Status: [Fill: OUTCOME and OUTCOME’s description]
Original Interview Date: [Fill: INTDATE]
Original FR Code: [Fill: ORIFR]
Original James Bond ID: [Fill: ORIUSERID]
Original Name: [Fill: FR_NAME]
Original Outcome:
[Fill: ORIOUT and ORIOUT’s description]
[Fill: TYPEA_SP / TYPEB_SP / TYPEC_SP /blank]
Original Respondent Name: [Fill: RESPNAME]
Sample Unit Phone: ([Fill: AREA]) [Fill: PREFIX]‐[Fill: SUFFIX], ext.[Fill: EXTN] ([Fill:
PHTYPE])
[Fill: "Second Phone:" SPHONE (SPHTYP) / blank]
Sample Unit Address: [Fill: ADDRESS1]
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
8
[Fill: “Best Time to Contact:” BESTTIME’s description / “Best Time to Contact:”
BESTTIM2 / blank]
[Fill: “Or” BESTTIM2 / blank]
[Fill: “DO NOT call on Sunday” / blank]
[Fill: “Spanish speaking” / blank]
1. Continue
2. Quit ‐ Attempt later
START_1A
CONTACT PERSON INFORMATION
Name: [Fill: CPNAME]
Title: [Fill: CPTITL]
Phone: [Fill: CPPHON], ext. [Fill: CPEXT] ([Fill: CPPHT])
Address: [Fill: CPADD1]
CPADD2
CPPO, CPST CPZP5‐CPZP4]
[Fill: “NO CONTACT PERSON INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE” / blank]
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
HHCOMP
Line No.
[Fill:
LNO]
Name
[Fill:
FNAME LNAME]
Relationship
[Fill: REL]
Age
[Fill:
AGE]
Sex
[Fill:
SEX]
Race
[Fill:
RACE]
Type of Resp.
[Fill: HHSTAT2
HHSTAT4 HHSTAT6]
Press Shift‐F1 to access this screen at any time during the reinterview.
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
BY_OBS
The interviewer determined the original outcome by observation. No contact person
information was collected.
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
9
METHOD
Choose one of the following options to continue:
1. Telephone Reinterview
2. Personal Visit Reinterview
3. Quit ‐ Attempt later
4. Reinterview Noninterview
5. RO/HQ Discretion ‐ Type A (Contact Supervisor)
DIAL
Respondent Name:
[Fill: RESPNAME]
Respondent Address: [Fill: ADDRESS1]
Contact Name: [Fill:
CPNAME]
Contact Address:
[Fill: CPADD1
CPADD2
CPPO, CPST CPZP5‐CPZP4]
♦
Dial this number:
([Fill: AREA]) [Fill: PREFIX]‐[Fill: SUFFIX], ext. [Fill: EXTN] ([Fill:
PHTYPE]) /
[Fill: CPPHON], ext. [Fill: CPEXT] ([Fill: CPPHT])
1. Someone answers
2. Enter new telephone number
3. Reinterview Noninterview
4. Quit ‐ Attempt later
_INTRO_
Enter 1 to update the telephone number.
1. Update telephone number
NEWNUMBER_A
♦ Record new number.
In Area Code: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_A] ♦ Edit area code or press Enter for same.
New Number: [Fill: PREFIX]‐[Fill: SUFFIX]
EXT: [Fill: EXTN]
NEWNUMBER_P
Record new number.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
10
In Area Code: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_A]
New Number: [Fill: PREFIX]‐[Fill: SUFFIX] Edit prefix or press Enter for same.
EXT: [Fill: EXTN]
NEWNUMBER_S
Record new number.
In Area Code: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_A]
New Number: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_P]‐[Fill: SUFFIX] Edit suffix or press Enter for
same.
EXT: [Fill: EXTN]
NEWNUMBER_E
Record new number.
In Area Code: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_A]
New Number: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_P]‐[Fill: NEWNUMBER_S]
EXT: [Fill: EXTN] ♦ Edit extension or press Enter for same.
NEWNUMBER_CP
Record new number.
New Number: [Fill: CPPHON] ♦ Edit phone or press Enter for same.
EXT: [Fill: CPEXT]
NEWNUMBER_CE
Record new number.
New Number: [Fill: NEWNUMBER_CP]
EXT: [Fill: CPEXT] ♦ Edit extension or press Enter for same.
_END_
Enter 1 to go back to Dial screen.
You may have to press Enter twice to update the phone number entries.
CKSUP
Contact your supervisor for authorization before conducting a personal visit.
1. Personal visit reinterview authorized
2. Quit ‐ Attempt later
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
11
HELLO_TC
Hello, I'm ... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
May I speak to [Fill: RESPNAME]?
1. This is correct person, or correct person called to the phone.
2. Person not available now. Call back later.
3. Person cannot be reached. Speak with another household member.
4. Person unknown at this number.
5. Person no longer lives there.
6. Person deceased.
7. Person can be reached at another number.
8. Reinterview Noninterview.
VERTELE
Have I reached area code [Fill: (AREA) PREFIX‐SUFFIX, ext. EXTN] /
[CPPHON, ext. CPEXT]?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Refused to verify
INTRO_TC
Thank you for helping us recently with the National Crime Victimization Survey.
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Is your address: [Fill: ADDRESS1]?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Refused to verify address
WRNUM
I'm sorry. I must have dialed incorrectly.
I'll try again.
Enter 1 to go back to Dial screen.
You may have to press Enter twice to go back to Dial screen.
1.
Redial
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
12
REFNUM
I'm sorry. I'll dial again to be sure I've dialed correctly.
1.
2.
After several attempts, wrap up case.
Redial
HELLO_TN
Hello, I’m... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
May I speak to [Fill: CPNAME]?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
This is correct person, or correct person called to the phone.
Person not available now.
Person unknown at this number
Person no longer lives there.
Person deceased.
Person can be reached at another number.
Reinterview Noninterview
VERTYPEA
This case was a Type A in the original interview.
Please use any available resource to check that the original outcome was:
[Fill: ORIOUT’s description] [Fill: “‐” TYPEA_SP / blank] on [Fill: INTDATE].
1. Original outcome was correct.
2. Original outcome was incorrect.
3. Reinterview Noninterview.
4. Quit ‐ Attempt later.
HELLO_TNX
Hello. I'm ... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Our records show that one of our interviewers, [Fill: FR_NAME], recently contacted
your location to verify the status of:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Can you or someone else answer a few questions to help us evaluate the interviewer’s
work?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
13
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Inconvenient time. Try again later.
INTRO_TN
Thank you for recently helping us verify the status of:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
HELLO_PC
Hello. I’m ... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here is my identification card.
Show ID card.
May I speak to [Fill: RESPNAME]?
1. Correct person available.
2. Person not available now. Come back later.
3. Person cannot be reached. Speak with another household member.
4. Person unknown at this address.
5. Person no longer lives there.
6. Person deceased.
7. No one lives at this address.
8. Reinterview Noninterview.
INTRO_PC
Thank you for helping us recently with the National Crime Victimization Survey.
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Is your address:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
14
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Refused to verify address
HELLO_PN
Hello. I’m... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here is my identification card.
Show ID card.
May I speak to [Fill: CPNAME]?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Correct person available.
Person not available now.
Person unknown at this address.
Person no longer lives there.
Person deceased.
Reinterview Noninterview.
HELLO_PNX
Hello, I’m... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here is my identification card.
♦
Show ID card.
Our records show that one of our interviewers, [Fill: FR_NAME], recently contacted
this location to verify the status of:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Can you or someone else answer a few questions to help us evaluate the interviewer’s
work?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Inconvenient time. Try again later.
ADDVER
I need to verify that the address [Fill: “here” / “there”] is:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
15
1.
2.
Yes
No
ADDVER_N
Perhaps you can help me.
I’m trying to find out information about:
[Fill: ADDRESS1].
Can you or someone else help me?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Yes.
Inconvenient time, call back later.
No, but I have a phone number of someone who can.
No,
INTRO_PN
Thank you for recently helping us verify the status of:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
VERBYOBS
The interviewer determined the original outcome by observation.
♦
Please use any available resource to check that:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
was [Fill: ORIOUT’s description] [Fill: “‐” TYPEB_SP / “‐” TYPEC_SP / blank]
on [Fill: INTDATE].
1.
2.
3.
4.
Original outcome was correct.
Original outcome was incorrect.
Reinterview Noninterview.
Quit ‐ Attempt later.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
16
HHMEM
Perhaps you can help me.
Are you a household member [Fill: “who is” MIN_AGE “years or older” / blank]?
1.
2.
Yes
No
HHMEM2
Is there a household member present I may speak to [Fill: “who is” MIN_AGE “years or
older” / blank]?
1.
2.
Yes
No
PROX_C
Our records show that one of our interviewers, [Fill: FR_NAME], recently contacted
your household.
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Can you or another household member answer a few questions to help us evaluate
the interviewer’s work?
1.
2.
Yes
No
PROX_N
Perhaps you can help me.
Our records show that one of our interviewers, [Fill: FR_NAME], recently contacted
this location to verify the status of
[Fill: ADDRESS1].
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Can you or someone else answer a few questions to help us evaluate the interviewer’s
work?
1.
Yes
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
17
2.
No
PROX_UC
Our records show that one of our interviewers, [Fill: FR_NAME], recently contacted
your household.
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
Can you or another household member [fill: MIN_AGE] years or older answer a few
questions to help us evaluate the interviewer’s work?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Inconvenient time. Try again later.
LIVEHERE
Were you living here on [Fill: INTDATE]?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Inconvenient time. Try again later.
PROX_UN
Our records show that one of our interviewers, [Fill: FR_NAME], recently contacted
someone [Fill: NUM_HERE] to verify the status of
[Fill: ADDRESS1].
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewers are
following correct procedures.
1.
Continue
HELLO_SP
Hello, I'm ... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
May I speak to [Fill: PROX_NAME]?
1.
2.
3.
4.
This is correct person, or correct person called to phone.
Person not available now. Call back later.
Person cannot be reached.
Person deceased
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
18
5.
Person can be reached at another number.
Middle Section
RIRESP
Line No.
[Fill: LNO]
Name
[Fill:
FNAME LNAME]
Relationship
[Fill: REL]
Age
[Fill:
AGE]
Sex
[Fill:
SEX]
Race
[Fill:
RACE]
Type of Resp.
[Fill: MEMBER]
Ask if necessary With whom am I speaking?
Enter line number of person you are speaking to or (0) if person is not on roster.
CONTACT_C
Did an interviewer contact you or someone in your household on or about [Fill:
INTDATE] and ask questions about crime incidents that happened during the last six
months, that is between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2]?
1. Yes
2. No
ORMODE
Did the interviewer visit in person or call on the telephone?
1. Personal visit only
2. Telephone call only
3. Both ‐ Interviewer visited and called
POLITE
Was the interviewer polite and professional?
1. Yes
2. No
PO_NOTES
Enter comments from the reinterview respondent here.
LENGTH_H
About how long did the interview last?
____ hours ____ min.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
19
LENGTH_M
About how long did the interview last?
[Fill: LENGTH_H] hour ___ min.
LAPTOP
Did the interviewer use a laptop computer?
1. Yes
2. No
ROSTER_1
Line No.
[Fill: LNO]
Name
Relationship Age
[Fill:
[Fill: REL]
[Fill:
FNAME LNAME]
AGE]
Sex
[Fill:
SEX]
Race
[Fill:
RACE]
Type of Resp.
[Fill: MEMBER]
Our records indicate that Read above name(s) in blue was/were living or staying
at
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
on [Fill: INTDATE].
Is this correct?
1. Yes
2. No
ROSTER_2
Line No.
[Fill: LNO]
Name
Relationship Age
[Fill:
[Fill: REL]
[Fill:
FNAME LNAME]
AGE]
Sex
[Fill:
SEX]
Race
[Fill:
RACE]
Type of Resp.
[Fill: MEMBER]
Enter the line number of the household member(s) (above name(s) in blue) who
wasn’t/weren’t living or staying at the household on [Fill: INTDATE].
ROSTER_3
Line No.
[Fill: LNO]
Name
Relationship Age
[Fill:
[Fill: REL]
[Fill:
FNAME LNAME]
AGE]
Sex
[Fill:
SEX]
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
Race
[Fill:
RACE]
Type of Resp.
[Fill: MEMBER]
]
20
Have I missed any household member who
[Fill: ROSTER_INFO1]
[Fill: ROSTER_INFO2]
[Fill: ROSTER_INFO3]?
1.
2.
Yes
No
ROSTER_4
Line No.
[Fill: LNO]
Name
Relationship Age
[Fill:
[Fill: REL]
[Fill:
FNAME LNAME]
AGE]
Sex
[Fill:
SEX]
Race
[Fill:
RACE]
Type of Resp.
[Fill: MEMBER]
♦
♦
Enter the name of each missing household member who
[Fill: ROSTER_INFO1]
[Fill: ROSTER_INFO2]
[Fill: ROSTER_INFO3]
Press Enter after each name and again after last name to continue.
START BLOCK: RI‐DEMO_VER block
RI_AGECHECK
I have [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] listed as [Fill: AGE_NO] [Fill:YEAR_YEARS] old [Fill:
AS_OF_LAST_MONTH]. Is that correct?
1. Yes, age IS correct.
2. No, age is NOT correct.
RI_AGE_RANGE
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] a child, a teenager, or an adult?
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE] ...
Read appropriate age categories.
1. 0 – 11 years old?
2. 12 – 13 years old?
3. 14 – 15 years old?
6. 25 – 34 years old?
7. 35 – 49 years old?
8. 50 – 65 years old?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
21
4. 16 – 17 years old?
5. 18 – 24 years old?
9. 66 years old or older?
RI_SEX_VER
I have [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] listed as [Fill: GENDR]. Is that correct?
1.
2.
Yes, sex IS correct.
No, sex is NOT correct.
RI_SEX
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] male or female?
1. Male
2. Female
RI_RACE_VER
I have [Fill: YOUR_NAMES] race listed as [Fill: DRACE]. Is that correct?
1.
2.
Yes, race IS correct.
No, race is NOT correct.
RI_RACE
Please choose one or more races that [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] [Fill: CONSIDER_SELF] to
be.
1. White
4. Asian
5. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
2. Black or African American
3. American Indian or Alaska Native
6. Other – specify
RI_RACE_SPECIFY
Specify the other race for this person.
RI_ORIGIN_VER
I have [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] listed as [Fill: ORIGN] being Spanish, Hispanic, or
Latino. Is that correct?
1. Yes, Hispanic origin IS correct
2. No , Hispanic origin is NOT correct
RI_ORIGIN
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
22
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_MARITAL_VER
I have [Fill: YOUR_NAMES] marital status listed as [Fill: MARTL]. Is that correct?
1. Yes, marital status IS correct
2. No , marital status is NOT correct
RI_MARITAL
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] married, widowed, divorced, separated or never
married?
1. Married
4. Separated
2. Widowed
5. Never Married
3. Divorced
END BLOCK: RI‐DEMO_VER block
START BLOCK: RI‐DEMO_NEW block
RI_AGE_RANGE
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] a child, a teenager, or an adult?
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE] ...
Read appropriate age categories.
1. 0 – 11 years old?
2. 12 – 13 years old?
3. 14 – 15 years old?
4. 16 – 17 years old?
5. 18 – 24 years old?
6. 25 – 34 years old?
7. 35 – 49 years old?
8. 50 – 65 years old?
9. 66 years old or older?
RI_SEX
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] male or female?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
23
1.
2.
Male
Female
RI_RACE
Please choose one or more races that [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] [Fill: CONSIDER_SELF] to
be.
1. White
4. Asian
2. Black or African American
5. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
3. American Indian or Alaska Native
6. Other – specify
RI_RACE_SPECIFY
Specify the other race for this person.
RI_ORIGIN
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_MARITAL
[Fill: IS_ARE] [Fill: YOU_NAME_CC] married, widowed, divorced, separated or never
married?
1. Married
4. Separated
2. Widowed
5. Never Married
3. Divorced
END BLOCK: RI‐DEMO_NEW block
RI_HHINCOME_VER
The total household income for your household is listed as [Fill: HHINC].
Is that correct?
1. Yes, household income IS correct
2. No, household income is NOT correct
RI_HHINCOME
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
24
Which of the following categories 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.
Read income categories.
11. Less than $5,000
18. $20,000 ‐ $24,999
12. $5,000 ‐ $7,499
19. $25,000 ‐ $29,999
13. $7,500 ‐ $9,999
20. $30,000 ‐ $34,999
14. $10,000 ‐ $12,499
21. $35,000 ‐ $39,999
15. $12,500 ‐ $14,999
22. $40,000 ‐ $49,990
16. $15,000 ‐ $17,499
23. $50,000 ‐ $74,999
24. $75,000 and over
17. $17,500 ‐ $19,999
RI_HHTENURE_VER
I have that your living quarters are [Fill: TENR]. Is that correct?
1. Yes, tenure IS correct.
2. No, tenure is NOT correct.
RI_HHTENURE
Are your living quarters …
Read answer categories.
1. Owned or being bought by you or someone in your household?
2. Rented for cash?
3. Occupied without payment of cash rent?
RI_SQTHEFT
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 between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2].
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as –
Read each category
‐‐Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet, purse, briefcase, book ‐
‐‐Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone ‐
‐‐Bicycle or sports equipment ‐
‐‐Things in your home – like a TV, stereo, or tools ‐
‐‐Things outside your home such as a garden hose or lawn furniture ‐
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
25
‐‐Things belonging to children in the household
‐‐Things 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?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQTHEFTTIMES
How many times?
RI_SQTHEFTSPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
RI_SQBREAKIN
Has anyone ‐‐
Read each category
- Broken in or ATTEMPTED to break into your home by forcing a door or 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?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQBREAKINTIMES
How many times?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
26
RI_SQBREAKINSPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
RI_SQTOTALVEHICLES
What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, or other motor
vehicles owned by you or any other member of this household during the last 6
months, that is between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2]?
Include those you no longer own.
If greater than 4, enter 4.
RI_SQMVTHEFT
During the last 6 months, that is between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2],
were any of the vehicles –
Read each category
- 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? (Screen
RI_SQMVTHEFT)
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQMVTHEFTTIMES
How many times?
RI_SQMVTHEFTSPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
27
RI_THANKHR
Thank you for your cooperation. I now have a few more questions I would like to ask
[Fill: YOU_PROX_NAME].
1. Continue
RI_SPEAKTOSP
May I speak to [Fill: PROX_NAME]?
1. Yes, sample person is available.
2. Sample person not available now. Call or come back later.
3. No, sample person will not be available.
RI_INTROSP
Hello. I’m .... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that our interviewer
followed the correct procedures when he/she recently interviewed you for the
National Crime Victimization Survey.
I’ve already completed part of this interview with [Fill: RESPNAME] and would like
to finish this interview by asking you a few questions.
1. Continue
2. Sample person unwilling or unable to continue.
RI_QUESTYPESP
The questions I will ask you will be about the crime incidents that occurred to [Fill:
TORESP] between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2].
1. Continue
RI_SQATTACKWHERE
[Fill: SINCE_OTHERTHAN],[Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2],
[Fill: WERE_WAS] [Fill: YOU_NAME] attacked or threatened OR did [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE]
have something stolen from [Fill: YOU_HIM_HER] ‐
Read each category
- At home including the porch or yard ‐
- At or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home ‐
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
28
- At work or school ‐
- In places such as a storage shed or laundry room, a shopping mall, restaurant,
-
bank, or airport ‐
While riding in any vehicle ‐
On 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 [Fill: YOU_NAME]?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQATTACKWHERETIMES
How many times?
RI_SQATTACKWHERESPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
RI_SQATTACKHOW
[Fill: HAS_OTHERTHAN] anyone attacked or threatened [Fill: YOU_NAME] in any of
these ways –
Exclude telephone threats
Read each category
- With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knife ‐
- With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan, scissors, or stick ‐
- By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle ‐
- Include any grabbing, punching, or choking ‐
- Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of sexual attack ‐
- Any 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:
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
29
Did any incidents of this type happen to [Fill: YOU_NAME]?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQATTACKHOWTIMES
How many times?
RI_SQATTACKHOWSPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
People often don’t think of incidents committed by someone they know.
[Fill:DID_OTHERTHAN] [Fill:YOU_NAME] have something stolen from
[Fill:YOU_HIM_HER] or [Fill:WERE_WAS] [Fill:YOU_HE_SHE] attacked or threatened
by –
Exclude telephone threats
Read each category
- Someone at work or school ‐
- A neighbor or friend ‐
- A relative or family member ‐
- Any other person [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE] [Fill: HAVE_HAS] met or known?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to [Fill: YOU_NAME]?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFFTIMES
How many times?
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFFSPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
30
RI_SQSEXUAL
Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts are often difficult to talk about.
[Fill: HAVE_OTHERTHAN] [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE] been forced or coerced to engage in
unwanted sexual activity by –
Read each category
Someone [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE] didn’t know‐
A casual acquaintance ‐ OR
Someone [Fill: YOU_HE_SHE] [Fill: KNOW_KNOWS] well?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to [Fill: YOU_NAME]?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQSEXUALTIMES
How many times?
RI_SQSEXUALSPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
RI_SQCALLPOLICECRIME
During the last 6 months, that is between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2],
[Fill:OTHER_THAN_ALREADY] did [Fill: YOU_NAME] call the police to report something
that happened to [Fill: YOU_HIM_HERCAP] which [Fill:YOU_HE_SHE] thought was a
crime?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQCALLPOLICESPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
31
RI_SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT
If not sure ask:
[Fill: WERE_WAS_C] [Fill: YOU_NAME] attacked or threatened, or was something
stolen or an attempt made to steal something that belonged to [Fill:YOU_HIM_HER] or
another household member?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES
How many times?
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
During the last 6 months, that is between [Fill: REFPRD1] and [Fill: REFPRD2],
[Fill: OTHER_THAN_ALREADY] did anything [Fill: YOU_NAME] thought was a crime
happen to [Fill: YOU_HIM_HERCAP], but [Fill:YOU_HE_SHE] did NOT report to the
police?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT
If not sure ask:
[Fill: WERE_WAS_C] [Fill: YOU_NAME] attacked or threatened, or was something
stolen or an attempt made to steal something that belonged to [Fill:YOU_HIM_HER] or
another household member?
1. Yes
2. No
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES
How many times?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
32
CONTACT_N
Did an interviewer visit or call regarding:
[Fill: ADDRESS1]?
1. Yes
2. No
PROX_PRESENT
Were you present during the original interview?
1. Yes
2. No
SOMEONE_ELSE
Could the interviewer have spoken to another person [Fill: AT_ABOUT]
[Fill: ADDRESS1 /
CPADD1
CPADD2
CPPO, CPST CPZP5‐CPZP4]?
1. Yes
2. No
SPEAKTO:
May I speak to her/him?
1. Yes
2. No
STATUS
Our records show that on [Fill: INTDATE],
[Fill: ADDRESS1]
[Fill: ORIOUT’s description].
Is this information correct?
1. Yes
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
33
2.
No
STAT_PROBE:
Original Outcome:
[Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill: ORIOUT’s description]
[Fill: TYPEB_SP / TYPEC_SP / blank]
Original Interview Date: [Fill: INTDATE]
What was the status of [Fill: ADDRESS1]
on or about [Fill: INTDATE]?
♦ Enter reported status.
♦ Explain any discrepancy between reported status and original outcome.
STAT_PROB2
Original Outcome: [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill: ORIOUT’s description]
Original Interview Date: [Fill: INDATE]
What was the status of [Fill: ADDRESS1]
on or about [Fill: INDATE]?
♦ Enter reported status.
♦ Explain any discrepancy between reported status and original outcome.
Back Section
THANK_SORRY
I'm sorry, I have the wrong address/telephone number. Thank you for your help.
Attempt to contact the correct household now or at a later time.
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
THANK_YOU
Thank you for your cooperation. You've been very helpful.
Enter 1 to continue.
1. Continue
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
34
THANK_REF
I’m sorry to have bothered you.
Enter 1 to continue
1.
Continue
THANK_NOHH
Thank you for your help, but I need to speak to a household member. I'll try back
later.
♦
Enter 1 to continue.
1.
Continue
APPT
I'd like to schedule a date to complete/conduct the quality check. What Date and
Time would be best to call/visit?
Today is: [Fill: RIDATE].
Enter Date and Time
Enter (1) if you don’t intend to follow up on this case.
APPT2
What Date AND Time would be best to contact
[Fill: RESPNAME /CPNAME, CPTITL/PROX_NAME] in order to conduct the quality
check?
Today is: [Fill: RIDATE]
♦
Enter Date and Time
♦
Enter (1) if you don't intend to follow up on this case.
CBTHANK
Thank you for your help.
We will call/visit again at the time suggested.
Enter 1 to continue.
1. Continue
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
35
RI_DESCRIPTSP
Which one of the following best describes what happened in reinterview with
[Fill: PROX_NAME]?
1. You could NOT complete reinterview with [Fill: PROX_NAME] because he/she was
unavailable for reinterview.
2. You could NOT complete reinterview with [Fill: PROX_NAME] because he/she
refused to be reinterviewed.
3. You could NOT complete reinterview with [Fill: PROX_NAME] because he/she but
was physically/mentally unable to complete the reinterview.
4. You could NOT complete reinterview with [Fill: PROX_NAME] because he/she was
temporarily absent during reinterview.
5. You could NOT complete reinterview with [Fill: PROX_NAME] because of a reason
not listed above. Specify in the Reinterview Notes.
STATUS_RI
This case is not completed.
Make several attempts to contact respondent/contact person before selecting
reinterview noninterview.
1.
2.
Quit ‐ Complete later
Reinterview Noninterview
NONINT
Which outcome describes this reinterview case?
1.
2.
3.
TYPEA:
Type A Noninterview.
Type B Noninterview.
Type C Noninterview.
Which Type A outcome describes this reinterview case?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Unable to complete, bad telephone number.
Unable to locate.
No one home.
Temporarily absent.
Refused.
Language problem.
Respondent can’t remember.
Insufficient partial.
Other Type A ‐ Specify in the Reinterview Notes.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
36
TYPEB
Which Type B outcome describes this reinterview case?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
TYPEC
Vacant, regular or seasonal.
Vacant, storage of household furniture.
Converted to temporary business or storage.
Unoccupied tent or trailer site.
Unfit, to be demolished.
HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible.
Entire HH under age [Fill: MIN_AGE].
Temporarily occupied by persons with Usual Residence Elsewhere (URE).
Other Type B ‐ Specify in the Reinterview Notes.
Which Type C outcome describes this reinterview case?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
MISC_B:
Demolished.
House or trailer moved.
Converted to permanent business or storage.
Condemned.
Deceased.
Moved out of country.
Other Type C ‐ Specify in the Reinterview Notes.
Which of the following options describes the misclassification of this original Type B
case?
1.
2.
3.
Should have been an Interview or Type A.
Should have been another Type B.
Should have been a Type C.
MISC_C:
Which of the following options describes the misclassification of this original Type C
case?
1.
2.
3.
Should have been an Interview or Type A.
Should have been a Type B.
Should have been another Type C.
RI_OUTCM
Original Outcome: [FILL: ORIOUT] – [FILL: ORIOUT’s description]
Original Interview Date: [FILL: INTDATE].
Was the original outcome correct ?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
37
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Reinterview Noninterview
RIOUT_NOTES
Original Outcome:
[FILL: ORIOUT] ‐ [FILL: ORIOUT’s description]
[Fill: TYPEA_SP/TYPEB_SP/TYPEC_SP/blank]
Original Interview Date: [FILL: INTDATE].
♦ The reinterview respondent indicated that the original outcome is incorrect. Please
enter notes detailing the reasons why you believe the original outcome is correct.
FALSIF
[Fill: “Your reinterview indicates the following discrepancies:” code and description of
each code listed in DISCREPANCY array /
“Your reinterview did not indicate any discrepancies.”]
Do you suspect falsification?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Unable to determine
FALSIF2
[Fill: “Your reinterview indicates the following discrepancies:”
code and description of each code listed in DISCREPANCY array]
♦
Falsification is suspected for this case. An 11‐163 is required. Please notify your
supervisor.
1. Continue
DISCREP_NOTES
Explain why you do not suspect falsification in the Reinterview Notes now.
Press Ctrl‐F7 to access Reinterview Notes.
Enter 1 when done with your explanation in the Reinterview Notes.
RO_DISC
Caution: Obtain supervisor's permission before selecting an option below.
Which of the following options describes this reinterview case?
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
38
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Hard to interview original case
More than 50 miles from nearest reinterviewer and no phone number
Observed during the original interview
Personal visit needed, but not authorized
Case management or ROSCO problems ‐ Obtain HQ approval
Sample adjustment ‐ Obtain HQ approval
Other RO discretion ‐ Specify in the Reinterview Notes
NO_DISCREP
Explain why you suspect falsification in the Reinterview Notes now.
Press Ctrl‐F7 to access Reinterview Notes.
Enter 1 when done with your explanation in the Reinterview Notes.
SF_RIDISP
Your reinterview detected multiple discrepancies.
Enter the code of the detected discrepancy which best describes the primary reason
you suspect falsification.
1. The reinterview respondent said no one contacted this household regarding this
survey.
2. You determined that the original status, [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill: ORIOUT’s description
from Attachment C], was incorrect.
3. The status of this case was completed by observation in the original interview. You
determined that the original status, [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill: ORIOUT’s description from
Attachment C] was incorrect.
4. This case was a Type A in the original interview. You determined that the original
status, [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill: ORIOUT’s description from Attachment C], was incorrect.
5. The interviewer classified this unit as a Type B or Type C Noninterview and you
determined that it should have been an Interview or Type A.
6. The reinterview respondent indicated that the original status, [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill:
ORIOUT’s description from Attachment C] was incorrect.
7. The household roster was incorrect.
10. This case was done by a personal visit and the reinterview respondent said the
interviewer did not use a laptop
13. Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly recorded on roster.
14. The household income and/or tenure was/were incorrectly recorded.
NSF_RIDISP
Your reinterview detected multiple discrepancies.
Enter the code of the detected discrepancy which best describes this case.
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
39
1.
2.
6.
7.
10.
13.
14.
The reinterview respondent said no one contacted this household regarding this
survey.
You determined that the original status, [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill: ORIOUT’s description
from Attachment C, was incorrect.
The reinterview respondent indicated that the original status, [Fill: ORIOUT] ‐ [Fill:
ORIOUT’s description from Attachment C] was incorrect.
The household roster was incorrect.
This case was done by a personal visit and the reinterview respondent said the
interviewer did not use a laptop.
Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly recorded on roster.
The household income and/or tenure was/were incorrectly recorded.
READYWRAP
♦
This case is completed and ready to be transmitted. After exiting, the case will
be removed from your Case List view.
1. Continue
WRAP_UP
OUTCOME: [fill: OUTCOME]
ACTION: [fill: ACTION]
RI_DISP: [fill: RI_DISP]
1.
Continue
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
40
Index to NCVS 2015
Reinterview Instrument Screens
_END_, 10
_INTRO_, 9
ADDVER, 14
ADDVER_N, 15
APPT, 34
APPT2, 34
BY_OBS, 8
CBTHANK, 34
CKSUP, 10
CONTACT_C, 18
CONTACT_N, 32
DIAL, 9
DISCREP_NOTES, 37
FALSIF, 37
FALSIF2, 37
FIN, 7
H_ABBREV1, 7
H_PURPOSE, 2
H_PURPOSE1, 3
H_PURPOSE10, 5
H_PURPOSE2, 3
H_PURPOSE3, 3
H_PURPOSE4, 4
H_PURPOSE5, 4
H_PURPOSE6, 4
H_PURPOSE7, 4
H_PURPOSE8, 5
H_PURPOSE9, 5
HELLO_PC, 13
HELLO_PN, 14
HELLO_PNX, 14
HELLO_SP, 17
HELLO_TC, 11
HELLO_TN, 12
HELLO_TNX, 12
HHCOMP, 8
HHMEM, 16
HHMEM2, 16
INTRO_PC, 13
INTRO_PN, 15
INTRO_TC, 11
INTRO_TN, 13
KEY_REF, 6
LAPTOP, 19
LENGTH_H, 18
LENGTH_M, 19
LIVEHERE, 17
METHOD, 9
MISC_B, 36
MISC_C, 36
NEWNUMBER_A, 9
NEWNUMBER_CE, 10
NEWNUMBER_CP, 10
NEWNUMBER_E, 10
NEWNUMBER_P, 9
NEWNUMBER_S, 10
NO_DISCREP, 38
NONINT, 35
NSF_RIDISP, 38
ORMODE, 18
PO_NOTES, 18
POLITE, 18
PROX_C, 16
PROX_N, 16
PROX_PRESENT, 32
PROX_UC, 17
PROX_UN, 17
READYWRAP, 39
REFNUM, 12
RI_AGE_RANGE, 20, 22
RI_AGECHECK, 20
RI_DESCRIPTSP, 35
RI_HHINCOME, 24
RI_HHINCOME_VER, 23
RI_HHTENURE, 24
RI_HHTENURE_VER, 24
RI_INTROSP, 27
RI_MARITAL, 22, 23
RI_MARITAL_VER, 22
RI_ORIGIN, 22, 23
RI_ORIGIN_VER, 21
RI_OUTCM, 36
RI_QUESTYPESP, 27
RI_RACE, 21, 23
RI_RACE_SPECIFY, 21, 23
RI_RACE_VER, 21
RI_SEX, 21, 23
RI_SEX_VER, 21
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
41
RI_SPEAKTOSP, 27
RI_SQATTACKHOW, 28
RI_SQATTACKHOWSPEC, 29
RI_SQATTACKHOWTIMES, 29
RI_SQATTACKWHERE, 27
RI_SQATTACKWHERESPEC, 28
RI_SQATTACKWHERETIMES, 28
RI_SQBREAKIN, 25
RI_SQBREAKINSPEC, 26
RI_SQBREAKINTIMES, 26
RI_SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT, 31
RI_SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES, 31
RI_SQCALLPOLICECRIME, 30
RI_SQCALLPOLICESPEC, 30
RI_SQMVTHEFT, 26
RI_SQMVTHEFTSPEC, 26
RI_SQMVTHEFTTIMES, 26
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT, 31
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES, 31
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME, 31
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC, 31
RI_SQSEXUAL, 30
RI_SQSEXUALSPEC, 30
RI_SQSEXUALTIMES, 30
RI_SQTHEFT, 24
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF, 29
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFFSPEC, 29
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFFTIMES, 29
RI_SQTHEFTSPEC, 25
RI_SQTHEFTTIMES, 25
RI_SQTOTALVEHICLES, 26
RI_THANKHR, 27
RIOUT_NOTES, 37
RIREASON, 1
RIREF1, 1
RIREF2, 1
RIREF3, 1
RIREF4, 2
RIREF5, 2
RIRESP, 18
RO_DISC, 37
ROSTER_1, 19
ROSTER_2, 19
ROSTER_3, 19
ROSTER_4, 20
SF_RIDISP, 38
SOMEONE_ELSE, 32
SPEAKTO, 32
START, 7
START_1A, 8
STAT_PROB2, 33
STAT_PROBE, 33
STATUS, 32
STATUS_RI, 35
THANK_NOHH, 34
THANK_REF, 34
THANK_SORRY, 33
THANK_YOU, 33
TYPEA, 35
TYPEB, 36
TYPEC, 36
VERBYOBS, 15
VERTELE, 11
VERTYPEA, 12
WRAP_UP, 39
WRNUM, 11
NCVS 2015 Reinterview Screens
NCVS-546
(Revised December 2014)
National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) CAPI
REINTERVIEWER’S MANUAL
DISCLAIMER: 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 persons, especially any
current or former Census Bureau employees.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
NCVS-546 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPIC 1. OBJECTIVE OF THE NCVS CAPI REINTERVIEW ...........................................1
TOPIC 2. OVERVIEW OF QC REINTERVIEW.....................................................................3
QC Sample ...........................................................................................................................3
Eligible Cases.......................................................................................................................3
Ineligible Cases ....................................................................................................................3
Observed Cases ....................................................................................................................3
Eligible Respondents, Callbacks, and Proxies .....................................................................3
Telephone Preferred .............................................................................................................4
Personal Visit .......................................................................................................................4
Timing ..................................................................................................................................4
TOPIC 3. SAMPLE SELECTION .............................................................................................5
How the QC Sample is Selected ..........................................................................................5
How the Respondents are Chosen........................................................................................5
Supplemental QC Reinterview ............................................................................................5
Prior to Releasing Assignments ...............................................................................5
During Interview Period ...........................................................................................5
Activating Inactive Cases .........................................................................................6
Timing ......................................................................................................................6
Confidentiality .....................................................................................................................6
TOPIC 4. LAPTOP OPERATIONS FOR QC REINTERVIEW ...........................................7
Location .............................................................................................................................7
Reinterview Software........................................................................................................7
Selecting NCVS CAPI QC Reinterview ............................................................................7
Reinterviewer Transmissions .............................................................................................7
Case Management ..............................................................................................................7
QC Reinterview Respondent Name .......................................................................7
QC Reinterview Codes ..........................................................................................8
TOPIC 5. CONDUCTING THE QC REINTERVIEW ...........................................................9
QC Reinterview Instrument ...............................................................................................9
“Don’t Know” and “Refusal” Response Choices ..............................................................9
QC Reinterview Questions for Cases Treated as Original Interviews ...............................9
Interview Verification ............................................................................................9
Household Roster Verification ............................................................................10
Demographic Characteristic Verification/Collection..........................................10
Verification/Collection of Household Income and Tenure .................................11
Household Crime Screeners ................................................................................11
Person Crime Screeners .......................................................................................12
What if the RE Sample Person is unavailable? ....................................................12
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NCVS-546 (December 2014)
QC Reinterview Questions for Cases Treated as Original Noninterviews .....................13
With Contact Person Information ........................................................................13
Without Contact Person Information ...................................................................13
Reinterview Noninterviews..............................................................................................14
RO Discretion Cases ........................................................................................................14
Reinterview Notes ............................................................................................................14
Instrument Function Keys ................................................................................................15
TOPIC 6. FEEDBACK AND FOLLOW-UP..........................................................................17
What is Falsification? ......................................................................................................17
Failure to Follow Procedures...........................................................................................17
Noninterview Misclassification .......................................................................................17
Discrepancies between the Original Interview and Reinterview .....................................18
The FALSIF2 Screen .......................................................................................................20
The FALSIF Screen .........................................................................................................20
Interviewing at the Wrong Address.................................................................................21
What to Do If You Suspect Falsification .........................................................................21
The Form 11-163 .............................................................................................................21
When to Contact the Original Interviewer .......................................................................21
Minor Errors.....................................................................................................................22
Serious Errors...................................................................................................................22
TOPIC 7. REINTERVIEW (RI) OUTCOME ........................................................................23
Reinterview Outcome Codes ...........................................................................................23
Assignment of Codes .......................................................................................................23
NCVS-546 (December 2015)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
TOPIC 1. OBJECTIVE OF THE NCVS CAPI REINTERVIEW
The reinterview program for the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Computer
Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) consists of a CAPI Quality Control (QC) reinterview.
Questions about age are included, after roster verification, in order to determine if all teenagers
(12 to 18 years of age) in the household are being reported. Teenagers who have been in school
within the last six months are eligible for the School Crime Supplement (when it is collected).
Other demographic characteristics (sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status), household income,
and household tenure (own or rent) will also be verified and/or collected during reinterview.
Included in the NCVS CAPI QC instrument are questions for a response error (RE) analysis.
The RE analysis will be used as an additional tool to determine the quality of the NCVS data.
The RE questions, asked only for complete original interviews, are asked of the household
respondent and of a randomly chosen RE sample person.
The primary purpose of the NCVS CAPI QC reinterview is to detect and deter interviewers (field
representatives or other personnel who conduct interviews) who may be falsifying data. The
NCVS reinterview determines whether the original interviewer knowingly falsified information
or needs retraining because of a high number of errors. The reinterview consists of a sample of
units that were interviewed or were classified originally as Type B or C noninterviews.
In this manual, we refer to anyone who conducts the NCVS as an interviewer and anyone who
conducts the NCVS reinterview as a reinterviewer.
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TOPIC 2. OVERVIEW OF QC REINTERVIEW
QC Sample
The QC sample is selected by Headquarters (HQ) and sent to the Regional Offices (ROs) to make
assignments.
Eligible Cases
The QC reinterview sample includes complete original interviews and Type B and Type C
noninterviews (with and without available telephone numbers).
Ineligible Cases
Original NCVS CAPI cases not eligible for QC reinterview are:
•
•
•
Type A noninterviews,
Observed cases, and
Cases reassigned to an interviewer in a different RO.
Note: Original Type A noninterviews are not selected by HQ for either QC random or
supplemental reinterview. However, the RO can activate them as supplemental
reinterview cases if they are among the inactive supplemental cases.
Observed Cases
Once an observed interview is completed, the observer should mark the case as “observed” in the
SFR Functions on the interviewer’s laptop. If this is done properly, the “observed” flag will
come in with the completed case. Observed cases are not eligible for reinterview.
If the RO identifies an observed case in the reinterview workload that was not made ineligible,
the RO can assign it to a laptop in the office and code the case as a RO Discretion, “Observed
during the original interview.”
Eligible Respondents, Callbacks, and Proxies
The QC reinterview respondent is the person who responded in the original interview. For
complete original interviews in reinterview, there will be a household respondent and an RE
sample person (possibly the same person). Beginning in January 2015, if the household
respondent is unavailable, a proxy is allowed to complete the reinterview. The proxy
respondent must be a household member that is 18 years of age or older. Proxies are
ONLY allowed for the RE sample person if the proxy respondent answered the questions
for the RE person during the NCVS interview.
For cases treated as Type B and C original noninterviews in reinterview, if the contact person is
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
unavailable, proxies are acceptable. The proxy respondent must be 18 years of age or older and
knowledgeable about the status of the sample unit. A callback is necessary if a proxy cannot be
reached.
Telephone Preferred
Conduct QC reinterview by telephone whenever possible. If reinterview treats the case as an
original Type B or C noninterview, use the B/C contact person information to conduct
reinterview.
If a reinterview case does not have a telephone number or the number listed is not valid, then
follow your RO’s locating procedures.
Personal Visit
Do a personal visit if you cannot conduct a QC reinterview by phone and the unit is
within 50 miles AND you have RO permission to conduct a personal visit reinterview.
Some situations that require a personal visit are:
•
•
•
•
The household does not have a valid telephone number.
The telephone number provided in reinterview case management is not the correct
number for the household the interviewer interviewed.
The household does not want to give information by telephone.
The noninterview case does not have a valid contact person telephone number.
Note: The “50-mile rule” allows the RO to classify cases that have no phone number and
are more than 50 miles from a NCVS CAPI reinterviewer as a RO Discretion, “More than
50 miles from nearest reinterviewer and no phone number.”
Timing
Conduct QC reinterviews as soon as possible once assignments for the NCVS CAPI are certified
and HQ has loaded the reinterview cases into the RI_STATUS table.
You will generally receive a QC reinterview case on your laptop two to three days after the
original case is completed. Each QC reinterview case should be completed within two weeks of
the completion of the original case.
For each interview period:
•
•
•
Reinterview begins one to three days after the start of production interviewing,
Reinterview ends two weeks after interview closeout in the ROs, and
Reinterview closeout in the ROs is three business days after reinterview ends.
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TOPIC 3. SAMPLE SELECTION
How the QC Sample is selected
For the NCVS CAPI, HQ selects the QC reinterview sample in two stages after the original
assignments are certified. First it selects a sample of interviewers who work on the NCVS CAPI.
Then it selects cases to be reinterviewed for each experienced interviewer and for each
inexperienced interviewer. The RO supervisor will then assign the selected reinterview cases to
you.
For this survey, an inexperienced interviewer is one who has less than five years of Census
Bureau experience. Inexperienced supervisory staff are those with less than two months of
Census Bureau experience.
How the Respondents are Chosen
The household respondent is the person who answered the majority of the questions. This is set
by the NCVS instrument. The RE sample person is randomly selected at Headquarters from
among the household members age 12 or older who have complete original interviews.
Supplemental QC Reinterview
The RO may add any interviewer with an original assignment for supplemental QC reinterview.
The RO may place an interviewer in supplemental reinterview for any of the following reasons:
•
•
•
•
•
The interviewer is suspected of falsification,
The interviewer has had trouble classifying noninterviews correctly,
The interviewer has problems with other aspects of the interview procedures,
The interviewer was hired after the QC reinterview sample was selected and needs to be
checked for falsification or proper classification of noninterviews, or
The Field Supervisor (FS) or Survey Statistician Field (SSF) recommends the interviewer
for supplemental reinterview.
Prior to Releasing Assignments
The RO can assign an interviewer to supplemental QC reinterview for next month’s
interview period between the time the interview period is loaded and before
assignments are released for the next month’s interview period. HQ will then select
the cases for the supplemental QC reinterview.
During Interview Period
A day or two after the regular NCVS cases are assigned, eligible NCVS cases that are
not part of the QC regular or supplemental reinterview samples become “inactive”
reinterview cases. If necessary, the RO staff can activate any of these “inactive” cases
and assign them to reinterviewers for reinterview a day or two after the original
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NCVS interviews are completed, transmitted, and checked in.
Activating Inactive Cases
Call the NCVS Supervisor to have inactive cases activated, that is, assigned to you, if
you need more cases to better detect whether falsification occurred, or if you feel you
need to check more cases for some other reason. The RO may also choose to activate
more cases for an interviewer.
If an inactive case is activated, it will appear on the laptop exactly like the other
reinterview cases. You must complete all cases that have been activated.
Timing
The input file for activated cases will be transmitted to you when you make your
reinterview transmission.
Confidentiality
It is imperative that you and office staff understand the importance of keeping confidential the
names of interviewers and cases selected for reinterview. Reinterview is compromised if the
interviewer has advance knowledge that any of his/her cases will be reinterviewed.
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TOPIC 4. LAPTOP OPERATIONS FOR QC REINTERVIEW
Location
NCVS CAPI QC reinterview is selected as a separate survey option in case management.
Reinterview Software
Reinterviewers authorized to conduct the NCVS CAPI QC reinterview must have the NCVS
CAPI reinterview software loaded on their laptop before they will be able to receive the NCVS
CAPI reinterview cases.
Reinterviewers and office staff can pick up the QC reinterview software once it’s available on the
server by performing a pre-set transmission.
Selecting NCVS CAPI QC Reinterview
Select the “Reint NCVS” icon from the Windows desktop.
Reinterviewer Transmissions
Until the first NCVS CAPI QC reinterview case appears in your case management, your laptop
will not indicate if you will receive a reinterview assignment. After each transmittal, check case
management to see if you received any reinterview cases.
Check your mail messages daily to see if the supervisor has sent a message alerting you to a
reinterview assignment.
To send completed reinterview cases, select the “Transmissions” icon. Select “Reint NCVS” and
perform either a “Daily” or “Final” transmission. Note: Do not perform a FINAL transmission
until all work has been completed. After each transmittal, check the NCVS CAPI reinterview
case management to see if any (more) reinterview cases transmitted to the laptop.
Case Management
QC reinterview case management screens and functions are almost identical to the NCVS CAPI
case management screens and functions. Information that appears on the reinterview case
management screens will come from the NCVS CAPI original interview.
QC Reinterview Respondent Name
The Original Data Tab displays the QC reinterview respondent name. For complete
original interviews, this name will be the household respondent’s name. For original Type
B/C noninterviews, the reinterview respondent is the contact person listed on the Contacts
Tab. Reinterviewers can access the contact person’s name by selecting the Contacts Tab.
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QC Reinterview Codes
For each QC reinterview case, the reinterview (RI), “Outcome” and “Action” codes are
displayed on the Assignment Tab in the details pane. The “QC Outcome” code is displayed
on the Original Data Tab in the details pane. A list of these codes appears in Topic 7 of
this manual.
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TOPIC 5. CONDUCTING THE QC REINTERVIEW
QC Reinterview Instrument
The QC reinterview instrument has two paths, depending on whether the reinterview is
conducted by telephone or personal visit. Within each of these two paths, the instrument also has
different sub-paths based on whether it treats the original case as a complete interview or a
Type B or Type C noninterview.
The questions asked in the QC reinterview attempt to determine if the interviewer properly
completed the original survey and to detect any falsification. The instrument also asks response
error questions to measure consistency in response.
“Don’t Know” and “Refusal” Response Choices
The QC reinterview instrument allows “don’t know” or “refusal” as possible responses to certain
questions. These two response choices are not displayed, but the reinterviewer can enter CTRLD for “don’t know” and CTRL-R for “refusal” when allowed.
QC Reinterview Questions for Cases treated as Original Interviews
Original interviews that were complete interviews or sufficient partials will be asked
questions from the following areas: interview verification, date of birth, household roster
verification, demographic characteristic verification, and verification of household income/
tenure. The household and person crime screeners may also be asked, depending on whether you
are talking to the household respondent, the RE sample person, the proxy for the RE sample
person, or another household member.
Interview Verification
•
CONTACT_C asks if an interviewer contacted the household respondent on or about
the original interview date and asked questions about crime incidents that happened to
the household during the reference period.
•
ORMODE asks if the interviewer visited in person or called on the telephone.
•
POLITE asks if the interviewer was polite and professional.
•
LENGTH_H and LENGTH_M are filled by the respondent’s answer to a question
about the length of the interview.
•
LAPTOP asks if the interviewer used a laptop computer.
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Household Roster Verification
The ROSTER_1 through ROSTER_4 screens display the household roster (each person’s
name, relationship to respondent , age, sex, race, and household membership status)
collected or determined during the interview. You will use these roster screens when
reinterviewing complete interview cases to verify that the household roster reported in
the original interview is correct.
•
ROSTER_1 asks if the roster (list of individuals in the household) is correct.
•
ROSTER_2 instructs you to enter the line numbers of the household members who
weren’t living or staying at the household on the interview date.
•
ROSTER_3 asks if anyone is missing from the roster.
•
ROSTER_4 instructs you to enter the name of each missing household member who
was living or staying there on the interview date.
Function key Shift-F1 allows you to access the household roster at any time in the
reinterview instrument.
Demographic Characteristic Verification/Collection
After verifying the roster (as correct or incorrect), you ask the household respondent or
the household respondent proxy questions about the demographic characteristics of
household members. These screens are described below.
•
RI_AGECHECK asks if the age reported for a household member was reported
correctly.
•
RI_AGERANGE asks for the age range for a household member if the age wasn’t
reported or wasn’t reported correctly.
•
RI_SEX_VER asks if the sex reported for a household member was reported
correctly.
•
RI_SEX asks for the sex of a household member if the sex wasn’t reported.
•
RI_RACE_VER asks if the race reported for a household member was reported
correctly.
•
RI_RACE asks for the race of a household member if the race wasn’t reported or
wasn’t reported correctly.
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•
RI_RACE_SPECIFY collects the race of a household member if “some other
race” was the response to RI_RACE.
•
RI_ORIGIN_VER asks if the Hispanic origin reported for a household
member was reported correctly.
•
RI_ORIGIN asks for the Hispanic origin of a household member if the Hispanic
origin wasn’t reported.
•
RI_MARITAL_VER asks if the marital status reported for a household
member was reported correctly.
•
RI_MARITAL asks for the marital status of a household member if the
marital status wasn’t reported or wasn’t reported correctly.
Verification/Collection of Household Income and Tenure
After verifying and/or collecting demographic data about household members, you will
ask questions to verify and/or collect information about the household income and
household tenure (own or rent).
•
RI_INCOME_VER asks if the household income was reported correctly.
•
RI_INCOME asks for the household income if the household income wasn’t
reported or wasn’t reported correctly.
•
RI_TENURE_VER asks if the tenure (whether the household owns or rents) was
reported correctly.
•
RI_TENURE asks for the tenure if the tenure wasn’t reported or wasn’t reported
correctly.
Household Crime Screeners
After age verification/collection for household members, you re-ask the household
respondent questions about household thefts, break ins, and vehicular thefts. If a proxy is
answering for the household respondent, then these questions are skipped. These screens
are described below.
•
RI_SQTHEFT asks if anything was stolen during the reference period.
•
RI_SQBREAKIN asks if anyone broke in, or attempted to break in, to the household
during the reference period.
•
RI_SQTOTALVEHICLES asks for the total number of vehicles owned by any
member of the household during the reference period.
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•
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
RI-SQMVTHEFT asks if any vehicle, or part of any vehicle, was stolen or used
without permission during the reference period.
The wording of the crime questions differs from that in the original interview to ensure
that the same time period is referenced in both the reinterview and the original interview.
Associated with these questions are follow-up questions, as in the NCVS, that request
more details about the crimes.
Person Crime Screeners
After asking the household respondent, the household crime questions, you ask the RE
sample person about crimes affecting him/her. If the reinterview is being completed by a
proxy, then the questions listed below will only come on path if the reinterview is being
completed by the RE sample person. Otherwise, these questions will be skipped.
•
RI_SQATTACKWHERE asks if, other than any incidents previously mentioned,
the RE sample person was attacked, threatened, or had anything stolen during the
reference period.
•
RI_SQATTACKHOW asks if the RE sample person was attacked, threatened, or
had anything stolen in any of a list of ways.
•
RI_SQATTACKKNOWNOFF asks if the RE sample person was attacked,
threatened, or had anything stolen by someone he/she knows.
•
RI_SQSEXUAL asks if the RE sample person was forced or coerced into unwanted
sexual activity.
•
RI_SQCALLPOLICECRIME asks if the RE sample person reported any incidents
not previously mentioned in reinterview that he/she thought was a crime and
happened to him/her during the reference period.
•
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME asks if the RE sample person did NOT report any
incidents that he/she thought was a crime and happened to him/her during the
reference period.
NOTE: The household respondent and the RE sample person may be the same person;
you will not select either of them. The NCVS RI instrument automatically fills the names
of the household respondent and RE sample person when appropriate.
What if the RE Sample Person is unavailable?
If the RE sample person is not available, the reinterview instrument will NOT allow a
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proxy to answer questions for the RE sample person. The RI_SPEAKTOSP screen will
guide you through what to do when the RE sample person is unavailable.
If the reinterview respondent indicates that the RE sample person will be available
before closeout, select option 2: “Sample person not available now. Call or come back
later.” The instrument will then prompt you to schedule a time to complete the
reinterview with the RE sample person. When you go to complete the reinterview with
the RE sample person at the scheduled time, the HELLO_SP screen will come on path.
This screen directs you to ask for the RE sample person, and contains options for if
he/she is unavailable. After entering a value on this screen, press the END key to go to
the next unanswered question.
If the RE sample person will not be available prior to closeout, select option 3: “No,
sample person will not be available.” The instrument will then prompt you to thank the
respondent via the THANK_YOU screen, and indicate the appropriate reason you were
unable to interview the RE sample person on the RI_DESCRIPTSP screen. After
entering a value on RI_DESCRIPTSP, you will continue through the instrument to
determine the reinterview outcome and falsification assessment for the case.
Please note that the case will still be considered a complete reinterview, even if you
were unable to reach the RE sample person.
QC Reinterview Questions for Cases treated as Original Noninterviews
For original noninterviews, the reinterview instrument has two paths depending on whether there
was contact person information provided during the original contact.
With Contact Person Information
•
CONTACT_N asks if an interviewer visited or called regarding the sample unit
address.
•
STATUS asks if the Type B/C noninterview status is correct, if the noninterview
status would be understandable to a respondent (e.g., demolished).
•
STAT_PROBE asks what the status of the sample unit address was on or about the
interview date, if the noninterview status would not be understandable to a respondent
(e.g., merged).
Without Contact Person Information
There are no special questions for original Type B/C noninterview cases which have
no contact person information. Rather, the reinterview instrument paths to the
VERBYOBS screen, which instructs you to use any available resource to verify the
noninterview status reported by the interviewer.
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Reinterview Noninterviews
Make a reinterview case a reinterview noninterview only if you cannot complete it after several
attempts. For original interviews, a reinterview can still be complete even if you indicate that
you were unable to reach the RE sample person on the RI_DESCRIPTOSP or HELLO_SP
screen. For cases treated as original Type B and C noninterviews, a case is a reinterview
noninterview only if you cannot verify the original noninterview status.
If you make a reinterview case a reinterview noninterview, the reinterview instrument directs you
to enter the outcome which describes the type of reinterview noninterview. The question
“WHICH OUTCOME DESCRIBES THIS REINTERVIEW CASE?” on screen NONINT
pertains to the reinterview noninterview type and not the original noninterview status.
Remember:
1. For a complete reinterview of an original noninterview, VERIFY whether the original
noninterview STATUS reported by the interviewer is CORRECT or INCORRECT.
2.
For a reinterview noninterview, ENTER the noninterview type that describes why YOU
are NOT able to complete the reinterview case.
RO Discretion Cases
You may make a reinterview case a “RO discretion” case only if the RO approves or requests
it. The RO discretion reinterview outcome is only for certain types of QC reinterviews that
cannot be completed (i.e. hard to interview original case, more than 50 miles from nearest
reinterviewer and no phone number, observed during original interview, personal visit needed
but not authorized, etc.).
To make a case an RO discretion case, choose “5 - RO/HQ Discretion - Type A (Contact
Supervisor)” on the METHOD screen in the reinterview instrument. The next screen, RO_DISC,
cautions you to obtain your supervisor’s permission before choosing one of the listed RO
discretion options.
Reinterview Notes
Enter details that further explain the reinterview case in the reinterview notes. You can view the
original interview notes, enter reinterview notes, or view or edit existing reinterview notes at any
time in the reinterview instrument.
•
•
Press SHIFT-F12 to view the original case level notes.
Press CTRL-F7 to view, edit, or enter reinterview case level notes.
You can view the reinterview case management notes on the original data tab and reinterview
case level notes on the notes tab.
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Instrument Function Keys
The function key settings for the reinterview instrument are described below.
“F” Keys
F7
Enter item specific notes
F8
Exit the reference screen and go back to reinterview
F10 Exit – Skip to the END of the reinterview
The “Shift-F” Keys
Shift-F1 Display the household roster (HHCOMP screen)
Shift-F2 Display the Survey Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (H_PURPOSE
screen)
Shift-F3 Display the Reinterview FAQs (RIREASON Screen)
Shift-F8 Display Follow-on contact person information (CONTACTS screen)
Shift-F11 Display standard case level note abbreviations (H_ABBREVI screen)
Shift-F12 Display original CAPI case level notes
The “Ctrl” Keys
Ctrl-D
Don’t know (D)
Ctrl-K
Display function key descriptions
Ctrl-R
Refuse (R)
Ctrl-F7 Access reinterview case level notes
Special Purpose Keys
Esc
Cancel
Home
Moves to beginning of form
End
Moves to first unanswered field on path
Page Up
Moves backward one page/screen
Page Down Moves forward one page/screen
Up Arrow
Move upward or backward one field
Down Arrow Moves downward or forward one field
Left Arrow Moves to previous field
Right Arrow Moves to next field
F10 Function Key
F10 allows you to exit a case at any time during the reinterview. Use F10 if you must end
the reinterview because either you or the respondent can no longer continue at that time
or the respondent refuses to continue.
F10 brings you to the FIN screen, which in turn leads to the APPT screen. At the APPT
screen, you can either schedule a date and time to continue the reinterview, or you can
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enter “1” if you do not intend to follow up.
•
If you enter a date and time, the instrument sets the outcome to 202, which
allows you to reaccess the case later
•
If you enter “1”, the instrument leads you to the RI_OUTCM screen, where
you can make the case a reinterview noninterview
SHIFT-F1 Function Key
Shift-F1 displays the original interview household composition. Persons are not added or
deleted from this screen based on responses to ROSTER_2 or ROSTER_4.
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TOPIC 6. FEEDBACK AND FOLLOW-UP
If there are no differences discovered during QC reinterview, contact the interviewer to
commend them on a job well done at the end of the interview period or as you see fit.
What is Falsification?
Data falsification occurs if the interviewer knowingly deviates from current interviewing
procedures. This includes, but is not limited to:
•
•
•
making up some or all information,
deliberately miscoding the answer to a question to avoid follow-up questions, and/or
misclassifying occupied units as Type B or C noninterviews.
Do not be afraid to suspect falsification. It is better to suspect falsification, investigate it, and
clear it, than to leave any issues unresolved.
Failure to Follow Procedures
Failure to follow survey procedures is not the same as data falsification. Examples of failure to
follow survey procedures are not asking questions as worded or not using a laptop for personal
visits. In some instances, excessive failure to follow survey procedures can lead to data
falsification.
For example, an interviewer decides not to use a laptop to conduct an interview, but asks
questions s/he assumes would come up in the instrument, records them on paper, and keys them
in later. While keying, the interviewer gets to a question that was not asked to the respondent.
In order to move forward through the survey instrument, the interviewer enters in answers.
Since these answers did not come from the respondent, data falsification has occurred.
Noninterview Misclassification
Noninterview misclassification is a failure to follow survey procedures. If you verify during
reinterview that an original case was incorrectly classified as a Type B or C noninterview, then
misclassification has occurred. Misclassification occurs when an interviewer incorrectly
determines the status of a sample household unit and records it as a noninterview. The sample
household unit was either recorded as the wrong type of noninterview or a noninterview when an
interview should have been conducted. An example of noninterview misclassification is when
the interviewer records a unit as vacant when the unit is occupied but the household members are
simply not home. If this unit was properly classified, additional contact could have been made,
resulting in a complete interview.
You can determine if a noninterview has been misclassified in three ways:
•
•
Your personal observation by visiting the sample unit,
Information from the contact person, or
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•
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
Talking to the residents of the sample unit.
Depending on the type of noninterview, you will see the MISC_B or MISC_C screen.
Screen MISC_B:
♦
Which of the following options describes the misclassification of
this original Type B case?
1. Should have been an Interview or Type A.
2. Should have been another Type B.
3. Should have been a Type C.
Screen MISC_C:
♦
Which of the following options describes the misclassification of
this original Type C case?
1. Should have been an Interview or Type A.
2. Should have been a Type B.
3. Should have been another Type C.
Misclassification may suggest that the interviewer needs more training in classifying
noninterviews. In addition, intentionally misclassifying noninterviews to avoid interviewing is
a type of data falsification.
Discrepancies between the Original Interview and Reinterview
During the course of the reinterview, the instrument checks for certain discrepancies between
your entries and those reported in the original interview.
The reinterview instrument checks for the following discrepancies:
1 - The reinterview respondent said no one contacted this household regarding
the NCVS.
This discrepancy may indicate that an interviewer falsified the entire interview. For original
completed interviews and sufficient partials, a significant amount of information has been
recorded that is linked to this respondent in an interview that may not have happened.
Falsification is automatically suspected by the instrument for this discrepancy.
2 - The reinterviewer determined that the original status was incorrect.
The original status or outcome code can be incorrect for any type of case.
3 - The status of the case was completed by observation in the original interview. The
reinterviewer determined that the original status was incorrect.
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This discrepancy may suggest that interviewers are intentionally classifying cases by
observation only without the aid of contact persons to avoid interviewing and further contact
in reinterview.
5 - The interviewer classified this unit as a Type B or Type C noninterview, and the
reinterviewer determined that it should have been an interview or Type A
noninterview.
When interviewers misclassify sample household units, the opportunity is missed to collect
important income and program participation data. If these sample units were properly
classified, interviews may have been completed. Falsification is automatically suspected by
the instrument for this discrepancy.
6 - The reinterview respondent indicated that the original status was incorrect.
Sometimes contact persons are used to verify the status of original noninterviews in
reinterview. If this discrepancy comes up during reinterview, it may suggest that an
interviewer intentionally made the sample unit a noninterview to avoid interviewing. For
newer interviewers, it may suggest more training in regards to classifying noninterviews.
7 - The household roster was incorrect.
When eligible household members are left off of the roster, the opportunity is missed to
collect important survey data. You should pay close attention to how many people you add
or remove from the household roster.
10 - This case was done by personal visit, and the reinterview respondent said the
interviewer did not use a laptop.
When an interviewer does not use a laptop to conduct an interview, all appropriate questions
may not have been asked. This discrepancy should be taken very seriously when
reinterviewing original completed interviews and sufficient partials. Without a laptop,
interviewers are not able to correctly and effectively conduct the interview. Falsification is
automatically suspected by the instrument for this discrepancy.
11 - The interviewer entered a bad telephone number for this case.
A bad telephone number can be blank, incomplete, or incorrect. When cases have bad
telephone numbers, it reduces the chance that the sample household can be contacted for
reinterview or follow-up investigations.
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13 – Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly recorded on roster
This discrepancy suggests that interviewer did not pay enough attention when entering or
updating information on the household roster. If all of single person’s characteristics are all
incorrect, then that may mean that the interviewer falsified that person’s information.
14 – The Household Income and/or tenure was/were incorrectly recorded
This discrepancy suggests that the interviewer did not pay close attention when recording the
household income and/or tenure.
The FALSIF2 Screen
For certain discrepancies, the instrument will display the FALSIF2 screen rather than the FALSIF
screen. The main difference between the FALSIF and FALSIF2 screens is that you are making a
falsification determination on the FALSIF screen whereas on the FALSIF2 screen falsification is
automatically suspected.
Example of the FALSIF2 Screen
Your reinterview indicates the following discrepancies:
10 – This case was done by personal visit and the reinterview
respondent said the interviewer did not use a laptop.
♦ Falsification is suspected for this case. An 11-163 is required.
Please notify your supervisor.
1. Continue
FALSIF2 comes on path if the reinterview finds any of the following discrepancies:
•
The reinterview respondent said no one contacted this household regarding this survey
•
The interviewer classified this unit as a Type B or Type C noninterview, and the
reinterviewer determined that it should have been an interview or Type A noninterview
•
This case was done by personal visit, and the reinterview respondent said the interviewer
did not use a laptop.
The FALSIF Screen
The FALSIF screen comes on path when you do not obtain any of the three discrepancies where
falsification is automatically suspected.
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Example of FALSIF Screen
Your reinterview indicates the following discrepancies:
7 – The household roster was incorrect.
13 – Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly recorded on
roster.
♦ Do you suspect falsification?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Unable to Determine
The listing of discrepancies or statement that there are no detected discrepancies on the FALSIF
screen should aid you in determining whether or not you should suspect falsification.
Interviewing at the Wrong Address
The Field Division at Headquarters REQUIRES that reinterviewers select ‘Yes’ on the FALSIF
screen when the interviewer interviewed at the wrong address. Interviewing at a wrong address
could be indicative of falsification or major procedural errors taking place. Interviewing at an
incorrect sample unit is a serious enough error that the case should be investigated and
documented through the 11-163 investigation process.
What to Do If You Suspect Falsification
Whenever you or the instrument suspects an interviewer of falsifying data or deliberately not
following the interview procedures, contact your supervisor immediately. Do NOT contact the
interviewer before speaking to your supervisor.
If you suspect falsification and need additional information about the original interview, your
supervisor may request original interview responses from HQ. These original interview
responses are contained in trace files. The interviewer can be placed in supplemental reinterview
or the supervisor can activate inactive supplemental reinterview cases.
The Form 11-163
Form 11-163, Field Representative Data Falsification Follow-up and Quality Assurance
Form, must be filled out every time an interviewer is suspected of falsifying data. The SSO
will investigate the interviewer’s assignment and complete a Form 11-163. The SSO may
require your assistance in investigating cases and completing the form.
When to Contact the Original Interviewer
If discrepancies are detected but you DO NOT suspect falsification and the supervisor has
approved for you to confer with the interviewer, then meet with the interviewer as soon as
possible after the reinterview. Try to meet with the interviewer in person. If a personal meeting
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is not possible, then a phone conversation is acceptable.
When meeting with the interviewer, review the correct procedures for interviewing and clear up
any misconceptions. Before ending the discussion with the interviewer, verify that the
interviewer understands how to resolve these errors in the future. Vary the nature and extent of
the instructions according to the seriousness of the errors.
Most importantly, compliment the interviewer for all the work that was performed correctly.
Minor Errors
If there are minor discrepancies that do not lead you to suspect major procedural problems or
possible falsification, call your supervisor and discuss the discrepancies with him/her. You or
the SSO should then call and discuss them with the interviewer. If you are instructed to call the
interviewer, offer suggestions for correcting faulty techniques or wrong concepts.
Serious Errors
If the discrepancies are indications of serious errors that lead you to suspect major procedural
misunderstandings or possible falsification, the SSO should be the one to discuss the reinterview
with the interviewer. In this case, you should neither call the interviewer regarding the
reinterview nor mention to the interviewer that he/she has been in reinterview.
It is possible that the SSO may activate inactive supplemental reinterview cases or place the
interviewer in supplemental reinterview for other surveys on which the interviewer works to
resolve any questions about the quality of the interviewer’s work if:
•
•
•
•
you suspect that the interviewer falsified data;
the interviewer had trouble classifying noninterviews correctly;
the interviewer had trouble with other parts of the interview procedures; or
the interviewer was hired after the QC reinterview sample was selected and needs to be
checked for falsification or proper classification of noninterviews.
The SSO, in consultation with his/her coordinator, may elect to retrain an interviewer whose
reinterview indicates there are serious problems with the survey concepts, procedures, or
interviews. This training may be done by a phone discussion, by special needs observation, or
by having the interviewer attend all or part of initial training again.
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TOPIC 7. REINTERVIEW CODES
Reinterview Outcome Codes
The reinterview outcome codes listed below refer to the outcome of the reinterview, not the
original interview. They are generic among all CAPI reinterviews. Many of the reinterview
outcome codes correspond to their equivalent in the original interview, however, some do not.
There are some original interview outcome codes that are not listed as possible reinterview
outcome codes because they are not realistic outcomes for reinterview. There are some
reinterview outcome codes that are not original interview outcome codes. All cases except
outcome 200, 202, and 201 go to Reinterview Supervisory Review.
Assignment of Codes
The reinterview instrument sets the reinterview outcome and the QC outcome (reinterview
disposition) codes based on your entries to the reinterview questions. Case Management assigns
the action code based on the reinterview outcome code.
Table of Codes
No Suspected Falsification:
1
Disposition 2Outcome Action
N/A
200
00
N/A
202
01
001
201
10
Type As
003
214
21
013
214
21
014
216
21
015
217
21
033
218
21
034
213
21
035
218
21
036
215
21
037
219
21
Type Bs
017
226
31
019
227
31
020
230
31
021
231
31
022
234
31
023
228
31
038
224
31
039
225
31
41
233
31
Description
New case, not started
Accessed instrument, no interview or insufficient partial
Original interview or noninterview verified as correct
Unable to complete, bad telephone number
Unable to locate
No one home
Temporarily absent
Refused
Language problem
Respondent can’t remember
Insufficient partial
Other Type A
Vacant
Vacant, storage of household furniture
Converted to temporary business or storage
Unoccupied mobile home, trailer, or tent site
HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible
Unfit, to be demolished
Entire HH under or over age limit
Temporarily occupied by persons with URE
Other Type B
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
Type Cs
024
025
026
027
030
031
042
240
241
243
245
250
251
248
NCVS-546 (November 2012)
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
Demolished
House or trailer moved
Converted to permanent business or storage
Condemned
Deceased
Moved out of country
Other Type C
1D isposition (i.e., variable RI_D ISP) equals:
001-059 - N o suspected falsification 060+
- Suspected falsification
2A ll cases except O U T C O M E 200, 202 , and 20 1 go to Supervisory Review.
No Suspected Falsification:
Disposition Outcome Action
Misclassified Cases
043
301
11
044
301
11
046
301
048
301
058
301
Discrepancy Cases
004
301
005
301
11
11
11
11
11
Description
Originally classified as a B, should have been an
Interview or Type A
Originally classified as a C, should have been an
Interview or Type A
Originally classified as a B, should have been a C
Originally classified as a C, should have been a B
Other misclassification - specify in the notes
006
301
11
007
301
11
009
011
301
301
11
11
016
301
11
Discrepancy - laptop not used
Discrepancy - not all questions asked in original
interview
Discrepancy - use of proxy in original when self
response is required
Discrepancy - use of ineligible proxy in original when
proxy is allowed
Discrepancy - incorrect household roster
Discrepancy - telephone interview when personal visit
required
Discrepancy - incorrect demographic data on roster
028
301
11
Discrepancy - incorrect income and/or tenure data
012
301
11
Other discrepancy - no suspected falsification
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RO/HQ Discretion
029
312
052
311
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Manual
21
21
053
312
21
054
312
21
055
312
21
056
312
21
057
312
21
HQ discretion - permanent (sample adjustment)
RO discretion - permanent (hard to interview original
case)
RO discretion - temporary (more than 50 miles from
nearest reinterviewer and no phone number)
RO discretion - temporary (observed during the original
interview)
RO discretion - temporary (personal visit needed, but
not authorized)
HQ discretion - temporary (case management, CAPI
control problems)
RO discretion - temporary (other)
Suspected Falsification:
Disposition
Outcome
Action
060
301
11
Suspected falsification of a case turned in as an
interview
214
214
216
217
218
213
215
219
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
Unable to complete, bad telephone number
Unable to locate
No one home
Temporarily absent
Refused
Language problem
Insufficient partial
Other Type A
226
227
230
231
234
228
224
225
233
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
Vacant
Vacant, storage of household furniture
Converted to temporary business or storage
Unoccupied tent or trailer site
HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible
Unfit, to be demolished
Entire HH under or over age limit
Temporarily occupied by persons with URE
Other Type B
240
41
Demolished
Type As
105
067
068
069
086
087
089
090
Type Bs
071
073
074
075
076
077
091
092
094
Type Cs
078
Description
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Suspected Falsification:
Disposition
Outcome
Action
079
241
080
243
081
245
083
250
084
251
095
248
Misclassified Cases
41
41
41
41
41
41
096
301
11
097
301
11
301
099
301
101
301
103
Discrepancy Cases
061
301
062
301
063
301
064
301
11
11
11
065
066
111
117
118
112
301
301
301
301
301
301
Description
House or trailer moved
Converted to permanent business or storage
Condemned
Deceased
Moved out of country
Other Type C
Originally classified as a B, should have been an
Interview or Type A
Originally classified as a C, should have been an
Interview or Type A
Originally classified as a B, should have been a C
Originally classified as a C, should have been a B
Other misclassification - specify in the notes
11
11
11
11
Discrepancy - incorrect household roster
Discrepancy - not all questions asked in interview
Discrepancy - use of proxy in original when self
i - use
i of
d ineligible proxy in original when
Discrepancy
proxy is allowed
11
11
11
11
11
11
Wrong unit/person visited originally
Other discrepancy - suspected falsification
Discrepancy - telephone interview when personal visit
i d
Discrepancy
- incorrect demographic data on roster
Discrepancy - incorrect income and/or tenure data
Discrepancy – laptop not used
26
NCVS-547
(Revised December 2014)
National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) CAPI Reinterview
Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
DISCLAIMER: 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 persons, especially any
current or former Census Bureau employees.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Instructions for This Self-Study
Objectives
At the conclusion of this self-study you will be able to:
·
·
·
Explain the reason for reinterview.
Explain your job as an NCVS reinterviewer.
Detect data falsification by interviewers.
Prerequisites
To complete this self-study you must have completed the
NCVS-521(E)-CAPI Blaise self-study. That will ensure that
you have the knowledge needed to complete this self-study
Materials Needed
Compare your training materials with the list below. If you
are missing any of these materials, contact your supervisor
before you begin this self-study.
·
·
·
Contents of This Self-Study
Your laptop and all related accessories which you will
need to load the training instrument/cases,
NCVS-546, Reinterviewer’s Manual, and
Pen or pencil.
This self-study contains seven lessons, each followed by a
lesson review exercise. The lessons that are included are as
follows:
Lesson 1.
Lesson 2.
Lesson 3.
Lesson 4.
Lesson 5.
Lesson 6.
Lesson 7.
Introduction to the NCVS CAPI Reinterview
Conducting the NCVS Reinterview
Reinterview Case Management
The NCVS Reinterview Instrument
Practice Reinterviews
Falsification
Final Review Exercise
Reading Exercises
Periodically throughout this self-study there will be
instructions that will refer to the NCVS CAPI Reinterview
instrument on your laptop. After those instructions there will
be a set of brackets “[ ]” to check so you can find your place
when you return to the self-study.
Review Exercises
Chapters in this self-study are followed by review exercises,
with answers, for you to check your understanding of
reinterview concepts. Contact your supervisor if you have
questions.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
i
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
Breaks
Try to complete each lesson without any interruptions.
Schedule your breaks only at the end of a lesson.
Charging Time
You are allowed up to 3 hours to complete this self-study.
Your supervisor or Regional Office will supply appropriate
project and task codes.
Questions
Use the blank page at the end of this self-study to write notes
or any questions you may have as you complete these
lessons. Contact your supervisor to resolve any questions
after you complete the self-study.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Instructions for This Self-Study ....................................................................................................... i
Objectives .................................................................................................................................. i
Prerequisites ............................................................................................................................... i
Materials Needed ....................................................................................................................... i
Contents of This Self-Study ....................................................................................................... i
Reading Exercises ...................................................................................................................... i
Review Exercises ....................................................................................................................... i
Breaks ....................................................................................................................................... ii
Charging Time .......................................................................................................................... ii
Questions................................................................................................................................... ii
Lesson 1. Introduction to the NCVS CAPI Reinterview ............................................................. 1-1
Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 1-1
Purposes of Reinterview ........................................................................................................ 1-1
Response Error Analysis .................................................................................................. 1-1
Steps of the Reinterviewer’s Job............................................................................................ 1-1
Lesson 1 Review Exercise ..................................................................................................... 1-3
Answer Key for Lesson 1 ...................................................................................................... 1-4
Lesson 2. Conducting the NCVS Reinterview ............................................................................ 2-1
Timing of Reinterview ........................................................................................................... 2-1
Personal Visit Versus Telephone Reinterview ...................................................................... 2-1
Eligible Reinterview Respondent for Complete and Sufficient Partial Original Interviews . 2-1
Proxy Response ................................................................................................................ 2-2
Eligible Reinterview Respondent for Original Noninterviews ............................................. 2-2
What Constitutes a Complete Reinterview? .......................................................................... 2-2
Conducting Callbacks ............................................................................................................ 2-2
Callbacks for the RE Sample Person ............................................................................... 2-3
Providing Feedback to the Interviewer .................................................................................. 2-3
Lesson 2 Review Exercise ..................................................................................................... 2-5
Answer Key for Lesson 2 ...................................................................................................... 2-6
Lesson 3. Case Management........................................................................................................ 3-1
Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 3-1
What is Case Management? ................................................................................................... 3-1
Practice ................................................................................................................................... 3-1
Parts of Case Management..................................................................................................... 3-2
MENU BAR........................................................................................................................... 3-2
TOOL BAR ............................................................................................................................ 3-3
Using the Function Keys .................................................................................................. 3-3
F1 - Help .......................................................................................................................... 3-3
F2 - Interview ................................................................................................................... 3-3
F3 - Next Tab ................................................................................................................... 3-3
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F4 - Go to (Case List/Details) .......................................................................................... 3-4
F5 - Reports...................................................................................................................... 3-4
F6 - Listing....................................................................................................................... 3-5
F7 - Notes ......................................................................................................................... 3-5
F8 - View ......................................................................................................................... 3-5
F9 - Sort ........................................................................................................................... 3-5
F10 - Exit ......................................................................................................................... 3-5
F11 and F12 ..................................................................................................................... 3-5
Shift F6 Map .................................................................................................................... 3-5
Ctrl T ................................................................................................................................ 3-5
Other Keys ............................................................................................................................. 3-6
Practice Makes Perfect ........................................................................................................... 3-6
Things change when you access the survey instrument ........................................................ 3-6
CASE LIST PANE ................................................................................................................ 3-7
Asterisk (*) Column ......................................................................................................... 3-8
P/T Column ...................................................................................................................... 3-8
Status Column .................................................................................................................. 3-8
Rte Column ...................................................................................................................... 3-8
Scroll Through Your Case List .............................................................................................. 3-8
DETAILS PANE ................................................................................................................... 3-9
Assignment .................................................................................................................... 3-10
HH Roster ...................................................................................................................... 3-10
Original Data .................................................................................................................. 3-10
Additional Information .................................................................................................. 3-10
Notes .............................................................................................................................. 3-10
Contacts.......................................................................................................................... 3-10
History............................................................................................................................ 3-11
Interview Time Preferences ........................................................................................... 3-11
Practice Viewing Information in the Details Pane ............................................................... 3-11
Lesson 3 Summary Points .................................................................................................... 3-11
Lesson 3 Review Exercise ................................................................................................... 3-13
Answer Key for Lesson 3 .................................................................................................... 3-16
Lesson 4. The NCVS Reinterview Instrument ............................................................................ 4-1
Structure of QC RI Instrument ............................................................................................... 4-1
Tabs ........................................................................................................................................ 4-2
Roster Screens .................................................................................................................. 4-2
Instrument Function Keys ...................................................................................................... 4-2
QC Questions ......................................................................................................................... 4-3
RE Questions ......................................................................................................................... 4-5
Thank-you Screens................................................................................................................. 4-5
Screens for Determining Reinterview Outcome and Falsification Assessment .................... 4-6
Lesson 1 Review Exercise 4 .................................................................................................. 4-7
Answer Key for Lesson 4 ...................................................................................................... 4-8
Lesson 5. Practice Reinterviews .................................................................................................. 5-1
Objective ................................................................................................................................ 5-1
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Caution ................................................................................................................................... 5-1
What do I do when I have questions? .................................................................................... 5-1
Follow the Instructions .......................................................................................................... 5-1
Access Training Case Management ....................................................................................... 5-1
Access Your Case .................................................................................................................. 5-2
Screens and Navigation.......................................................................................................... 5-2
Practice Reinterview 1. .......................................................................................................... 5-2
Practice Reinterview 2 ......................................................................................................... 5-13
Practice Reinterview 3 ......................................................................................................... 5-13
Lesson 6. Falsification ................................................................................................................. 6-1
What is Falsification? ............................................................................................................ 6-1
Failure to Follow Survey Procedures ..................................................................................... 6-1
Noninterview Misclassification ............................................................................................. 6-1
Discrepancies between the Original Interview and Reinterview ........................................... 6-2
What to Do When You Suspect Falsification ........................................................................ 6-4
Giving Feedback When You Do Not Suspect Falsification .................................................. 6-5
Lesson 6 Review Exercise ..................................................................................................... 6-6
Answer Key for Lesson 6 ...................................................................................................... 6-7
Lesson 7. Final Review Exercise ................................................................................................. 7-1
Answer Key to Lesson 7 ........................................................................................................ 7-3
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Lesson 1. Introduction to the NCVS CAPI Reinterview
Objectives
This lesson introduces you to your job as a reinterviewer for
the National Crime Victimization Survey and explains the
purposes of reinterview. It will refer to staff (FRs, FSs, etc.) 1
who conduct interviews as “interviewers” and supervisory
staff who conduct reinterview as “reinterviewers.”
Purposes of Reinterview
Falsification affects the quality of survey data.
The purposes of the NCVS reinterview include:
Response Error Analysis
Steps of the Reinterviewer’s
Job
1
•
Identifying if interviewers falsified original survey
interviews or original noninterviews;
•
Determining if interviewers accurately collected
demographic data (age, sex, race, Hispanic origin,
marital status) about household members, and
collecting it if not;
•
Determining if interviewers accurately collected
household income and tenure data, and collecting it if
not;
•
Determining if interviewers incorrectly classified
Type B and C noninterviews;
•
Re-asking some NCVS questions for a response error
analysis (which replaces the reconciliation questions
that previously found missed crimes); and
•
Providing feedback to the interviewers (when you do
not suspect falsification).
Response error analysis for the NCVS includes re-asking
some crime victimization questions in order to analyze the
consistency of their response. Inconsistent responses to a
question might indicate a problem with the way the question
is worded or asked.
The RO will assign you a sample of households that an
interviewer originally contacted. It is your responsibility to
FR = Field Representative, FS = field Supervisor
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contact these households and conduct a reinterview.
For original complete interviews, your assignment will
require you to contact BOTH the “Household Respondent”
and an “RE Sample Person” who live at the sample address.
These two may or may not be the same person, and the
instrument will automatically supply their names on the
appropriate instrument screens.
You will NOT select the sample persons. You are allowed to
use a proxy for the household respondent if you are unable to
contact the him/her after several attempts. You may NOT
use a proxy for the RE sample person.
For original Type B and C noninterviews you are to verify
the noninterview status with a noninterview contact person if
one is listed.
Your job as a Reinterviewer will consist of the following
tasks:
·
·
·
·
·
Receive your assignment.
Contact (preferably by phone) each address selected for
reinterview.
Complete the automated reinterview and transmit the
data.
Provide feedback to the interviewer if you do not suspect
falsification.
Transmit your materials to the RO.
Now turn to the next page and complete the Review Exercise.
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Lesson 1 Review Exercise
1.
One of the purposes of the NCVS Reinterview is to _________________ if the
interviewer may have _________________ original survey interview.
For each of the questions/statements below, fill the one circle that best applies.
2.
One purpose of the NCVS Reinterview is to determine if the interviewer ...
a.
b.
c.
3.
Incorrectly classified Type B or Type C noninterviews
Needs additional training
Is making a lot of mistakes
As an NCVS Reinterviewer, one of your tasks will be ...
a.
b.
c.
d.
4.
To correct interviewer mistakes
To re-ask some original questions for a response error analysis
To see if the respondents lied during the original interview
None of the above
If the RE Sample Person is not available after several attempts to contact him/her then
you can interview a proxy.
True
5.
False
If the household respondent is not available for the reinterview, you may conduct the
reinterview with a proxy respondent for the household respondent.
True
False
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Answer Key for Lesson 1
1.
One of the purposes of the NCVS Reinterview is to determine if the interviewer may
have falsified original survey interview.
2.
One purpose of the NCVS Reinterview is to determine if the interviewer ...
a.
3.
Incorrectly classified Type B or Type C noninterviews
⊗
To re-ask some original questions for a response error analysis
As an NCVS Reinterviewer, one of your tasks will be ...
b.
5.
⊗
If the RE Sample Person is not available after several attempts to contact him/her then
you can interview a proxy.
True
5.
False
If the household respondent is not available for the reinterview, you may conduct the
reinterview with a proxy respondent for the household respondent.
⊗
1-4
⊗
True
False
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Lesson 2. Conducting the NCVS Reinterview
Timing of Reinterview
The NCVS original interview asks questions about crimes
committed within a specific time frame. You should attempt
to complete all reinterviews as soon as possible after you
receive your assignment. The sooner you conduct
reinterview, the better the chance that the respondents will
correctly recall what happened during the specified time
frame. Complete reinterview cases within two weeks of the
original interview.
Personal Visit Versus
Telephone Reinterview
You will conduct reinterview by telephone whenever
possible. If a telephone reinterview is not possible, use your
judgment to decide whether it is cost effective to conduct a
personal visit and then get RO permission to conduct a
personal-visit reinterview. You MUST have RO
permission in order to conduct any personal-visit
reinterviews.
Eligible Reinterview
Respondent for Complete and
Sufficient Partial Original
Interviews
You will conduct a reinterview with one OR two household
members depending on how many Headquarters selected.
You will reinterview either:
The Original household respondent ONLY
or
The Original household respondent AND
the person who answered for the
Response Error (RE) sample person.
or
A proxy for the household respondent, if the household
respondent is not available after several attempts
The RE sample person is randomly chosen, at Headquarters,
from household members of at least 12 years of age who
have a complete original interview. It is possible that the RE
sample person and the household respondent are the same
person. The reinterview instrument will handle differences
in wording and flow of the instrument (pathing) between
these two situations. If a proxy respondent completes the
reinterview, the instrument will also handle differences in
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pathing depending on whether or not the proxy respondent is
also the person who answered for the RE sample person.
If the RE sample person answered for him or herself, then the
reinterview respondent for the RE sample person would be
the RE sample person. If a proxy respondent answered for
the RE sample person during the NCVS, then the reinterview
respondent for the RE sample person would be the proxy
respondent from the original NCVS. This might seem
confusing until you remember that we want to re-ask
questions of whomever we initially contacted.
Proxy Response
Proxy response is allowed in reinterview for the household
respondent but not for the person who answered for the RE
sample person in the NCVS. If the household respondent is
not available after multiple attempts, try and complete a
proxy interview. A proxy respondent must be a household
member age 18 or older. If a household member age 18 or
older is not available, then the reinterview is a Type A
reinterview noninterview.
Eligible Reinterview
Respondent for Original
Noninterviews
To verify Type B or C noninterviews, the reinterview
instrument will instruct you either to contact the Type B/C
contact person or to use all available resources to verify the
original noninterview outcome.
What Constitutes a Complete
Reinterview?
A reinterview is complete if you have:
•
•
Verified the original outcome as correct or incorrect
and
Made a falsification assessment.
It is important to note that most original noninterviews (Type
Bs or Cs) would not result in noninterviews during a
reinterview. If you can verify that the original noninterview
status is correct, and you do not suspect falsification (or you
do suspect falsification for some reason), then that is a
complete reinterview.
Conducting Callbacks
2-2
There may be instances when you are unable to contact the
household respondent or the Type B/C contact person.
Contact your RO for information on the number of callbacks
you are allowed to make.
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Callbacks for the RE
Sample Person
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
The RI_SPEAKTOSP screen will guide you through what to
do when the RE sample person is unavailable.
If the reinterview respondent indicates that the RE sample
person will be available before closeout, select option 2:
“Sample person not available now. Call or come back later.”
The instrument will then prompt you to schedule a time to
complete the reinterview with the RE sample person. When
you go to complete the reinterview with the RE sample
person at the scheduled time, the HELLO_SP screen will
come on path. This screen directs you to ask for the RE
sample person, and contains options for if he/she is
unavailable. After entering a value on this screen, press the
END key to go to the next unanswered question.
If the RE sample person will not be available prior to
closeout, select option 3: “No, sample person will not be
available.” The instrument will then prompt you to thank the
respondent via the THANK_YOU screen, and indicate the
appropriate reason you were unable to interview the RE
sample person on the RI_DESCRIPTSP screen. After
entering a value on RI_DESCRIPTSP, you will continue
through the instrument to determine the reinterview outcome
and falsification assessment for the case.
Please note that the case will still be considered a complete
reinterview, even if you were unable to reach the RE sample
person.
Providing Feedback to the
Interviewer
When you do not suspect falsification and your supervisor
has no objections to your conferring with the interviewer,
meet with or call the interviewer as soon as possible after
you complete the interviewer’s reinterviews.
Whenever possible, meet with the interviewer in person. If
that is not possible, talk with the interviewer by telephone.
For any errors attributable to the interviewer, make sure that
you review with the interviewer the correct procedures and
clear up any misconceptions. Before ending your discussion
with the interviewer, verify that the interviewer understands
how to avoid these errors in the future. Vary the nature and
extent of your instructions according to the seriousness of the
errors.
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Most importantly, make sure to compliment the interviewer
for all work performed correctly.
Now turn to the next page and complete the Review Exercise.
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Lesson 2 Review Exercise
For each of the questions/statements below, fill the one circle that best applies.
1.
The preferred method of reinterview is
By telephone
2.
If the person who answered for the RE sample person during the NCVS is not available
for reinterview, then you are allowed to contact a proxy respondent to represent the
person who originally answered for the RE sample person.
True
3.
Personal visit
False
It is not necessary to make a falsification assessment for a reinterview.
True
False
Now compare your answers to the answer key on the next page.
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Answer Key for Lesson 2
1.
The preferred method of reinterview is
⊗
2.
By telephone
If the person who answered for the RE sample person during the NCVS is not available
for reinterview, then you are allowed to contact a proxy respondent to represent the
person who originally answered for the RE sample person.
True
3.
⊗
False
It is not necessary to make a falsification assessment for a reinterview.
True
2-6
Personal visit
⊗
False
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Lesson 3. Case Management
Objectives
During this lesson, you will learn some of the basic ways that
information is displayed in Case Management. In this
lesson, you will:
·
·
·
Review some Case Management screen layouts;
Learn how to identify different parts of the screen; and
Learn about the Case Management function keys.
What is Case Management?
Case Management is an application that helps you (and staff
at headquarters) manage your work. Case Management
provides a list of all sample cases in your NCVS monthly
assignment, along with additional information that is helpful
to you in managing your work, such as appointment
information, telephone numbers, respondent names, and so
forth. Because Case Management is not written using Blaise,
the “look and feel” of it differs from the Blaise survey
instrument. For example, some of the function keys used in
the Case Management screen work differently than in the
survey instrument screens. Keep this in mind as you learn
about Case Management and the survey instrument.
Practice
The best way you can familiarize yourself with the NCVS
Case Management screen is by hands-on practice. To do
this, you must first access Training Case Management and
install your training cases.
·
First, turn your computer on, and log into Entrust using
your profile name and password.
·
Next, double click on the Training icon on your desktop.
·
Select Reint NCVS Classroom from the survey list and
press Enter (or click OK).
·
Highlight the row “Reint NCS Classroom” and press F5
to install your training cases.
·
When you receive a message that the installation of
training cases was successful, press Enter (or click OK).
·
Your next step is to access your training cases in Case
Management. To do this, press F8.
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You should have a list of training cases on your screen.
Now, simply follow the instructions on the pages that follow,
as we guide you through some Case Management functions.
Parts of Case Management
There are four main parts to the Case Management window.
They are the:
·
Menu Bar,
·
Toolbar,
·
Case List Pane, and
·
Details Pane.
Menu Bar
Tool Bar
Case List
Pane
Details
Pane
MENU BAR
The first section of the Case Management window, called the
Menu Bar, is at the top left corner of the screen. 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. Most
applications that pop up on your computer screen will have a
menu; however, different applications will have different
menu items depending on the functions you are able to
perform while working within the specific window.
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Once a menu item is selected, you can move from one menu
item to the next by using your arrow keys or by pressing the
Alt key and the letter that is underlined in the menu item’s
name, for example, Alt H will access the help drop down list.
You can also select a menu item by using the mouse/touch
pad and clicking on the menu item you want to look at. A
drop down menu will appear displaying information
contained within the menu item.
TOOL BAR
Look at the next section of the Case Management window
just below the menu bar. This section is known as the
Toolbar. The Toolbar in Case Management lists the function
keys and contains a symbol and name for each function key.
Function keys are shortcuts for evoking specific actions
within Case Management. For example, look at the yellow
question mark symbol just below the words File and Edit on
the Menu Bar. The yellow question mark stands for the Help
function key (F1) which is printed directly below the
question mark. If you were to click on the question mark
with your mouse you would get the Help window, but you
could also access the Help window by pressing the F1 key.
Using the Function Keys
In this section of the self-study, each function key will be
discussed. As you review each of the function keys that are
listed on the Tool Bar, do not press a key unless instructed to
do so.
F1 - Help
The F1 key is the Help key. By pressing F1, you access
Case Management Help.
F2 - Interview
By pressing the F2 key, you will begin an interview for the
case that is currently highlighted on your case list. Looking
at the illustration on page 3-2, if you used the F2 function on
this screen, you would begin an interview with 5002 Maple
Rd NE.
It is important to remember that once you press the F2 key to
begin an interview, you are no longer in Case Management,
and have at that point accessed the NCVS interviewing
instrument.
F3 - Next Tab
By pressing the F3 key, your view in the Details Pane will
change from one tab to another. For example, if you are
looking at the Assignment tab, and press F3, your view will
change to the HH Roster tab.
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F4 - Go to (Case
List/Details)
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
The F4 key allows you to switch your focus between the
Case List Pane and the Details Pane.
Press F4 so that the label on the toolbar for the F4 button
reads Case List. You will notice that the Assignment tab is
in red and your blinking cursor is in the Control Number
field.
[ ]
Notice that some of the fields displayed in the Assignment
tab are shaded and others are white. The fields that are in
white are editable fields, which means that you can make
changes only to those fields. If you make any changes in the
Details Pane, you may want to save those changes (using the
save shortcut - Ctrl & S) before returning to the Case List
Pane. However, if you do not save your changes before
returning the Case List Pane, you will be prompted to save
any changes upon exiting Case Management or when you
press F2 to interview a case.
Press the F4 key again, and you will see your cursor blinking
in the Case List Pane. Now any action you take affects the
Case List Pane.
F5 - Reports
By accessing the F5 function key, you will be able to view
some reports that will help you check the status of your
overall assignment. Based on the overall response rate
information in your laptop, you will be able to see the Counts
Report and the Response Report. You can select the report
you want to view by using your down and up arrow keys
until the report you want is highlighted. Then you would
select “OK” to view the report.
Click on the F5-Reports in the Toolbar.
[ ]
If you highlight the “Counts Report” and select “OK”. The
Counts Report will display the number of cases that are: not
started, opened, interviews, Type As, Type Bs, Type Cs,
deleted, missing data, all, transmitted, and cases received in
HQ.
If you highlight the “Response Report” and select “OK”.
The Response Report will display the number of cases that
are; interviews, Type As, Type Ds, and the response rate
percent. Note that even though the Type Ds rate is listed on
this report, there are no Type D cases in the NCVS.
When you are done viewing the report click on the “Close”
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button which will take you back to your case list.
F6 - Listing
The F6 key is not used for the NCVS
F7 - Notes
The F7 key allows you to add notes and view existing notes
for a highlighted case.
F8 - View
The F8 key allows you to look at your cases in a variety of
ways, such as those cases –
·
not yet started,
·
already interviewed,
·
transmitted, etc.
Click on the F8-View button now to see the different ways
you can view the cases in your assignment.
[ ]
F9 - Sort
In organizing your work, you may find that you need to be
able to see your cases in a different order, according to a
specific field. The F9 key allows you to sort the list
according to any column heading or any field within the Case
List Pane. Cases are automatically sorted in the order of the
control number, but that may not work best for you. For
example, you may want to view your cases according to
where they are located, in which case you may want to sort
according to ZIP code, or you may want to view your cases
according to appointments you have made, in which case,
you would sort according to appointment.
F10 - Exit
Use the F10 function key to exit Case Management.
F11 and F12
These two functions keys are inactive for the NCVS in Case
Management. There are several function keys that are
shortcuts for evoking specific actions within the instrument.
It is important to remember that pressing the F2 key while in Case Management begins an
interview and takes you out of Case Management and into the NCVS interviewing instrument.
Shift F6 Map
This button will not be used for the NCVS reinterview.
Ctrl T
Pressing the Ctrl and T keys simultaneously opens the
Interview Time Preferences application. This application
allows you to view and record the best and worst times to
contact a case. You can also access the Interview Time
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Preferences by either clicking on the Ctrl T ITP icon on the
Case List toolbar or clicking on the Interview Time
Preferences tab in the Details Pane.
Other Keys
In addition to using the function keys alone, Case
Management uses function keys in combination with other
keys on the keyboard to allow you to perform some
additional operations in Case Management. For example:
·
Shift + F1 - Displays General Help.
·
Alt + F4 - Closes the active window or exits the active
program.
·
Shift + F8 - Returns you to the main Case Management
screen from the Display Categories (F8) screen.
Try these keys now.
[ ]
Other useful shortcut keys used in Case Management
include:
Practice Makes Perfect
·
Ctrl + S - Saves any changes you made to one or more
editable fields.
·
Ctrl + Home - Moves you to the first case in the list.
·
Ctrl + End - Moves you to the last case in the list.
After you begin working with your actual assignment, you
will use Case Management functions every day. As you use
them more, you will see how they work best for you. Don’t
worry if you cannot remember everything right now. You
will soon become proficient with the Case Management
functions.
Things change when you access It is important that you understand that Case Management
(and all of its functions) are separate from how things will
the survey instrument ...
operate once you access the NCVS instrument. That is, once
you use F2 in Case Management to access a case, you have
then accessed the NCVS instrument, and the function keys
and the way in which you view information, etc., will change
somewhat. In the next lesson, you will have a chance to look
at some NCVS screens and see how they differ from Case
Management.
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CASE LIST PANE
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
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 housing units in
your assignment.
Notice on the Case Management - Case List pane the
“Disclosure Prohibited - Title 13 U.S.C.” statement. This is to
remind you that this is confidential Title 13 data and as such
must always be safe guarded from unauthorized disclosure.
All information collected as part of this survey is held in
strictest confidence under Title 13 of the United States Code
and is seen only by sworn employees or agents of the U.S.
Census Bureau. The NCVS Case List Pane is similar in
format to the illustration below:
Tool Bar
Case List
Pane
Details
Pane
All of your monthly cases are listed in the Case List Pane,
and additional information for the highlighted case is listed
in the Details Pane. As you complete interviews, cases will
no longer appear on this list.
The information displayed in the Case List Pane includes
Control Number, *, Address, Place Name/City, Zip,
Appointment, P/T, Status, Telephone #, Int #, and Rte. Most
of the information displayed is self-explanatory; however, a
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few of the columns require further explanation.
Asterisk (*) Column
The appearance of an asterisk in the column between the
Control Number and Address column indicates that there is
something special about the case, such as the case was
reassigned to you, or is a confirmed refusal. Furthermore,
when there is a special characteristic about a case, in addition
to the asterisk, you will see one or more small icons in the
upper-right corner of the Assignment tab in the Details pane.
For example, if a case is a confirmed refusal a STOP sign
icon will display.
If an asterisk appears for a case, to view what is special about
the case without getting into the Assignment tab and looking
for the special icon, you can right click on the icon and a
description of the icon will be displayed.
P/T Column
The P/T column indicates that the case is to be contacted
either by personal visit or by telephone. A “P” will appear
for those cases that require a personal visit and a “T” for
those cases that are eligible for a telephone interview.
Status Column
The Status column indicates the status of the case. A code
will be entered in this column depending upon the outcome
of the case. Some of the codes you will frequently see are –
Rte Column
Scroll Through Your Case List
3-8
·
No code (blank) will appear in the Status column if the
case has not been started;
·
An “O” will appear if you have started a case but have
not completed the household respondent’s interview; and
·
A “P” will appear if you have completed the household
respondent’s interview but need to complete interviews
for other eligible members of the household.
The last column, “Rte” or route is a function that can be used
to plan your route each day by prioritizing cases in the order
in which you plan to interview each case. The entry of “999”
that you see for all of your cases is the default setting for
route. You will learn more about this during classroom
training.
As you scroll through your case list (in the Case List Pane),
the information in the Details Pane (portion of the screen
below the Case List Pane) will change to reflect the case that
is currently highlighted.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Try this now.
[ ]
Scroll through your case list using your up arrow and down
arrow keys. You can also use your Tab key to scroll down.
Note how the information in the Details Pane changes. Then,
scroll back to the top and make sure you have the first case
on the case list highlighted.
Case List
Pane
Tabs
Details
Pane
DETAILS PANE
Now 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. Notice that the
Details Pane has several sections called tabs. The names of
these tabs are listed horizontally in the lower half of the Case
Management screen, at the top of the Details Pane (about the
middle of your screen). The different tabs within the Details
Pane include the following:
·
·
·
·
·
·
Assignment
HH Roster
Original Data
Additional Information
Notes
Contacts
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
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·
·
History
Interview Time Preferences.
Each tab is like a folder in a file cabinet.
Assignment
The Assignment tab (which is highlighted by default) shows
more detailed information about a case, the control number,
assignment period, case ID, interview number, outcome
code, GQ flag, status code, respondent name, language
preference (if any), telephone number, appointment and
callback information, the cases’ physical address (or physical
description) and mailing address. Remember you can make
changes in the white editable fields.
HH Roster
The HH Roster tab will show you the household roster, that
is, the names of all household members from the last
interview and will be updated by the instrument if any
changes are made during the next interview. The
information in this tab will be useful for callbacks to
households with missing data.
Original Data
The Original Data tab provides information from the original
case, such as the control number, assignment period, original
outcome, original interviewer name, original interviewer
code, reinterview type, respondent name, and the notes from
the original case.
Additional Information
This tab provides additional information for those cases that
are in Group Quarters (GQ), such as the GQ name, type,
number of units, the contact persons name, address,
telephone number, and so forth.
Notes
The Notes tab will only allow you to view notes regarding
this case. If you or another interviewer entered notes for a
case, you would be able to see a red checkmark in front of
the word “Notes.” The red checkmark is a quick way to tell
if there is any information in the Notes folder.
To add or edit notes you must use the F7 function key.
Contacts
3-10
In the Contacts tab you will see the names, addresses, and
telephone numbers of contact people who are persons other
than members of the household. Sometimes you obtain
information about the status of a unit from someone other
than the occupant. This happens when a unit is vacant and
you talk to a neighbor or a real estate agent, or when a unit
does not exist and you are able to verify it with a reliable
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
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 tab.
History
The History tab gives historical information about the case,
such as the current interview period, previous interviewer
name, interviewer code, CAPI outcome, and whether the
case was a replacement household. It also captures the date
each time an interviewer enters into the case by pressing the
F2 function key and shows the outcome code and action
code.
Interview Time
Preferences
This tab allows you to view the best and worst times to
contact a case. The best times are shown in green and the
worst times in red.
Practice Viewing Information
in the Details Pane
Take a moment to look at the information under each tab in
the Details Pane. Click on each tab to see the information it
contains.
[ ]
To return to the Case List Pane, go ahead and press the F4
function key.
Lesson 3 Summary Points
Now, review the lesson summary points that follow.
The Menu Bar is the first section of the Case
Management window. It is the area of the window
where the words File, Edit, View, Actions, and Help
appear.
The Tool Bar displays the Case Management function
keys.
The Case List Pane displays information for each case,
such as control number, address, appointment, telephone
number, etc.
The Details Pane displays detailed information for a case
in the following categories (which are “tabs” within the
Details Pane):
• Assignment – shows more detailed information about
a case, such as the full address, telephone number,
case ID, current outcome code, and so on.
•
HH Roster – displays information collected in the
last interview such as the line number, name, age,
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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birth date, sex, etc. for all household members.
•
Original Data – displays the control number,
assignment period, original outcome, original
interviewer name, original interviewer code,
reinterview type, respondent name, and notes from
the original case.
•
Additional Information - provides specific
information for cases that are in Group Quarters, such
as GQ name, type, number of units, remarks, and the
GQ contact, etc.
•
Notes – will allow you to see notes regarding this
case. To add notes you must use the F7 function key.
•
Contacts – shows the title, name, address, and
telephone number for the contact people.
•
History – displays the interviewer name and code of
the person who previously interviewed the case along
with the corresponding outcome information.
•
Interview Time Preferences - displays the best and
worst times to contact a case.
Now turn to the next page and complete the Review Exercise.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Lesson 3 Review Exercise
1.
Circle the correct response: One of the purposes of Case Management is to help you
manage your monthly assignment.
TRUE
2.
FALSE
Match the function keys below with their function in Windows Case Management:
Function Key
Function
F1 Help
A - Lets you rearrange the listed cases according to your
criteria.
F2 Interview
B - Moves from one tab to the next tab in the Details
Pane.
F3 Next Tab
C - Displays the Notes field for the selected case and
allows you to add notes here.
F4 Go to
D - Displays Case Management Help information about
the active window.
F5 Reports
E - Closes Case Management
F7 Notes
F-
F8 View
G - Toggles focus between the Case List pane and the
Details pane.
F9 Sort
H - Displays the CM Report Selection dialog box, in
which you choose the report(s) you want.
F10 Exit
I -
Activates the Display Category Selected dialog box,
in which you choose the category of cases you would
like to see. This creates a subset of cases, listing
only those which fall into the category you choose.
Ctrl+T
J-
Opens the Interview Time Preferences application.
Opens the selected case so you can interview the
respondent.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
3.
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
Identify the main section(s) of the Case Management system.
Menu Bar
File Bar
Case List Pane
Info Pane
Tool Bar
Details Pane
4.
Which section of the Case Management lists all of your monthly cases.
Menu Bar
File Bar
Case List Pane
Info Pane
Tool Bar
Details Pane
5.
3-14
Match the function keys below with their function in Case Management.
Shift + F1
A - Saves any changes you made to one or more editable
fields
Alt + F4
B - Moves you to the last case in the list
Shift + F8
C - Displays General Help
Ctrl + S
D-
Ctrl + Home
E - Returns you to the main Case Management screen
from the Display Categories (F8) screen
Ctrl + End
F-
Moves you to the first case in the list.
Closes the active window or exists the active
program.
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6.
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Match the tabs in the Details Pane with the function the tab performs.
Assignment
A - Displays notes.
HH Roster
B - Shows the contact people names, addresses
and telephone numbers.
Original Data
C - Displays the previous outcome code and the
interviewer code of the person who
previously interviewed the case.
Additional Information
D - Shows more detailed information about a
case, such as the full address, telephone
number, case ID, current outcome code.
Notes
E - Displays the names of all household
members.
Contacts
F - Displays the best and worst times to contact
a case.
History
G - Provides additional information for GQ
cases.
Interview Time Preferences
H - Shows information from the original case.
Now turn to the next page to review your answers.
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Answer Key for Lesson 3
1.
One of the purposes of Case Management is to help you manage your monthly
assignment
TRUE
2.
3-16
Match the function keys below with their function in Windows Cases Management:
Function Key
Function
D F1 Help
A. Lets you rearrange the listed cases according to your
criteria.
F F2 Interview
B. Moves from one tab to the next tab in the Details Pane.
B F3 Next Tab
C. Displays the Notes field for the selected case and
allows you to add notes here.
G F4 Go to
D. Displays Case Management Help.
H F5 Reports
E. Closes Case Management
C F7 Notes
F.
I F8 View
G. Toggles focus between the Case List pane and the
Details pane.
A F9 Sort
H. Displays the CM Report Selection dialog box, in
which you choose the report(s) you want.
E F10 Exit
I.
Activates the Display Category Selected dialog box, in
which you choose the category of cases you would like
to see. This lets you look at a shorter list of cases,
only those which fall into the category you choose.
J Ctrl+T
J.
Opens the Interview Time Preferences application-
Opens the selected case so you can interview the
respondent.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
3.
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Identify the main section(s) of the NCVS Case Management system.
X Menu Bar
___ File Bar
X Case List Pane
Info Pane
X Tool Bar
X Details Pane
4.
Which section of the Case Management lists all of your monthly cases.
Menu Bar
___ File Bar
X Case List Pane
Info Pane
Tool Bar
Details Pane
5.
Match the function keys below with their function in Case Management.
C
Shift + F1
A - Saves any changes you made to one or more editable
fields
F Alt + F4
B - Moves you to the last case in the list
E Shift + F8
C - Displays General Help.
A
Ctrl + S
D - Moves you to the first case in the list.
D
Ctrl + Home
E - Returns you to the main Case Management screen from
the Display Categories (F8) screen
B
Ctrl + End
F - Closes the active window or exists the active program.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
6.
Match the tabs in the Details Pane with the function the tab performs.
D
Assignment
A - Displays notes.
E
HH Roster
B - Shows the contact people names, addresses and
telephone numbers.
H
Original Data
C - Displays the previous outcome code and the
interviewer code of the person who previously
interviewed the case.
G
Additional Information
D - Shows more detailed information about a case,
such as the full address, telephone number, case
ID, current outcome code.
A
Notes
E - Displays the names of all household members.
B
Contacts
F - Displays the best and worst times to contact a
case.
C
History
G - Provides additional information for GQ cases.
F
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NCVS-547 (December 2014)
Interview Time Preferences
H - Shows information from the original case.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Lesson 4. The NCVS Reinterview Instrument
Structure of QC RI Instrument As with the NCVS instrument, the QC RI instrument is
composed of a front, middle, and back.
For RI, the front displays the original case information and
directs the reinterviewer to:
·
·
·
·
·
Make contact,
Introduce himself or herself,
Verify the address and/or phone number,
Request an interview, and
Attempt to contact the household respondent or the Type
B/C contact person, or a suitable proxy for the
respondent, as appropriate.
The middle directs the reinterviewer to:
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Verify contact by the interviewer,
Verify the data collection mode (personal visit or
telephone),
Verify the length of the interview,
Verify the use of a laptop computer (for personal visit
NCVS interviews),
Verify the roster,
Verify/collect demographic data (age, sex, race, Hispanic
origin, marital status) about household members,
Verify/collect household income and tenure data,
Ask QC questions to verify the original noninterview
status (if appropriate), and
Ask response error questions (if applicable).
If the household respondent is available, then that person is
asked questions about household crime. If the RE sample
person is available, the RE sample person is asked questions
about crime. The RI instrument will NOT allow a proxy for
the RE sample respondent. It will, however, allow a proxy
for the Type B/C contact person if the original NCVS
outcome was a Type B or Type C noninterview and for the
household respondent.
The back of the RI instrument:
·
·
Contains the THANK_YOU screens,
Allows the reinterviewer to set up callbacks,
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·
·
·
·
Assigns reinterview outcome codes and reinterview
disposition codes,
States or collects the reinterview falsification assessment,
Asks the reinterviewer about multiple discrepancies, and
Wraps up the reinterview case.
Throughout the instrument, starting at the START screen,
you will see fours tabs which you can access anytime
throughout the interview process. They are as follows.
Tabs
•
NCVS_RI tab allows you to see the NCVS
reinterview questions. It is the default screen.
•
Ros tab allows you to view the household roster,
including names, relationships, age, sex and race of
the individuals listed.
•
NCVS FAQ tab, lists the frequently asked questions
about the NCVS and the answers to those questions.
•
RI FAQ tab lists the frequently asked questions
about reinterview and the answers to those questions.
The F10 tab, which terminates the reinterview, appears on all
screens after the START screen.
Roster Screens
Instrument Function Keys
The roster screens list household members first, followed by
non-household members. The listing of non-household
members (visitors or individuals who left the household) is
given in gray. Continuing or new household members are
given in blue.
The functionality of the function keys for the reinterview
instrument differs from their functionality within Case
Management and also differs some from their functionality
within the NCVS instrument. Within the CAPI reinterview
instrument you can display the function keys at any time by
one of two methods.
·
·
You can go to the Navigate menu and select “Show
Function Keys” or
You can press Ctrl-K.
The following table provides the complete list of function
keys used in the NCVS RI instrument.
4-2
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NCVS-547 (December 2014)
KEY
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
F12
FUNCTION
Item specific Help
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
Jump Menu
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
Enter item specific
notes
Return
Skip Forward
Exit - Skip to END
(Unassigned)
Copy
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
KEY
Shift-F1
Shift-F2
Shift-F3
Shift-F4
Shift-F5
Shift-F6
Shift-F7
Shift-F8
Shift-F9
Shift-F10
Shift-F11
Shift-F12
FUNCTION
Display the household
roster
FAQs
Reinterview FAQs
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
View Remarks/Item
notes
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
Display function keys
Display standard
abbreviation list
Display original CAPI
Notes
KEY
Ctrl-D
Ctrl-F3
Ctrl-E
Ctrl-F
Ctrl-F7
Ctrl-H
Ctrl-K
Ctrl-M
Ctrl-R
FUNCTION
Don't Know (D)
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
(Unassigned)
Access reinterview
notes
Show Info
Display function key
descriptions
Show Don’t Know &
Refusals
Refusal (R)
Additionally, some laptop keys have other special functions.
They are listed in the table below.
KEY
ESC
HOME
END
Page Up
Page Down
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Left Arrow
Right Arrow
QC Questions
FUNCTION
Cancel
Moves to beginning of form
Moves to first unanswered field on
path
Moves backward one page/screen
Moves forward one page/screen
Move upward or backward one field
Move downward or forward one field
Move to previous field
Move to next field
A proxy is allowed for the reinterview of complete or
sufficient partial original NCVS interviews if the household
respondent is not available after three attempts at contact.
If the household respondent is available, or if the original
NCVS interview was a noninterview, the NCVS instrument
leads the reinterviewer to verify that the NCVS interviewer
contacted the household.
As is standard with most QC reinterviews, after verifying
that the NCVS interviewer contacted the household, the
NCVS RI instrument leads the reinterviewer to ask the
following:
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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•
If the interviewer visited in person or called on the
telephone (ORMODE);
•
If the interviewer was polite and professional
(POLITE);
•
How long the interview lasted (LENGTH_H,
LENGTH_M);
•
If the interviewer used a laptop computer (LAPTOP);
and
•
If the roster was correct (ROSTER_1, ROSTER_2,
ROSTER_3, ROSTER_4).
Because age is (partially) used to determine who is eligible
for the School Crime Supplement (when the School Crime
Supplement is collected), it is very important that the age be
reported correctly during the NCVS. Unlike most QC
reinterviews, the NCVS QC reinterview will verify
demographic data (including age), household income, and
tenure (own/rent the housing unit). After verifying the roster
(and collecting the names of household members who were
omitted from the original roster), the NCVS QC reinterview
instrument leads the reinterviewer to ask:
·
·
If the age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status
were reported correctly (RI_AGECHECK,
RI_SEX_VER, RI_RACE_VER, RI_ORIGIN_VER,
RI_MARITAL_VER), and
What the age range, sex, race, Hispanic origin, or marital
status are (RI_AGERANGE,RI_SEX, RI_RACE,
RI_ORIGIN, RI_MARITAL) if the age, sex, race,
Hispanic origin, or marital status were not correctly
recorded, or not recorded at all,
for each household member, and
·
·
If the household income and tenure were reported
correctly (RI_HHINCOME_VER, RI_TENURE_VER),
and
What the household income or tenure are
(RI_HHINCOME, RI_TENURE) if the household
income or tenure was not correctly recorded, or not recorded
at all.
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RE Questions
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
After the QC questions, if the original NCVS interview was a
complete or sufficient partial interview and the reinterview
respondent is the household respondent or the RE sample
person, the instrument asks a series of response error
questions about crime victimization. First, if the reinterview
is not being completed by a proxy, the household respondent
is asked about household crimes. Then, the person who
answered for the RE sample person, who may be the
household respondent, is asked about crimes against
him/herself/RE sample person.
If the respondent (household respondent or RE sample
person, as appropriate) indicates that a specific type of crime
has occurred, then the instrument leads you to asks for:
•
•
The number of times such a crime occurred, and
A description of what happened.
These follow-up questions are not asked if that type of crime
did not occur.
If a proxy is completing the reinterview, and he/she is a
household member other than the one who answered for the
RE sample person, then the instrument will not allow the
questions that refer to the RE sample person to come on path.
Thank-you Screens
There are different Thank-you screens depending on the
situation.
•
The RI_THANKHR screen (in the MIDDLE of the
instrument, allows you to thank the household
respondent before asking to speak to the RE sample
person (if the RE sample person is not the household
respondent).
•
The THANK_YOU screen allows you to thank the
household respondent (if the household respondent is
the RE sample person).
•
The THANK_REF screen allows you to apologize
for bothering the respondent if the household
respondent or Type B/C contact person is deceased.
•
The THANK_SORRY screen allows you to thank
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the respondent if the address or telephone number is
incorrect or the original respondent is unknown at the
address or telephone number.
Screens for Determining
Reinterview Outcome and
Falsification Assessment
After you have thanked the respondent, if no further contact
is planned, the QC RI instrument leads you through screens
to determine the reinterview outcome and falsification
assessment for the case. If the RE sample person and the
household respondent are different people and you
reinterviewed both of them, you will be asked If you were
able to contact the RE sample person (RI_DESCRIPTSP)
If you suspect falsification from talking to the RE sample
person, you should mark that you suspect falsification of the
interview.
After answering the above questions, you will be asked if the
original outcome was correct (RI_OUTCM).
Now turn to the next page and complete the Review Exercise.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Lesson 1 Review Exercise 4
For each of the questions/statements below, fill the one circle that best applies.
1.
At no time are proxies allowed in the NCVS reinterview.
True
2.
The functionality of the function keys for reinterview is the same as for the original
interview.
True
3.
False
False
The age of household respondents is used to direct them to the School Crime Supplement
(when the School Crime Supplement is collected).
True
False
Now compare your answers to the answer key on the next page.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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Answer Key for Lesson 4
1.
At no time are proxies allowed in the NCVS reinterview.
True
2.
⊗
False
The age of household respondents is (partially) used to determine if they are eligible for
the School Crime Supplement (when it is collected).
⊗
4-8
False
The functionality of the function keys in interview is the same as in reinterview.
True
3.
⊗
True
False
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Lesson 5. Practice Reinterviews
Objective
During this lesson, you will have the opportunity to
familiarize yourself with the NCVS CAPI RI instrument by
going through three practice reinterviews. Of course, since
these are your first attempts at completing NCVS CAPI
reinterviews, these reinterviews will be much simpler than
most of your actual reinterviews will be. Remember, the
purpose of this self-study interview is to allow you become
more familiar with the instrument.
Caution
To keep things simple, go straight through the scripted
reinterviews. DO NOT attempt to jump around to different
sections or to enter “Don’t Know” and “Refused” answers
unless instructed in the interview. If you follow the
instructions throughout this lesson, you should not have any
problems.
If you are in the middle of an interview and get off track by
entering the wrong answer for a single question, press the
left or up arrow key in the lower right corner of your
keyboard. This step will take you to the previous question so
you can change the answer.
What do I do when I have
questions?
Write down any questions or comments you have while
completing these reinterviews on the pages at the end of this
lesson and mention them to your RO supervisor. Remember
to write down the name of the screen name if your question
or comment pertains to a particular screen.
Follow the Instructions
Complete each practice interview in its entirety. The scripts
will include the survey questions, statements, etc., that you as
the reinterviewer will read, as well as the respondent’s
answers. Throughout this interview, you will see "FS" used
to indicate what the reinterviewer, you, should say or do, and
an "R" is used to indicate what the respondent’s answers are.
Below each FS and R exchange, you will see in bold and in
parenthesis the information you should enter. In order for
the response to be recorded, you must press the ENTER key.
Also, all instructions to you will be written in bold.
Access Training Case
Management
Your practice interview is in Training Case Management. To
access it, you will:
·
Click on the Training icon from your desktop.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-1
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
·
·
·
Highlight “ Reint NCVS” and then press Enter (or click
OK).
Press F5 to Install if you need to install the Reint NCVS
cases.
Press F8 to enter Training Case Management.
Access Your Case
For the first practice reinterview, highlight the address 241
STAR ROUTE BACK and press F2. At the “NCVS
Selected Case Confirmation Screen”, press Enter (or click
OK).
Screens and Navigation
Look at the left of the status bar (bottom of your screen;
second box from the left). You should see the name of the
screen. For the first screen you should see “START.” This
is the item or variable name. While completing this
interview, if you feel lost, look for the variable name in the
status bar.
Now let’s begin the practice reinterviews. Remember to
follow the scripts and make the entries as indicated using the
keyboard. Be sure to read the instructions in bold since they
will describe specific screens and concepts as you proceed
through the script.
Practice Reinterview 1: Reinterview of a complete NCVS interview in which the
household respondent and the RE sample person are different people [Using proxy].
Address: 241 STAR ROUTE BACK, ANY TOWN, AL
START
The reinterview date, time, and case status, as well as the
original date, time, outcome, address, and phone number,
will be displayed on the screen. This is a new reinterview
case.
(Enter 1, Continue)
HHCOMP
This screen shows the roster, including names, relationship to
household respondent, age, sex, race, and HHCODE (which
describes changes to the household membership status of
each person). You can access this screen by Shift-F1 at any
time during the reinterview. You can also see this roster
screen by the Ros tab.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
5-2
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
METHOD
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
On this screen you choose the method of reinterview, quit in
order to attempt at a later time, make the case a reinterview
noninterview, or make the case an RO or HQ discretion case.
You MUST have permission from the RO in order to choose
option 5.
(Enter 1, Telephone Reinterview.)
DIAL
This screen instructs you to dial the household’s telephone
number, which is displayed in the screen along with the
name of the household respondent and the sample unit’s
address.
(Enter 1, Someone answers.)
HELLO_TC
FS: Hello, I’m (your name) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
May I speak to Patty Public?
R: She’s away on business.
(Enter 3, Person cannot be reached, speak with another
household member.)
HHMEM
FS: Perhaps you can help me. Are you a household member
who is 18 years or older?
R: Yes I am.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
PROX_C
FS: Our records show that one of our interviewers recently
contacted your household
We’re doing a short quality control check to make sure that
our interviewers are following correct procedures.
Can you or another household member answer a few
questions to help us evaluate the interviewer’s work?
R: Sure.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-3
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
ADDVER
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
FS:
I Need to verify that the address there is:
241 STAR ROUTE BACK
ANY TOWN, AL 99997-9997
Is this correct?
R:
Yes.
(Mark 1, Same Address.)
RIRESP
FS:
With whom am I speaking?
R:
PATTY PUBLIC
(Enter 4, the line number of the respondent.)
CONTACT_C
FS:
Did an interviewer contact you on or about Friday,
September 26, 2014, and ask questions about crime
incidents that happened to you during the last six
months, that is between March 25, 2014, and
September 25, 2014?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
PROX_PRESENT
FS:
Were you present during the original interview?
R:
No.
(Mark 2, No.)
ROSTER_1
FS:
Our records indicate that JANE PUBLIC, JOE
PUBLIC, JENNY PUBLIC and PATTY PUBLIC
were living or staying at :
241 STAR ROUTE BACK
ANY TOWN, AL 99997
on Friday, September 26, 2014.
Is this correct?
R:
Yes.
(Mark 1, Yes.)
5-4
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
ROSTER_3
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
FS:
Have I missed any household member who was living
here on Friday, September 26, 2014?
R:
No.
(Mark 2, No.)
AGECHECK
This screen is accessed for each household member whose
age was given during the initial interview.
FS:
I have JANE PUBLIC listed as 54 years old.
Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Mark 1, Yes, age IS correct.)
SEX
This screen is accessed for each household member whose
sex was not recorded during the initial interview.
FS:
Is JANE PUBLIC male or female?
R:
Female
(Enter 2, Female.)
RACE
This screen is accessed for each household member whose
race was not recorded during the initial interview.
FS:
Which race or race(s) would you classify JANE
PUBLIC as: White, Black or African American,
American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native
Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Other - specify
R:
White.
(Enter 1, White.)
ORIGIN
FS:
Is JANE PUBLIC Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, Hispanic origin is NOT correct.)
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-5
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
RI_MARITAL_VER
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
FS:
I have your marital status listed as married. Is that
correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Marital status IS correct.)
Second person from original household roster:
AGE_CHECK
FS:
I have JOE PUBLIC listed as 58 years old. Is that
correct?
R:
Yes.
(Mark 1, Yes, age IS correct.)
SEX_VER
FS:
I have JOE PUBLIC listed as male. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes, sex IS correct.)
RACE_VER
FS:
I have JOE PUBLIC’s race listed as white. Is that
correct?.
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes, race IS correct.)
ORIGIN_VER
FS:
I have JOE PUBLIC listed as not being Spanish,
Hispanic, or Latino. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Hispanic origin IS correct.)
MARITAL_VER
FS:
I have JOE PUBLIC’s marital status listed as
married. Is that correct?
R:
You bet.
(Enter 1, Marital status IS correct.)
5-6
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Note that the instrument skips MARY PUBLIC, since she was not a household member.
Fourth person from original roster:
AGE_CHECK
FS:
I have you listed as 18 years old.
FS:
Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Mark 1, Yes, age IS correct.)
SEX_VER
FS:
I have you listed as female. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
RACE_VER
FS:
I have your race listed as white. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes, race IS correct.)
RI_ORIGIN_VER
FS:
I have you listed as not being Spanish, Hispanic, or
Latino. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes, Hispanic origin IS correct.)
RI_MARITAL_VER
FS:
Are you married, widowed, divorced, separated or
never married?
R:
Never married.
(Enter 5, Never Married.)
Fifth (and final) person from original roster:
AGE_RANGE
FS:
Is PATTY PUBLIC a child, a teenager, or an adult?
R:
She’s a teenager.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-7
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
FS:
Is she ...
2. 12 - 13 years old?
3. 14 - 15 years old?
4. 16 - 17 years old?
5. 18 - 24 years old?
R:
She’s 16.
(Mark 4, 16-17 years old.)
SEX_VER
FS:
I have PATTY PUBLIC listed as female. Is that
correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
RACE_VER
FS:
I have PATTY PUBLIC’s race listed as black or
African America. Is that correct?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No, race is NOT correct.)
RACE
FS:
Please choose one or more races that PATTY
PUBLIC considers herself to be.
1. White
2. Black or African
American
3. American Indian or
Alaska Native
R:
4. Asian
5. Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander
6. Other – specify
She’s Caucasian
(Enter 1, White.)
ORIGIN_VER
FS:
I have PATTY PUBLIC listed as not being Spanish,
Hispanic, or Latino. Is that correct?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, Hispanic origin is NOT correct.)
5-8
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
MARITAL_VER
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
FS:
I have PATTY PUBLIC’s marital status listed as
widowed. Is that correct?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No, marital status is NOT correct.)
MARITAL
FS:
Is PATTY PUBLIC married, widowed, divorced,
separated or never married?
R:
Never married.
(Mark 5, Never married.)
RI_HHINCOME
This screen is accessed if the household income was not
(correctly) recorded during the original interview. If the
household income had been recorded during the original
interview, then RI_HHINCOME_VER (to verify the
income) would have been asked.
FS:
Which of the following categories 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.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
R:
Less than $5,000
$5,000 - $7,499
$7,500 - $9,999
$10,000 - $12,499
$12,500 - $14,999
$15,000 - $17,499
$17,500 - $19,999
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
$20,000 - $24,999
$25,000 - $29,999
$30,000 - $34,999
$35,000 - $39,999
$40,000 - $49,990
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 and over
About 36,000.
(Enter 21, for $35,000- $39,999 and over.)
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-9
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
RI_HHTENURE_VER
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
FS:
I have that your living quarters are rented for cash. Is
that correct?
R:
Yes, we rent
(Enter 1, Yes, tenure IS correct.)
THANK_YOU
This screen tells you that the case is ready to be wrapped up.
When you enter 1 the instrument will leave the case.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
RI_OUTCM
This question gives the original outcome for the case and
asks if it was correct.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
FALSIF
This question asks if you suspect falsification of the entire
interview. It lists discrepancies found during
reinterview:
Your reinterview indicated the following discrepancies:
13- Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly
recorded on roster.
Do you suspect falsification?
(Enter 3, Unable to determine.)
READYWRAP
This screen tells you that the case is ready to be wrapped
up. When you enter 1 the instrument will leave the case.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
WRAP_UP
This screen tells you that the case outcome and
disposition code..
•
This case is completed and ready to be transmitted. After
exiting, the case will be removed from your Case List
view.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
The Case-Level Notes Editor will pop up for one last
chance to enter notes. Enter what you want, then enter
F10 to close the notes window.
5-10
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Practice Reinterview 2: 0262940UJ30119801 – Reinterview of a complete NCVS interview in
which the household was an original non-interview. Address: 5107 Mountain View Circle, in
ANY TOWN, CT
START
The reinterview date, time, and case status, as well as the
original date, time, outcome, address, and phone number,
will be displayed on the screen. This is a new reinterview
case.
(Enter 1, Continue)
START_1A
This screen gives contact person information: Name,
Title, Phone, and Address.
(Enter 1, Continue)
METHOD
(Enter 1, Telephone Reinterview.)
DIAL
This screen instructs you to dial the household’s
telephone number, which is displayed in the screen along
with the name of the household respondent and the
sample unit’s address.
(Enter 1, Someone answers.)
HELLO_TN
FS:
Hello. I’m (your name) from the U.S. Census
Bureau. May I speak to WES SMITH?
(Enter 1, This is correct person , or correct person called
to the phone.)
INTRO_TN
FS:
Thank you for recently helping us verify the status of:
5107 Mountain View Circle
ANY TOWN, CT 99997
We’re doing a short quality control check to make
sure that our interviewers are following correct
procedures.
(Enter 1, Continue.)
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-11
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
CONTACT_N
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
FS:
Did an interviewer visit or call regarding:
5107 Mountain View Circle
ANY TOWN, CT 99997
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
ORMODE
FS:
Did the interviewer visit in person or call on the
telephone?
R:
They called.
(Enter 2, Telephone call only.)
POLITE
FS: Was the interviewer polite and professional?
R: No.
(Enter 2, No.)
PO_NOTES
FS: How was the interviewer not polite and/or professional?
R: They were really curt.
(Enter “They were really curt” into the Polite Notes box.)
STATUS
FS:
Our records show that on Tuesday, September 30,
2014,
5107 Mountain View Circle
ANY TOWN, CT 99997
was under construction, not ready
Is this information correct?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes.)
THANK_YOU
5-12
FS:
Thank you for your cooperation. You’ve been very
helpful.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
(Enter 1, Continue. During an actual reinterview, you
would leave after THANK_YOU, and fill out the last of the
reinterview instrument away from the respondent.)
RI_OUTCM
This screen asks if the original outcome was correct.
FALSIF
(Enter 1, Yes.)
After listing all discrepancies, this screen asks if you
suspect falsification.
(Enter 2, No.)
READYWRAP
This screen tells you that the case is completed and ready
for to be transmitted.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
WRAP_UP
This screen tells you that the case outcome and
disposition code..
(Enter 1 to continue.)
The Case-Level Notes Editor will pop up for one last
chance to enter notes. Enter what you want, then
enter F10 to close the notes window. This will wrap
up the case.
Practice Reinterview 3: Reinterview of a complete NCVS interview in which the
household was not contact and should have been a non-interview. Address: 106 Robin
St, in ANY TOWN, CO
START
The reinterview date, time, and case status, as well as the
original date, time, outcome, address, and phone number,
will be displayed on the screen. This is a new reinterview
case.
(Enter 1, Continue)
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-13
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
HHCOMP
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
This screen shows the roster, including names,
relationship to household respondent, age, sex, race, and
HHCODE (which describes changes to the household
membership status of each person). You can access this
screen by Shift-F1 at any time during the reinterview.
You can also see this roster screen by the Ros tab.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
METHOD
On this screen you choose the method of reinterview, quit
in order to attempt at a later time, make the case a
reinterview noninterview, or make the case an RO or HQ
discretion case. You MUST have permission from the
RO in order to choose option 5.
(Enter 1, Telephone Reinterview.)
DIAL
This screen instructs you to dial the household’s
telephone number, which is displayed in the screen along
with the name of the household respondent and the
sample unit’s address.
(Enter 1, Someone answers.)
HELLO_TC
FS:
Hello. I’m (your name) from the U.S. Census
Bureau. May I speak to MARY JANE WEIL?
R:
This is she.
(Enter 1, This is correct person, or correct person called
to the phone.
INTRO_TC
FS:
Thank you for helping us recently with the National
Crime Victimization Survey.
We’re doing a short quality control check to make
sure that our interviewers are following correct
procedures.
Is your address:
106 Robin St
ANY TOWN, CO 99997?
R:
5-14
Yes
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
(Enter 1, Yes.)
RIRESP
FS:
With whom am I speaking?
R:
MARY JANE WEIL
(Enter 1, the line number of the respondent.)
CONTACT_C
FS:
Did an interviewer contact you on someone in your
household on or about Monday, September 29th,
2014, and ask questions about crime incidents that
happened to you during the last six months, that is
between March 28, 2014, and September 28, 2014?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No.)
SOMEONE_ELSE
FS:
Could the interviewer have spoken to another person
at
106 Robin St
ANY TOWN, CO 99997?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No.)
ROSTER_1
FS:
Our records indicate that MARY JANE WEIL
was/were living or staying on Monday, September
29th, 2014.
Is this correct?
R:
Yes.
(Mark 1, Yes.)
ROSTER_3
FS:
Have I missed any household member who was living
here on Monday, September 29th, 2014?
R:
No.
(Mark 2, No.)
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-15
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
AGE_CHECK
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
This screen is accessed for each household member whose
age was given during the initial interview.
FS:
I have you listed as 55 years old.
Is that correct?
R:
No.
(Mark 2, No, age is NOT correct.)
AGE_RANGE
This screen is accessed if the person’s age was incorrect
or if the person’s age wasn’t collected during the initial
interview.
FS:
Are you ...
5. 18 - 24 years old?
6. 25 - 34 years old?
7. 35 - 49 years old?
8. 50 - 65 years old?
9. 66 years old or older?
R:
I’m 37 years old.
(Mark 7, 35 to 49 years old, for the answer ‘37 years
old’.)
SEX_VER
FS:
I have you listed as female. Is that correct?
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes, sex IS correct.)
RACE_VER
FS:
I your race listed as white. Is that correct?.
R:
No. I’m bi-racial. Half Caucasian, half AfricanAmerican
(Enter “1” ”,” “2”, to enter both White and Black or
African-American.)
5-16
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
ORIGIN_VER
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
FS:
I have you listed as not being Spanish, Hispanic, or
Latino. Is that correct?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No, Hispanic origin is NOT correct.)
MARITAL_VER
FS:
I your marital status listed as widowed. Is that
correct?
R:
No.
(Enter 2, Marital status is NOT correct.)
MARITAL
FS:
Are you married, widowed, divorced, separated or
never married?
R:
Divorced
(Mark 3, Divorced.)
RI_HHINCOME_VER
FS:
The total household income for your household is
listed as $20,000-$24,999.
FS:
.
R:
Is that correct?
No..
(Mark 2, household income is NOT correct.)
RI_HHINCOME
FS:
Which of the following categories 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.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
Less than $5,000
$5,000 - $7,499
$7,500 - $9,999
$10,000 - $12,499
$12,500 - $14,999
$15,000 - $17,499
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
$20,000 - $24,999
$25,000 - $29,999
$30,000 - $34,999
$35,000 - $39,999
$40,000 - $49,990
$50,000 - $74,999
5-17
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
17. $17,500 - $19,999 24. $75,000 and over
R:
$15,000.
(Enter 16, for $15,000- $17,499)
RI_HHTENURE_VER
FS:
I have that your living quarters are rented for cash. Is
that correct?.
R:
Yes.
Enter 1, Yes, tenure IS correct.)
RI_SQTHEFT
FS:
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, between March 28, 2014,
and September 28, 2014.
Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as ---------
R:
Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,
purse, briefcase, book Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone Bicycle or sports equipment Things in your home - like a TV, stereo, or
tools Things outside your home such as a garden hose
or lawn furniture Things belonging to children in the household Things from a vehicle, such as a package,
groceries, camera, or CDs - OR
Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything
belonging to you?
Yes
(Enter 1)
RI_SQTHEFTTIMES
FS:
How many times?
R:
Once
(Enter 1.)
RI_SQTHEFTSPEC
5-18
FS:
What happened?
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
R:
Someone broke into my car and stole my GPS & CDs
You are to briefly describe the incident in
RI_SQTHEFTSPEC. Remember, when writing a
description of what happened refer to the respondent and
any other household member by his or her line number
(for example L1, L2) and NOT by their name. If you click
on the Ros tab, you will see the names of those persons
living or staying in the household and their corresponding
line number. Click on the Ros tab now.
[ ]
You will see that JOHN DOE’s line number is 1. Now
enter click on the “NCVS-RI” tab on the toolbar to go
back to RI_SQTHEFTSPEC. DO NOT enter 1 to
continue as doing so will take you to the next unanswered
screen question.
Now enter the following summary:
L1 stated that someone broke into their car overnight and
stole the GPS as well as some CDs.
(Press Enter to continue)
RI_SQBREAKIN
FS:
Other than any incidents already mentioned, 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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No.)
RI_SQTOTALVEHICLES
FS:
What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or
any other member of that household during the last 6
months, that is between March 28, 2014, and
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
5-19
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
September 28, 2014? Include those you no longer
own.
R:
I have one vehicle
(Enter 1.)
RI_SQMVTHEFT
This question is only accessed if the household respondent
says that they have at least one motor vehicle.
FS:
During the last 6 months, that is between March 28,
2014 and September 28, 2014, other than any
incident(s) 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?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No.)
RI_SQATTACKWHERE
FS:
Other than any incidents already mentioned, between
March 28, 2014 and September 28, 2014, were you
attacked or threatened OR did you have something
stolen from you -- At home including the porch or yard -- At or near a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's
home -- At work or school -- In places such as a storage shed or laundry room,
a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or airport -- While riding in any vehicle -- On the street or in a parking lot -- At such places as a party, theater, gym, picnic
area, bowling lanes, or while fishing or huntingOR
-- Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT to
steal anything belonging to you from any of these
places?
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
R:
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
RI_SQATTACKWHERETIMES
FS:
How many times?
R:
Once.
(Enter 1.)
RI_SQATTACKWHERESPEC
FS:
What happened?
R:
Someone stole my clothes from the laundry room.
(Press Ctrl-R.)
RI_SQATTACKHOW
This question is only asked if the answer to
RI_SQATTACKWHERE was yes.
FS:
Other than any incidents already mentioned, has
anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these
ways -- (Exclude telephone threats) -- With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knife -- With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan,
scissors, or stick -- By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle -- Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,
-- Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of sexual
attack -- Any 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.
R:
No.
(Enter 2, No.)
RI_SQTHEFTATTACKKNOWNOFF
This question is only asked if the answer to
RI_SQATTACKWHERE was yes.
FS:
People often don't think of incidents committed by
someone they know. Other than any incidents already
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
mentioned, did you have something stolen from you
or were you attacked or threatened by-----
Someone at work or school A neighbor or friend A relative or family member Any other person you have met or known?
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No.)
RI_ SQSEXUAL
FS:
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 know before -- A casual acquaintance OR
-- Someone you know well?
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
R:
No
(Enter 2, No.)
RI_SQCALLPOLICECRIME
FS:
During the last 6 months, that is between March 28,
2014 and September 28, 2014, 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?
R:
Yes
(Enter 1, Yes.)
RI_SQCALLPOLICE-SPEC
5-22
FS:
What happened?
R:
The police came to take a report on the damage
from car during the break-in. I needed some
documentation to take to the insurance company.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Enter the details into the Call police specify box:
L1 called the police to file a report about the car break-in
and to get documentation for their insurance company
(press Enter to continue.)
RI_SQCALLPOLICEATTACK- FS:
THREAT
R:
Were you attacked or threatened, or was something
stolen or an attempt made to steal something that
belonged to you or another household member?
Yes.
(Enter 1, Yes.)
RI_SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES
FS:
How many times?
R:
Just the once.
(Enter 1, Continue )
RI_SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME FS:
R:
During the last 6 months, that is between March 38,
3014 and September 28, 2014, did anything which
you thought was a crime happen to YOU, but you
did NOT report to the police?
Not that I can recall
(Enter 2, No )
THANK_YOU
FS: Thank you for your cooperation. You’ve been very
helpful.
(Enter 1, Continue. During an actual reinterview, you
would leave after THANK_YOU, and fill out the last of
the reinterview instrument away from the respondent.)
RI_OUTCM
This screen asks if the original outcome was correct.
(Enter 2, No.)
FALSIF2
After listing all discrepancies, this screen asks if you
suspect falsification.
Your reinterview indicated the following discrepancies:
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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1- The reinterview respondent said no one contacted this
household regarding this survey.
2- You determined that the original status, 201 – completed
interview was not correct.
13- Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly
recorded on roster.
14- The household income and /or tenure was/were
incorrectly recorded
Falsification is suspected for this case. An 11-163 is
required. Please notify your supervisor.
(Enter 1, Continue.)
READYWRAP
This screen tells you that the case is completed and ready
for to be transmitted.
(Enter 1 to continue.)
WRAP_UP
This screen tells you that the case outcome and
disposition code..
(Enter 1 to continue.)
The Case-Level Notes Editor will pop up for one last
chance to enter notes. Enter what you want, then
enter F10 to close the notes window. This will wrap
up the case.
This concludes the scripted practice reinterviews. You can now exit Case Management by
pressing the F10 key or clicking on the F10-Exit button on the Case Management toolbar. You
may also conduct more practice reinterviews by selecting more cases from the training Case
Management or by reinstalling the reinterview cases you have just completed.
If you want to reinstall the reinterview cases in order to practice them a second time, you:
Press F10 to exit Case Management,
Re-enter Training Case Management for NCVS Classroom,
Press F12 to Uninstall, and
Press F5 to Install.
There are 42 cases available for you to practice on in the training reinterview instrument. Please
contact your supervisor if you would like to practice on the additional available cases.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Lesson 6. Falsification
What is Falsification?
Falsification is when the interviewer knowingly deviates
from current interviewing procedures, and/or improperly
classifies units, to avoid interviewing units. This includes
·
·
Making up information and
Intentionally misclassifying units as Type B or Type C
noninterviews.
Failure to Follow Survey
Procedures
Failure to follow survey procedures is not the same as data
falsification. Examples of failure to follow survey
procedures are not asking questions as worded or not using a
laptop for personal visits. In some instances, excessive
failure to follow survey procedures can lead to data
falsification. For example, an interviewer decides not to use
a laptop to conduct an interview, but asks questions he or she
assumes would come up in the instrument, records them on
paper, and keys them in later. While keying, the interviewer
gets to a question that was not asked to the respondent. In
order to move forward through the survey instrument, the
interviewer may enter in answers. Since these answers did
not come from the respondent, data falsification has
occurred.
Noninterview Misclassification
Noninterview misclassification is a failure to follow survey
procedures. If you verify during reinterview that an original
case was incorrectly classified as a Type B or C
noninterview, then misclassification has occurred.
Misclassification occurs when an interviewer incorrectly
determines the status of a sample household unit and records
it as a noninterview. The sample household unit was either
recorded as the wrong type of noninterview or a
noninterview when an interview should have been conducted
An example of noninterview misclassification is when the
interviewer records a unit as vacant when the unit is occupied
but the household members are simply not home. If this
unit was properly classified, additional contacts could have
been made, and may have resulted in a complete interview.
You can determine if a noninterview has been misclassified
in two ways:
• your personal observation by visiting the sample unit or
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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• information from the contact person.
Depending on the type of noninterview, you will see the
MISC_B or MISC_C screen.
Screen MISC_B:
Which of the following options describes the
misclassification of this original Type B case?
1. Should have been an Interview or Type A.
2. Should have been another Type B.
3. Should have been a Type C.
Screen MISC_C:
Which of the following options describes the
misclassification of this original Type C case?
1. Should have been an Interview or Type A.
2. Should have been a Type B.
3. Should have been another Type C.
Misclassification may suggest that the interviewer needs
more training in classifying noninterviews. In addition,
intentionally misclassifying noninterviews to avoid
interviewing is a type of data falsification.
Discrepancies between the
Original Interview and
Reinterview
During the course of the reinterview, the reinterview
instrument checks for certain discrepancies, such as roster
errors, noninterview misclassification, etc.
•
If the reinterview instrument detects any of these
discrepancies, the FALSIF screen displays “Your
reinterview indicates the following discrepancies:”
and displays a list of the detected discrepancies.
•
If there are no detected discrepancies, the FALSIF
screen displays “Your reinterview did not indicate
any discrepancies.”
This listing of discrepancies or statement that there are no
detected discrepancies should aid you in determining whether
or not you should suspect falsification.
Possible discrepancies include:
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Reinterviewer Requirements
for Suspecting Falsification
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
•
The reinterview respondent said no one contacted
the household regarding the NCVS.
•
The reinterviewer determined that the original
status was incorrect.
•
The status of the case was completed by
observation in the original interview. The
reinterviewer determined that the original status
was incorrect.
•
The interviewer classified the unit as a Type B or
Type C Noninterview and the reinterviewer
determined that it should have been an Interview or
Type A.
•
The reinterview respondent indicated that the
original status was incorrect.
•
The household roster was incorrect.
•
The interviewer conducted a telephone interview
instead of a personal visit interview, as required.
•
This case was conducted by a personal visit and the
reinterview respondent said the interviewer did not
use a laptop.
•
The interviewer entered a bad telephone number for
the case.
•
Demographic characteristic(s) was/were incorrectly
recorded on roster.
•
The household income and/or tenure was/were
incorrectly recorded.
The Field Division at Headquarters has decided that
reinterviewers who have the following situations are
REQUIRED to select ‘Yes’ on the FALSIF screen in the
following situations:
1
The respondent reports that he or she was not
interviewed for the NCVS.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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When a respondent states that there was no contact
at all, the original data could be falsified. Cases
with this discrepancy should be taken very
seriously. Please ensure that you have contacted
the correct household and respondent.
2
The respondent indicates that no laptop was
used on a personal visit interview.
The integrity of the original interview is
compromised when a laptop is not used during a
personal visit interview, even for original
noninterviews. You cannot ensure that all
appropriate questions have been asked.
3
The case was incorrectly classified as a Type B
or Type C when eligible respondents occupied
the unit.
Interviewers may intentionally classify sample
household units as noninterviews to avoid
interviewing and prevent further contact in
reinterview.
4 The FR interviewed at the wrong address.
Interviewing at a wrong address could be indicative
of falsification or a procedural error. Interviewing
at an incorrect sample unit is a serious enough error
that the case should be investigated and
documented through the 11-163 investigation
process.
AND
fill out the their part of the 11-163, FR Data Falsification
Follow-up Form
Headquarters will follow up with the ROs with reinterview
cases that fall into any of these categories.
What to Do When You Suspect
Falsification
6-4
Do not contact the interviewer before speaking to the
program supervisor (SSO,SSF or FS). If you suspect that an
interviewer falsified information, immediately contact the
RO program supervisor.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
The RO program supervisor will investigate the case and
may complete a form 11-163, Field Representative Data
Falsification Follow-up. The RO may require your
assistance to investigate the case.
Giving Feedback When You
Do Not Suspect Falsification
If you do not suspect falsification and your supervisor has no
objections to your conferring with the interviewer, meet with
the interviewer as soon as possible after you complete the
reinterview of his/her cases.
Whenever possible, meet with the interviewer in person. If a
personal meeting is not possible, talk with the interviewer by
telephone.
For any errors attributable to the interviewer, make sure that
you review with the interviewer the correct procedures and
clear up any misconceptions. Before ending your discussion
with the interviewer, verify that the interviewer understands
how to resolve future errors. Vary the nature and extent of
your instructions according to the seriousness of the errors.
Most importantly, be sure to compliment the interviewer for
all the work that he/she performed correctly.
Now turn to the next page and complete the Review Exercise.
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
Lesson 6 Review Exercise
1.
Falsification is when the interviewer ______________ deviates from current interviewing
procedures, and/or ______________ classifies units, to ___________ interviewing units.
For each of the questions/statements below, fill the one circle that best applies.
2.
You should confront an interviewer immediately if you suspect the interviewer of
falsification.
True
3.
False
If you do not suspect falsification and your supervisor has no objections to your
conferring with the interviewer, meet with the interviewer as soon as possible after you
complete the reinterview of his/her cases.
True
False
Now compare your answers to the answer key on the next page.
6-6
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Answer Key for Lesson 6
1.
Falsification is when the interviewer
knowingly deviates from current interviewing
procedures, and/or improperly classifies units, to avoid
interviewing units.
2.
You should confront an interviewer immediately if you suspect the interviewer of
falsification.
True
3.
⊗
False
If you do not suspect falsification and your supervisor has no objections to your
conferring with the interviewer, meet with the interviewer as soon as possible after you
complete the reinterview of his/her cases.
⊗
True
False
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
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This page intentionally blank.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Lesson 7. Final Review Exercise
For each of the questions/statements below, fill the one circle that best applies.
1.
The NCVS reinterview asks questions not only to detect falsification but also to evaluate
the consistency of response to crime victimization questions.
True
2.
Proxies are allowed for the RE sample person.
True
3.
False
It’s useful to check the values of the function keys, because they’re the different for the
interview and reinterview.
True
7.
False
Falsified data has NO impact on the quality of the survey.
True
6.
False
It’s necessary that you, as the reinterviewer, select the RE sample person from the roster
in order to complete the reinterview.
True
5.
False
You MUST make a falsification assessment in order to have a complete reinterview.
True
4.
False
False
If you believe you must conduct a personal visit reinterview, you must first contact the
RO for permission.
True
False
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
7-1
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
8.
It doesn’t matter if the age of household members is correctly collected during the
NCVS.
True
9.
False
It is important to collect correct demographic data (age, sex, race, Hispanic origin,
marital status) for household members.
True
10.
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
False
Below is a list of mistakes that an FR may make during the original interview. Check the
appropriate box for the situations that REQUIRE that falsification be suspected, and an
investigation be completed via the 11-163.
The household roster was incorrect. FR missed adding a household member to the
roster.
Respondent reports that he or she was not interviewed for the NCVS
FR entered incorrect martial status for a household member.
The reinterview respondent indicated that the original status was incorrect.
Respondent indicates that no laptop was used for an original interview conducted
by personal visit.
The case was incorrectly classified as a Type B or Type C when eligible
respondents occupied the unit.
The household income and/or tenure was/were incorrectly recorded
FR interviewed at the wrong address.
Now send your completed Final Review Exercise to your survey supervisor.
7-2
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NCVS-547 (December 2014)
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Answer Key to Lesson 7
1.
2.
The NCVS reinterview asks questions not only to detect falsification but also to evaluate
the consistency of response to crime victimization questions.
⊗
True
False
Proxies are allowed for the RE sample person.
True
⊗
False
(Proxies are allowed in the original instrument. The reinterview instrument asks to speak
to whoever answered for the RE sample person in the original interview. It will NOT
allow a proxy for THAT person.)
3.
You MUST make a falsification assessment in order to have a complete reinterview.
4.
⊗
True
It’s necessary that you, as the reinterviewer, select the RE sample person from the roster
in order to complete the reinterview.
True
5.
7.
⊗
False
⊗
False
Falsified data has NO impact on the quality of the survey.
True
6.
False
It’s useful to check the values of the function keys, because they’re the different for the
interview and reinterview.
⊗
True
⊗
True
False
If you believe you must conduct a personal visit reinterview, you must first contact the
RO for permission.
False
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
7-3
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
8.
It doesn’t matter if the age of household members is correctly collected during the
NCVS.
True
9.
10.
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
⊗
False
It is important to collect correct demographic data (age, sex, race, Hispanic origin,
marital status) for household members.
⊗
True
False
Below is a list of mistakes that an FR may make during the original interview. Check the
appropriate box for the situations that REQUIRE that falsification be suspected, and an
investigation be completed via the 11-163.
The household roster was incorrect. FR missed adding a household member to the
roster.
Respondent reports that he or she was not interviewed for the NCVS
FR entered incorrect martial status for a household member.
The reinterview respondent indicated that the original status was incorrect.
Respondent indicates that no laptop was used for an original interview
conducted by personal visit.
The case was incorrectly classified as a Type B or Type C when eligible
respondents occupied the unit.
The household income and/or tenure was/were incorrectly recorded
FR interviewed at the wrong address.
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NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
Notes
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS CAPI Reinterviewer’s Self-Study
NCVS-547 (December 2014)
Notes
National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Reinterview
NCVS-550
(10/2014)
National Crime
Victimization Survey
CAPI Interviewing Manual
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 businesses, schools, group quarters, or persons, especially any current or
former Census Bureau employees.
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
PART A
The National Crime Victimization Survey and You
Chapter
1
Title
Page
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey ...............A1-1
Topic
1 Purpose and Sponsor .........................................................A1-2
2 Historical Overview ..............................................................A1-5
3 Sample Design ....................................................................A1-7
4 Data Products and Their Uses.............................................A1-9
2
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview........A2-1
Topic
1 NCVS Authorization and Introduction ..................................A2-2
2 Confidentiality ......................................................................A2-6
3 Eligible Respondents ...........................................................A2-9
4 Maintaining Respondent Rapport ........................................A2-18
5 Answering Respondents' Questions ....................................A2-22
6 General Interviewing Techniques ........................................A2-30
7 Closing the Interview and “Thank You” Letters ....................A2-44
3
General National Crime Victimization Survey Procedures ...............A3-1
Topic
1 Basic Survey Procedures ....................................................A3-2
2 Monthly Tasks .....................................................................A3-6
3 Daily Tasks..........................................................................A3-8
4 Specific Household Procedures...........................................A3-10
4
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards .................................A4-1
Topic
1
Interviewing ......................................................................A4-2
2
Listing ...............................................................................A4-6
3
Performance Standards ....................................................A4-8
4
Field Evaluations - Observation and Reinterview ..............A4-12
Table of Contents
i
Table of Contents
Chapter
5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014 )
Title
Page
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews ..........................................A5-1
Topic
1
2
3
4
5
6
Identifying the Method of Interview ...................................A5-2
Qualifications for Using the Personal Visit Method............A5-3
Qualifications for Using the Telephone Method ................A5-8
Instructions for Conducting Telephone Interviews.............A5-10
Telephone Interviewing Skills ...........................................A5-17
Noninterviews .................................................................................A6-1
Topic
1
2
3
4
5
7
Overview of Noninterview Types and Procedures.............A6-2
Type A Noninterview Categories ......................................A6-9
Type B Noninterview Categories ......................................A6-16
Type C Noninterview Categories ......................................A6-21
Type Z Noninterview Persons ...........................................A6-25
Interviewing Materials .....................................................................A7-1
Topic
1
2
3
Description of Materials ....................................................A7-2
Materials Kept from Month to Month .................................A7-7
Materials Supplied Monthly ...............................................A7-8
Table of Contents
ii
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Table of Contents
PART B
The National Crime Victimization Survey CAPI Instrument
Chapter
1
Title
Page
Overview of the NCVS Instrument ..................................................B1-1
Topic
1 Introduction .........................................................................B1-2
2 Screen Layout .....................................................................B1-5
3 Selection of Questions and Screen Content ........................B1-8
4 Methods of Making Entries ..................................................B1-12
5 Navigation and Using Function Keys ...................................B1-16
6 Partial Interviews and Callbacks ..........................................B1-20
7 CAPI Outcome Codes .........................................................B1-24
8 How to Use the Tool Bar .....................................................B1-26
2
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument ............................................B2-1
Topic
1 Introduction .........................................................................B2-2
2 Screen Layout and Instructions for START_CP...................B2-3
3 CAPI Personal Visit Interview for Household Respondent and
Individual Respondent(s) (Screen Layout and Instructions for
START_CP through INTRO_REC_CP) ...............................B2-5
4 CAPI Telephone Interview for Household Respondent and
Individual Respondent(s) (Screen Layout and Instructions for
START_CP through INTRO_REC_CP) ...............................B2-19
5 Selecting a New Household or Individual Respondent during CAPI
Personal Visit and Telephone Interviews (Screen Layout and
Instructions for NEWHHR_CP, HELLO_ALT2_CP,
HELP_OTH_CP, ALTERNATE1_CP, TOOLATE_CP, and
NEXTPERSON) ..................................................................B2-32
6 Completing Self Response and Proxy Interviews and Coding Initial
Refusals (Screen Layout and Instructions for INTERVIEWSTATUS
through INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT) ...........................B2-39
7 Verifying Sample Address, Primary Telephone Number and Mailing
Address (Screen Layout and Instructions for GETLETTER_CP
through NEWMAILGQDESCRIPTION_CP) ........................B2-52
8 Housing Unit Characteristics (Screen Layout and Instructions
for TENURE through RESTRICTEDACCESS) ....................B2-61
9 Household Roster Demographic Characteristics (Screen Layout
and Instructions for HHROSTER_FNAME through
ANY_OTHERCHNG)...........................................................B2-79
Table of Contents
iii
Table of Contents
Chapter
3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014 )
Title
Page
Middle Section of the NCVS Instrument: Introduction
And Screening Items.......................................................................B3-1
Topic
1 Introduction .........................................................................B3-2
2 Screening Questions ...........................................................B3-3
3 Screener Section Closing Screens ......................................B3-30
4 Employment ........................................................................B3-32
5 Informing the Household Respondent, Household Income,
Other Languages, End Screens, and Choosing the Next
Respondent to Interview ......................................................B3-44
4
Middle Section of the NCVS Instrument: Incident Report Items.......B4-1
Topic
1 Screen Layout and Instructions for Items
INCIDENTINTRO Through HAPPEN ..................................B4-2
2 Screen Layout and Instructions for Items ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
Through ANYTHING FURTHER .........................................B4-125
3 Screen Layout and Instructions for Items DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
Through SUMMARY ...........................................................B4-226
5
Middle Section of the NCVS Instrument: Additional Incidents,
Unduplication, and Help Screens ....................................................B5-1
Topic
1 Screen Layout and Instructions for the Additional
Incidents Items ....................................................................B5-2
2 Screen Layout and Instructions for the
Unduplication Items .............................................................B5-7
3 Help Screens and Abbreviations .........................................B5-11
6
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument.............................................B6-1
Topic
1 Introduction .........................................................................B6-2
2 Screen Layout and Instructions ..........................................B6-3
Table of Contents
iv
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Table of Contents
PART C
Survey Concepts
Chapter
1
Title
Page
Basic NCVS Concepts ....................................................................C1-1
Topic
1 Overview of Chapter 1 .........................................................C1-2
2 Reference Period ................................................................C1-3
3 Household Membership.......................................................C1-5
4 Reference Person ...............................................................C1-11
5 Household and Individual Respondents ..............................C1-14
6 Proxy Interview ....................................................................C1-18
7 Unduplicating/Bounding Interviews ......................................C1-24
8 Out-of-Scope Incident..........................................................C1-28
9 Overview of NCVS Process .................................................C1-29
10 Replacement Households ...................................................C1-32
2
Screening for Crimes ......................................................................C2-1
Topic
1 Overview of Chapter 2 .........................................................C2-2
2 Crimes Measured by the NCVS ...........................................C2-3
3 Threats ................................................................................C2-7
4 Recognizable/Unrecognizable Businesses ..........................C2-9
5 Ownership of Motor Vehicles ...............................................C2-16
6 Months/Years Living at Address ..........................................C2-18
7 Frequency of Household Moves ..........................................C2-21
3
Reporting Crime Incidents ...............................................................C3-1
Topic
1 Overview of Chapter 3 .........................................................C3-2
2 Series of Crimes ..................................................................C3-3
3 Right to Legally Enter Home/Lodging ..................................C3-7
4 Restricted Areas/Areas Open to the Public..........................C3-10
5 Illegal Entry (With or Without Force) ....................................C3-12
6 Presence During an Incident ...............................................C3-16
7 Weapons .............................................................................C3-22
8 Rape/Unwanted Sexual Contact ..........................................C3-29
Table of Contents
v
Table of Contents
Chapter
3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014 )
Title
Reporting Crime Incidents (Continued)
Page
Topic
9 Theft/Attempted Theft of Cash/Property ..............................C3-36
10 Value of Stolen Property/Methods Used
to Determine Value ..............................................................C3-44
11 Property Ownership .............................................................C3-47
12 Recovered Money and/or Property ......................................C3-51
13 Medical Care .......................................................................C3-55
14 Medical Expenses ...............................................................C3-57
15 Race of Offenders ...............................................................C3-59
16 Other Victimized Household Members ................................C3-62
17 Damage to Property During an Incident ...............................C3-65
18 Job/Business at Time of the Incident ...................................C3-70
19 Major Activity During Week of the Incident ..........................C3-71
20 Incident Occurred at Work Site ............................................C3-74
21 Incidents Involving a Police Officer ......................................C3-76
22 Writing Summary Reports ...................................................C3-78
23 Type of Industry and Occupation .........................................C3-85
24 Disability ..............................................................................C3-94
Part D
NCVS Case Management and Contact History Instrument
Chapter
1
Title
Page
Case Management..........................................................................D1-1
Topic
1
Getting Into Case Management .........................................D1-2
2
Telecommunications ..........................................................D1-13
3
Address Book ....................................................................D1-17
2
Person Level Contact History Instrument ....................................D2-1
Topic
1 Overview of the pCHI ..........................................................D2-2
2 The pCHI and Case Management .......................................D2-4
3 The pCHI and Households Without a Roster .......................D2-13
4 The pCHI and Households With a Roster ............................D2-30
5 How to Code the pCHI in Specific Situations .......................D2-48
Table of Contents
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 1
Chapter 1
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Purpose and Sponsor
A1-2
2 Historical Overview
A1-5
3 Sample Design
A1-7
4 Data Products and Their Uses
A1-9
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
A1-1
Part A, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (12/2012)
Topic 1. Purpose and Sponsor
Primary Purpose
The primary purpose of the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) is to get (from respondents who are 12
years of age and older) an accurate and up-to-date
measure of the amount and kinds of crime committed during
a specific six-month reference period. The NCVS also
collects detailed information about specific incidents of
criminal victimization that the respondent reports for the
six-month reference period.
Secondary Purpose
The NCVS also serves as a vehicle for obtaining
supplemental data on crime and the criminal justice system,
including:
•
Attitudes toward crime and police officers;
•
Incidents of identity theft; and
•
Crime incidents in our schools.
This supplemental information is collected periodically,
along with the standard NCVS data.
Importance of NCVS
The NCVS serves a variety of roles and is the only ongoing
national program that can provide information not only on
how much crime occurs and who is victimized by that crime,
but also tell us about the impact crime has on victims. The
NCVS measures crimes both reported and not reported to
police. NCVS data are important because:
•
Since its inception in 1972, the NCVS has provided
much of the information we now know about crime and
its impact on victims. The only other ongoing system
measuring the extent of crime in the United States is the
FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, or UCR, which
only measures crimes reported to police.
•
Survey estimates are important because they are
national in scope and based on interviews with a large
number of people about their experiences with crime
victimization. Because crime is relatively rare, a large
sample is necessary to get reliable estimates.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Survey Sponsor
Part A, Chapter 1
•
The survey provides information that can be, and has
been, used to support and develop programs to address
crime and its impact on victims. For example, the
survey’s estimates on violence against women and
intimate partner violence were key elements in raising
awareness of these crimes, which ultimately led to the
passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.
•
The survey provides a platform for research into the
nature of crimes and its causes and consequences.
Survey public use data files, stripped of all identifying
information, are archived and used by researchers to
explore a variety of issues.
The NCVS is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice. At
this time, it is the largest ongoing statistical survey
sponsored by the BJS.
The BJS is responsible for collecting, analyzing, publishing,
and disseminating statistical information on crime, its
perpetrators and victims, and the operation of justice
systems at all levels of government. The BJS is also
responsible for providing timely and accurate data about
crime and the administration of justice to the President,
Congress, other government officials, and the general
public. Respondents can send questions and comments
about the NCVS by E-mail to: askbjs@ojp.usdoj.gov.
Respondents can also write or call the following office to
obtain the most recent reports from the NCVS data:
National Criminal Justice Reference Service/NCJRS
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
1-800-851-3420 or for TTY service for the hearing
impaired, call this toll free number, 1-877-712-9279.
Respondents can also access the NCJRS and the BJS
Internet sites at: www.ncjrs.org for the NCJRS and
www.bjs.gov for the BJS.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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Part A, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (12/2012)
To provide timely and reliable statistics on crime and its
impact on society, the BJS contracts with the U.S. Bureau of
the Census to conduct the NCVS, which is the main source
of information for measuring crime and assessing its impact.
NCVS vs. Police Reports
Most estimates on the amount and nature of crime are
derived from police reports. However, evidence has proven
that a significant number of crimes are never reported to the
police. Victims have cited some of the following reasons for
failing to inform the police about crimes:
•
Victim felt that nothing could be done.
•
Victim thought that the crime incident was not important
enough to report to the police.
•
Victim decided that the incident was too private or
personal.
•
Victim felt that the police would not want to be bothered
with the incident.
Police departments often lack the personnel or technical
resources necessary to record and publish the kind of
detailed data from crime victims that are required for
comprehensive criminal justice planning, evaluation, or
analysis. The Census Bureau has both the personnel and
the technical resources to conduct and supply reliable and
detailed statistics on victims of crimes reported to the police
as well as those not reported to police. Your work as an
NCVS field representative (FR) will allow us to succeed in
providing the BJS with the type of crime victimization data
that police reports cannot.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 1
Topic 2. Historical Overview
How the NCVS Began
Between January 1971 and July 1972, the Census Bureau
conducted the first nationwide victimization survey as a
supplement to the already established Quarterly Household
Survey (QHS). During that period, only minor changes were
made to the survey questions in an effort to improve data
quality.
In July 1972, the National Crime Survey (NCS), as it was
called before 1991, became a separate national sample
survey as a pioneering effort. The first sponsor of the NCS
was the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
(LEAA). This survey began when the LEAA received a
mandate set forth by Section 515b of Public Law 93-83 to
collect, evaluate, publish, and disseminate information on
the progress of law enforcement within the United States.
The NCS was intended to complement the crime
information that the FBI reports annually to law enforcement
agencies in the Uniform Crime Reports. The NCS is
designed to provide a detailed picture of crime incidents,
regardless of whether or not they were reported to the
police. This survey also provides a picture of crime victims
and crime trends as seen from the victim's perspective.
In December 1979, the NCS was transferred to the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. During that
same year, the first major attempt was made to improve the
quality and utility of the NCS data.
Improving Accuracy and
Usefulness
In the mid-1970s, the National Academy of Sciences
evaluated the accuracy and usefulness of the NCS. Although
the NCS was effective in measuring crime, they did pinpoint
certain aspects of the survey that could be improved. During
1979 to 1985, a group of experts in criminology, survey
design, and statistics conducted a detailed study and testing
of the NCS. Their findings resulted in a survey redesign that
would:
•
•
Increase reporting of crime victimization, and
Provide additional details on individual crime incidents.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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Part A, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (12/2012)
The recommended changes were phased in as part of a
two-stage process--near-term and long-term. The "near-term"
changes were not substantial enough to affect the
comparability of the crime rates for previous years, and these
changes were implemented in July 1986. On the other hand,
the long-term changes have had a substantial impact on the
NCS crime rates. These long-term changes were phased in
gradually starting in 1989, and were fully implemented by July
1993.
To achieve the redesign objectives, the following
improvements were made between 1986 and 1993:
•
Better "short cue" screening questions were added to
stimulate respondent recall of incidents.
•
More thorough descriptions of crime incidents were added
as an effort to help all respondents interpret NCS
concepts correctly.
•
Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) was
introduced to improve data collection for selected sample
segments. (However, CATI interviewing was discontinued
effective July 2007.)
•
Specific questions about rape and sexual assaults were
added to improve measures of these crimes.
•
Screening questions were reworded and added to get a
better measure of domestic violence.
As part of all the redesign changes, BJS decided in late 1991
to rename the NCS to its current name, the National Crime
Victimization Survey.
Other Survey Changes
Other changes have been made to the NCVS questions over
the years. In the screening section of the instrument, we
added “hate crime” questions to determine if a crime incident
was a hate crime or a crime of prejudice or bigotry. A series of
questions on disability was added to determine if an incident
happened because of a respondent’s disability. In July 2006
the NCVS converted to a fully automated CAPI environment.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 1
Topic 3. Sample Design
NCVS Sample Population
and Size
Any noninstitutionalized person who is 12 years of age or
older and lives in the United States is eligible for the NCVS.
Every 6 months, approximately 78,000 housing units and
other living quarters, such as college dormitories and
religious group dwellings, are designated for sample.
Persons who are not included in the scope of this survey
include:
Primary Sampling Units
•
Crew members of merchant vessels,
•
Armed Forces personnel living in military barracks, and;
•
Institutionalized persons, such as correctional facility
inmates.
The households to be interviewed for the NCVS are
selected by scientific sampling methods from specific
sampling areas across the United States. We refer to these
sampling areas as Primary Sampling Units (PSUs).
All counties, minor civil divisions (MCDs), and
census county divisions (CCDs) are classified and grouped
together based on similar characteristics. These
characteristics include geographic region, population
density, rate of growth, population, principal industry, and
type of agriculture.
There are two main types of PSUs -- stratification PSUs and
field assignment PSUs.
In most states, stratification PSUs consist of one or more
adjoining counties and independent cities. In New England
and Hawaii, they could consist of one or more MCDs or
CCDs. MCDs and CCDs are portions of a state similar to a
county, but smaller in size.
In order for each FR to have a more manageable
assignment area, stratification PSUs are divided into
smaller field assignment PSUs. In most states, these field
assignment PSUs consist of one county.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (12/2012)
Sample Unit Selection
Each stratification PSU is made up of two different sampling
frames—Unit and Group Quarters (GQ). Sample units from
each of these sampling frames are selected for the NCVS.
For the Unit and GQ frames, sample addresses are
obtained from decennial census files.
Interviewing Pattern
All sample housing units selected for the NCVS are divided
into six equal rotation groups. Each rotation group is further
divided into six panels. Each month, one panel from each
rotation group or one sixth of each rotation group is selected
for interviewing. As a result, a different panel is interviewed
each month.
For example: In December 2014, we are using Samples J26 and J27 to select cases for
NCVS interviewing. From Sample J26, cases will be assigned for interview from Panel 6 of
rotation group 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. From Sample J27, cases will be assigned for interview from
Panel 6 of rotation groups 1 and 2, as shown below.
Sample
J26
J27
December 2014
62 63 64
65 66
61 62
In this example, the "16" stands for "Panel 1, Rotation 6," "11" stands for "Panel 1,
Rotation 1," etc.
Over a 3-year period, sample housing units from each
rotation group are interviewed once every 6 months. Over a
6-month period, a different panel of households gets
interviewed each month. Every 6 months, a new rotation
group enters the NCVS sample to replace an outgoing
rotation group whose 3-year interview cycle is complete.
Most NCVS interviews are conducted during the first 2
weeks of each month. When a household falls in sample for
the first time, the initial interview with a sample household or
at least with the household respondent is always conducted
by personal visit and used primarily to establish a time
frame to avoid duplication of crimes during subsequent
interviews. Whenever possible, subsequent NCVS
interviews are conducted by telephone.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 1
Topic 4. Data Products and Their Uses
Types of NCVS Data
Products
All data that we collect for the NCVS are tabulated in the form
of statistical summaries. No individuals who participate in this
survey can ever be identified from the statistical totals that are
released to the public.
Once we provide these statistical summaries to the sponsor,
the BJS, a special analysis group analyzes the data and
produce several types of publications on an annual basis.
Some of the past publications released from this survey
include:
Criminal Victimization in the United States
Changes in Criminal Victimization
Violent Victimization of College Students
The BJS routinely distributes copies of their publications to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
State and regional planning agencies,
Colleges and universities,
Commercial and industrial groups,
Citizen groups,
Professional associations,
Federal, state, city, and local police,
Courts and correctional agencies, and
Legislative bodies.
The BJS also makes selected crime victimization data
available through the Internet at the following site:
www.bjs.gov/.
After the survey results have been modified to protect the
confidentiality of our respondents, NCVS public use data files
are released to the Inter-University Consortium for Political
and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan.
The ICPSR uses a grant awarded by the BJS to release the
NCVS data in a format that makes them more accessible to
the public, criminal justice practitioners, and researchers.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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Part A, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (12/2012)
Who Uses the NCVS Data
and Why
Users of the NCVS data cover a wide audience of groups and
persons who are all concerned about crime and crime
prevention. These users include:
•
Researchers at academic, government, private, and
nonprofit research institutions;
•
Community groups and government agencies;
•
Law enforcement agencies; and
•
Print and broadcast media.
Researchers use the NCVS data to prepare reports, policy
recommendations, scholarly publications, testimony before
Congress, and documentation for use in courts.
Researchers also use the NCVS information to investigate:
•
Why certain persons are victimized more than others,
•
The characteristics of attempted versus actual
victimizations,
•
The reasons why persons do not report crime incidents to
the police, and
•
Victimization among juveniles, domestic violence,
gun-related crimes, multiple victimizations, and so forth.
Community groups and government agencies use the
data to develop neighborhood watch and victim assistance
and compensation programs.
The NCVS produces several facts relevant to projecting costs
of victim compensation programs. After reviewing specific
NCVS facts, it was revealed that some eligibility restrictions
for existing compensation programs are not entirely relevant
to the types of people most likely to be victimized. This was
determined by examining data on age, employment status,
and family income of victims of personal crimes, together with
findings about victim/offender relationships in these crimes.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
A1-10
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 1
Law enforcement agencies use the NCVS findings for
training purposes, and the findings can be seen in crime
prevention public service announcements and in crime
documentaries.
Law enforcement agencies in various cities also use NCVS
data to increase:
•
Citizen cooperation with officials in deterring and
detecting crime,
•
Special police strike forces to combat those crimes which
the survey indicates as being most prevalent, and
•
Street and park lighting programs in those areas with the
highest reported crime rates.
Print and broadcast media regularly cite NCVS findings
when reporting on a host of crime-related topics.
Some other reasons why data users want NCVS data:
•
Planning for public education programs, police patrol
strategies, and new communities and housing projects.
This type of planning requires knowledge of the
characteristics of victimized persons and households, as
well as when and where victimizations occur.
•
Conducting feasibility studies and planning programs for
the restitution and compensation to victims of crime.
These studies and programs require information on the
nature and extent of injury and loss that results from
criminal victimization.
•
Assessing the need for property identification programs.
These programs require information on the amount of
property recovered after burglaries and thefts.
•
Understanding more about the nature and extent of
biases in police data on known offenses. These studies
require knowledge of levels of nonreporting to the police,
together with information on kinds of victimization that are
disproportionately not reported to the police.
An Overview of the National Crime Victimization Survey
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 NCVS Authorization and Introduction
A2-2
2 Confidentiality
A2-6
3 Eligible Respondents
A2-9
4 Maintaining Respondent Rapport
A2-18
5 Answering Respondents' Questions
A2-22
6 General Interviewing Techniques
A2-30
7 Closing the Interview and
"Thank You" Letters
A2-44
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview
A2-1
Part A, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. NCVS Authorization and Introduction
NCVS Authorization
Currently, the BJS is authorized to collect statistics on
victimizations through Title 42, United States Code, Section
3732 of the Justice Systems Improvement Act of 1979.
Although this law authorizes the BJS to collect victimization
information, it does not make respondent participation
mandatory.
Title 13 also requires that all information collected from
respondents be kept strictly confidential, so that individual
respondents or households cannot be identified from the
survey results. (See Topic 2 of this chapter for more
details about confidentiality.)
Why We Use Introductory
Letters
The NCVS uses two different introductory letters to comply
with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. This Privacy Act
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 purposes for collecting the information;
The various uses for the data after it is collected; and
The mandatory or voluntary nature of the survey and
penalties, if any, for not providing information.
One introductory letter, the NCVS-572 (L), is mailed to a
household just before it comes into sample for the first
enumeration period. The other introductory letter, the
NCVS-573 (L), is mailed before each subsequent
enumeration period.
In addition to complying with the Privacy Act of 1974, both
letters prepare the household for your visit or telephone call
and provide the household with your regional office address
and telephone number.
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview
A2-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
How To Use Introductory
Letters
Part A, Chapter 2
Your regional office is responsible for mailing out introductory
letters to sample households for the current interview period.
Your assignment materials will also include copies of both
introductory letters in case you need to hand them out during
personal visit interviews.
Since the first interview with a household respondent must be
conducted in person, ask the household respondent, at the
end of your introduction, whether or not he/she received the
NCVS introductory letter. (This is done automatically in the
instrument at GETLETTER_CP.) If the household respondent
states that he/she did not receive it or doesn't recall seeing it,
hand the respondent a copy of the NCVS-572 (L). As you
hand the letter to the respondent say something similar to: “I
would like you to have this letter which introduces this survey
and the purpose of my visit.”
Allow the respondent time to read the letter before beginning
the interview.
In most cases, when conducting an NCVS interview by
telephone, it is not necessary to mention the introductory
letter. However, there are a few instances when you would
need to ask about the introductory letter or provide the Privacy
Act information to households. These exceptions include
households that were Type A noninterviews during the first
enumeration period, and cases where you discover a
replacement household.
You may find the following Privacy Act statement useful, even
when the respondent has received our letter and still has
questions about the survey's purpose, any penalties for not
participating in the survey, or the importance of each sample
household's participation:
"The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the National
Crime Victimization Survey for the Bureau of Justice
Statistics of the United States Department of Justice. The
survey's purpose is to provide information on the kinds
and amount of crime committed against households and
individuals throughout the country. All survey
information will be used for statistical purposes only.
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview
A2-3
Part A, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
This survey is authorized by Title 42, Section 3732, of the
United States Code.
Participation in this survey is voluntary and there are no
penalties for refusing to answer any questions. However,
your cooperation is extremely important to help insure
the completeness and accuracy of this much needed
information."
Introducing Yourself and
the Survey
After making contact with a household, you must introduce
yourself. When conducting a personal visit of households
that are in sample for the first time, if you are not sure if the
person who greets you at the door is at least 18 years of age,
mention to the respondent that you need to talk to someone
who is at least 18 and knowledgeable about the household
and ask whether or not that would be the respondent. When
conducting telephone interviews with households previously
in sample, ask to speak with the household respondent from
the last interview. The NCVS CAPI instrument provides this
information for you to read at the appropriate NCVS screens.
For cases entering the sample, or "time-in-sample 1" cases,
the first screen that appears is Item GEN_INTRO_CP, where
you identify yourself, hand the respondent an introductory
letter, and select a household respondent. You then proceed
through CAPI_INTRO_B (“Is respondent ready to complete
the interview?”), GETLETTER_CP (which introduces the
survey further and asks if the household received the
introductory letter; see below), and VERADD_CP (for
address verification; also see below).
For all other cases (second through seventh interviews,
which are interviewed by phone), once someone answers
the telephone, introduce yourself and who you represent at
the HELLO_1_CP screen which reads:
“Hello. This is (your name) from the U.S. Census
Bureau. May I please speak with (name of last
household respondent)?” After you have determined an
eligible household respondent, explain the purpose of your
contact and verify that you contacted the correct sample
address by reading the text from the GETLETTER_CP
screen:
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview
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Part A, Chapter 2
“Hello. I’m (your name) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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?”
The instrument then prompts you to verify the household
address at VERADD_CP:
“I have your address listed as (read the sample address
from the screen). Is that your exact address?”
Verifying that you have contacted the correct address is very
important, particularly when conducting telephone
interviews, since some households continue to use the same
telephone number after moving to a new address.
(Refer to Part A, Chapter 2, page A2-29 if a respondent
says you should not be calling because their household
is listed on the national “Do Not Call” registry.)
Conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey Interview
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Part A, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 2. Confidentiality
How We Define
Confidentiality
By law (Titles 13 and 42 of the United States Code), the
Census Bureau is required to guarantee that we will not
release any information from which respondents can be
identified. Only sworn Census Bureau employees are
allowed to see names, addresses, and other personal
information that we collect.
Confidentiality and Your
Job
While working as an FR, avoid mentioning or providing
anyone (other than sworn Census Bureau employees) with
any survey materials that may link a household or person
with a specific survey. Never reveal any information
collected during an interview to an unauthorized person or
allow unauthorized persons to listen to or overhear an
interview.
No One Home
When conducting personal visit interviews, if you find that
no one is home at a sample address, be very careful how
you inquire about the best time to reach someone there. If
you ask a neighbor, apartment manager, or someone else
living nearby, DO NOT mention the survey name or attempt
to describe the survey.
Here's an example of what to say:
"Hello, I am (your name) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here is my identification (Show ID.). I need to interview
the household at (sample address), but no one is at
home now. Do you know when I might find someone at
home?"
Nonhousehold
Member Proxy
Respondent
In the few cases where it is acceptable for you to allow a
nonhousehold member as a proxy respondent, you
cannot give the proxy respondent any information
provided by household members in earlier interviews/
enumeration periods. This includes information on
household composition, marital status, education,
income, and any other responses.
Using an Interpreter
There may be instances when you need the assistance of
an interpreter. Perhaps the respondent speaks a language
that you don't understand or he/she is unable to speak at all.
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Part A, Chapter 2
Only use an interpreter that the respondent is willing to
accept. If the respondent objects to a particular interpreter
or you can't locate an interpreter, call your supervisor for
help in finding an acceptable interpreter.
Telephone Interviews
When conducting an interview over the telephone, do not
permit unauthorized persons, such as your family members
or neighbors, to listen to an interview.
Personal Visit
Interviews and
Interviewing in Private
For the NCVS, interview respondents in private, out of the
hearing of others whenever possible. 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.
This can happen when interviews are conducted in the
presence of others – whether they are household members,
family, or friends. In general, you get more accurate,
complete information when you interview in private.
You may say something to the respondent like: “Research
has shown that we get better data when we interview in
private. We would also like to ensure confidentiality for each
household member. Is there some place we can talk away
from others?”
Try to arrange private interviews, out of hearing distance of
any other person, for the NCVS. If household members sit
down together for the interview, tell them that you wish to
interview separately to ensure the confidentiality of each
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 such as a studio apartment). Even in front
of others, you must still conduct each interview at a
conversational pace, and ask each respondent all the
screen questions in their entirety.
Reassuring Respondents
Even though all NCVS data are tabulated in the form of
statistical summaries, some respondents may still feel
uneasy about providing the requested information. Here are
some facts that you can give respondents concerned about
confidentiality:
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Before any NCVS data are released, all personal
information is removed and only summary information
or totals are released to data users.
The Census Bureau takes its confidentiality promise to
respondents very seriously. A Census Bureau
employee can be fined up to $250,000 and/or
imprisoned for up to 5 years if found guilty of an
unauthorized disclosure of individual information
provided to the Census Bureau.
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Topic 3. Eligible Respondents
Types of NCVS
Respondents
There are three types of respondents for the NCVS:
Household respondents,
Individual respondents, and
Proxy respondents.
For the NCVS, certain sets of questions within the
instrument require different respondents. There are specific
questions in the NCVS instrument that relate to the
household and are asked only once during each
enumeration period. We refer to the respondent for these
questions as the "household respondent."
All other questions for the NCVS are considered
"self-response" questions. In other words, each
household member who is 12 years of age or older is
expected to answer for himself/herself. We refer to these
respondents as "individual respondents."
As a last resort and only under specific conditions, we will
allow another person to answer questions for a household
member. We refer to this person as a "proxy respondent."
In most cases, a proxy respondent will be another
household member. Strict rules are in place for when to
accept a proxy interview, since a proxy respondent is more
likely not to report a crime incident and less likely to know
the full details concerning reported incidents.
Interpreters and
Signers
"Interpreters" are acceptable for respondents who cannot
read or speak English, and "Signers" are acceptable for
respondents who are deaf. However, interpreters and
signers are not considered "proxy respondents," because
they are not responding for the household member.
Interpreters are translating the NCVS questions into the
respondent's language and then translating the
respondent's answers into English for you. Signers are
using sign language to relay the NCVS questions to the
respondent, the respondent uses sign language to answer
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the questions, and then the signer tells you the respondent's
answers. Whenever you have the assistance of an
interpreter or a signer, note that fact in any interview notes
that you complete for the respondent.
Rules for Household
Respondents
First Person to
Interview
Your goal for selecting a household respondent is to find the
most knowledgeable household member who is at least
18 years of age. By most knowledgeable, we mean the
household member who is most likely to give accurate
answers to the household questions. Most often the
household respondent will be the reference person (one of
the persons who owns or rents the home). (See Part C,
Chapter 1, for more details about reference persons
and household respondents.)
You must select and interview the household respondent
before interviewing any other household members,
regardless of whether you interview by personal visit or
telephone.
For a first enumeration period household, ask to speak
with one of the persons who owns or rents the home, as
soon as you have introduced yourself and verified that you
are at the correct address.
For a second through seventh enumeration period
household, the NCVS CAPI instrument automatically
prompts you to ask to speak with the person who was the
household respondent during the previous enumeration
period, as soon as you have introduced yourself and verified
that you have contacted the correct address. If that person
is not available, you can ask to speak to the reference
person, another household member who owns/rents the
home, or a household member who is at least 18 years of
age and knowledgeable about the household.
Whenever you want to see the household roster for a
sample case, press the “Shift” and “F1” keys simultaneously
and the roster screen will appear, showing the names of all
household members. You can also access the roster by
clicking on the “HH Roster” tab at the top of the pane.
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Exceptions to the Age
Requirement
Part A, Chapter 2
There are only two instances when a household respondent
can be under 18 years of age.
When the household's reference person (one of the
person's who owns or rents the home) or the spouse of
the reference person is 17 years of age, you can select
either person as the household respondent. Because
they are MARRIED, either person qualifies as a
household respondent, even though one person is 17
years of age.
When you have a household in which ALL household
members are 17 years of age, select the most
knowledgeable household member as the household
respondent. However, if the household has at least one
17-year-old household member and the remaining
members are under 17 years of age, select the
17-year-old household member as the household
respondent.
NOTE: If you encounter a household in which ALL
household members are under 17 years of age,
contact your supervisor who will discuss this
situation with HQ staff and let you know how to
handle the case.
Changing Household
Respondents
If it becomes obvious that you are interviewing a household
member who is unable to answer the household questions,
you must:
Find a more knowledgeable household respondent, or
Arrange to return to or call the household back when a
more knowledgeable respondent is available.
If you have to change household respondents, click on the
“New HHR” tab at the top left of the NCVS interview screen.
The screen that appears, Item NEW_HHR allows you to
select a different household respondent. At NEW_HHR,
select the line number of the new household respondent;
then continue with the interview.
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Rules for Individual
Respondents
After you are done interviewing the household respondent,
then you can interview each of the remaining household
members who are 12 years of age and older. We want
self-responses from each of these household members.
This may require you to make callbacks, so that you can talk
directly to each household member. For “first time in
sample” cases, you can call back other household
members, provided that the household respondent’s
interview was conducted in person.
Rules for Proxy
Respondents
To be eligible as a proxy respondent, a household member
must be:
At least 18 years of age,
Knowledgeable about the household member for whom
he/she is responding, and
A completed NCVS interview himself/herself before
providing a proxy interview.
The only time a proxy respondent can be under 18 years of
age is when the reference person or the spouse of the
reference person is under 18 or all household members are
under 18 years of age.
All proxy interviews are referred to Headquarters and
reviewed to determine whether NCVS procedures were
followed correctly. If not, some of these cases could be
made Type A noninterview households. For this reason, it is
very important that you follow proper procedures for proxy
interviews.
When to Accept a Proxy
Interview
One of the following circumstances must exist before you
can accept a proxy interview:
A parent does not want you to interview his/her 12- or
13-year-old child. In this case, any knowledgeable
household member who is at least 18 years of age can
be the proxy respondent for the child.
A household member who is 12 years of age or older is
temporarily absent and will not be back to the address
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until after the interview closeout date. In this case, make
sure that the person is still a household member. Check
Page 4 of the Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554) if
you need help determining household membership. If
the absent person is still considered a household
member, you can accept a proxy interview.
If a household member who is at least 12 years of age is
considered physically and/or mentally incapacitated,
you can accept a proxy interview. To qualify as
physically and/or mentally incapacitated, the household
member must have health and/or mental illness
problems that are continuous throughout the entire
interview period and these problems make it impossible
for the person to be interviewed.
The following problems DO NOT qualify as health or
mental illness problems:
Colds or the flu,
Drunkenness or drugs, or
Emotional problems that might be aggravated due to
some NCVS questions, such as those dealing with
sexual assaults.
When Not to Accept a
Proxy Interview
Under the following circumstances, DO NOT accept a proxy
interview:
You are unable to reach a household member at the
sample address, despite repeated attempts throughout
the interview period. For example, a high school student
who goes to school, works part time, and is involved in
several sports activities.
In a two-person household, one of the members tells
you that she can’t take the time to answer your
questions. Instead, she wants her husband to answer all
the NCVS questions for both of them.
A household member refuses to let you interview
someone in the household who is over 13 years of age,
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such as a 14-year-old son or daughter or a 90-year-old
parent.
A respondent does not understand English and you are
unable to find an acceptable interpreter, including
another household member.
If you encounter any of these situations, you must classify
the individual respondent as a Type Z Noninterview.
Remember that you can never classify a household
respondent as a Type Z Noninterview. If none of the
household members qualify as a household respondent,
then you must classify the entire household as a Type A
noninterview.
Proxy Respondents
Who Are Not Household
Members
Before you can accept a nonhousehold member as a proxy
respondent, all of the following conditions must apply:
All household members cannot be interviewed due to
health problems or mental incompetence.
During the entire reference period, all household
members have been unable to leave home unless they
were accompanied by a caretaker who is a
nonhousehold member.
Proxy interviews are provided by the nonhousehold
member caretaker for ALL eligible household members,
including the household respondent's interview.
The nonhousehold member caretaker must be at least
18 years of age.
During the entire reference period, the nonhousehold
member caretaker had responsibility for the care of
each eligible household member.
The only time you are allowed to take a proxy interview for a
household respondent is when all of the conditions for a
nonhousehold member proxy respondent have been met
and the nonhousehold member is the proxy respondent for
the household respondent and all remaining eligible
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household members. Otherwise, one of the eligible
household members must serve as the proxy respondent.
When Not to Use a
Nonhousehold Member
If any of the household members, who require proxy
interviews, have not been under the care of the
nonhousehold member for more than a few days during the
reference period, do not accept a proxy interview from the
nonhousehold member.
Here are a few examples of when NOT to accept a
nonhousehold member caretaker as a proxy respondent:
A nonhousehold member goes on a 2-week vacation
and is not with the household member during those 2
weeks.
The household member is in a hospital or a nursing
home or visiting with relatives for one or more months.
During that time, the nonhousehold member caretaker
is not staying with the household member.
If you are not sure whether to accept a nonhousehold
member caretaker as a proxy respondent, always check
with your supervisor before conducting the proxy interview.
Protecting the Rights of
Household Members
Make sure that a nonhousehold member caretaker is an
acceptable proxy respondent before conducting a proxy
interview. If you allow an unacceptable nonhousehold
member to be a proxy respondent, you run the risk of:
Violating the sample household's right to confidentiality,
Violating the sample household's right to choose
whether or not to participate in the survey, and
Interviewing a proxy respondent who is not
knowledgeable enough to provide complete and
accurate information.
When accepting a nonhousehold member caretaker as a
proxy respondent, remember not to provide him/her with
any information that the household member(s) provided
during previous interviews. This includes information on
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household composition, marital status, education, income,
and so on, as well as any other information previously given
by household member(s).
Procedures for Conducting
Proxy Interviews
There are specific items in the NCVS instrument that are
reworded automatically when conducting a proxy interview.
The instrument items that are reworded for proxy interviews
are as follows:
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY- The answer
categories show the name of the person for whom the proxy
interview is being taken, NOT the proxy respondent.
SEEOFFENDER through POLICE INFORMED - As
appropriate, the word “you” is replaced with either the name
of the person for whom the proxy interview is being taken or
the applicable pronoun for the proxy person.
POLICEFINDOUT through ANYTHINGFURTHER - For
these questions, we want the proxy respondent to answer
for himself/herself, not for the person for whom the proxy
interview is being taken. The NCVS instrument
automatically words these questions so that they make
sense when you ask them of a proxy respondent.
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME through
WHICHDISABILITYTARGET - As appropriate, the word
“you” is replaced with either the name of the person for
whom the proxy interview is being taken or the applicable
pronoun for the proxy person.
Only accept a proxy interview as a last resort. Also, only
accept a proxy respondent who is able to answer questions
about the household member accurately and completely.
Rules for Interpreters and
Signers
Before using an interpreter or a signer, make sure that the
person is acceptable to the respondent. The interpreter or
signer can be a family member, a neighbor of the
respondent, an official interpreter or signer, or even you, if
you speak the person's language or can sign well enough.
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If you have difficulty finding a suitable interpreter or signer,
contact your supervisor. NEVER accept a proxy respondent
when you cannot locate a suitable interpreter. However, you
can use a proxy respondent for a deaf respondent, when a
suitable signer is not available.
If you complete a crime report for a respondent who
required the assistance of an interpreter or signer, note in
the case level notes that an interpreter or signer was used.
Whenever you use an interpreter who is not a household
member, complete a Form 1415, Contract for Interpreter
Services. Details for completing this form are contained in
the Administrative Handbook, Form 11-55.
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Topic 4. Maintaining Respondent Rapport
Starting Off on the Right
Foot
As soon as the respondent answers the door or the
telephone, start building a harmonious relationship with
him/her. Maintaining this rapport throughout the interview
will ensure that you collect full and valid information.
As you introduce yourself and the survey, create a
comfortable atmosphere by showing sincere understanding
and interest in the respondent. If the respondent feels
comfortable, he/she will be more willing to provide honest
and full responses.
Keys to a Successful
Introduction
Creating a Good
Impression
The following key points will help you deliver a successful
introduction:
For personal visit interviews, always have the NCVS
introductory letter handy to give any respondent who did
not receive it in the mail.
Be enthusiastic and friendly. Remember that a smile
helps you open many doors.
Be prepared for any type of responses or questions from
respondents. By knowing the survey, you will be able to
handle any questions.
Knowing the NCVS well is a major key to creating a good
impression with respondents. Pay attention and play an
active role during your training sessions and make sure that
you complete all self-studies. Also, make sure to read this
manual, NCVS-550 (CAPI), and refer to it whenever you
have questions about the NCVS procedures.
Before you start interviewing for the NCVS, make sure that
you understand:
The purpose of the survey;
How the survey results are used;
The types of questions asked in the interview; and
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Being Professional,
Friendly, and Sincere
How to answer respondent questions.
One of your greatest assets in creating a good impression is
to conduct interviews in a professional, friendly, and sincere
manner. Always keep in mind that you are a representative
of the United States Government. This role requires you to
take a professional approach towards your work.
Interviewing in a professional manner does not mean that
you cannot smile or be friendly. However, showing too much
friendliness or concern about a respondent's personal
matters can cause a respondent to hold back information or
provide biased information.
Listening carefully and showing a sincere interest in what
each respondent tells you will make your interviewing easier
and more enjoyable.
Staying Neutral and
Objective
During an interview, it is important to develop an objective,
non-threatening, non-judgmental atmosphere. Don't let the
respondent see any signs of approval or disapproval after
he/she gives you information.
Be careful not to give your personal opinion either by your
words, facial expressions, or the tone of your voice. Since
some of your respondents will be victims of crime and will be
telling you personal or sensitive information about the crime
incident, you must be careful not to show any surprise,
disapproval, or sympathy. Any of these expressions could
cause the respondent to give untrue answers or withhold
information.
Staying neutral and creating an objective atmosphere
during an interview is not easy. It comes with experience.
Practice using neutral expressions and gestures, such as
"Uh-huh," "I've got that," "Yes, I see," or simply a nod of your
head. These signs will tell the respondent that you are
listening, without leading, influencing, or biasing the
information that you receive during an interview.
Here are some reasons for not showing your reactions to
what a respondent says:
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Believing in Yourself
and the NCVS
Guidelines for Gaining
Cooperation From
Respondents
Your actions, as well as your words, can help or hinder
an interview.
If you frown or shake your head, the respondent will
sense your disapproval just as clearly as if you put it into
words.
If a respondent thinks that you favor one answer more
than another, this could influence how the person
answers the question.
Before you make contact with a respondent, believe that:
You "have what it takes" to get a good NCVS interview.
The data you collect for the NCVS is important.
Each respondent is going to participate in the NCVS.
Be Positive - Approach each household expecting to obtain
an interview.
Introduce Yourself Properly - Always deliver your
introduction and be sure to include the following:
Your full name, first and last
Who you are representing (the U.S. Census Bureau,)
Show your identification card when conducting personal
visit interviews,
Explain the nature of the survey, and
Ask whether the household received our introductory
letter.
How Long Will This Take? - When respondents ask how
long the interview will take, give them an honest answer as
to its length. The NCVS interview takes, on average, about
25 minutes to complete for each household member, but
this can vary depending on the person's experiences during
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the reference period. If the respondent is reluctant, offer to
start the interview and, if he/she does not have time to
finish, you can return later or call back to complete the
interview.
Know Your Survey - The better you know the survey on
which you are working, the more successful you will be.
Know the purposes of the survey and be prepared to
answer any questions about its importance. This will be your
best defense against respondent objections.
Appearance - When conducting personal visit interviews,
dress in a professional manner. The initial impression you
make can be the deciding point between whether or not the
respondent participates. Dress for the neighborhood in
which you are working. Do not overdress. A businesslike
appearance is essential.
Use Survey Aids - For personal interviews, be ready to
show respondents the appropriate survey "fact sheet,"
brochures, or local newspaper/magazine articles that make
use of the NCVS facts. This will help the respondent
understand the importance of his/her participation.
Be Flexible - Be available to complete the interview at the
respondent's convenience. Offer to contact the respondent
at a different time if the respondent cannot do the interview
when you contact him/her. Leave your name and telephone
number when you find that no one is home. Be persistent,
but do not be pushy.
It's Voluntary - A few respondents may choose not to
participate because the survey is voluntary and there are no
penalties for not participating. If this happens, explain that
the overall quality of our data could be affected when
sample persons refuse to participate. Persuade the
respondent into letting you start the interview, and explain
that they may choose not to answer any questions they find
objectionable.
Leave the Door Open - Always maintain a pleasant and
businesslike manner, no matter how hostile the respondent
may be. This will facilitate any future contacts.
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Topic 5. Answering Respondents' Questions
Importance of Answering
Respondent Questions
Keep a good, positive attitude about the NCVS, and be
prepared to answer almost any type of respondent question
with conviction and accuracy. The Census Bureau prides
itself on having a qualified staff of FRs who consistently
receive high marks for gaining respondent cooperation. This
is impressive, considering that in recent years the general
public has become frustrated with all forms of government.
We attribute this success to the good attitude and
preparedness of our FRs.
Even though we provide sample households with basic
information about the NCVS in the introductory letter, some
respondents may still have questions to ask either before
the start of the interview or at different points during the
interview.
Types of Respondent
Questions
Item Specific Questions
The questions that respondents may ask can be divided into
two main categories:
Item specific questions and
General survey questions.
A respondent may ask you:
Why a particular question is needed,
What a particular word or phrase from a question means,
or
Who needs the information.
This manual has the information you need to answer any such
questions that respondents may ask. We do not expect you to
memorize all of the information provided in this manual, but
you do need to know where to look within the manual for
specific types of information. Refer to Part B, The National
Crime Victimization Survey Instrument, to help you answer
respondents’ questions about why we ask certain questions
and who uses the information from specific questions. Use
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Part C, NCVS Survey Concepts, when you need to find the
meanings of specific words or phrases as used in the NCVS
questions.
General Survey Questions
Most of the time, respondents will ask general survey
questions at the very start of the interview. Although we can
not predict every question that a respondent may ask, we
have compiled a list of commonly asked general survey
questions with some suggested responses to help you.
A condensed list of some of the most commonly asked
questions are shown:
On the back side of both NCVS introductory letters,
AND
FAQ (General Help) Screen
In the front of your Information Card Booklet, NCVS-554.
Some respondents may want to know more about the
survey before they will let you interview them. The NCVS
instrument provides answers to nine commonly asked
questions together with suggested answers. The answers
provided for these typical questions and comments can be
useful to you whenever a respondent starts asking
questions. To view the FAQ/general help screen, press the
"Shift" and "F2" keys simultaneously, or click on the “FAQs”
tab at the top of the information pane.
After accessing the FAQs screen, you will see a menu with
ten selections. Entering the appropriate menu selection will
route you to one of the following reference screens.
(Read words in all capital letters only to yourself, NOT
to respondents):
Confirm call/survey
(800) Number
To verify that I am calling from the Census Bureau, you may
call our toll free number:
For Atlanta, dial 1-800-424-6974
For Chicago, dial 1-800-865-6384
For Denver, dial 1-800-852-6159
For Los Angeles, dial 1-800-992-3530
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For New York, dial 1-800-991-2520
For Philadelphia, dial 1-800-262-4236
When you call, please provide your name and the following
identification number: (case ID number)
READ IF NECESSARY:
To verify that the toll free number is legitimate, you may call
Directory Assistance on: 1-800-555-1212.
You are wasting
taxpayers’ money by
conducting this useless
survey.
The survey tells us about the amount and nature of crime as
well as crime trends and crimes not reported to the police. It
can help save taxpayer money when new programs are
developed by focusing on the people who are most likely to
be victims of crime and making crime prevention and control
programs more effective.
Why don't you call the
police if you want to
know about crime?
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.
Who uses this
information?
What good is it?
The 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.
Why do I have to
answer all these
questions when I
already told you no
crimes were committed
against us in the past
six months?
We have studied asking fewer questions, but have found
that people sometimes don’t think of a crime until a specific
question reminds them about it. We need to ask all
respondents the same questions to guarantee the quality of
the data.
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I don't have any crimes
to report. Why don't you
interview my neighbor?
I know he'd have some
crimes to report.
Your participation is important whether or not you report a
crime. We cannot accurately find out the percentage of
people who experience crime, unless we get information
from both victims and non-victims.
I answer all your
questions, but crimes
still occur. This survey
doesn't seem to be
working.
It may not be possible to eliminate all crime, although we
want to reduce it as much as possible. The survey is also
used to develop and improve programs for assisting those
who have become crime victims.
I've already answered
these questions once.
How many times will I
be contacted?
You will probably be contacted a total of seven times over
three years. We hope that you will not become a victim of
crime during that time, but we need to keep asking the
questions to find people who do become victims. Research
has shown that by contacting the same households a
number of times we get the most accurate information.
I answer these
questions, but never
see any results. How
can I get information
regarding BJS/NCVS?
You can find detailed results from the survey at the BJS
website at:
NCVS At a Glance
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov
Many newspapers and television stations write about the
survey results when reports come out so you may see
something there too.
In addition to being listed above, a shorter list of general
survey questions and suggested answers is shown on your
NCVS Job Aid, NCVS At a Glance (NCVS-550.1). This
six-page paper job aid can also help you answer questions
from respondents. The first three pages provide information
about the survey's purpose, its sponsor, data users and
uses, length of interview, and participation requirements,
along with answers to frequently asked questions. The last
three pages contain reference information to help you with
NCVS key concepts and definitions.
Information on the first three pages is worded so that you
can read the information directly to a respondent as needed.
The last three pages are written for you to read to yourself
as needed.
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General Survey Questions and Answers
What is this survey all
about?
The National Crime Victimization Survey is conducted
monthly to collect information on the kinds and amount of
crime in the United States.
From a sample of households throughout the United States,
we interview all household members who are at least 12
years of age.
What information do you
get from this survey?
This survey collects information on the types and amount of
crimes committed, the characteristics of victims, and the
characteristics of offenders who have committed violent
crimes. The following types of information are also collected
for reported crimes:
When and where crimes occur,
Economic loss to the victim,
Extent of injuries suffered by the victim,
Whether the victim knew the offender or whether they
were strangers,
Whether the offender used a weapon, and
Whether the police were notified.
Why can't you get this
information from police
records?
Based on information received in previous survey years, we
have found that over half of all crimes go unreported to the
police. Since this survey includes crimes that are both
reported and unreported, data users can get a more
complete picture of crime in the United States from this
survey.
What kind of results are
released from this survey?
Our sponsor, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, releases
results periodically from the National Crime Victimization
Survey, together with reports on specific topics. They only
publish statistical summaries for the Nation as a whole and
never release any information about you as an individual.
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Do you have any statistics
from this survey that I can
see?
Part A, Chapter 2
For personal visit interviews-Yes. You can have this Fact Sheet which contains statistical
graphs, charts, and figures from the National Crime
Victimization Survey. (Hand the respondent a copy of Form
NCVS-110.)
For telephone interviews-Yes. I can mail you a copy of a recent Fact Sheet showing
statistical graphs, charts, and figures from the National
Crime Victimization Survey. (Mail respondent a copy of
Form NCVS-110.)
Why was I selected for this
survey?
Actually, we selected your address, not you personally.
Using statistical methods, we selected approximately
78,000 addresses across the country to represent the entire
population. If your household should move away while your
address is still in the survey, we would interview the new
family that moves into the home.
I'm pretty busy. How long
will this interview really
take?
We expect the interview to take about 25 minutes. Your
interview may be somewhat shorter or longer depending on
your circumstances. If you have any comments on this
survey or any recommendations for reducing its length, I
can give you an address to use.
(When asked, here is the address:)
Chief, Victimization and Statistics Branch
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Washington, DC 20531
I thought that your agency
just takes a Census every
10 years. What else does
your agency do?
In addition to the decennial census conducted every 10
years, the U.S. Census Bureau collects many different kinds
of statistics. By law, we are required to conduct a variety of
economic censuses on a regular basis, such as the census
of business, manufactures, and state and local
governments. We also collect monthly data on such
activities as labor force participation, retail and wholesale
trade, manufacturing activities, and trade statistics, along
with yearly data on business, manufacturing, governments,
family income, and education.
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How many times will I be
interviewed?
Over the 3-year period that your household is in sample for
this survey, we will ask you to participate once every six
months for a total of seven interviews.
Is this survey authorized by
law?
Yes. We are conducting this survey under the authority of
Title 13 of the United States Code, Section 8. Section 9 of
this law requires us to keep all information about you and
your household strictly confidential. We may use this
information only for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42,
Section 3732, of the United States Code authorizes the
Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Justice to collect information using this survey. Title 42,
Sections 3789g and 3735 of the United States Code also
require us to keep all information about you and your
household strictly confidential.
Do I have to participate?
Participation is voluntary and there are no penalties for not
answering questions. However, it is very important that we
have your cooperation in this survey to ensure the validity
and accuracy of the survey results.
Why can't you just mail me
a questionnaire?
The survey design and the nature of the questions require a
trained person to record the information. This method of
interview is the least expensive way to obtain this
information.
How can I know for sure
that you are who you say
you are?
Besides my identification badge, I can give you a telephone
number to call so you can verify with my supervisor that I
work for the U.S. Census Bureau.
How can this survey help to
fight crime?
The results of this survey show a variety of information
about crime victims, offenders, types of crimes being
committed, and types of places where these crimes occur.
All of this information is put to good use by law enforcement
agencies, community groups, and government agencies
throughout the country to lower the incidence of crime.
Why do you need to
interview me when I don't
have any crimes to report?
We are interested in getting information from both victims
and nonvictims. By examining the differences between
victims and nonvictims, we can try to determine why certain
individuals become victims, while others do not.
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Why waste my tax dollars
on a silly survey?
Why are you calling me
since my phone number is
listed on the “Do Not Call”
registry?
Part A, Chapter 2
We are always concerned about survey costs; however, the
National Crime Victimization Survey is the ONLY source of
information on crimes not reported to police. Legislators and
planners use this data to make informed decisions on
numerous crime-related programs. This data is also used
to:
estimate the cost of victim compensation programs;
determine the types of programs needed for elderly
crime victims; and
measure the effects that police behavior and the
criminal justice system have on crime levels.
The “Do Not Call” registry was initiated for the sole purpose
of restricting telemarketing calls and does not limit a call
made for the sole purpose of conducting a survey.
Therefore, telephone calls from the Census Bureau for
survey data collection are NOT restricted by this registry.
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Topic 6. General Interviewing Techniques
Applying General
Interviewing Techniques
In addition to creating a good impression and answering
respondent questions, we want all FRs to use the same
interviewing techniques. By following uniform techniques,
we can ensure that the final survey results are more
complete and accurate.
Pacing the Interview
Remember the following key point about pacing the NCVS
interview -- DO NOT RUSH to complete an interview under
any circumstances. Maintain a calm, unhurried manner and
ask the questions in an objective and deliberate way. This
will not only relax the respondent, but also help to 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. On the
other hand, do not let respondents waste too much time
talking about unrelated information. Try to tactfully steer
respondents back to the interview without making them feel
as if you are hurrying to finish.
An average NCVS interview will take about 25 minutes to
complete. However, the actual time required to interview all
eligible members of a sample household will vary
depending on the household's composition and crime
experiences during the reference period.
Always assume that each respondent has time to be
interviewed when you contact him/her. If the respondent
tries to rush you through the interview or tries to cut you off,
arrange to continue the interview at a more convenient time
for the respondent. Whenever possible, make every attempt
to complete at least the household respondent's interview
during your first contact for the interview period. This will
make any callbacks for remaining household members
easier.
When conducting interviews, speak as clearly and distinctly
as possible. Avoid talking too fast or too slow. Talking too
fast may give the impression that you think the questions
are either unimportant or sensitive in nature. By speaking in
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a confident voice and at a moderate pace, respondents are
more likely to stay relaxed and responsive.
Asking Questions as
Worded
When asking NCVS questions, avoid changing the words or
omitting parts of questions. Even if the change seems
insignificant to you, it could change the way the respondent
interprets the question. We want each respondent to
interpret the NCVS questions the same way, so the answers
that we receive are comparable throughout the entire
sample.
For example:
Item BUSINESS -Does anyone in this household operate a business
from this address?
Item BUSINESS after an FR omits words -Does anyone in this household operate a business?
By rewording this question, you may get a different
response than an FR who reads the question as it appears
in the instrument. By leaving out "from this address,"
respondents could misinterpret the true intent of this
question.
Words in Black Bold
Type
When looking at item questions and answers in the NCVS
instrument, any words shown in bold type are meant for you
to read to the respondent.
Words in Blue Type
Words shown in blue text are instructions for you and are
NOT to be read to the respondent.
Words in Grey Type
Words shown in grey type are often repeats of introductory
phrases that have already been read in previous questions.
Use only if necessary.
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Phrases in Parentheses
Some of the questions contain a phrase in parentheses,
such as the question in CONTACTAUTHORITIES.
Item CONTACTAUTHORITIES -Have you (or someone in your household) had contact
with any other authorities about this incident (such as a
prosecutor, court, or juvenile officer?)
When you see a phrase in parentheses, decide whether the
text must be read to the respondent if further clarification is
needed.
Reading the Entire
Question
Most of the questions you ask to screen for crime incidents
have at least three subcategories and some have as many
as eight subcategories. This type of question may prompt
some respondents to give you an answer before you finish
reading each subcategory. We prefer that you finish reading
each subcategory before the respondent gives an answer.
Even if you are interrupted, read each and every
subcategory in its entirety.
The following technique may help you get through all the
subcategories of a screen question before getting a
respondent's answer:
1
After reading each subcategory, only pause long
enough to let the respondent know that you are about to
start reading a new subcategory. If you pause too long,
the respondent may feel that you are waiting for an
answer.
2
After reading all subcategories for a question, pause
long enough to allow the respondent to reply. If the
respondent doesn't give you an answer, then read the
question, "Did any incidents of this type happen to you?"
3
If you get a "Yes" response, enter precode (1). Then ask
the respondent "How many times?" and enter the
number of times that the incident occurred. Then ask the
respondent, "What happened?" Based on the answer
you receive, enter a brief description of each reported
crime incident in the space on the screen.
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4
If you get a "No" response, enter precode (2). Then
continue with the next appropriate screen question.
If this technique doesn't work and a respondent either
interrupts you in the middle of reading a subcategory or
before you finish reading all the subcategories for a
question, follow these steps:
Respondent answers in the middle of reading a
subcategory-1
Stop and thank the respondent, but explain that there is
more to the question which he/she needs to hear before
giving an answer.
2
Reread the unfinished subcategory again from the
beginning.
If the respondent gives you a "No" answer after you
finish reading the entire subcategory, tell the respondent
that you need to finish reading all the subcategories for
the question.
If the respondent gives you a "Yes" answer before you
have read all subcategories, then follow the next set of
instructions.
Respondent answers "Yes" before you have read all
subcategories-1
Enter precode (1) at that screen.
2
When the “number of times” screen appears for a
specific screen question, ask the respondent "How
many times?" and enter the number of times that the
incident occurred. Then ask, "What happened?" Based
on the answer you receive, enter a brief description of
the crime incident in the space provided on the “number
of times” screen and press the "Enter" key.
3
Next, press the “Up” arrow until you return to the original
screen question. After returning to this screen, start by
saying, "Other than any incidents already reported..."
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and finish reading the remaining subcategories for the
screen question.
4
If the respondent mentions any additional crime
incidents, press the "Enter" key and you will see the
“Number of times” screen again. Correct the "Number
of times" entry and add a brief description of the
additional incident(s) mentioned.
By using these techniques, there is less chance of missing
any crime incidents which occurred during the reference
period.
Marking All Answers That
Apply
There are several questions in the NCVS instrument that
are designed to get multiple answers. Here's an example:
Item OTHWORSE - How did they make the situation
worse?
This item has six answer categories:
Led to injury or greater injury to respondent
Caused greater loss of property or damage to property
Other people got hurt (worse)
Offender got away
Made offender angrier, more aggressive, etc.
Other - Specify
To ensure that we get all answers that apply to this
question, you must continue asking, "Any other way?" until
the respondent answers, "No."
Asking Questions in the
Right Order
Always interview the household respondent first. Once you
have completed the household respondent's interview,
interview the remaining household members one at a time.
In most households, each individual respondent will answer
the questions for himself/ herself. Do not attempt to
interview more than one household member at the same
time.
Once you start to interview a household member, ask the
questions as instructed on each questionnaire. A great deal
of planning and forethought has gone into designing the
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NCVS, so you can get the best results from each interview.
Remember:
Carefully follow all FR instructions in the instrument.
Ask questions as they are worded without adding or
deleting words or phrases.
Do not skip a question when a respondent has already
given you the answer. In most cases, ask the question
as worded without adding or deleting words or phrases.
Verifying a respondent's previously given answer
without reading the question is only permissible for
items that have an "Ask or Verify" instruction. If you do
not see an "Ask or Verify" instruction, always ask the
question as worded in the instrument.
Do not assume that you know the answer without asking
or verifying a question.
Listening to the
Respondent
As an FR, your listening skills are of utmost importance.
Listen carefully to what each respondent has to say and
continue listening until the respondent is done giving his/her
answer. By improving your listening skills, you can increase
your chances for recording complete and accurate
information.
Here are some listening "Do's and Don'ts":
Do's:
Repeat the question as worded in a clear and distinct
voice when the respondent appears to have
misunderstood the question.
Repeat the respondent's answer when it's necessary to
check your understanding of what the respondent said.
Then pause in hopes that the respondent will expand
and clarify his/her answer.
When a respondent mentions a crime incident, make
sure to fully capture each reported incident, even if the
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respondent makes light of the situation or says that it
was not "serious."
Some screens have an FR instruction: “Ask or verify:”. If the
respondent has already given you the answer to that
question, you may verify the answer rather than asking the
full question. Using active listening techniques like this one
lets the respondent know you are paying attention to what
they say and can help you build rapport.
Don'ts:
Do not tune out what a respondent says when you start
recording an answer. You may need the information to
either clarify the answer or change the way you interpret
the answer.
Do not interrupt respondents before they are finished,
even if they hesitate while giving their answer. Be
patient and allow respondents sufficient time to recall
the facts.
Also, remember that some respondents may say, "I
don't know," when they really mean, "Let me think about
it." When you experience this situation, allow the
respondent time to finish his/her statement before
repeating the question or probing in some other way.
Stay neutral and avoid showing shock or disapproval
while a respondent is answering questions.
Using Appropriate
Gestures
Your gestures, both verbal and non-verbal, need to convey
to respondents that you are conscientious, concerned, and
courteous. Poor use of gestures can portray a lack of
interest, an indifferent attitude, or even disdain.
As you speak, be mindful of the inflection of your voice, its
tone, and its volume. Also, be aware of what your eye
contact, use of hands and arms, and facial expressions
might be saying to a respondent.
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Probing When Necessary
Part A, Chapter 2
Probing is a technique whereby you casually get the
respondent to provide an answer that meets the question's
objective. Probing is a necessary interviewing technique
because some respondents:
May not hear the question correctly because of poor
hearing or background noise;
May not understand the meaning of a word or phrase
used in the question;
May give you an answer that is too general; or
May say, "I don't know," because they are trying to:
-- Avoid the subject of the question,
-- Buy some time before giving an answer, or
-- Avoid saying that they did not understand the
question.
Understanding the
Intent of the NCVS
Questions
Before you can decide whether or not to probe, you need to
understand the intent of each question. By understanding a
question's purpose, you can better decide when to probe
and which probing technique to use.
Here is an example of what can happen when you do not
understand a question's objective:
Item LOCATION_GENERAL reads:
Did this incident happen...
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?
etc.
Respondent Answers:
In the parking garage of a shopping mall.
Bad Probe:
Would that be a commercial or noncommercial parking
garage?
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Good Probe:
Were you charged a fee to park in the garage?
If you do not ask the right probing question, you will not get
an accurate answer. By using a bad probe, the FR is either:
Probing Techniques
Assuming that the respondent knows what we mean by
the terms "commercial or noncommercial" or
Failing to understand that we want to differentiate
between parking lots/garages charging a fee and those
allowing free parking.
Don't assume that a respondent's answer is always correct.
When you get an answer that does not make sense to you,
decide which probing technique will work best in the
situation.
Choosing the best probing technique will help you to
casually persuade the respondent to expand and/or clarify
an answer.
Here are some standard probing techniques:
Brief Assenting Comments - Use a comment like,
"Yes, I see," when you want to stimulate the respondent
to talk further. This will also show that you are giving
attention to the respondent's answer.
Here's an example:
Item SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME reads:
During the last 6 months, other than any incidents
already mentioned, did anything which you thought
was a crime happen to YOU, but you did NOT report
to the police?
Respondent Answers:
Yes, I saw a prowler.
Brief Assenting Comment:
Yes, I see. Can you tell me more?
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An Expectant Pause - During a personal visit interview,
use an expectant pause together with an inquiring look
to convey to the respondent that you expect him/her to
give you more information.
Repeating the Question - Repeat the question when
the respondent does not understand or misinterprets the
question, seems unable to make up his/her mind, or
strays from the subject.
For example:
Item MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME reads:
Was this the only time any of these offenders
committed a crime against you or your household
or made threats against you or your household?
Respondent Answers:
No, one of the offenders was arrested 2 years ago
for a bank robbery.
Repeating the Question:
Was this the only time any of these offenders
committed a crime against you or your household
or made threats against you or your household?
Repeating the Respondent's Reply - Repeat the
respondent's reply exactly as the respondent gives it to
you, when you need to clarify the answer and prompt
the respondent to expand his/her answer. Never
interject your own ideas when repeating the
respondent's reply.
For example:
Item MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL reads:
How well did you know the offender(s) - by sight
only, casual acquaintance or well known?
Respondent Answers:
She's just one of the girls on the block.
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Repeating Respondent's Answer:
She's just one of the girls on the block? So did you
know the offender by sight only, casual
acquaintance or well known?
Respondent Answers:
I don't even know her name. I just see her around,
so I guess sight only.
Neutral Questions and a Neutral Tone of Voice - Use
neutral questions when you need to get a fuller, clearer
response. Always use a neutral tone of voice so you
don't sound demanding and upset the respondent.
Here is an example:
Item PERMISSIONGIVEN reads:
Had permission to use the (car/motor vehicle) ever
been given to the offender(s)?
Respondent Answers:
Well, I said maybe he could use it when it wasn't so
new.
Neutral Probe:
Did the offender have permission to use the
car/motor vehicle?
Sometimes a respondent may still misunderstand a
question's meaning or give you an unintended response. If
this happens, you can read a question's answer categories
to the respondent as a "last resort."
If you use this technique, do not bias the respondent's
answer by only reading a few of the answer categories. By
reading all answer categories for a question, you will help
the respondent understand the type of answers the
particular question is attempting to get.
Staying Neutral
Be careful not to ask leading questions and not to make the
respondent feel insulted. A "leading" question is one that
could influence a respondent's answer or unnecessarily
prolong the interview.
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Do not assume that you know what the answer should be,
and then lead the respondent to that answer. Keep your
probing questions as neutral as possible, so the respondent
can think objectively about the question and give an
accurate answer.
General Screening
Guidelines
The screening portion of the NCVS interview is very
important. This portion of the NCVS instrument is designed
to give each respondent every opportunity to remember any
crime incidents that occurred during the 6-month
reference period. The BJS and the Census Bureau have
specific reasons for the wording of each question and the
sequencing of each group of questions.
While conducting the screen interview, do not jeopardize
the interview by entering “Don’t know” or “Refused” answers
without asking the questions in the instrument.
Asking Applicable
Questions
During each enumeration period, ask the household
respondent and all remaining household members ALL
applicable screen questions. Since respondents can easily
forget many crime incidents, it is essential to ask all
applicable questions each time the sample household is
assigned for interview. This is the only way we can ensure
that we collect complete and accurate information.
Handling Difficult
Respondents
Some respondents may not want to go through the screen
questions for various reasons, and may say:
Let's save some time. I can tell you up front that I haven't
been a victim of crime since the last time I talked to you.
OR
You don't need to read all those examples of stolen
items, because nothing was stolen from me or anyone
else in this household.
When you need to convince a respondent to complete the
entire screen interview, try the following techniques:
"To guarantee that I don't miss any crime incidents, I'm
required to ask each question and allow you time to
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make sure that you haven't forgotten anything. Some
crime incidents are easily forgotten. By asking these
screen questions, you may remember something that
you've put out of your mind."
"Even if you haven't been a victim of crime during the
last 6 months, we are also interested in any other
changes in your life, such as marital status, household
income, and job changes. These characteristics also
play a part in examining criminal victimizations in the
United States. I'm required to ask these questions each
time your household is assigned for interview.
Otherwise, we can't get a complete and up-to-date
picture of both crime victims and nonvictims for
comparative purposes."
(Only use this technique when a supplement is
attached to the NCVS interview.)
"For this interview, our sponsor has added a few new
questions for a specific study they are authorized to
undertake. The information we collect from these new
questions, along with the original questions, is essential
to our sponsor and to the completion of this study."
NEVER tell the respondent that you do not remember what
you were told during the last interview or that all the
information he/she provided during the last interview has
gone to Washington.
General Guidelines for
Recording Answers
After listening carefully to a respondent's answer, take great
care to record the answer accurately. By recording
accurate answers and incident descriptions, you can help
guarantee that the information you collect is understood
clearly by editors who may need to process your completed
work.
Correcting Answers
If you need to change an answer, you can backspace over
the incorrect entry and enter the correct one.
"Refused" or "Don't
Know" Entries
Most items in the NCVS instrument will allow you to enter a
"Refused" or "Don't know" answer. However, some screens
may not display these answer categories as options.
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If a respondent flatly refuses to answer a particular question
despite your persuasive efforts, enter “Ctrl + R" in the
answer space. Make every effort to avoid these entries,
because too many "Refused" answers:
For a household respondent, could cause the sample
address to be classified as a noninterview case, and
For an individual respondent, could cause the
household member to be classified as a noninterview
person.
If a respondent does not know the answer for a specific
question, try to probe for an accurate answer. When probing
isn't possible or successful, enter the appropriate precode
for “Don’t know,” or enter Ctrl + D in the answer space.
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Topic 7. Closing the Interview and "Thank You" Letters
Leaving on Good Terms
Since you or someone else from the Census Bureau may
need to contact a sample household again, always leave
the household with a good feeling towards you and the
Census Bureau. By ending every interview with a friendly
and polite "Thank You," you are paving the way for future
contacts.
Tell respondents that we appreciate the time that they gave
for the interview, and that they may be contacted again for
this survey. Be sensitive, concerned, and courteous
throughout the interview.
By closing the interview properly, you are nurturing a
positive image of our agency, and improving chances for
successful followup contacts during reinterview or other
surveys.
Using "Thank You" Letters
We have two different "Thank You" letters for your use -- the
NCVS-593(L) and the NCVS-594(L). Each letter has a
specific purpose, and we do not intend for you to hand or
mail a "Thank You" letter after every NCVS interview. Both
of these "Thank You" letters are printed in English and
Spanish.
These letters not only thank the household for their
cooperation, but also relay to them how important this
survey is. Depending on the circumstances, you can either
hand or mail the appropriate letter to the household. If you
mail the "Thank You" letter, make sure that you use the
"mailing address," which is shown on the “Case List”
screen you see when you first enter Case Management.
Whether or not you give the household a "Thank You" letter,
always remember to thank them yourself at the end of the
interview.
First Through Sixth
Enumeration Period
For first through sixth enumeration period households, use
the NCVS-593(L) "Thank You" letter whenever you feel that
the household shows any signs that they may refuse to be
interviewed again. For example, a household member may
become annoyed at the length of the interview or at the
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number of times you have contacted the household. In
these situations, a "Thank You" letter does not guarantee
cooperation, but it may help to leave a positive impression
and make it easier to gain their cooperation for future
interviews.
Seventh Enumeration
Period
At the end of the seventh enumeration period interview,
always make sure to either hand or mail the respondent a
NCVS-594(L), "Thank You" letter.
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Chapter 3
General National Crime Victimization Survey Procedures
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Basic Survey Procedures
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2 Monthly Tasks
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3 Daily Tasks
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4 Specific Household Procedures
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Topic 1. Basic Survey Procedures
Length of Time in Sample
Each address selected as a sample unit for the NCVS is
usually interviewed seven times. These interviews are
conducted once every 6 months over a 3-year period. This
allows us to compile a continuous record of the sample
household's experiences at a reasonable cost and with the
least amount of inconvenience to the household.
Enumeration Periods
We refer to each time a sample household's address is
assigned for interview as an "enumeration period." Since we
interview or attempt to interview each sample household
seven times, there are seven "enumeration periods" for each
sample address.
When you access a sample case on your computer, the
instrument screen that identifies the case's enumeration
period is the START_CP screen. The enumeration period is
also displayed on the “HH Roster” tab on the upper left hand
side of the screen.
Reference Periods
For the NCVS, the reference period covers the 6-month
time period prior to the interview date. When conducting
interviews, we are interested only in crime incidents that
occurred during a household member's specific 6-month
reference period.
Even though the NCVS instrument inserts the appropriate
reference period start date, you must understand how a
household member's reference period is determined.
For the first enumeration period, each household
member's reference period will start on the first day of the
month 6 months prior to the interview date, and end on the
day prior to the interview date.
For example: If a household respondent's first enumeration
period interview is conducted on July 3, 2015, then the
current reference period for the household respondent is
January 1, 2015 through July 2, 2015.
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If the remaining household members were interviewed for
the first enumeration period on July 5, 2015, then the
current reference period for each of these household
members is January 1, 2015 through July 4, 2015.
For a first enumeration period household, all household
members have the same reference period start date, but
each household member's end date may vary based on the
member's current interview date.
After the first enumeration period, reference periods for all
remaining enumeration periods will start on the date of
the household member's last interview and end on the day
prior to the member's current interview date. Unlike the first
enumeration period, each household member could have a
different reference period start date for the second through
seventh enumeration period based on the member's last
interview date.
The following two terms are often used to describe this type
of reference period:
Period-to-period recounting or
Floating reference period.
By using this type of a reference period, we can compile a
continuous record of the household's experiences for the
three years that they are in sample.
While interviewing, it is important to keep reminding the
respondent of the starting and ending dates for the
reference period. If a respondent seems to have difficulty
keeping track of the reference period dates, try adding the
actual dates after reading "in the last 6 months." This will
help the respondent to stay focused on the correct time
frame for the interview.
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Incidents Outside of
Reference Period
Only complete the incident report screens of the NCVS
instrument when a reported incident occurred during the
reference period for the current interview. The introductory
screens of the instrument’s incident report section provide
questions to make sure that a reported incident did occur
during the household member’s reference period. If you
discover that the incident is outside of the reference period,
the instrument progresses to OSINCNOTNEEDED, which
tells you that the incident is outside the reference period. No
further information about that incident is collected.
Incidents Occurring on
the Day of the Interview
If a respondent reports an incident that occurred on the
same day that you are interviewing him/her, complete the
incident report section of the instrument as usual, even
though it is outside the reference period. Incidents will be
reviewed during post-data collection processing and
categorized as either being “in scope” or “out of scope.”
Incidents collected during the interview will be used for
comparison during unduplication in the next enumeration
period. Summarize the details of this incident on the NOTES
screen at the end of the current NCVS interview as a
reminder for the next enumeration period interview.
Interview Scheme
All households in the NCVS sample are divided into six
groups, which are referred to as "rotation" groups. During
the course of a 6-month period, one-sixth of the full sample
or a "panel" from each rotation group is assigned for
interview each month. This interviewing scheme enables us
to spread out the interviewing work fairly evenly throughout
the year, so we can maintain a regular staff of FRs with
routine monthly NCVS assignments.
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For example:
Interview Period
Sample households in panel 1 of rotation groups 1
through 6 are assigned for interview in the months of
January and July. Sample households in panel 2 of
rotation groups 1 through 6 are assigned for interview in
the months of February and August.
By the time we get to panel 6 of rotation groups 1
through 6, which are assigned for interview in the
months of June and December, we will have assigned
for interview all sample households from panels 1
through 6 of rotation groups 1 through 6.
An interview period is the time that you are allowed to
complete all of the NCVS interviews assigned to you for an
interview month. Typically, your interview period begins on
the first day of the month. Complete your assignment as
quickly as possible once the interview period begins. Your
supervisor will give you the interview closeout date for each
interview month. This is the date by which all NCVS cases
assigned to you for the month must be completed.
The majority of the NCVS cases in each assignment will
require telephone interviews. Always try to complete all of
your telephone interviews:
Before conducting your personal visit interviews; and
Within the first few days of the interview period.
This procedure allows you to detect any replacement
households or other situations from your telephone
interviews that could require personal visit interviews
before you plan your personal visit work schedule.
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Topic 2. Monthly Tasks
Monthly Instructions
About one week prior to the start of the interview month,
your regional office will send you a memorandum with
specific instructions for the upcoming interview month.
When you receive your monthly memorandum, read the
entire memorandum very carefully and contact your
supervisor if you have any questions about the information
provided.
Preparing to Interview
When you receive the monthly memorandum each month,
you also receive:
Your interviewing assignment for the month (through
case management; see Part D of this manual for
details),
Any listing work for the month, and
Any supplies you may need.
Checking New
Assignments
As soon as you receive your monthly package of interview
materials, check the items listed on the Transmittal Form
11-35 that accompanies these materials. If anything listed
on the transmittal is missing from your package, call your
supervisor immediately.
Organizing Your Work
Schedule
As you organize your assignment for the interview month,
consider the geographic distribution of your cases and the
number of new segments in your assignment. Follow these
steps:
Step
1.
Always conduct your telephone interviews FIRST.
2.
Try to conduct your personal visit interviews in
segments with first enumeration period households
next. This will allow sufficient time should you
encounter unexpected problems with these cases. For
first enumeration period households, you must
conduct the household respondent's interview IN
PERSON. However, if the remaining household
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members are not available at the time of your visit, it is
acceptable to interview these household members by
telephone once you have completed the household
respondent's interview in person.
NOTE: Regardless of the enumeration period, the
household respondent always must be the
FIRST household member interviewed and
he/she must be at least 18 years of age and
knowledgeable about the household. For
example, the reference person or one of the
other household members who owns or
rents the home. (See Chapter A-2 for
exceptions to the age requirement.)
3.
Completing Your
Assignment
Conduct any remaining personal visit interviews in a
logical sequence so that you keep to a minimum any
backtracking or return trips to a segment.
Always attempt to complete your interviewing assignment
as early in the interview month as possible. Transmit your
completed work on a flow basis as frequently as possible.
Your supervisor will provide you with a final transmittal date
or closeout date for each interview month.
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Topic 3. Daily Tasks
Planning Your Daily
Schedule
Assembling Your Materials
Conducting Telephone
Interviews and Callbacks
Plan your daily schedule so that you get the maximum
amount of interviewing work accomplished during your
workday. Keep the following points in mind as you plan:
Geographic location of assigned addresses,
Any previously made appointments, and
Interview time preferences (accessible by using the
Control + T function for an individual case)
When conducting personal interviews, make sure that you
have everything you might need to carry you through your
entire interviewing schedule for the day. Take current
versions of the following items with you:
Your laptop and NCVS Function Keys template
NCVS-550 (CAPI), CAPI Interviewing Manual
NCVS-554, Field Representative's Information Card
Booklet
Copies of both introductory letters, NCVS-572(L) and
NCVS-573(L), and the Fact Sheet brochure, NCVS-110
Copies of thank-you letters, NCVS-593(L) and
NCVS-594(L)
Since the primary purpose of conducting NCVS interviews
by telephone is to reduce travel costs and save money,
AVOID traveling to assigned segments that require
telephone interviews.
Typically, interviews for second through seventh
enumeration period households are conducted by
telephone. Always check to see when the household prefers
to be contacted.
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Conducting Personal Visit
Interviews
Part A, Chapter 3
In addition to the first enumeration period households, other
sample households may require personal visit interviews
because they:
Do not have a telephone on which they can be
contacted,
Refuse to give their telephone number,
Tell us that a telephone interview is not acceptable, or
Are replacement households.
Sending "Thank You"
Letters
As needed, mail "Thank You" letters to respondents using
the mailing address from the case in the instrument. (See
Part A, Chapter 2, Topic 7, for more details about
sending "Thank You" letters.)
Transmitting Completed
Work
Transmit your completed work on a flow basis, daily when
possible.
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Topic 4. Specific Household Procedures
Starting With the
Household Respondent
Once you have introduced yourself, ask to speak with:
The previous household respondent, or
One of the persons who owns or rents the home,
A household member who is at least 18 years of age
and knowledgeable about the household.
Remember to show your identification card for each
personal visit interview. When you know that you are
speaking to a household member at the sample address,
then you can introduce the survey.
For cases being interviewed for the first time, a personal
visit with the household respondent is required. (Other
individual respondents in the household may be interview
by telephone if necessary.) For these cases, the instrument
prompts you at the GEN_INTRO_CP screen to give the
household an introductory letter and continue the interview
to verify the address and start building the household roster.
For all other cases, at the HELLO_1_CP screen, the
instrument prompts you to ask to speak with the household
member who was the household respondent for the
previous enumeration period. If that household member is
not available, you are instructed to identify another eligible
household respondent at the HELLO_ALT2_CP screen.
The HELLO_ALT2_CP screen shows only those
household members who qualify as possible household
respondents.
ALWAYS complete the household respondent's interview
before interviewing any remaining eligible household
members (household members who are 12 years of age
and older). Without a completed interview from an eligible
household respondent, the sample household will classify
as a Type A noninterview. We prefer that the household
respondent be one of the household members who owns or
rents the home or his/her spouse. If that is not possible, a
household member who is at least 18 years of age and
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knowledgeable about household matters can qualify as a
household respondent.
Once you are speaking to an eligible household respondent,
you will introduce the survey, explain the purpose of your
telephone call, and verify that you have reached the correct
sample address at the VERADD_CP screen.
Verifying That You
Have Reached the
Correct Address
One of the most important purposes of the VERADD_CP
screen is to verify that you have reached the correct sample
address. Before you see the VERADD_CP screen, you will
already know that you have reached the same household
that was interviewed at the sample address during the
previous enumeration period (except for those households
that are in sample for the first time). However, it is possible
that you may have reached a different address if the
household moved and kept the same telephone number.
Make sure that you enter the correct precode at
VERADD_CP, so that you follow the correct path and
collect the necessary information for the situation.
VERADD_CP has the following four precodes/answer
categories:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
SAME address
MOVED (NOT same address)
Haven't moved, but address has changed
Incorrect address previously recorded
Enter Precode (1) when the respondent verifies that the
household still lives at the address shown on the
VERADD_CP screen and there are no changes/corrections
to the sample address.
Enter Precode (2) when the respondent tells you that the
household has moved from the sample address and is
currently residing at a different address.
Enter Precode (3) when the respondent tells you that the
household still resides at the sample address shown on the
screen, but some part of the address has changed since the
last enumeration period. For example, a county may have
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changed house numbers and/or street names to aid in
dispatching emergency medical services. After entering
Precode (3), you will see the NEWADD screens
(NEWADDHNO_CP, NEWADDSTRNAME_CP, and so on)
where you can correct the address for the sample unit.
Enter Precode (4) when the respondent tells you that the
household still resides at the sample address shown on the
screen, but some part of the address is not appearing
correctly on the VERADD_CP screen. After making sure
that the household has not moved out of the sample
address and that the sample address has not changed
since the last enumeration period, enter Precode (4) and
correct the address for the sample unit at the NEWADD
screens as discussed in the paragraph above.
Replacement
Households
At Item HHNUM_VR_CP, the instrument asks, “Is this a
replacement household?” A replacement household
happens when there are NO members of the original
household interviewed during the pervious enumeration
period living at this address. If this occurs, answer Precode
(1), “Yes.” Item CK_REPLACE_CP appears; “A
replacement household means that there are no members
of the original household living at this address. Are you sure
this is a replacement household?” Enter Precode (1), “Yes.”
A pop-up then appears: “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.”
Click “Suppress” if you are sure it is a replacement
household; otherwise, click “Cancel”. The instrument then
continues with HELP_OTH_CP. You then enter a roster and
household data for the replacement household and
interview as usual.
Control Card
Information
The next set of instrument screens contains questions that
you ask of the household respondent. This information is
used to obtain or update information about the household
and to ensure that we are aware of any household
composition changes.
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NOTE that a maximum of 30 household members may be
entered in the household roster. If you have a household
larger than 30 members, Items ROS2BIGOVER30 and
ROS2BIGHOWMANY ask the number of household
members over 30, but does not collect any information for
them.
Screening for Crime
Incidents
Starting with the TIMEATADDRESS screen, the next set of
screens in the NCVS instrument presents questions for you
to ask of the household respondent. This set of questions
start by asking about the household respondent's mobility
(TIMEATADDRESS) and then whether or not anyone in the
household operates a business from the sample address
(BUSINESS).
Starting with the introduction on the SQTHEFT screen, the
next set of questions is designed to determine whether the
household respondent or the sample household has
experienced any crime incidents during the 6-month
reference period. The screen questions that you ask the
household respondent involve thefts, break-ins, illegal
entries, motor vehicle thefts, attacks, attempted attacks,
verbal threats of harm, and unwanted sexual acts (sexual
assault, rape, and attempted rape). We are interested in
both attempted incidents and actual incidents.
If the household respondent answers "Yes" to any of these
screen questions, you must:
Indicate the number of times the incident happened and
Enter a brief description of what happened during the
incident. (100 character limit)
You also ask the household respondent questions
pertaining to identity theft to determine if anyone in the
sample household discovered that someone used or
attempted to use various forms of personal information
without permission to commit fraud or other crimes.
After you are done asking all screen questions of the
household respondent, you see the INC_REPORTS screen
which shows you how many incidents were reported by the
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household respondent. If no incidents were reported by the
household respondent, then you see the NO_CRIMES
screen.
NOTE that a maximum of 30 incidents may be reported in
the NCVS instrument.
Reporting Crime
Incidents
Writing a Summary
Report
If the household respondent reported one or more crime
incidents, then you proceed through the incident report
screens for each reported incident that occurred during the
6-month reference period. The incident report screens start
with the INCIDENTINTRO screen. These screens are
designed to gather detailed information, such as:
1.
Where the incident took place.
2.
Whether or not the respondent or other household
members were present during the incident.
3.
How the incident happened.
4.
Any injuries that the respondent or other household
members may have experienced during the incident.
5.
Information about the offender(s).
6.
Details about the respondent’s employer and job
when the incident occurred while the respondent
was working or on duty.
7.
Whether or not the police were notified and reasons
for reporting or not reporting the incident to the
police.
8.
What the respondent was doing when the incident
happened.
After completing all the incident report screens, you see a
SUMMARY screen. (Note that the SUMMARY screen has a
limit of 300 characters.) Use the SUMMARY screen to enter
a concise and accurate summary of the crime incident,
including all pertinent facts (who, what, where, when, and
how). More instructions for writing summary reports are
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included in Parts B and C of this manual.
Adding Additional
Incidents
Once you have collected information on the incident report
screens for all incidents reported by the household
respondent, the INCIDENTTOADD screen appears, which
is used to ensure that we collect information for all NCVS
crimes which took place during the reference period.
This screen allows you to:
Avoiding Duplicate
Reports
Employment
Questions
Enter Precode (1) to add another crime incident that the
household respondent may have mentioned while
answering the incident report questions.
Enter Precode (2) to indicate that no additional incidents
need reporting.
Starting with the INTRO_UNDUP screen, you see a set of
screens to be used to get your assessment about whether
each reported incident is unique and is not a duplicate of
another incident reported by the respondent or household in
the current and previous enumeration periods. Do not
discuss incidents with the respondent. After checking a
crime incident against incidents already reported in the
current enumeration period, the NCVS instrument also
allows you to check the incident against up to four incidents
reported in a previous enumeration period.
Once you have completed the incident report section of the
instrument for all reported crime incidents, ask the
questions about the household respondent’s primary
employment during the week prior to the interview or for at
least two consecutive weeks during the last 6 months. If the
household respondent did not report any crime incidents,
the instrument shows these employment questions
following the NO_CRIMES screen.
Interviewing Individual
Respondents
You must complete the household respondent's interview
before you can interview any other eligible household
members. When you finish interviewing the household
respondent, complete any remaining eligible household
member's interviews one at a time.
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During your initial contact with a sample household, always
try to complete as many interviews with individual
respondents as possible. Try to keep household callbacks
for individual respondents to a minimum.
Your initial contact with a first enumeration period
household must be in person. However, after interviewing
the household respondent in person, any individual
respondents in the household who are unavailable during
your initial contact can be interviewed later by telephone.
When interviewing the next eligible respondent,
re-introduce yourself using the text on the
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT screen. The text on this
screen also allows you to explain who you represent, which
survey you are conducting, and why you are calling the
household.
Unlike the household respondent's interview, the interviews
for the remaining household members who are eligible for
the NCVS does not include any questions pertaining to
general information about the household. Those questions
are asked only of the household respondent.
Screening for Crime
Incidents
Some of the questions relating to the entire sample
household are asked only of the household respondent and
will not appear as you ask screen questions of individual
respondents in the household. With the exception of the
following types of questions, the remaining questions in the
screening portion of the instrument will remain the same for
individual respondents in the sample household.
Screening questions NOT asked of individual
respondents determine-
Whether the household operates a business from the
sample address (BUSINESS).
Whether the household has experienced any break-ins
or illegal entries (either actual or attempted)
(SQBREAKIN).
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How many vehicles are owned by the sample household
(SQTOTALVEHICLES).
Whether any of the household's vehicles were stolen or
someone attempted to steal any of them
(SQMVTHEFT).
After you finish asking all screen questions of an individual
respondent, either NO_CRIMES or INC_REPORTS
appears, displaying the number of incidents reported by the
respondent.
Reporting Crime
Incidents
If the individual respondent reported one or more crime
incidents, you proceed through the incident report screens
for each reported incident that occurred during the 6-month
reference period. The incident report items start with
INCIDENTINTRO and are designed to gather the same
information as described earlier in this chapter for the
household respondent.
Writing a Summary
Report
After completing all the incident report screens, you see a
SUMMARY screen. Use this screen to enter a concise and
accurate summary of the crime incident, including all
pertinent facts (who, what, where, when, and how). More
instructions for writing summary reports are included in
Parts B and C of this manual.
Adding Additional
Incidents
Once you have completed the incident report screens for all
incidents reported by the individual respondent,
INC_TO_ADD appears. This screen allows you to:
Avoiding Duplicate
Reports
Enter Precode (1) to add another crime incident that the
individual respondent may have mentioned while
answering the incident report questions.
Enter Precode (2) to indicate that no additional incidents
need reporting.
Starting with the INTRO_UNDUP screen, you will see a set
of screens that you will use to make sure each reported
incident is unique and is not a duplicate of another incident
already reported for the respondent or the sample
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household in the current and previous enumeration periods.
Do not discuss incidents with the respondent.
For example, a sample household member may report a
household crime that has already been reported by the
household respondent in the current interview or the
household member may report a crime incident that
occurred and was reported in a previous enumeration
period. After checking a crime incident against incidents
already reported in the current enumeration period, the
NCVS instrument also allows you to check the incident
against up to four incidents reported in a previous
enumeration period.
Employment
Questions
Callback, Thank You, and
Notes Screens
Before interviewing any other eligible household members,
ask each individual respondent, who is at least 16 years of
age, a set of questions related to his/her employment. Once
you have completed the incident report section of the
instrument for all reported crime incidents, then you ask the
questions about the respondent’s primary employment
during the week prior to the interview or for at least two
consecutive weeks during the last 6 months. If the
respondent did not report any crime incidents, you see
these employment questions following the NO_CRIMES
screen.
In the back portion of the NCVS instrument, you have
access to a set of screens that enables you to identify the
day and time that is best to re-contact the household and
interview members who are currently unavailable but still
need to be interviewed.
A variety of "Thank you" screens are also available to satisfy
each type of interview situation. The instrument is
programmed so that the appropriate "Thank you" screen
appears automatically when you are ending an interview
with a respondent.
NOTES Screen
Before exiting the case, you always see the CASE NOTES
screen. This screen is designed so that you can:
Review "old" notes already entered about the case.
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Enter any notes about the case that you feel would help
the next interviewer who contacts the sample
household. Press F10 to end your notes and exit.
If the case does not require any notes, press F10 to exit the
CASE NOTES screen. This indicates that you are done
reviewing and/or entering notes.
F7 Notes
You can also enter a note relating to a specific instrument
item/screen. We call this the "F7 Notes" option. You can
add an "F7 Note" to include more details for an answer or to
explain an unusual situation relating to a specific instrument
item/screen. After pressing the "F7" function key, you can:
Review any previously entered "F7 Notes." After
reviewing previous notes, press the ESC key to exit
the “F7 Notes” option.
Enter a note that relates to the case as a whole.
F7 notes are not carried forward to the next enumeration
period.
Refused After Starting
Interview
If you are interviewing the household respondent and
he/she refuses to continue with the interview and does not
want to set up an appointment to be interviewed later, press
the "F10" function key, which takes you to
REFCBBREAK_CP.
REFCBBREAK_CP asks, “Did this interview end because
of a refusal, a callback was needed, or a breakoff
occurred?” Enter (1) for a refusal, (2) for a callback, or (3) for
a breakoff. (2), “Callback,” takes you to the APPT item when
interviewing the household respondent, which says, “I
would like to schedule a date and time to complete the
interview. What date and time would be best?” For refusals
or breakoffs, you exit the instrument.
Finally, CASE NOTES appears. Use this screen to enter
any notes about the case. Be as specific as possible, such
as “L1 mistrusts all government workers, but L2 may be
willing to cooperate as the household respondent.”
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Individual Respondent
Refusals
When there is more than one eligible respondent, the
refusal of one individual respondent does not end NCVS
interviews in the sample household. Continue to interview
other eligible household members.
Refused at the
INTROFORNEW
RESPONDENT Screen
The INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT screen is where you
re-introduce yourself to the new respondent, introduce the
survey and state the purpose of your telephone call. If the
individual respondent refuses to be interviewed at this
screen, back up to NEXTPERSON.
At NEXTPERSON, either identify the next household
member to be interviewed or enter Precode (31),
“Respondent refused for someone else” to code the
respondent as a refusal.
Refused After
Starting Interview
If you are interviewing an individual respondent and he/she
refuses to continue and does not want to set up an
appointment to be interviewed later, press the "F10"
function key. These screens appear to exit the instrument:
REFCBREAK_CP
PERSAPPT
VERIFY
General National Crime Victimization Survey Procedures
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Interviewing
A4-2
2 Listing
A4-6
3 Performance Standards
A4-8
4 Field Evaluations - Observation
and Reinterview
A4-12
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
A4-1
Part A, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Interviewing
Overview
As a Field Representative for the NCVS, you are assigned
work in one or more of the NCVS sample areas or Primary
Sampling Units (PSUs). PSUs are often the same as a
county or county equivalent. Most of your duties are the
same for each interview month.
Interviewing Assignments
Each interview month, you receive the addresses of sample
cases where you will conduct interviews. Each sample
address is in the NCVS for seven interviews – one interview
every six months, over the course of 3½ years.
Personal Visit
Interviews
Interview cases in sample for the first time with a personal
visit. The personal visit allows you to meet the household
members face-to-face, so you can introduce yourself, show
your Census ID, and gain their cooperation. At the end of
the first interview, you will ask for household phone
number(s) and arrange to call the household members for
future interviews.
Telephone Interviews
If household members have agreed to telephone interviews,
conduct interviews by telephone after the first interview.
Finding Sample Addresses
Most addresses in the sample are city-style with a house
number and street name. In some rural areas with few
city-style addresses, the sample addresses are a location
description. For example, “House on right ½ mile from the
intersection of Oak Ln and Rte 27.
Most addresses will have a map spot with longitude and
latitude geo-coordinates. Use Census maps and/or
navigation devices to help you find sample addresses.
Best Times for Interviewing
– Evenings and Weekends
Interviewing at sample addresses is not a regular 9 to 5 job
when most people are working. Often, you can find people
at home in the evenings and on weekends.
Sometimes you will have to try to contact them at various
times of day and on different days of the week.
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 4
pCHI and Returning pCHI
pCHI stands for “Person Level Contact History Instrument”.
pCHI appears when you close a case or partially complete
case. pCHI prompts you to record data about your contact
attempts and the strategies you are using to contact
household members.
Returning pCHI is pCHI contact data collected six months
ago by the FR(s) who were interviewing household
members at this sample address. This may be useful for
contacting household members at this address during the
current month.
See Part D, Chapter 2 of this manual for more pCHI details.
FR Memos, Self-Studies,
CBTs, and Refresher
Training
Monthly FR Memos contain an FR calendar, current and
upcoming FR activity information, a review of procedures for
recent problems, and routine survey activity reminders.
Self-Studies and CBTs (computer-based-training) are used
for training on Supplements – additional questions asked for
a variety of topics. For example – the School Crime
Supplement (SCS), the Identity Theft Supplement (ITS),
and the Police and Public Contact Supplement (PPCS).
Refresher Training is used for training experienced NCVS
FRs on procedural changes, new survey questions, etc.
These memos, self-studies, CBTs and Refresher Training
can to help you do a better and more efficient job.
Getting a Good Start,
Identifying Challenging
Cases Early
Arrange your work schedule so you can complete most of
your cases early in the interview period. If you delay
interviewing until later in the interview period, you run the
risk of not completing your assignment by the closeout date.
Most sample households require more than one contact to
complete interviews for all eligible household members.
Also, identify challenging cases early in the interview period
will provide you more time to complete before closeout.
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
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Part A, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Planning Your Travel Route
Plan an efficient travel route to move from one sample
address to another using the least amount of time and
mileage. Use your navigation device, if necessary.
Introducing Yourself – The
Respondents’ First
Impression
The NCVS survey is voluntary. Your job is to convince
household members to participate by answering the NCVS
questions. Make a good first impression with them.
Memorize your introduction. This will help you to introduce
yourself in a confident, business-like, polite and friendly
way.
“Good evening, I’m (state your name) from the U.S Census
Bureau. Here is my Census ID (show Census ID).”
Always conduct your interviews with discretion and
courtesy; both are important in gaining a respondent's
confidence and continued cooperation.
Keeping Callbacks to a
Minimum
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. Evening hours and weekends are
usually the most productive interviewing times in areas
where many household members work outside the home.
To minimize the number of trips to sample addresses, make
personal visit callbacks in areas where you still have some
initial visits, to save a trip. Also, if no one is at home, find out
the best time to contact the household from a neighbor,
apartment manager, etc., before you leave the sample area.
DO NOT mention the survey name to neighbors or
other non-household members.
Conducting Efficient
Interviews
Some pointers for conducting efficient interviews:
Know what is in the NCVS instrument.
Understand how to enter answers in the NCVS
instrument.
Know possible answer categories for NCVS questions.
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 4
Answer respondents' questions clearly and concisely.
To help, review the introductory letters, the job aid,
NCVS At a Glance (NCVS-500.1), the NCVS Fact
Sheet (NCVS-110), and this manual (NCVS-550).
Understanding NCVS
Concepts
Throughout the screening and incident reporting sections of
the NCVS instrument, there are several concepts you need
to understand before you can excel at interviewing for the
NCVS. (See Part C of this manual for detailed
information about NCVS concepts.)
Entering Accurate
Information
Throughout the NCVS instrument, enter precodes or typed
descriptions at each screen to indicate answers or to
proceed to the next screen. Make accurate entries so you
can follow the correct paths through the NCVS instrument.
Keeping Accurate Records
Accurate administrative records are important for both you
and your supervisor. Each workday record:
The time you spent on NCVS work,
The miles you traveled for NCVS interviewing.
Meeting Expected
Standards
Strive for the highest possible degree of accuracy and
efficiency. To help you meet and maintain this goal, the
Census Bureau has developed performance standards by
which your supervisor can rate your performance. (See
Topic 2 of this chapter for more details about
performance standards.)
11-922, Field
Representatives’ Guide to
Locating Sample
Addresses
Form 11-922, Field Representatives’ Guide to Locating
Sample Addresses (in electronic format, located on your
laptop) is used by Field Representatives for guidelines in
locating sample addresses, and explanations of listing and
coverage terminology.
11-8, Listing and Coverage
Manual
Form 11-8, Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for the
Field Representative, Volume 2 (in electronic format,
located on your laptop) is used by Field Representatives for
guidelines in Demographic Area Address Listing (DAAL).
11-55, Administrative
Handbook
For more general information about your job, refer to Form
11-55, Chapter 1 of the Administrative Handbook for
Intermittent and Part-Time Schedule A Employees.
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
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Part A, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 2. Listing
Overview
As a Field Representative for the NCVS, you will be
assigned to work in one of the NCVS sample areas or
Primary Sampling Units (PSUs). You will spend the most
time interviewing. On occasion, you may do some Time of
Interview (TOI) listing.
Listing Assignments
During your first month on the job, you do not do any TOI
listing. You begin learning the listing and coverage
procedures during your second month on the job.
Unit – from the 2000 Census Master Address File
GQ – Group Quarters in Unit frame blocks or GQs found
while listing Area segments.
Most NCVS cases are in unit segments.
Form 11-8, Volume II, Listing and Coverage: A Survival
Guide for the Field Representative, contains details for
listing in each of these sample frames.
Listing Unit Segments
Form 11-8, Volume II,
Listing and Coverage: A
Survival Guide for the
Field Representative
For Single Unit Addresses: No listing is necessary and
you do not receive listing sheets for these addresses.
For Multi-Unit Addresses: For multi-unit addresses,
locate the unit designation for the current NCVS sample and
conduct the interview.
Consult Form 11-8, Volume II for details on listing
procedures.
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Listing GQ Segments
Part A, Chapter 4
Form 11-8, Volume II,
Listing and Coverage: A
Survival Guide for the
Field Representative,
Chapter 3
A Group Quarters is a type of living quarters where the
residents share common facilities or receive authorized
care or custody. There are three types of GQs –
Institutional, Noninstitutional, and military barracks. Only
noninstitutional GQ units are eligible for interview. By
definition, a GQ is not a housing unit.
A GQ segment is made up of one or more GQs that were
identified in the 2000 census blocks originally screened for
unit segments.
DAAL Listers use the GAIL (Group Quarters Automated
Instrument for Listing) to list GQs with their monthly
assignments.
.
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
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Part A, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 3. Performance Standards
Overview
The success of the NCVS is dependent on accurate and
complete information. We count on you, our Field
Representatives, to help us succeed in this effort.
We depend on you to complete NCVS accurately and
efficiently so NCVS can stay on schedule and within budget.
Performance Ratings
Strive for a high level of quality and productivity with NCVS
work. New Field Representatives are not expected to begin
with an "outstanding" performance rating. You are expected
to improve as you gain more NCVS experience.
To help you meet and maintain high performance
standards, we have established measures for various
elements of your job. Your supervisor will evaluate your
performance on a continuing basis and keeps monthly
records on your level of performance. In addition, your
supervisor will rate your performance with a rating of Level 1
through 5 Level (1 is lowest, 5 is highest), twice a year.
Production Standards
Completing your assignment within the specified interview
period is not only important from a cost standpoint, but is
also essential for meeting processing deadlines. With the
exception of holidays, always begin your assignment on the
first working day of the month.
Try to complete all interviews assigned for an interview
month as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that a case you
are working on is “partial” interview until you have
interviewed all eligible household members. For “Partial”
households (where some eligible “Type Z” persons have not
been interviewed), if it is:
Still possible to interview the Type Z persons, hold the
partial case until you get the missing interviews.
Not possible to interview the Type Z persons, send the
case in as a partial interview.
Schedule your work so that your assignment is completed
before the closeout date for the interview month.
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Quality Interviews
Part A, Chapter 4
The quality of your work is just as important as your
productivity. Incomplete or inaccurate work is not okay.
This manual provides procedures for conducting NCVS
interviews efficiently and accurately. If you have special
situations or problems that are not covered in this manual,
contact your supervisor.
Response Rates
The Response Rate calculation is:
(Interviews + Partials) / (Interviews + Partials + Type As)
Type B and Type C cases are not in the Response Rate.
Your monthly response rate is one of the Data Quality
Indicators that is in your performance plans.
Maintaining a high response rate helps to ensure that the
NCVS sample data represents the entire U.S. population.
Type A Rates
The Type A Response rate calculation is:
(Type As) / (Interviews + Partials + Type As)
Type B and Type C cases are not in the Type A Rate.
When you cannot interview ANY household members
(including the household respondent) for a sample case,
code the case as a Type A noninterview. Type A
noninterview reasons include:
No one home,
Temporarily absent through the entire interview period,
Refused
Keep Type A noninterviews to a minimum.
Type Z Rates
Type Zs are eligible household members (age 12 and older)
who did not complete the screener questions. The Type Z
Response Rate comes from the calculation:
Type Zs / Eligible Persons in HH
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
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Part A, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
When you cannot interview all eligible household members
for a sample case, code the persons not interviewed as
Type Zs. Type Zs can bias survey results if the Type Z
persons have very different victimization experiences than
those who are interviewed.
Type Z noninterview reasons include persons who are:
Minimizing Type As and
Type Zs
Performance Standards or
Data Quality Indicators
(DQIs)
Never available,
Refused, parent or other person refused for respondent.
Refused, person refused for themselves
Physically and/or mentally unable to answer and no
proxy respondent is available, and
Temporarily absent and no proxy respondent is
available
Best strategies for minimizing Type As and Type Zs:
Review pCHI data from current and previous month.
Get phone numbers for potential Type Z persons.
Discuss strategies with Field Supervisor
Improve your salesmanship skills to gain cooperation
Contact respondents when they are available
Several other data performance standards are used to
evaluate your performance. These standards are referred to
as “Data Quality Indicators” or DQIs. DQIs may include:
Quick screener times
Quick crime incident report times
Household response rates
Overnight interviews
Quality/completeness of crime incident report
Late starts (after the 15th of the month)
Completeness of NCVS screener
Completeness of personal Contact History Instrument
(pCHI) records
Your supervisors will explain the data quality indicators
(DQIs) that are in your performance plan. The DQIs may
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
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Part A, Chapter 4
change from year to year.
Reports
Data collected from NCVS interviews ends up in several
report systems - ROSCO, CARMN, Giant Panda and UTS.
ROSCO Reports
Updated every time
completed work is
checked in
The Regional Office Survey Control or ROSCO Reports are
used to monitor current survey work. RO staff use ROSCO
to make assignments and monitor the completion of work at
the FR, SF, SSF and RO level.
CARMN Reports
Updated once a day in the
morning
RO management staff can generate individual performance
reports from the Cost and Response Management Network
(CARMN). These reports include:
The Monthly Data Quality Feedback report that shows
data quality indicators (DQIs) from the current month,
the previous month and from six months ago (the last
time this month’s cases were in sample)
The 11-39, FR Performance Summary Report, shows
DQI data for the current rating year in a separate row for
each month and a cumulative row for year to date.
CARMN Reports combine data from ROSCO, WebFred and
other payroll systems.
GIANT PANDA Reports
Updated once a week
Giant Panda Reports are RO summary reports that contain
data quality indicator (DQI) information used by RO staff to
monitor survey performance. Giant Panda reports have a
drill-down feature that displays DQI data at the FR level.
Giant Panda data comes from the NCVS interviews.
UTS Reports
Update once a day at
midnight
The Unified Tracking System is a data warehouse that
provides a view of Census data over time, across surveys,
and from different data capture sources at one time; all of
the data in one place to view, analyze, and make more
efficient and effective decisions. UTS reports help RO staff
to monitor survey performance at a variety of levels.
Your Job Duties and Performance Standards
A4-11
Part A, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 4. Field Evaluations--Observation and Reinterview
Observations
Your Field Supervisor (FS) will periodically observe you
interviewing.
The first two on-the-job or induction observations provide
post-classroom training during actual work situations on
interviewing techniques and NCVS concepts. Both of these
observations are usually done within your first six months on
the job.
All other observations are to evaluate and improve your
on-the-job performance. Normally, you are observed at
least once a year for a minimum of six hours. This is the
average length of time required for reviewing your general
performance and rectifying specific performance problems.
Observations provide an opportunity to get individual
assistance with any problems and to improve your
performance measures.
Before your observation, the observer makes the final
arrangements and gives you any pre-observation
instructions. These instructions may vary, depending on the
purpose of the observation.
For a Low Response
Rate
If one of the purposes for the observation is to help you
improve a low response rate, you maybe instructed to:
Delay interviewing households where you suspect that
you might experience problems; and
Keep interviewing materials for problem households
that you have already contacted.
This allows the observer to work with you on these cases
and help you improve your techniques for gaining the
cooperation of sample households.
For a High Number of
Minutes per Case
If one of the purposes for the observation is to help you use
work time more efficiently, be prepared to discuss how you:
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A4-12
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 4
For Conducting
Screeners or Crime
Incident Reports
Too Fast
If one of the purposes of the observation is to help you slow
down your pace for conducting screeners or the Crime
Incident Report section of the interview, you may be
instructed to:
Reinterview
Plan your itinerary,
Use the Census maps or your navigation device to
locate assigned addresses,
Use the telephone, and
Decide when to contact assigned households.
Save a few cases that will potentially may require
screeners and/or crime incident reports.
Practice at home on slowing down the pace of asking
the screener and/or crime incident report questions.
Reinterview is a method we use to independently evaluate
your on-the-job performance. At least once a year and
possibly up to four times a year, your supervisor or his/her
representative recontacts a portion of your assignment for
the interview month. You will not know when your work
assignment is in reinterview.
The reinterviewer verifies that:
A Census FR conducted recently interviewed eligible
household respondents,
The correct eligible respondents were interviewed,
The household screens were completed or updated
properly,
All screen questions were asked and all answers
recorded, and
Any noninterviews were classified accurately.
If this original interview was by personal visit, if the FR
collected the data on a computer device.
Once the reinterview is completed, the reinterviewer
contacts you so you can review the results together. During
this review, errors are discussed and the appropriate
concepts and procedures are reviewed. The extent and type
of errors may require a "special needs" observation and/or
retraining.
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Part A, Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Identifying the Method of Interview
A5-2
2 Qualifications for Using the Personal
Visit Method
A5-3
3 Qualifications for Using the
Telephone Method
A5-8
4 Instructions for Conducting
Telephone Interviews
A5-10
5 Telephone Interviewing Skills
A5-17
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
A5-1
Part A, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Identifying the Method of Interview
Checking Case
Management
Each interview month, some of your interviews are
designated as personal visit interviews and some
designated as telephone interviews. “P” indicates “personal
visit” and “T” for “telephone” interviews in the “P/T” column
in the “details” portion of the case management display. For
more detail about the information found in laptop case
management, refer to the NCVS-521 self-study.
Also review your notes for each case using the “Notes”
function in case management for more information about a
respondent’s preferred interviewing method.
Notify your supervisor immediately if you have any
questions about whether or not the sample addresses in a
particular segment must be interviewed by personal visit or
by telephone.
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
A5-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 5
Topic 2. Qualifications for Using the Personal Visit Method
Overview
Since telephone interviews are more cost effective, most of
your NCVS interviews will be by telephone. The following
qualifications must exist before you can conduct an NCVS
interview in person:
The sample household is assigned for a first enumeration
period interview.
First Enumeration Period
Households
The sample household has not been interviewed in any
previous enumeration period (sample address was a
Type A or B noninterview previously or a replacement
household now lives at the sample address).
The sample household does not have a telephone on
which they can be reached.
The sample household does not want to be interviewed
by telephone.
The sample household has a privacy detector that
requires the caller to enter a personal identification
number (PIN).
For the first enumeration period, a sample household is
always scheduled for a personal visit interview. When using
the personal visit method, try to complete interviews for the
household respondent and all other eligible household
members during your initial visit. If the household
respondent refuses to do the interview in person, you can
take a telephone interview for the initial visit. However, try to
avoid this situation whenever possible.
Only the household respondent's interview must be done in
person for a first enumeration period interview. Any other
eligible household members who are not available during
your initial visit can be interviewed by telephone.
Checking the Case Data
in Laptop Case
Management
By reviewing the various tabs in laptop case management
for a sample address, you can tell whether a sample
address needs to be interviewed by personal visit. For a first
enumeration period household, most of the data, such as
the roster items will be blank.
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
A5-3
Part A, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Household Not Interviewed
in Previous Enumeration
Periods
Regardless of the enumeration period, your first contact
with a sample household must be in person. After the first
enumeration period for a sample address, a sample
household may not have been interviewed because:
The sample household was classified as either a Type A
or a Type B noninterview in all previous enumeration
periods.
The sample household is not the same household as
was interviewed in the previous enumeration period.
The new household at the sample address is referred to
as a "replacement" household.
If you discover that a replacement household is now living at
the sample address, 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. Any callbacks for individual respondents
may be done by telephone.
Checking the Case Data
in Laptop Case
Management
No Telephone Available
Look at the “History” tab in laptop case management, to tell
whether or not the sample household was a noninterview in
the previous enumeration period. If a sample household has
been a noninterview in all of the previous enumeration
periods, then use the personal visit method for the current
interview period.
If you find that a sample household does not have a
telephone, you must conduct the interview in person. To
conduct a telephone interview, the sample household must
have a telephone at home or elsewhere on which all eligible
household members can be contacted.
Checking the Case Data
in Laptop Case
Management
Look at the “Assignment” tab in laptop case management to
verify that the household has a telephone on which all
eligible household members can be interviewed and that at
least one telephone number is listed. The telephone number
and type can be edited in laptop case management, which
lists up to three telephone numbers for the household.
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
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Part A, Chapter 5
Telephone Interview Not
Acceptable
If a sample household does not want to be interviewed by
telephone, then you must conduct personal visit interviews
for the household.
Checking the Case Data
in Laptop Case
Management
Special Situations
Requiring Personal Visit
Interviews
Laptop case management does not specifically display
whether a respondent requested not to be contacted by
telephone, although the presence of the letter “P” in the
“P/T” column could be the result of such a request. You can
look at the “Notes” tab to see if any information was
recorded regarding contacting the household. Within the
instrument, this information can be found at the VERIFY
screen in the back of the instrument.
Some special situations can require cases that would
normally be interviewed by telephone to have personal visit
interviews. These situations include:
Entire Sample
Household Refuses a
Telephone Interview
In some cases, you may encounter a sample household
in which all household members refuse to be
interviewed by telephone. Instead of classifying the
household as a Type A noninterview, you must attempt
to conduct these interviews in person.
Household Member
Unable to Complete a
Telephone Interview
In a single-person sample household, the household
member is either too hard-of-hearing or is mentally
and/or physically unable to complete the interview by
telephone. Attempt to conduct the interview in person
and explain the reason for the personal visit in the case
level notes.
Incorrect Telephone
Number
If you discover that the telephone number listed on the
laptop case management or the instrument is incorrect,
verify that you have reached the sample address. If you
have not reached the sample address, try to get the
correct telephone number from directory assistance,
etc. If you cannot get a good telephone number for the
sample address, then you must make a personal visit
and explain the reason for that personal visit in the case
level notes.
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
A5-5
Part A, Chapter 5
No One Answers
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If you have tried several times to reach a sample
household by telephone and have been unsuccessful,
you must:
Verify the accuracy of the telephone number either in
a local telephone directory or with directory
assistance.
Telephone the contact person if one is listed in the
“Contacts” tab. If you can reach this contact person,
try to find out why you have been unable to reach the
sample household by telephone.
As a last resort, make a personal visit to the sample
address and explain briefly the reason for the personal
visit in the case level notes.
You Get a Recorded
Message
If you get a recorded message saying that the phone
number has been changed, call the new number (if
given) and make sure that you have reached the sample
address before starting the interview(s). Enter the new
telephone number in the appropriate screen in the
instrument or in the case level notes, along with the
appropriate “phone type code.” You can also record the
new number in the “Assignment” tab in laptop case
management.
If the recorded message says that the number is
disconnected or has changed and a new number is not
provided, try to find a new number from a local directory
or directory assistance.
As a last resort, visit the sample address and explain
briefly the reason for personal visit in case level notes.
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
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Privacy Detectors
Part A, Chapter 5
Privacy detectors are devices that respondents may
have on their telephones requiring incoming callers to
identify themselves either through speaking their name
or providing a PIN before the call rings through to the
respondent. If you encounter a privacy detector which
allows you to identify yourself, as well as the purpose of
your call (to conduct a survey for the Census Bureau),
you may do so. However, if this method does not result
in telephone contact with the respondent or if you
encounter privacy detectors which require a PIN and no
other telephone contact with the respondent is possible,
you must conduct the interview by personal visit.
During the personal visit, you may ask the household
respondent if it is acceptable to contact the household
by telephone for future interviews (that is, if the current
interview is not the final interview for the household). If
future telephone interviews are acceptable, find out
what instructions are necessary to ensure that future
calls will not be blocked by the privacy detector. Write
any such instructions clearly in the case level notes.
Personal Visit vs. Telephone Interviews
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Part A, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 3. Qualifications for Using the Telephone Method
Overview
You conduct most of your assigned interviews for second
through seventh enumeration period households by
telephone. The following qualifications must exist before
you can conduct an NCVS interview by telephone:
The sample household was assigned for a personal visit
interview in a previous enumeration period and at least
the household respondent was interviewed in person in
a previous enumeration period. Refer to the
“History” tab for this information.
The sample household must have a telephone on which
all eligible household members can be interviewed.
Refer to the “Assignment” tab in laptop case
management for this information.
The sample household must be willing to be interviewed
by telephone. Refer to the “Notes” tab or the “P/T”
column in laptop case management or the VERIFY
screen in the instrument for this information.
Once a sample household is assigned for a telephone
interview and there is no special situation requiring a
personal visit, then interview all eligible household
members by telephone for the current and all future
enumeration periods.
Household's First Time in
Sample
As covered in Topic 2 of this chapter, only the household
respondent's interview must be completed in person when a
household first enters the NCVS sample (regardless of the
enumeration period). Once the household respondent's
interview is completed in person, any callbacks for other
household members should be conducted by telephone.
This helps us lower interviewing costs.
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Type Z Noninterviews
If a sample household is designated for a telephone
interview and an eligible respondent, other than the
household respondent, refuses to be interviewed, classify
the respondent as a Type Z noninterview. Do not make a
personal visit in an attempt to convert a refusal for an
individual respondent. (See Part A, Chapter 6, for
instructions on classifying a respondent as a Type Z
noninterview.)
Type A Noninterviews
Require a Personal Visit
If either the household respondent or the entire household
refuses to be interviewed during a telephone interview, then
you are required to make a personal visit to conduct the
interviews.
Never classify a sample household as a Type A
noninterview following a telephone interview. You must
attempt to convert the refusal in person before
classifying a household as a Type A noninterview.
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Topic 4. Instructions for Conducting Telephone Interviews
Timing of Interviews
Always start your assignment with the telephone interview
cases, and get started as soon as possible once the
interview month begins. It is possible that you will discover
cases marked as telephone interviews that require you to
make a personal visit to an assigned segment (as covered
in Topic 2 of this chapter). By working through your
telephone interview work first, you can minimize the number
of trips to a segment area and help us save money by
reducing travel costs.
Because of these possible personal visits, it is extremely
important that you attempt to complete all telephone
interviews in a segment within the first few days of the
interview period.
As you plan your itinerary for your personal visit cases,
make sure to include any telephone interview cases that
now require personal visits. Try to make the least number of
trips as possible into a segment area to complete your
assignment.
Whenever you discover a case that was scheduled for a
telephone interview and now requires a personal visit
interview, briefly explain the reason for the personal visit in
the case level notes.
Starting the Interview
When you are ready to start a telephone interview, look at
the information in case management. By reviewing these
items, you will be prepared for situations where:
The telephone number provided rings somewhere other
than the sample household's residence. Look at the
“Notes” tab to see if notes were entered with this
information.
The telephone number might be for a pager, cell phone,
FAX machine, etc. The code beside the phone number
in the “Assignment” tab provides this information.
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Part A, Chapter 5
You are unable to contact the household on the first
telephone number listed in the “Assignment” tab, but a
second telephone number is also entered in the same
tab.
The sample household does not want to be interviewed
by telephone. The “Notes” tab in laptop case
management or the VERIFY screen at the back of the
instrument may have this information.
The sample household indicated the best time to call or
visit them and/or when they do not wish to be contacted.
Press “Ctrl” + “T” in the instrument or use the “Interview
Time Preference” tab in case management to get this
information.
The sample household indicated that they do not want
to be contacted on a Sunday. Press “Ctrl” + “T” in the
instrument or use the “Interview Time Preference” tab in
laptop case management to get this information.
The sample household indicated in the “Assignment”
tab that someone in the household needs his/her
interview conducted in Spanish.
By reviewing these items before dialing the telephone
number, you will be more likely to reach the household and
less likely to bother them at an inconvenient or unwanted
time. You also will be better able to start the interview in a
confident and prepared manner.
Ask for Previous
Household Respondent
After dialing the telephone number listed in the
“Assignment” tab or at the DIAL_CP screen in the
instrument, start by identifying yourself and asking to speak
to the household respondent from the previous enumeration
period. This person is listed in the “Assignment” column in
laptop case management. The instrument is also set up to
ask for the household respondent from the previous
enumeration. If that person is not available, then make sure
that you have reached the correct sample address.
Once you know that you have reached the correct sample
address and are speaking to a household member, you can
continue with your introduction. You don't want to describe
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the NCVS to someone who is not a sample household
member.
Then ask to speak with a household member who is at least
18 years of age and knowledgeable about the household,
preferably one of the owners or renters of the home. This
person will be your household respondent for the current
interview.
A Typical Introduction
The following introduction appears in the instrument at
GEN_INTRO_CP and HELLO_1_CP.
"Hello, I'm (your name) from the United States Census
Bureau." (After reaching a sample household member,
continue with...) "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 crimes. We
last contacted this address six months ago. I would like
to talk to someone in the household who is at least 18
years of age and knowledgeable about this household.
Would that be you?"
Explaining the Purpose
of the NCVS
Some respondents may want to ask some questions about
the NCVS before agreeing to answer the survey questions.
Be prepared to answer their questions briefly and
accurately.
The following sources provide answers to some commonly
asked questions from respondents:
Mentioning the
Introductory Letter
Information Card Booklet, NCVS-554,
NCVS At a Glance, NCVS-550.1 Job Aid,
The FAQ tab in the NCVS instrument, and
Part A, Chapter 2, Topic 5, of this manual, NCVS-550
(CAPI).
For both personal visits and telephone interviews, the
instrument prompts you to verify whether the respondent
received the introductory letter. Have a copy of the letter
with you in case a respondent has a question about it. If you
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conduct the interview in person, hand him/her a copy of the
introductory letter if they did not get it in the mail.
Identifying Yourself
Unlike a personal visit interview, you cannot show any
formal identification to a respondent over the telephone. If
you identify yourself, your agency, the survey, and your
purpose for calling, most respondents will believe you and
agree to be interviewed. For those respondents who doubt
what you tell them, suggest that they call your regional
office's (1-800) number (if available) or call collect to confirm
who you are and why you are calling them.
Explaining the Purpose
of a Telephone
Interview
Some respondents may want to know why you are calling
them instead of coming to their home for the interview. If this
happens, just explain that telephone interviews help us to
reduce our survey expenses. Therefore, as a cost saving
measure, we attempt to conduct most interviews by
telephone if the household has indicated to us in a previous
interview that a telephone interview is acceptable.
Explaining Our
Exemption From the
“Do Not Call” Registry
The “Do Not Call” registry does not limit a call made for the
sole purpose of conducting a survey. Therefore, calls from
the Census Bureau for survey data collection are not
restricted by this registry.
Verifying the Accuracy of
Your Contact
For the NCVS we are following the sample address and not
a specific household. If a household moves out of a sample
address between enumeration periods, you no longer
interview that household. Instead, you interview the current
residents at the sample address.
If you call the telephone number and reach the same
household from the previous enumeration period, don't
assume that you have reached the sample address. It is
possible that the household could be using the same
telephone number at their new address.
Always verify that the household is still living at the address
listed in the VERADD_CP screen. If you are given an
address that doesn't identify an exact unit or is slightly
different from the address displayed in VERADD_CP, ask
the respondent if the household has moved since their last
interview.
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If the household has moved out of the sample address and
continues to use the same telephone number, use the
procedures for coding movers in Part B, Chapter 2, Topic 5.
Thank the respondent for their cooperation and explain that
you do not need to interview his/her household, since they
no longer live at the sample address for this survey.
Any time you discover that a new or replacement household
is currently living at the sample address, you are required to
collect the demographic information for the new
respondents and conduct the interviews with the
replacement household by personal visit for the current
enumeration period, when a new household has moved into
the sample address. However, if the sample address is
vacant because no new respondents have moved in, the
original case will not be coded as a replacement; rather, it
will be coded as a Type B noninterview.
Selecting a Household
Respondent
Once you are sure that you have reached the sample
address and the same household from the previous
enumeration period, you need to speak to the household
member who will be the "household respondent." Because
of the type of information this person needs to provide both
for the Demographics Section and the Basic Screen
Questionnaire, you need to select a household member
who is at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable about
the household.
Listed below is the order of preference for selecting a
household respondent:
First
Ask for the household respondent from the
previous enumeration period.
Second
Ask for one of the persons who owns or rents the
home.
Third
Ask for a household member who is at least 18
years of age and knowledgeable about the
household.
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Using the Information Card
Booklet and the F1 Key
Questions that display the icon of an open book in the upper
left corner (EDUCATIONATTAIN, SP_ORIGIN, RACE, and
HOUSEHOLDINCOME) instruct you to show a flashcard to
the respondent for personal visit interviews. When several
answer categories are listed for an item, it is much easier for
a respondent to read the flashcard and select the correct
answer. You may also press F1 to read the answer
categories for all of the questions listed below during a
telephone interview.
EDUCATIONATTAIN,
Educational Attainment
If you are conducting a telephone interview for a third, fifth,
or seventh enumeration household or during an even
numbered enumeration where there are any NEW
household members, ask item EDUCATIONATTAIN and
enter the appropriate precode. More information about this
item can be found in Part B, Chapter 2, Topic 8.
Item SP_ORIGIN,
Spanish Origin
Since your telephone interview cases will be sample
addresses that have been interviewed in a previous
enumeration period, you will only ask Item SP_ORIGIN for
NEW household members that you add for the current
enumeration period.
If the respondent hesitates to answer once you have asked
the question in SP_ORIGIN, then turn to the race categories
in your Information Card Booklet and ask the respondent if
the added person's ethnic origin is one of the following
origins...(then read the origins listed).
Item RACE, Race
For your telephone interviews, only ask the race question
for any NEW household members for the current
enumeration period. If the respondent does not give you the
NEW household member’s race(s) after you ask the
question for RACE, then read the race categories listed.
Item HOUSEHOLD
INCOME, Household
Income
If you are conducting a telephone interview for a third, fifth,
or seventh enumeration period household, you must update
Item HOUSEHOLDINCOME with the household
respondent. Follow these steps:
Step 1 -
Ask the question in Item
HOUSEHOLDINCOME, "What was the total
combined income of all members of this
household during the past 12 months?"
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Step 2 -
If necessary, explain to the respondent that you
need to identify the broad income range that
best fits the total combined income during the
past 12 months for all household members who
are 14 years of age or older.
Exclude the income of any household member
who left the household and is not a household
member at the time of the interview. If the
respondent seems confused about which
household member's income to include, read the
list of current household members who are over
14 years of age by clicking on the HHRoster tab
in the instrument.
Step 3 -
If the respondent gives too broad an income
range, probe by reading the answer categories
from the question that are within the broad
range.
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Part A, Chapter 5
Topic 5. Telephone Interviewing Skills
Overview
Every interviewing situation is unique. Do not allow a difficult
interview or a sharp refusal to shake your confidence or
affect subsequent interviews. Begin each interview as if it
were your first interview of the workday. Keep a
businesslike attitude and a positive frame of mind at all
times.
Successful telephone communication is dependent on how
the respondent perceives you based on your vocal
expression. Your language usage, grammar, voice quality,
rate of speech, and enunciation are all key elements in
creating a favorable impression over the telephone.
General Rules
When you conduct a telephone interview, be professional.
You can accomplish this if you are easy to understand and
always try to sound confident, polite, and businesslike.
Listed below are some general rules that can help you to
promote a professional image.
Clarity
Avoid talking to respondents with anything in your mouth -mints, gum, etc. Speak directly into the mouthpiece and
guard against placing the mouthpiece at chin level. Instead
of raising your voice when a respondent is having difficulty
hearing or understanding you, first make sure that you are
holding the mouthpiece between your nose and your lower
lip. This improves the quality of the transmission and allows
you to speak in your normal tone of voice.
Enunciation
Pronounce your words carefully; never mumble. This is
important because the English language is full of similar
sounds, such as the letters "T" and "D," and "P," "B," and
"V." Careful enunciation saves you from repeating and
helps avoid misunderstandings.
Courtesy
Courtesy is important during a telephone interview. When a
respondent tries your patience, remain calm and do not
allow him/her to hear any impatience or frustration in your
voice. Never take anything a respondent says personally.
Avoid letting your emotions push you into saying anything
that may upset or excite a respondent.
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Also, as a courtesy to the respondent, explain why you are
pausing between questions. The respondent may be more
patient and willing to wait if he/she knows that you are
pausing to enter pertinent facts about an incident. Your job
is to conduct complete and accurate interviews in a
"professional" manner.
Rate of Speech
Find a rate of speech that is comfortable for you and the
majority of your respondents. The average rate of speech is
120 words per minute. If you speak too rapidly, your words
tend to run together, and if you speak too slowly, the
respondent may still have difficulty understanding what you
say.
Pitch and Inflection
Speak in a moderate pitch and avoid talking in a monotone
voice. When reading questions, it is especially helpful to use
a rising inflection towards the end of a question. If you put a
"smile" in your voice and avoid sounding like a robot, you
are more likely to keep your respondent's interest.
Use a Brief Introduction
Avoid using lengthy introductions. Be brief and to the point
and begin interviewing as soon as possible.
Start Fresh
Do not let your emotions from a "tough" interview or a
refusal carryover into the next interview. Each respondent
deserves a fresh start and the best that you have to give
them. Do not allow "tough" interviews and refusals to shake
your confidence.
No Rushing
Do not rush respondents or make them feel that they are
taking too long to answer your questions. We want
respondents to relax and take their time, so they can
remember all the pertinent facts about an incident. If
respondents feel like you are rushing them, they may
purposely leave out information.
Ending the Interview
As you finish interviewing each eligible respondent in a
sample household, thank him/her and ask to speak to the
next respondent. When the time comes to end the
telephone call, always let the respondent hang up first. This
technique gives the respondent a feeling of control over the
situation.
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Listening Skills
Part A, Chapter 5
It takes much more than just asking questions to be a good
interviewer. Listening attentively to your respondent is just
as important for conducting a successful interview. Listed
below are some listening techniques which all interviewers
need to practice:
Limit your own talking so that the respondent has ample
time to explain incidents. Remember that it is very
difficult to talk and listen well at the same time.
When you do not understand something said or you feel
that you may have missed a point, always try to get a
clear understanding of the situation. Sometimes
repeating what the respondent said in your own words
may help to straighten out the misunderstanding.
Telephone interviews may require more probing than
personal visit interviews.
Try not to interrupt a respondent before he/she is
finished replying. A long pause does not always mean
that the respondent is done answering your question.
Never rush a respondent when he/she needs more time
to recall specific facts.
Shut out distractions while conducting interviews.
Concentrate on focusing your mind on what each
respondent is telling you.
The occasional use of interjections like "Yes" or "I see"
reassures the respondent that you are paying attention
to what he/she is saying. Be especially careful to use
neutral comments that will not bias the interview in any
way. Avoid saying things like "That's good" or "That's
too bad."
Listen attentively and objectively. Do not allow a
respondent's words to irritate you or a respondent's
harsh manner to distract you from your professional
manner.
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Avoid jumping to conclusions or assuming that a
respondent will say something before they finish
explaining the incident. Be patient and let the
respondent finish his/her thought. Do not lead the
respondent and possibly bias the interview.
Telephone Techniques
Every interviewing situation is unique. It is important that
you adapt to each new respondent. Do not let your reactions
to one interview carry over and affect the next interview.
Here are some techniques you can follow to help in
conducting your telephone interviews:
Select a good working space
Choose a quiet place where you can conduct your
telephone interviews without distractions and in privacy.
Make sure that you have adequate space and light.
Be prepared
Before you begin a telephone interview, make sure that
you have all the materials you need within your arm’s
reach. Make sure that you have adequate supplies of
paper, pens, pencils, and forms, together with this
manual and any job aids. If you need to leave the
telephone for some unexpected reason, always excuse
yourself politely and never let the respondent wait more
than a minute. If your telephone has a "call waiting"
feature, disable the "call waiting" feature before you
start any telephone interviews.
Learn from mistakes
Whenever possible, try to evaluate your performance for
each interview. See if you can improve your technique in
any area of the interview process. Try to improve your
technique with each new interview and do not continue
making the same mistakes over and over.
Learn from successes
When you feel an interview went well, think about why.
Perhaps your telephone manner made a difference
because you were able to maintain your confidence and
project a pleasant, businesslike attitude. Concentrate on
the positive aspects of a successful interview and
continue to improve your technique.
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Part A, Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Noninterviews
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Overview of Noninterview Types
and Procedures
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2 Type A Noninterview Categories
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3 Type B Noninterview Categories
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4 Type C Noninterview Categories
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5 Type Z Noninterview Persons
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Noninterviews
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Part A, Chapter 6
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Topic 1. Overview of Noninterview Types and Procedures
Noninterview Cases
Noninterview Categories
When you are assigned an NCVS case and cannot get a
completed interview, you must classify the case into one of
three noninterview categories: Type A, Type B, or Type C.
A sample address is classified as a noninterview if:
The living quarters is occupied but you are unable to get
any completed interviews.
The living quarters is occupied by persons who are not
eligible respondents for the NCVS.
The living quarters is vacant.
The living quarters is not eligible for sample because it is
no longer used as a residence, it no longer exists, or it
does not qualify based on the current listing and
coverage rules.
Qualifications for each of the three noninterview categories,
Type A, B, and C, are as follows:
Type A
Some sample households consist of persons who are
eligible for interview, but none of these persons can be
interviewed for a specific reason. These cases will classify
as Type A noninterviews. Type A noninterview reasons for
the NCVS are:
Language problems
No one home
Temporarily absent
Refused
Other occupied (Use this Type A reason for occupied
sample units that you cannot reach due to impassable
roads; for sample households that you cannot interview
due to serious illness or death in the household; or for
sample units that you are unable to locate.)
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Type B
A sample address 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 period, they could become eligible at a later time.
These cases will classify as Type B noninterviews. Type B
noninterview reasons for the NCVS are:
Vacant - regular
Vacant - storage of household furniture
Temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence
elsewhere (URE)
Unfit or to be demolished
Under construction, not ready
Converted to temporary business or storage
Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
Permit granted, construction not started
Other (Only use this Type B reason if none of the other
Type B reasons are appropriate for the situation.)
Type C
Some situations can require that a sample address be
permanently removed from the NCVS sample. These cases
will classify as Type C noninterviews. Type C noninterview
reasons for the NCVS are:
Unused line of listing sheet
Demolished
House or trailer moved
Outside segment
Converted to permanent business or storage
Merged
Condemned
Unit does not exist or is out of scope
Unlocatable sample address
Permit abandoned or other (Only use the Type C
“Other” reason when none of the specific Type C
reasons are appropriate for the situation.)
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Part A, Chapter 6
Type Z Noninterviews
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Classify an eligible household member as a Type Z
noninterview when you are unable to interview an eligible
household member and the household member is not the
household respondent.
Unlike Type A, B, and C noninterviews, a Type Z
noninterview relates to an eligible household member (other
than the household respondent) and does not relate to the
entire sample household. Another difference is that a
personal visit is not required before classifying a person as
a Type Z noninterview.
However, if you are unable to interview the household
respondent, the entire sample household is a Type A
noninterview because:
You must interview the household respondent before
interviewing anyone else in the household.
AND
You cannot classify a household respondent as a Type
Z noninterview person.
Minimizing
Noninterviews
It is important to keep both Type A and Type Z
noninterviews to a minimum, so that:
Your response rate does not suffer and
The sample data you collect is truly representative of the
entire U.S. population.
Individuals who are difficult to find at home or who resist
being interviewed may have different victimization
experiences than persons who are readily available for
interviews. Therefore, failure to get interviews from all
eligible household members could introduce serious bias
into the survey results.
Procedures for Type A, B,
and C Noninterviews
If you have a case that is a Type A, B, or C noninterview,
select Precode (4), “Noninterview,” at Item START_CP.
Descriptions and instructions for each noninterview type are
outlined below, starting at Item NONTYP.
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Type A Noninterview
Procedures
Part A, Chapter 6
At Item NONTYP, select Precode (1), “Type A.” Item
TYPEA appears; there are six options:
1. Language problems [outcome code 213]
2. No one home [outcome code 216]
3. Temporarily absent - Specify [outcome code 217]
4. Refused [outcome code 218]
5. Other occupied - Specify [outcome code 219]
If you select precodes (1) (2) or (4), Item TYPEA_CK
appears, which asks, “Are you sure this is a Type A
noninterview?” If you are sure, enter Precode (1), “Yes.” If
not, enter Precode (2), “No.”
If you select Precode (3) in TYPEA, “Temporarily absent Specify,” Item TYPEA_SPEC3 appears and says, “Enter
the date this household is expected to return.” Enter the
date of the household’s expected return. Then TYPEA_CK
appears (see paragraph above.)
If you select Precode (5), Item TYPEA_SPEC5 appears,
which says, “Enter the description for Other - Occupied.”
Then TYPEA_CK appears (see above).
Proceed with Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT_AB, which
asks you to “Please select one box that describes the type
of housing unit” from twelve options:
1. House, apartment, flat
2. HU in nontransient hotel, motel, etc.
3. HU permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
4. HU in rooming house
5. Mobile home or trailer with no permanent room added
6. Mobile home or trailer with one or more permanent
rooms attached
7. HU not specified above - Describe
8. Quarters not HU in rooming or boarding house
9. Unit not permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
10. Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
11. Student quarters in college dormitory
12. Other unit not specified above - Describe
Items BCNAME, BCTITL, and BCNUM appear (when
Precode 3 is selected in TYPEA), which ask for the contact
person’s name, title, and telephone number. (A contact
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person is someone who is knowledgeable about the
household - a neighbor, mail carrier, postal carrier, etc.)
Select an answer and proceed with Item THANKYOU_CP,
which ends the interview.
Type B Noninterviews
At Item NONTYP, select Precode (2), “Type B.” Item
TYPEB appears; there are nine options:
1. Vacant - regular [outcome code 226]
2. Vacant - storage of household furniture
[outcome code 227]
3. Temporarily occupied by persons with URE
[outcome code 225]
4. Unfit or to be demolished [outcome code 228]
5. Under construction, not ready [outcome code 229]
6. Converted to temporary business or storage
[outcome code 230]
7. Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
[outcome code 231]
8. Permit granted, construction not started
[outcome code 232]
9. Other - Specify [outcome code 233]
If you select any of Precodes (1) through (8), Item
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT_AB appears, then Items
BCNAME, BCTITL, and BCNUM appear, which ask for the
contact person’s name, title, and telephone number. (A
contact person is someone who is knowledgeable about the
household - a neighbor, mail carrier, postal carrier, etc.) If
the determination of a Type B was made by observation,
enter “None” in the contact information fields, and enter
Precode (2), “Yes” at BCOBS.
If you select Precode (9), “Other - Specify,”
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT_AB appears,
thenTYPEB_SPEC9, “Enter the description of the Other
Type B reason.” Then Item BCNAME appears (see
paragraph above).
Proceed with Item THANKYOU_CP, which ends the
interview.
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Type C Noninterviews
Part A, Chapter 6
At Item NONTYP, select Precode (3), “Type C.” Item
TYPEC appears; there are eleven options:
1. Unused line of listing sheet [outcome code 247]
2. Demolished [outcome code 240]
3. House or trailer moved [outcome code 241] (Note that
this code is for a case where the actual trailer or
house has moved and not just its occupants)
4. Outside segment [outcome code 242]
5. Converted to permanent business or storage
[outcome code 243]
6. Merged [outcome code 244]
7. Condemned [outcome code 245]
8. Unit does not exist or is out of scope [outcome code 258]
9. Unlocatable address [outcome code 259]
10. Permit abandoned [outcome code 248]
11. Other – Specify [outcome code 248]
If you select any of Precodes (1) through (10),
TYPEC_WARN appears, then Items BCNAME, BCTITL,
and BCNUM appear, which ask for the contact person’s
name, title, and telephone number. (A contact person is
someone who is knowledgeable about the household - a
neighbor, mail carrier, postal carrier, etc.) If the
determination of a Type B was made by observation, enter
“None” in the contact information fields, and enter Precode
(2), “Yes” at BCOBS.
If you select Precode (11), Item TYPEC_SPEC appears,
which says, “Enter the description of the other Type C
reason.” Enter the description. Then Item TYPEC_WARN
appears: “You have made this case a Type C - OtherSpecify.” If this is correct, enter Precode (1) to proceed. If
you have made an error classifying the case, use the up
arrows to go back to previous items and change your
responses, after entering (1) to continue. Item BCNAME
appears, which is described in the previous paragraph.
Proceed with Item THANKYOU _CP, which ends the
interview.
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Procedures for Type Z
Noninterviews
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
A Type Z noninterview indicates that you completed
interviews with at least the household respondent but were
unable to complete an interview with one or more eligible
members.
If the household contains any members who have not been
interviewed, either because they refused, had a partial
interview, were never available despite repeated attempts
to interview them, 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.
This process can only be done at the time you are ready to
transmit the case, so it is important that you identify any
eligible household members as noninterviews early in the
interview period, and annotate the reason(s) in the CAPI
notes so you don’t forget them when you are ready to
transmit the case later.
Designating
household members
as Type Z
noninterviews
Enter the case; click on the household roster (HH Roster)
tab on the toolbar to check interview status of eligible
household members. Designate a Type Z noninterview
reason for all those whose interview status is “Need self,”
“Need proxy,” “Partial int,” or “Refused.” Proceed as follows:
Click on the “Main” tab to go to the START_CP screen and
enter Precode (5), “Ready to transmit case - no more
followup.” A pop-up screen appears that says, “Case not
ready for transmission.” Click “Suppress.” The TYPEZ
screen appears: “No survey data were collected for
(NAME). Enter the reason that best describes why
(NAME)’s survey date were not collected.” There are six
options:
1. Never available
2. Parent Refused
3. Resp. Refused
4. Physically/Mentally Unable
5. TA - No proxy available
6. Other
Enter the applicable reason, then exit the case. Note that
the case is automatically removed from the main Case List.
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Part A, Chapter 6
Topic 2. Type A Noninterview Categories
Overview
Since Type A noninterviews mean the loss of valuable
information, keep Type A noninterviews to a minimum. If we
fail to get NCVS data from sample households, the data we
do collect may not be representative of the U.S. population.
It is not always possible to avoid Type A noninterviews, but
there are ways to keep them at a minimum. These include:
Establishing good relations with your respondents,
Contacting sample households when they are most
likely to be at home, and
Conducting the interview in a positive and professional
manner.
The following reasons can cause a sample unit to be
classified as a Type A noninterview:
A 2000 sample design case is also in sample for either
the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) or the
American Community Survey (ACS).
The sample household cannot be interviewed during the
interview period because of language problems.
After making repeated contacts during the interview
period, you are never able to reach anyone at home.
All members of the sample household are temporarily
away from home during the entire interview period.
The sample household refuses to allow any interviews.
An occupied sample unit cannot be interviewed due to
impassable roads.
The sample household cannot be interviewed during the
interview period because of a serious illness or a death
in the family.
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You are not able to locate the sample unit.
Before you classify a telephone interview case as a Type
A noninterview, you must attempt to make contact in person
and interview the household. Also make sure that you call
your regional office before sending in a Type A
noninterview.
Procedures for “Language
Problems” - Precode (1),
(Outcome 213)
Before you can classify a sample household as “Language
Problems,” you must make attempts to find an interpreter
who is acceptable to the household respondent. The
interpreter can be a family member, a neighbor of the
respondent, an official interpreter, or even you, if you speak
the person’s language. If you have difficulty finding a
suitable interpreter, contact your supervisor before
classifying the case as a Type A Precode (1). Only use
Type A Precode (1) as a last resort.
Procedures for "No One
Home" - Precode (2),
(Outcome 216)
Before you can classify a sample household as "No One
Home," you must make several attempts to contact the
household and verify that they are only gone for a short
while and plan to return during the interview period. If the
household is away from home and isn't expected to return
before your closeout date, use Type A Precode (3),
Temporarily Absent, instead of using Type A Precode (2).
For personal visit interviews:
If no one is home at the time of your first visit for the
interview period, check with neighbors or anyone else who
may know when the household is expected to return home.
Remember, do not mention the survey name when making
any inquiries. Listed below is a suggested way of making
inquiries:
"Hello, I am (your name) from the United States Census
Bureau. Here is my identification (show ID). I am trying
to contact someone at (sample address), but no one is
at home. Do you know when it is likely that someone
would be there?"
Follow the procedures shown below when you discover that
the household is expected to return home sometime within
the interview period:
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Part A, Chapter 6
Fill out a Request for Appointment (Form 11-38 or
11-38A) indicating when you plan to return. For
identification purposes, enter the case's control number
and your name and telephone number on the form.
Use the back of the instrument (when in the instrument)
or the case level notes to enter the callback date and
time for your return visit.
Note:
Another alternative is to leave your business card
at the sample address with a preprinted peel-off
sticker attached to it saying:
IMPORTANT
Please call me at the number on the attached card.
I am required to contact an adult household
member and I am obligated to return until contact
has been made.
(Enter your name)
U.S. Census Bureau Field Representative
Procedures for
"Temporarily Absent" Precode (3), (Outcome 217)
If it is not practical to use a Request for Appointment
form, try to determine the best time to contact the
household and make a return visit then.
If all these efforts fail, then classify the case as a Type A
Code 216, No one home, as described in Topic 1 of this
chapter.
For personal visit interviews:
When you make your first visit to a sample address for an
interview month and find that no one is home, try to
determine from neighbors or anyone else who may know
how long the household may be gone.
Before classifying a case as a Type A Precode (3),
Temporarily Absent, all of the following conditions must
exist:
All household members are temporarily away and not
expected to return home until the current closeout date
has passed. They might be on vacation, a business trip,
caring for sick relatives, or some other similar reason.
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All of the household's personal belongings are still
in the sample unit. In other words, the sample
household has not moved their personal belongings to
another location. This is especially important if you see
a "For Sale" or "For Rent" sign on the property.
The sample unit is not a summer cottage or a unit
used only for vacation purposes. In other words, the
sample unit is the primary residence for the sample
household.
Once you determine that the case qualifies as a Type A
Precode (3), Temporarily Absent, take the following actions:
Procedures for "Refused" Precode (4), (Outcome 218)
After entering Precode (3), enter the date when the
sample household is expected to return to the sample
address in TYPEA_SPEC3.
Use the BC_CONTACT screens to enter the name, title,
contact type code, address, telephone number, and
telephone type code for the person who provided the
information about the household.
If there is any possibility that the household will return
before your closeout date, attempt to interview the
household prior to your closeout date when feasible, do
not code the household as a Type A yet.
When you know that the household definitely will not
return before either closeout dates, complete the rest of
the noninterview section according to the instructions in
Topic 2 of this chapter. Make sure that you enter the
"Return date" when filling Item TYPEA_SPEC3.
Although our response rates are high, you may occasionally
experience households who refuse to be interviewed. When
you encounter such households, impress upon them that
the information they can provide is valuable and the survey
results will benefit their household and their community.
Make every reasonable effort to obtain cooperation from
each sample household assigned to you.
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Despite all your efforts, a sample household may still refuse
to answer the survey questions or may insist that an
interview is not necessary since their household had no
changes or crimes to report for the past 6 months. You are
still required to complete and/or update the appropriate
items in the control card section and to complete the
NCVS-1 interviews with a household respondent and all
remaining eligible household members, even if no crimes
occurred.
When you are unable to change the way a household feels
about participating in the NCVS and they just refuse to
cooperate, follow these procedures:
For personal visit interviews:
Your supervisor may instruct you to notify her/him by
telephone and explain the refusal situation. If your
supervisor will be in the sample area on other business,
she/he could visit the refusal household and try to
change their minds.
When all efforts to convert a refusal are unsuccessful,
complete the noninterview section as described in Topic
2 of this chapter, below.
Complete an INTER-COMM (Form 11-36) explaining
the situation and what actions were taken to gain the
household's cooperation.
As soon as your office becomes aware of a refusal
household, they will mail a letter to the household
requesting their cooperation and letting them know that you
will contact them again. The office will also send you a copy
of this letter.
If your office notifies you that a refusal household is
considered a "confirmed" refusal, you will no longer attempt
to interview the refusal household. For future enumeration
periods, verify with neighbors or other knowledgeable
sources whether or not the same household is still living in
the sample unit.
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If the confirmed refusal household is still living at the sample
unit:
Enter Type A Precode (4) in Item TYPEA.
Complete the Noninterview section as described in
Topic 2 of this chapter, below.
In the Case Level Notes, enter "Confirmed refusal
household - Do not attempt to interview household."
If you discover that a new household has moved into the
sample unit, visit and interview the new or "replacement"
household as specified in this manual on Pages C1-32 and
C1-33.
Group Quarters (GQ)
Refusals
Some of your NCVS assignments may include sample units
within GQs, such as hotels, college dormitories, homeless
shelters, and so forth. If either the manager or owner of a
group quarters refuses to allow you to interview persons
residing in sample GQ units, notify your supervisor
immediately. Based on the situation, your supervisor will
provide you with specific instructions.
Procedures for "Other
Occupied" - Precode (5),
(Outcome 219)
Most Type A noninterviews fall under one of the reasons
already mentioned: Language problems, No one home,
Temporarily absent, and Refused. However, you could
encounter other situations that force you to classify an
eligible and occupied sample unit as a Type A noninterview.
For example, the following situations could justify classifying
a case as a Type A noninterview, Other occupied:
A family member died very recently.
The sample household has been quarantined.
The sample household lives in a gated and/or guarded
community and you cannot gain access to the sample
address. Notify your supervisor immediately and he/she
will provide you with specific instructions.
A storm or other natural disaster prevents you from
getting to sample addresses in your assignment. In
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recent years, weather-related interviewing problems,
such as floods, mud slides, earthquakes, fires, and
heavy snow, have become more prevalent. If you
encounter these problems, try to identify which sample
addresses are occupied and which sample addresses
are vacant.
For previously interviewed households:
Determine occupancy based on the unit's status during
the last enumeration period, unless a knowledgeable
person tells you otherwise.
For first time households:
If a sample unit is assigned to you for the first
enumeration period, try to discover the occupancy
status from neighbors, local merchants, postal workers,
county recorder of deeds, or other local government
officials. Never mention the survey name when talking
to persons who are not household members at the
sample address.
More than two of the household respondent’s screen
questions are left unanswered because the household
respondent refused to answer them and you are unable
to interview another eligible household member as the
household respondent.
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Part A, Chapter 6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 3. Type B Noninterview Categories
Overview
Type B noninterviews include cases which you cannot
interview during a specific interview period because they
are either:
Unoccupied or
Temporarily occupied by persons who are ineligible for
interview because they have a usual residence
elsewhere (URE).
Any case that you classify as a Type B noninterview could
become eligible for interview in a later enumeration period.
A sample unit may be classified as a Type B noninterview
for any of the following reasons:
Vacant, regular
Vacant, storage of household furniture
Temporarily occupied by persons with a usual residence
elsewhere (URE)
Unfit or to be demolished
Under construction, not ready
Converted to temporary business or storage
Unoccupied site for a mobile home, trailer, or tent
Permit granted, construction not started
Other Type B
Procedures for "Vacant,
Regular" - Precode (1)
(Outcome 226)
The majority of unoccupied units that you discover will
classify as "Vacant, regular." If you discover that a sample
address is unoccupied and the following conditions exist,
you can classify the unit as a Type B noninterview, Vacant,
regular:
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The unit is vacant and the occupants have permanently
left the unit.
The unit is for sale or rent.
The unit is being held off the sales market.
The unit is seasonally closed (e.g., a vacation home).
A dilapidated unit that is still considered a living
quarters, such as a housing unit that is very run down, in
need of many repairs, and still occupied as a living
quarters. Do not include unoccupied units that are
condemned, unfit for human habitation, awaiting
demolition or being demolished.
A vacant living quarters such as a mobile home, tent, or
a similar structure.
A GQ unit that may be vacant in transient quarters.
Special Situations
You may discover a vacant sample unit that is in the
process of being converted to make more units or merged to
make fewer units. Classify the unoccupied units created
by the conversion or merger as Type B, Precode (1),
Vacant, regular, if:
The conversion or merger has progressed to the stage
where you can identify the converted or merged units as
they will be when completed, or
A responsible person can tell you how the units will be
when completed.
Otherwise, classify the original sample unit as a Type B,
Precode (1), Vacant, regular.
The same procedures used for conversions and mergers
also apply to sample units that are undergoing repairs or
alterations.
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Procedures for "Vacant,
Storage of Household
Furniture" - Precode (2),
(Outcome 227)
Only use Type B, Precode (2) when an unoccupied sample
unit is used solely for the storage of excess furniture. This is
not the same as a vacant unit that is fully furnished and
awaiting a potential renter or owner. For a vacant, furnished
unit that is waiting to be rented or sold, use Type B, Precode
(1), Vacant, regular.
Procedures for
"Temporarily Occupied by
Persons With a URE" Precode (3), (Outcome 225)
If an entire household is staying at a sample unit temporarily
(e.g., on vacation) and the household has a usual residence
elsewhere (URE), they are not eligible household members;
do not interview them. If you discover this situation, classify
the unit as a Type B, Precode (3), Temporarily occupied by
persons with a URE.
Procedures for "Unfit or to
be Demolished" - Precode
(4), (Outcome 228)
Consider an unoccupied sample unit as unfit for human
habitation if the unit is no longer protected from the
elements because the roof, walls, windows, or doors are
either damaged or missing. This may have been caused by
vandalism, fire, or deterioration from neglect and age.
If you see the following conditions, the likely classification
for the unit is Type B, Precode 4, Unfit or to be demolished:
Windows are broken
Doors are either missing or swinging open
Parts of the roof or walls are missing or destroyed
leaving holes in the unit's structure
Part of the structure has been blown or washed away
Part of the structure has collapsed or is missing.
Do not use Type B, Precode 4, for the following two
situations:
When doors and windows are boarded up to keep them
from becoming destroyed by vandalism or bad weather.
When doors and windows are not intended to be used in
a structure, such as in some rural sections of the
country.
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Also use the "Unfit or to be demolished" reason for vacant
sample units that you can verify as being scheduled for
demolition. You must see positive evidence, such as a
demolition sign, notice, or mark on the sample unit or on the
building that houses the sample unit.
Procedures for "Under
Construction, Not Ready" Precode (5), (Outcome 229)
Type B, Precode (5) is intended for sample units that are in
the process of being newly constructed and are not yet
ready for occupancy because the following items have not
been installed:
Exterior windows and doors and
Usable floors.
Once the newly constructed sample unit is ready for
occupancy, but is still vacant, classify it as Type B Precode
(1), Vacant, regular.
Procedures for "Converted
to Temporary Business or
Storage" - Precode (6),
(Outcome 230)
Use Type B, Precode (6) when a sample unit that is
intended as a living quarters is used instead for the
temporary storage of commercial or business supplies,
machinery or other products related to a business. If you
can determine that the storage of these business supplies is
permanent, then classify the sample unit as Type C
Precode (5), Converted to permanent business or storage,
not Type B Precode 6.
Do not use "Converted to temporary business or storage," if
you discover that the vacant unit is intended for the storage
of business supplies in the future, but not at the time of your
visit.
There is a separate Type B noninterview reason for a
sample unit that is vacant and used solely to store
household furniture. Do not use "Converted to temporary
business or storage" when it is household furniture that is
being stored in the vacant unit.
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Procedures for
"Unoccupied Site for
Mobile Home, Trailer, or
Tent” - Precode (7),
(Outcome 231)
Although mobile homes, trailers, tents, boats, cars, buses,
caves, and so forth are not located within a typical building
structure, they can still be considered housing units if they
meet our housing unit definition. (See page 1.2 in Volume I,
Listing and Coverage: A Survival Guide for the Field
Representative, Form 11-8.) If the sample unit is listed by its
site identification rather than an address, and you find that
the site is vacant, classify the sample unit as Type B,
Precode (7), Unoccupied site for a mobile home, trailer, or
tent.
Procedures for "Permit
Granted, Construction Not
Started" - Precode (8),
(Outcome 232)
There may be instances when you are assigned a sample
unit in a permit segment and discover that the construction
permit has been issued, but construction has not yet
started. When this occurs, classify the sample unit as Type
B, Precode (8), Permit granted, construction not started.
Procedures for "Type B,
Other" - Precode (9),
(Outcome 233)
Most Type B noninterviews will fall under one of the specific
reasons already mentioned. If you discover a rare situation
that is not covered in any of the specific Type B
noninterview reasons, use Type B, Precode (9), Other.
Then, at Item TYPEB_SPEC9, enter a description of the
reason you are coding this case as a Type B.
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Part A, Chapter 6
Topic 4. Type C Noninterview Categories
Overview
Type C noninterviews are sample units that are ineligible for
the NCVS sample and need to be removed permanently
from the sample. Many Type C noninterviews occur
because of changes that happen between the time a unit is
listed and the time the unit is assigned for interview. Type C
noninterview reasons include:
Unused line of listing sheet
Demolished
House or trailer moved
Outside segment
Converted to permanent business or storage
Merged
Condemned
Unit does not exist or is out of scope
Unlocatable sample address
Permit abandoned
Type C, Other
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Procedures for "Unused
Line of Listing Sheet" Precode (1), (Outcome 247)
When working with listing sheets in unit, permit, and group
quarters (GQ) segments, you may discover as you list units
or verify listings that a multi-unit structure has fewer units
than expected. If you are assigned a sample unit for
interview and find out that the assigned case is actually an
unused line on the listing sheet, classify the case as Type C
Precode (1), Unused line of listing sheet. (See the
appropriate chapters in Volume I, Listing and Coverage: A
Survival Guide for the Field Representative, Form 11-8, for
more details about the use of listing sheets.)
Procedures for
"Demolished" - Precode
(2), (Outcome 240)
You could be assigned a sample unit and then discover that
it no longer exists because it was demolished or is in the
process of being demolished. If this happens, classify the
case as Type C, Precode (2), Demolished.
When an unoccupied unit is scheduled to be demolished,
but demolition work has not yet begun, do not classify the
unit as Type C, Precode (2) When demolition work has not
yet begun, classify the unit as Type B, Precode (4), Unfit or
to be demolished.
Procedures for "House or
Trailer Moved" - Precode
(3) (Outcome 241)
It is possible that a sample unit could have been moved
from its site after it was listed. This is more likely to happen
when the unit is a mobile home or trailer, but it could also be
a house. If this happens and the unit is listed by its street
address, not its site identification, classify the unit as Type
C, Precode (3), House or trailer moved.
Procedures for "Outside
Segment" - Precode (4),
(Outcome 242)
Use Type C, Precode (4) when the original listing for an
area segment is incorrect and, at the time of interview, you
discover that the unit is physically located outside of the
area segment boundaries.
Procedures for "Converted
to Permanent Business or
Storage" - Precode (5),
(Outcome 243)
Use Type C when a sample unit has been converted
permanently from living quarters to storage space for a
business. The unit may be used to store such items as farm
products, machinery, lumber, business supplies, and so on.
Procedures for "Merged" Precode (6), (Outcome 244)
Merged units occur when two or more apartment units or
two single family homes combine to form one new unit.
Based on the situation and segment type, instructions can
vary for when to classify a sample unit as Type C, Precode
(6), Merged. Detailed instructions for merged units are
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provided in Appendix B, as well as in the appropriate
chapters of Volume I, Listing and Coverage: A Survival
Guide for the Field Representative, Form 11-8.
Procedures for
"Condemned" - Precode
(7), (Outcome 245)
Before you can use Type C, Precode (7), the sample unit
must be unoccupied and there must be positive evidence
that the unit is condemned, such as a sign, notice, or mark
on the unit or on the building that houses the unit.
Do not use Type C, Precode (7), Condemned, if:
You see a "condemned" sign, but the unit is occupied. If
the occupants qualify as eligible household members,
try to conduct interviews at the sample unit and ignore
the "condemned" sign.
The sample unit is vacant, but you can't find any positive
evidence that the unit is "condemned." If the unit is
vacant and unfit for human habitation, classify it as Type
B, Precode (4), Unfit or to be demolished.
Be careful not to classify a sample unit as a Type C
noninterview when it should be a Type B noninterview. This
type of mistake can remove a unit permanently from the
survey's sample.
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Procedures for “Type C,
Unit does not exist or is out
of scope - Precode (8),
(Outcome 259)
Use Type C, Precode (8) in cases where you cannot locate
the sample address because the address information is not
sufficient to locate the sample unit. This precode can only
be used for 2010 sample design cases. If you try to assign
this code to a non-2010 sample design case,
TYPEC259_CK appears: “This outcome code is not valid
for this case, it can only be assigned to 2010 sample design
cases. Return to the TYPEC screen and select the
appropriate non-interview, or press F10 to exit and consult
your manual or with your supervisor for assistance.”
Procedures for “Type C,
Unlocatable Address” –
Precode (9),
(Outcome 258)
Use Type C, Precode (9) for cases when you locate the
sample address but cannot determine which sample unit to
interview. If you try and use this precode for a case with
sufficient address information in Case Management,
TYPEC258_CK appears: “This outcome code can only be
used for cases with minimal to no address information.
Based on the address information in Case Management,this
case does not meet the criteria required to use this outcome
code. If you are unable to locate the sample address for this
case, return to TYPEA and selection Precode (6), “Other,
occupied”. Type “Unable to locate” in the specify screen, or
press F10 and contact your supervisor for assistance.”
Procedures for "Permit
Abandoned" - Precode (10)
(Outcome 248)
At times, you may find from the builder or the permit office
that the builder abandoned the building permit and never
built the structure for a sample unit. If this happens and the
permit will never be used, classify the case as Type C,
Precode (10), Permit abandoned.
Procedures for "Type C,
Other" - Precode (11),
(Outcome 248)
Most Type C noninterviews fall under one of the specific
reasons already mentioned. If you discover a rare situation
that is not covered in any of the Type C noninterview
reasons already mentioned, use Type C, Precode (11), and
enter the “Other” reason in Item TYPEC_SPEC. An
example of a “Type C, Other” reason is “Basic street
address (BSA) identifies an institutional (or military) GQ.”
Noninterviews
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 6
Topic 5. Type Z Noninterview Persons
What Is a Type Z
Noninterview?
Classify an eligible household member as a Type Z
noninterview when you are unable to interview an eligible
household member and the household member is not the
household respondent.
Unlike Type A, B, and C noninterviews, a Type Z
noninterview relates to an eligible household member (other
than the household respondent) and does not relate to the
entire sample household. Another difference is that a
personal visit is not required prior to classifying a person as
a Type Z noninterview.
However, if you are unable interview the household
respondent, the entire sample household classifies as a
Type A noninterview because:
You must interview the household respondent before
interviewing anyone else in the household.
AND
You cannot classify a household respondent as a Type
Z noninterview person.
Minimizing Type Z
Noninterviews
It is important to keep both Type A and Type Z
noninterviews to a minimum, so that:
Your response rate does not suffer; and
The sample data you collect is truly representative of the
entire U.S. population.
Individuals who are difficult to find at home or who resist
being interviewed may have different victimization
experiences than persons who are readily available for
interviews. Therefore, failure to get interviews from all
eligible household members could introduce a serious bias
into the survey results.
Noninterviews
A6-25
Part A, Chapter 6
Situations Causing Type Z
Noninterviews
Never Available
(Precode 1)
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
There are several reasons why you might be unable to
interview one or more eligible household members in a
sample unit. Some situations will be beyond your control,
while other situations can be overcome by improving your
salesmanship and contacting households when you are
most likely to reach household members.
You may find that an individual respondent within a sample
household is never available when you contact the
household. If all of the following conditions are true, then
you can use Type Z, Precode (1) for an individual
respondent:
You made repeated attempts to reach the individual
respondent.
You are sure that the individual respondent is not
temporarily absent. If the respondent is temporarily
absent, try to get a proxy interview following the proxy
interview procedures provided in Part C, Chapter 1, of
this manual.
You have a completed interview with the household
respondent.
Parent Refused
(Precode 2)
Use Precode (2), Refused, any time another person refuses
to allow an interview with an eligible household member,
such as a household member refusing to let you interview
his/her elderly parent or 14-year-old child.
Respondent Refused
(Precode 3)
Even after you try to persuade a respondent to comply with
our survey, some individual respondents will still refuse to
be interviewed. You cannot take a proxy interview for an
eligible respondent who refuses to be interviewed.
When an individual respondent refuses to be interviewed,
use Type Z Precode (3).
Also use Type Z Precode (3) for an acceptable proxy
respondent refuses to give an interview for an eligible
respondent who is unable to respond for himself/herself due
to a physical and/or mental problem or due to being
temporarily absent from the sample address.
Noninterviews
A6-26
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 6
Physically/Mentally
Unable to Answer and
No Proxy Available
(Precode 4)
You are allowed to take proxy interviews for individual
respondents who are physically and/or mentally unable to
be interviewed during the entire interview period.
"Physically/mentally unable to answer" means that the
household member must have health and/or mental illness
problems that are continuous throughout the entire
interview period. If you are unable to find an eligible proxy
respondent for this person, classify the household member
as a Type Z noninterview and use Type Z, Precode (4).
Temporarily Absent and
No Proxy Available
(Precode 5)
If an individual respondent is temporarily away from home
and not expected to return before your closeout date, you
can take a proxy interview. If you cannot find an eligible
proxy respondent for this person, classify the household
member as a Type Z noninterview and use Type Z,
Precode (5).
Other Type Z Situations
(Precode 6)
Use Precode (6) when you are unable to interview an eligible
respondent (other than the household respondent) and the
situation does not fit Type Z Precodes (1) through (5). Here
are some examples:
Household member cannot speak English/no
acceptable interpreter-Another situation you may encounter is a household member
who cannot speak English and an acceptable interpreter is
not available. If this occurs, classify the person as a Type Z
noninterview and use Type Z, Precode (6). Do not take a
proxy interview in this situation.
No acceptable proxy respondent available for a 12- or
13-year-old child-If a 12- or 13-year-old household member is not allowed to
answer for himself/herself and no acceptable proxy
respondent is available, classify the child as a Type Z
noninterview and use Type Z, Precode (6).
Noninterviews
A6-27
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Interviewing Materials
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Description of Materials
A7-2
2 Materials Kept Month to Month
A7-7
3 Materials Supplied Monthly
A7-8
General National Crime Victimization Survey Procedures
A7-1
Part A, Chapter 7
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Description of Materials
Titles and Form Numbers
Listed below are the titles and form numbers of the forms
that you use specifically for NCVS:
Field Representative's Information Card Booklet,
NCVS-554
NCVS At a Glance, NCVS-550.1
NCVS Fact Sheet, NCVS-110
NCVS Introductory Letters, NCVS-572(L) and
NCVS-573(L)
NCVS Thank You Letters, NCVS-593(L) and
NCVS-594(L)
There are other materials you use in the course of your
work, but those materials are generic, such as appointment
slips and INTER-COMMs.
Field Representative's
Information Card Booklet,
NCVS-554
The Information Card Booklet contains two types of cards.
Some of the cards in this booklet are designed for you to
show respondents as you conduct certain parts of the
NCVS interview in person. By using these cards during a
personal visit interview, you can:
Avoid reading long lists of answer categories and
Allow respondents to read all the categories before
selecting the appropriate answer.
The remaining cards in the booklet are designed to help you
with specific parts of your NCVS job.
The Information Card Booklet is arranged as follows:
Page
1
Explanation of the NCVS which satisfies Privacy
Act requirements, together with commonly asked
questions and suggested answers.
2, 3
Information about NCVS data uses and users
4
Listing reminders, along with guidelines on when
to fill the CAPI case level notes.
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 7
5
Summary table to help determine who to include
as a household member.
6, 7
Education Codes flashcards (Page 6 in English,
Page 7 in Spanish) to show to a household
respondent when asking Item
EDUCATIONATTAIN in person during the first,
third, fifth, and seventh enumeration periods.
8, 9
Hispanic Origin flashcards (Page 8 in English,
Page 9 in Spanish) to show to a household
respondent when asking Item SP_ORIGIN in
person.
10, 11
Race flashcards (Page 10 in English, Page 11 in
Spanish) to show to a household respondent when
asking Item RACE in person.
12, 13
Employment flashcards (Page 12 in English, Page
13 in Spanish) to show a household member who
is at least 16 years of age when asking Item
JOBDESCRIPTION in person.
14, 15
Household Income flashcards (Page 14 in English,
Page 15 in Spanish) to show to the household
respondent when asking Item
HOUSEHOLDINCOME in person.
16
NCVS definition for the term “rape.”
17
NCVS definition for the term “presence.”
18
Information about classifying Type Z
noninterviews.
19
Information about proxy interviews.
20, 21
Quick reference guide of important NCVS
definitions and concepts.
22, 23
Quick reference guide to help you complete the
Summary section of the instrument. These items
relate to incidents of theft and attempted theft.
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-3
Part A, Chapter 7
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
When offender is a police officer, page 23 provides
guidance on preparing the summary report.
24, 25
List of standard abbreviations to use when writing
summary reports.
26, 27
2-year calendar, along with a list of holidays for
each year. When necessary, allow the respondent
to view these calendars during a personal visit
interview to help him/her remember the months
covered by the reference period and the exact
month in which an incident occurred.
28
Instructions for conducting NCVS interviews in
Spanish
29
List of function keys for case management and the
NCVS CAPI instrument
NCVS At a Glance,
NCVS-550.1
The NCVS At a Glance provides information about the
survey's purpose, its sponsor, data users and uses, length
of interview, and participation requirements, along with
answers to seven frequently asked questions. It also
contains reference information to help you with NCVS key
concepts and definitions.
NCVS Fact Sheet,
NCVS-110
The NCVS Fact Sheet (NCVS-110) brochure is available in
both English and Spanish; it provides summarized results
from the most recent NCVS findings. The results are
presented in text, graphs, and charts. Before interviewing a
sample household for the first enumeration period, your
office will mail the household an NCVS Fact Sheet,
NCVS-110, and an introductory letter, NCVS-572(L). For
subsequent enumeration periods, you can hand the
respondent an NCVS Fact Sheet when:
The respondent requests the type of information
provided in this brochure.
You discover a replacement household at a sample unit.
You feel that the brochure may encourage a respondent
to cooperate.
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCVS Introductory Letters,
NCVS-572(L) and
NCVS-573(L)
Part A, Chapter 7
Before you visit a sample household, the regional office will
mail the household an introductory letter which briefly
describes the NCVS and lets them know to expect your visit
or telephone call. The NCVS-572(L) letter is sent to each
first enumeration period household and the NCVS-573(L)
letter is sent to each second through seventh enumeration
period household.
At the GETLETTER_CP screen, you ask the household
respondent if they received an introductory letter sent to the
sample household. (This is sent by the regional office.) If the
respondent answers “No,” or they aren’t sure if they
received the letter, hand the respondent a copy of the
appropriate letter and a copy of the NCVS Fact Sheet
(NCVS-110) when conducting the interview in person.
The introductory letters are also available in Spanish,
Chinese (traditional and simplified), Korean, and
Vietnamese. Contact your regional office if you need copies
of the letters in these languages.
NCVS Thank You Letters,
NCVS-593(L) and
NCVS-594(L)
There are two different preprinted "Thank You" letters for
you to use as appropriate. The NCVS-593(L) letter is written
to help leave a positive impression with a reluctant
respondent and possibly help you to gain his/her
cooperation during the next enumeration period. After
interviewing a household, mail the NCVS-593(L) "Thank
You" letter to the household if they showed any signs of
refusing in the future.
The NCVS-594(L) letter is written as a "Thank You"
letter for you to mail to sample households who have
completed their interviews for the seventh enumeration
period.
Both of these "Thank You" letters are also available in
Spanish.
Letters in Spanish,
Chinese, Korean, and
Vietnamese
The RO supplies you automatically with "Introductory" and
"Thank You" letters printed in English. If you know that your
assignment area includes households that speak Spanish,
Chinese (traditional and simplified), Korean, or Vietnamese,
request letters in the required languages (Spanish,
Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese). While the NCVS letters
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-5
Part A, Chapter 7
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
are available in English, as well as all four of these foreign
languages, the NCVS questions are only available in
English and Spanish.
Valid OMB Control Number
and Expiration Date
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control
number 1121-0111 is required to conduct the NCVS, along
with the correct approval expiration date. Use the FAQ tab
in the instrument and then entering Precode (10) to access
this control number and expiration date.
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part A, Chapter 7
Topic 2. Materials Kept Month to Month
Materials Needed Each
Interview Month
Your regional office provides you with the following supplies
used monthly:
A black portfolio to hold your identification card and
assignment materials
Copies of both "Introductory" letters, NCVS-572(L) and
NCVS-573(L)
Copies of both "Thank You" letters, NCVS-593(L) and
NCVS-594(L)
Copies of "Request for Appointment" slips, Forms 11-38
and 11-38A
Copies of blank Interviewer Communications
(INTER-COMMs), Form 11-36
Field Representative's Information Card Booklet,
NCVS-554
Copies of the NCVS Fact Sheet, NCVS-110
Mechanical pencils
Notify your regional office whenever you start to run low on
any of these supplies.
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-7
Part A, Chapter 7
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 3. Materials Supplied Monthly
Assignment Materials for
an Interview Month
Importance of the Monthly
FR Memorandum
Before the start of each interview month, your regional office
sends you:
A detailed memorandum which discusses important
current topics and reminders; and
Any materials and instructions you may need for your
listing and interviewing work. Call your supervisor
immediately if any instructions are unclear to you.
Read all NCVS monthly memoranda carefully so you can
conduct your work accurately for each interview month.
Every month the memorandum covers current monthly
topics, as well as any special reminders. Contact your
regional office if any part of the memorandum is unclear to
you.
Interviewing Materials - Descriptions and Receipt/Transmittal Instructions
A7-8
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1
Introduction
B1-2
2
Screen Layout
B1-5
3
Selection of Questions and Screen Content
B1-8
4
Methods of Making Entries
B1-12
5
Navigation and Using Function Keys
B1-16
6
Partial Interviews and Callbacks
B1-20
7
CAPI Outcome Codes
B1-24
8
How to Use the Tool Bar
B1-26
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-1
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Introduction
Learning About the NCVS
Instrument
The NCVS instrument is divided into three sections known
as the front, middle, and back.
The Front Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to:
For new sample cases:
Provide the address for an initial personal visit interview.
For continuing cases:
If available, provide the telephone number to dial and the
introduction to read to the person who answers your
telephone call.
If telephone information has not already been collected,
provides you with screens to collect it.
For both new and continuing cases:
Identify possible interviewing problems.
Verify that you have reached the correct address and
household.
Verify that you are speaking to an eligible household
respondent and, if necessary, to select another eligible
household respondent.
Provide you with general reference information to
answer respondent questions.
Provide you with the appropriate screens to collect,
update or verify information from the sample
household’s demographic information - names, ages,
ethnicity, race, sex, education, and marital status of
household members, and so on.
The Front Section of the NCVS instrument is discussed
further in Part B, Chapter 2, of this manual.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
The Middle Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to:
Determine whether any of the eligible household
members (12 years of age or older) at the sample
address were victimized by crime during each
household member’s 6-month reference period. These
questions are referred to as the screening items.
The screen items cover a wide variety of situations and
are designed to provide the respondent with concrete
examples of the types of crimes that are typically
reported for the NCVS and could be overlooked by
respondents. These screen items ensure that we collect
ALL incidents of crime that occurred during each sample
household member’s 6-month reference period.
Collect a variety of information about each reported
incidence of crime that occurred during a sample
household member’s 6-month reference period. It is
important to record accurate and complete information
about each crime, so that we have a clear picture of
what happened during the incident. These questions are
referred to as the incident report items.
Add any additional incidents that may have been
discovered while completing the incident report items for
the current incident.
Check the current incident against any previously
reported incidents to avoid reporting duplicate incidents.
The Middle Section of the NCVS instrument is discussed
further in Part B, Chapters 3, 4, and 5, of this manual.
The Back Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to:
Make appointments to call back a sample household so
you or another interviewer can interview sample
household members who are unavailable or who cannot
complete their interview.
Thank each sample household member for his/her time
and participation in the NCVS.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-3
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Enter any final notes about the case which you or
another FR may need for future contacts.
The Back Section of the NCVS instrument is discussed
further in Part B, Chapter 6, of this manual.
In addition to this introduction, Chapter 1 also provides you
with an overview of how:
The NCVS instrument selects the correct questions for
each interview.
A typical NCVS screen is formatted.
To make entries on the NCVS screens during an
interview.
To use the function keys during an interview.
Chapter 1 also provides general instructions for starting the
NCVS interview, setting callback interviews, resuming a
partially completed interview, and recovering from program
errors.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
Topic 2. Screen Layout
The initial FR training for NCVS provides an in-depth look
at features that you need to be familiar with in the CAPI
instrument. This chapter of the manual highlights those
specific to the NCVS instrument.
Components of a
Screen
Most screens in the NCVS instrument (see example in
Figure A at the end of this chapter) are divided into two
basic parts:
The Information (Info) Pane, in the upper half of your
computer screen, which includes the tool bar and
question text with the possible answer categories (if
any); and
The Form Pane, in the lower half of the computer
screen. It includes:
Information Pane
The tool bar
Question text in black letters
FR instruction in blue letters (if any). A blue
diamond identifies the FR instruction
The Information (or Info) Pane (see Figure A on Page
B1-27) is located on the top half of the screen.
The Info Pane (see Figure A on Page B1-27) also
includes the list of possible answer categories (if any)
around the middle portion of the screen.
Figure B on Page B1-28 illustrates an Info Pane with
question text in black letters and an FR instruction.
Each option on the list of answer categories has a
pre-determined numeric code or “precode” to distinguish it
from the others. The precode is what you must enter in the
Form Pane (described below) to record the respondent’s
answers.
There are questions that have a long list of possible
answers, and that allow the respondent to report more
than one answer. Each time you enter a precode in the
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-5
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Form Pane for those types of questions, you will see the
corresponding text in the answer categories highlighted in
blue. The blue highlighting is intended to help you
distinguish the answers already reported from those not
yet selected.
Form Pane
The Form Pane (see Figure A on Page B1-27) is the
bottom half of the screen, where you make your entries.
The Form Pane provides a summary list of the data items
to be collected, and can give you a sense of where you
are in the interview, and of how much ground you must
cover to complete a given section.
In the NCVS instrument, you will sometimes find that a
single Form Pane will cover a whole section, in which
case the Form Pane will give you a complete list of all the
data items you will collect in that section. More often than
not, however, you will find that more than one Form Pane
is needed to cover a section, especially when the section
has a question with a lengthy answer list.
The Form Pane can appear in one of two basic formats:
In column format; or
In table format
In the NCVS instrument, the column format (see Figure B
on Page B1-28) is used whenever the table format is not
appropriate. In the column format, the instrument will drive
you to navigate from top to bottom for each column that
appears in the Form Pane.
The table format is used when there is sufficient space on
the screen to allow FRs to collect - on a row-by-row basis
- the same set of details for any item listed in the leftmost
column. In the table format (see Figure C on Page
B1-29), the instrument will drive you to navigate from left
to right. Each time you enter an item in the leftmost
column the instrument drives you down the same row,
from left to right, to collect more details about that item.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Two-Level Screen
Interaction
Part B, Chapter 1
In the NCVS instrument, each item displayed in the Info
Pane is reflected only as an item label in the Form Pane,
thus allowing space on the bottom half to trace all of the
entries you make in a section. The Info Pane changes as
you move item by item. By contrast, the Form Pane
remains stationary until you either reach the end of the
Form Pane or exit the Form Pane. As you enter the
answers in the Form Pane, the layout of the Form Pane
does not change. Only the contents of the Form Pane
change as the instrument fills in your entries next to the
appropriate item labels.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-7
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 3. Selection of Questions and Screen Content
Selection of Questions
The first interview with the sample household must be made
in person. Once the initial personal visit interview is
conducted, data that you collect about the household and its
members is retained. Based on the household information,
along with the information that you enter during subsequent
NCVS interviews, the instrument determines which
questions to display and how to word these questions
during an interview.
The NCVS instrument also fills the appropriate proper
names, pronouns, verbs, and reference dates into the text
of the NCVS questions. In some cases, a household
member’s answers from a previous interview are pre-filled
on the screen. The following screen shows an example of
the household member’s age, birth date, marital status,
military service, education, Spanish origin, and race as
reported during the previous enumeration period:
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-8
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Screen Content
NCVS Question
Part B, Chapter 1
A typical NCVS instrument screen contains:
The NCVS question appears in the Info Pane. Most
NCVS instrument screens also include answer
categories, along with precodes to enter for each
answer category.
Specific instructions to you appear on the screen in
blue text, preceded with a diamond symbol. See
Figure B for an example.
CASEID
In the bottom left corner of the form pane, you will see
the case identification number or CASEID, an 8-digit
number used to identify NCVS cases. Each sample
address selected for an NCVS interview is assigned a
unique CASEID.
Item or Screen Name
Next to the CASEID, you will see the Item or Screen
Name, which, in most cases, identifies the NCVS
question shown on the screen. However, not all
screens display an NCVS question. Some screens
provide information for you to read to a respondent or
information for you to read to yourself.
Time, date, and
respondent
information
Next to the item name, time, date, and the name of the
person to whom you are talking, and the name of the
person you are talking about appear.
Screens Without
Questions
Some screens in the NCVS instrument provide
information solely for your benefit and do not provide
any question for you to ask of a respondent. The
START_CP screen shown on the next page is an
example of this type of NCVS screen.
This screen contains text that appears in blue. This
indicates that you are only to read the information to
yourself.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-9
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-10
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
There are also NCVS screens that only display statements
to be read to a respondent, such as DISABILITY_ INTRO
shown below. Note that the text is in bold black print.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-11
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 4. Methods of Making Entries
Types of Entries
Single Entry Questions
Each screen in the NCVS instrument requires you to make
some type of entry to proceed to the next screen. These
entries could be in the form of:
Precodes - Examples include: (1) for “Yes,” or
“Continue,” (2) for “No,” or (3) for “Don’t know.”
Numerical - Examples include: (1-31) for “Days of the
month,” (1 - 999,999) for “Total amount,” or (1-96) for
“Number of years.”
Text or Write In - Examples include: “Jacket stolen
from unlocked car” to describe a crime incident in the
crime screening section or a more lengthy write-in entry
for a crime incident summary report.
Most NCVS items only allow you to enter one precode to
answer a question. Items START_CP, TENURE, and
AGECHECK shown in Figures A, B, and C, respectively,
are examples of single entry questions.
Single entry questions display answer categories preceded
by circles or “radio buttons,” which fill with a black dot when
an answer is selected. The instrument does not allow more
than one “button” to be filled.
Multiple Entry Questions
Some NCVS items allow you to enter more than one
precode to answer a question. We refer to these questions
as “multiple entry” questions. They always include an
instruction to you, such as “ENTER ALL THAT APPLY,
SEPARATE WITH COMMAS.”
Multiple entry questions display answer categories
preceded by squares; as you enter each precode, a check
mark appears next to the corresponding answer category.
By entering the same precode a second time, you can
deselect the answer category and the disappears. You
can also backspace over your entry to deselect. You can
also type in the entry numbers, making sure to separate
them with commas. Precodes may be entered in any order.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-12
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
When you are done entering precodes to answer the
question, press “Enter” to indicate that there are no more
entries. NOTREPORTEDPOLICE, shown below, is an
example of a “multiple entry” question.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-13
Part B, Chapter 1
Don’t Know or Refused
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Some NCVS screens display a numeric precode for “Don’t
know,” while other NCVS screens allow you to enter Ctrl + D
for “Don’t know,” even if it is not displayed on the screen.
We refer to this type of precode as a “blind” code.
If a respondent declines to answer a particular question, you
can enter Ctrl + R for “Refused.”
Always try to convince a respondent to answer a question or
at least get a respondent’s best estimate. Whenever
possible, avoid entering Ctrl + D or Ctrl + R during an
interview.
Invalid Entries
If you enter an invalid precode or press “ENTER” without
making an entry for a screen that requires it, the NCVS
instrument displays a pop-up error message. When you see
an “input invalid” message, click on the “OK” button or hit
the “Escape” key. Enter a valid response for the screen and
then press “ENTER” to proceed to the next screen. In the
case of multiple entry questions, you must enter one or
more valid responses for the screen, then press “Enter” to
indicate that there are no more responses.
Soft and Hard Edits
In order to detect inconsistencies in the data at the time of
data capture, several questions contain edit checks. The
edit checks examine the responses to individual items and
determine if the responses are consistent with the other
data entered. A message appears in a pop-up screen when
possible errors (inconsistencies) are detected in the survey.
The screen displays an error message and identifies the
questions that are inconsistent with one another.
There are two types of edit checks, soft edit checks and
hard edit checks. A soft edit check would be created for a 14
year old attending college (possible but not likely), for
example, and a hard edit would be created for a 4 year old
attending college (not possible). For soft edit checks, you
have the option of accepting the responses and therefore
the inconsistency (select the Suppress button) or resolving
the error by going back (select the GoTo button) to the items
in question and rechecking the responses. To go back and
correct a particular item, make sure that the item displayed
in the "Questions involved" column of the "Edit Check Error
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-14
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
Message" is highlighted, then click the GoTo button, which
takes you to that question so you can correct it.
For hard edit checks, you must go back and resolve the
inconsistency. In many cases, inconsistencies occur
because of keying errors.
Ask or Verify Instruction
Selected screens in the NCVS instrument include an “ASK
OR VERIFY” instruction. If you see this instruction and the
respondent has already provided the answer to the question
during the course of the interview, you are allowed to verify
the answer with the respondent, instead of asking the
question on the screen. However, this is only allowed for
screens that have the “ASK OR VERIFY” instruction. If you
don’t see this instruction, you must always ask the question
exactly as it is worded on the screen.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-15
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 5. Navigation and Using Function Keys
Navigation
There are a number of different ways to navigate in the
NCVS instrument. You can navigate:
With the mouse or the keyboard;
From left to right;
From top to bottom;
Back and forth between sections;
Back and forth (across Form Panes) within a section;
and
Index tabs at top left of the Info Pane: Main, HHRoster,
NewHHR, FAQs, and F10.
Mouse or Keyboard
You can use only the keyboard, or only the mouse that is
embedded in your laptop (immediately below the keyboard),
or you can use both -- going back and forth between the two
-- to navigate through the instrument or to make data
entries. If you wish, you can also use an external mouse.
Arrow Keys
Use the arrow keys mostly when navigating sequentially,
from one item to the next. Use the Left and Right Arrows to
navigate horizontally, and use the Up and Down Arrows to
navigate vertically.
Page Up/Page Down Keys
Use the Page Up and Page Down keys when navigating
sequentially, from one Form Pane to the next. Note that you
cannot page down to the next Form Pane until you have
completed the Form Pane where your cursor is. Note also
that you may have to readjust your cursor when you page
down or page up to a Form Pane, because the instrument
always places you on the first item of the Form Pane.
Tabs
Tabs have two functions: you can use them as place
markers, and you can use them as a “jump” menu.
However, you can use them as a “jump” menu only when
you are using the mouse. To use tabs, position the cursor
over the tab you wish to use and left-click the mouse.
Tabs in the NCVS instrument:
Main - Use this tab to return to the interview after pressing
the “HH roster” or “FAQs” tab.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-16
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
HH Roster - Use this tab to show the household
composition.
New HHR - This tab allows you to select a new household
respondent if necessary.
FAQs - This tab takes you to the list of frequently asked
questions.
F10 - Use this tab if you need to end the interview because
of a refusal or breakoff, or if a callback must be scheduled.
Purpose of Function Keys
in the NCVS Instrument
Each function key or combination of keys will allow you to
perform specific tasks while working in the NCVS
instrument. The operation of each function key is described
in this topic and summarized on your computer template,
which is shown in Figure D.
F1 - Question Help
Press the F1 function key to show any help screens for the
current question, which are then displayed in a pop-up box.
Questions that have help screens are identified by “?[F1]”
displayed in the top left hand portion of the information
pane.
SHIFT F1 - Display
Household Roster
Press the SHIFT and F1 keys simultaneously to access the
household roster at the SHOWROSCP screen. You can
access the household roster at any time during an NCVS
interview to reference the information shown on this screen.
The SHOWROSCP screen does not allow you to make
changes to the household roster.
F2 - NOT AVAILABLE
The F2 function key is not used in the NCVS instrument.
SHIFT F2 - Frequently
Asked Questions
Press the SHIFT and F2 keys simultaneously to access the
help screens for nine frequently asked NCVS questions
from the FAQMain screen. These screens will help you
answer respondent’s questions.
F3 - NOT AVAILABLE
The F3 function key is not used in the NCVS instrument.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-17
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
F4 - Jump Menu
Press the F4 function key to access a “Jump” menu, which
allows you to jump back to a previously answered section of
the incident report items. Note that this function only works
in the incident report items, which are part of the middle
section of the NCVS instrument.
ALT F4 – Escape Help
Screen
Press the ALT and F4 keys simultaneously to escape from
help screens in the instrument.
SHIFT F5 - Spanish Version
Press the SHIFT and F5 keys simultaneously once you
have passed the START_CP screen, and a pop-up menu
appears. Select the “Spanish” option and the instrument
switches to the Spanish version of the NCVS instrument for
the current question and all subsequent questions. To
return to the English version, just press the SHIFT and F5
keys simultaneously again and select “English” from the
pop-up menu.
F6 - NOT AVAILABLE
The F6 function key is not used in the NCVS instrument.
F7 - Enter Notes
Press the F7 function key to enter notes for several screens
within the NCVS instrument. After pressing F7, a pop-up
“Notes” box appears. Enter the text of your note, then click
the “Save” button in the box to leave the F7 notes mode.
When F7 notes are entered for an instrument screen, a
paperclip icon appears next to the item name on the form
pane telling you that a “Note Exists.”
SHIFT F7 - View Notes
For any screen that indicates a “Note Exists,” press the
SHIFT and F7 keys simultaneously to view these notes and
to add any new notes by typing the text of your new note.
When you press SHIFT and F7, a pop-up notes box
appears. This box lets you view all notes to date; to add
more notes use the F7 function key.
If there are no F7 item notes for an item when you press
SHIFT and F7, a pop-up box appears that tells you there are
no notes for that item.
F8 - Return From Skip
Press the F8 function key, to return or skip back to the item
from which you pressed the F10 key, which skips to the end
of the interview. This may be useful if you press the F10 key
by mistake.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-18
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
SHIFT F9 - New HHR
Press the SHIFT and F9 keys simultaneously to change the
household respondent (HHR) before the household
respondent’s interview has been completed.
F10 - Skip to End
Press the F10 function key to skip over unanswered
questions when a respondent breaks off the interview
before you can complete it. After pressing the F10 function
key, the instrument goes to the back section, where you can
schedule a callback.
The instrument sets a person’s interview status to “partially
completed,” so that you can resume the interview for that
person later when the respondent is available.
Up Arrow - Back One Item
While in the middle section of the NCVS instrument, the Up
Arrow key allows you to move back one item.
Down Arrow - Forward One
Item
While in the middle section of the NCVS instrument, the
Down Arrow key moves forward one item.
Home - First Item
Press the Home key to move the cursor to the FIRST
screen in the current section.
End - Last Item
Press the End key to move the cursor to the next
unanswered question in the current section.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-19
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 6. Partial Interviews and Callbacks
Getting Started
The NCVS interviewing begins on the first day of every
month. It is important to complete as many interviews as
possible within the first few days of the interview period.
Introducing Yourself
Once you have contacted a sample household, it is critical
that you quickly establish a good rapport with the
respondent. Remember to not only be businesslike and
professional, but also try to sound friendly and relaxed.
Keep track of your pace throughout the interview, because
speaking either too quickly or too slowly can make the
respondent feel uncomfortable.
Exiting a Partial Interview
At times, you may have to exit the NCVS instrument, even
though the interview is only partially completed. For
example, this can happen when a respondent breaks off the
interview for personal reasons, whether the respondent
offers to continue the interview at another time, or if the next
eligible respondent is not available at that time.
If this happens, press the F10 function key or the F10 index
tab to exit the unfinished interview. If you are unable to exit
from the current screen, go forward or backward a screen or
two until the instrument allows the F10 function. Pressing
the F10 function key takes you to REFCBBREAK_CP, as
shown on the next page.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
To set up a callback, enter (2) at REFCBBREAK_CP. The
instrument goes to APPT, shown on the next page. Use
APPT to indicate the best time for the household
respondent to complete the interview (if the household has
indicated that they are willing to complete the interview at a
later time). The remaining callback screens are covered in
Part B, Chapter 4.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-21
Part B, Chapter 1
Completing a Partial
Interview
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Before you call a sample household to complete a partial
interview, you may:
Review interviewer notes from the previous interview.
Identify which household member’s interview is
incomplete and at which item the interview will resume.
Identify which household members still need to be
interviewed.
Once you verify certain facts, the instrument continues with
the next unanswered question for the household member
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-22
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
whose interview is incomplete. After passing the
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP screen, press the “end” key to go to
the next unanswered question in the interview.
The instrument also allows you to review previously
answered questions from a household member’s partial
interview, if necessary, by using the up and down arrow
keys.
Recovering From Program
Errors
Occasionally, you may get stuck in a loop where the
instrument continues to cycle through only a few questions.
If the computer does not go to the next appropriate
question, check your answers on each screen carefully as
you step through the loop again. If you discover an incorrect
entry, correcting the entry may correct the loop problem.
If this happens in the incident report items, you can try using
the F4 function key to jump back to another part of the
incident report items and try to continue from that point. As a
last resort, notify your supervisor about the problem before
exiting the case, whenever possible.
Let the respondent know that you are experiencing
computer problems. If you cannot correct the problem in a
relatively short time, press the F10 function key and set a
callback for the case.
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-23
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 7. CAPI Outcome Codes
Outcome code
Description
200
New case – not yet started/checked in
201
Completed interview (no Type Z’s)
202
Accessed instrument, insufficient partial
203
Sufficient partial – no more follow-up needed
204
Sufficient partial – follow-up needed
213
Type A – Language problems
216
Type A – No one home
217
Type A – Temporarily absent
218
Type A – Refused
219
225
Type A – Other occupied
Type B – Temporarily occupied by persons with usual
residence elsewhere (URE)
226
Type B – Vacant – regular
227
Type B – Vacant – storage of furniture
228
Type B – Unfit or to be demolished
229
Type B – Under construction, not ready
230
Type B – Converted to temporary business or storage
231
Type B – Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
232
Type B – Permit granted, construction not started
233
Type B – Other
240
Type C – Demolished
241
Type C – House or trailer moved
242
Type C – Outside segment
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-24
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
Outcome code
Description
243
Type C – Converted to permanent business or storage
244
Type C – Merged
245
Type C – Condemned
247
Type C – Unused line of listing sheet
248
Type C – Other
258
Type C – Unlocatable sample address
259
Type C – Unit does not exist or is out of scope
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-25
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 8. How to Use the Tool Bar
GENERAL
The NCVS Tool Bar has five main sections: Forms,
Answer, Navigate, Options, and Help. Use your mouse to
navigate the Tool Bar. The sections and their menus and
functions are listed below.
Forms - Includes
Save and Exit
functions
Browse Forms - Ctrl + B (not used in NCVS)
Save - Ctrl + S
Check (not used in NCVS)
Exit - F10
Answer - Shortcuts
for various answer
functions
Don’t Know - Ctrl + D
Refused - Ctrl + R
Change Respondent - Shift + F9
Item Notes/Remark - F7
Repeat - F12 (only used in roster section of NCVS)
Show Question Text - Ctrl + F3
Incident to Add - Ctrl + I
Navigate - shortcuts
for navigating
through the
instrument
Jump Menu - F4
Return - F8
Add’l Skip to Next Person/Sec - Ctrl +F9 (not used in NCVS)
Show Function Keys - Ctrl + K
Search Tag - Ctrl + F
Show notes/remarks - Shift + F7
Options miscellaneous
functions
Language - Shift + F5
Interview Time Preference - Ctrl + T
Case Level Notes - Ctrl + F7
Show Original Notes - Shift + F12
Mute (not used in NCVS)
Calculator - F11 - (shows calculator in pop-up window)
Calendar - Ctrl + F11
Help - shows
various help
functions
Question Help - F1 (only for questions with a help screen)
Show Function Keys - Shift + F10
Show HH - Shift + F1
Show Status (not used in NCVS)FAQ - Shift + F2
RI FAQ - (not used in NCVS)
Show Standard Abbreviations - Shift + F11
Report Error - Ctrl + E
Info - Ctrl + H - (Tells what version of Blaise software
you’re using)
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-26
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
Information Pane and Form Pane
Information
(Info)
Pane
Form
Pane
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-27
FIGURE A
Part B, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Form Pane in Column Format
FIGURE B
FR instructions
Question
text
Answer
categories
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-28
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 1
Form Pane in Table Format
FIGURE C
Overview of the NCVS Instrument
B1-29
FIGURE D
Function keys for NCVS:
F1
F2
F3
Question
Help
F4
F5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
F12
Item
Notes/
Remark
Return
Skip
Forward
Exit
Calculator
Copy Down
(Repeat)
Shift +
F6
Shift +
F7
Shift +
F8
Shift +
F9
Shift +
F10
Shift + F11
Shift + F12
Show
Notes/
Remark
s
Ctrl+F7
New
HHR
Show
Function
Keys
Show
Standard
Abbrev.
Show
Original
Notes (RI)
Ctrl+K
Ctrl+M
Ctrl+R
Ctrl+F11
Ctrl+T
Case
Level
Notes
Show
Function
Keys
Show
DK &
Refused
Refused
Calendar
Interview
Time
Preference
Jump
Menu
Shift +
F1
Shift +
F2
Shift + F3
Shift +
F4
Shift + F5
Show HH
FAQs
RI FAQs
END
HOME
Ctrl+F3
Ctrl+D
Ctrl+F
Ctrl+H
Next
Question
on Path
First
Question
on Path
Show
Question
Text
Don’t
Know
Search
Tag
Info
Language
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
Table of Topics
1 Introduction
Topic
Page
B2-2
2 Screen Layout and Instructions for START_CP
B2-3
3 CAPI Personal Visit Interview for Household
Respondent and Individual Respondent(s) (Screen
Layout and Instructions for START_CP through
INTRO_REC_CP)
B2-5
4 CAPI Telephone Interview for Household
Respondent and Individual Respondent(s) (Screen
Layout and Instructions for START_CP through
INTRO_REC_CP)
B2-19
5 Selecting a New Household or Individual
Respondent for CAPI Personal Visit and Telephone
Interview (Screen Layout and Instructions for
NEWHHR_CP, HELLO_ALT2_CP,
HELP_OTH_CP, ALTERNATE1_CP,
TOOLATE_CP, and NEXTPERSON.
B2-32
6 Completing Self Response and Proxy Interviews and
Coding Initial Refusals (Screen Layout and
Instructions for INTERVIEWSTATUS through
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT)
7 Verifying Sample Address, Primary Telephone
Number and Mailing Address (Screen Layout and
Instructions for GETLETTER_CP through
NEWMAILGQDESCRIPTION_CP)
8 Housing Unit Characteristics (Screen Layout and
Instructions for TENURE through
RESTRICTEDACCESS)
9 Household Roster Demographic Characteristics
(Screen Layout and Instructions for
HHROSTER_FNAME through ANY_OTHERCHNG)
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-1
B2-39
B2-52
B2-61
B2-79
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Introduction
Overview of the Front
Section
The Front Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to:
Give you case-level information to review before
attempting contact with the sample household;
Guide you through screens for making contact with a
household respondent or an individual respondent for
personal visit or telephone interviews, and record
possible interviewing problems;
Verify that you have reached the correct address and
household, and to code a case as a replacement
household when necessary;
Guide you through screens for selecting a new
household respondent or new individual respondent;
Update sample address, mailing address, and
telephone number information for the household with
the household respondent; and
Provide appropriate screens to update or verify
information from the sample household’s control card
section.
Topic 2 covers most of the NCVS screens that make up the
front section of the NCVS instrument. Some “Front Section”
screens display the instruction, “ASK OR VERIFY.” For
screens which include this instruction, you are allowed to
verify the answer with the respondent without asking the
question, provided the respondent already furnished the
information earlier in the interview. If you do not see this
instruction, you must ask the question exactly as worded on
the screen.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Topic 2. Screen Layout and Instructions for START_CP
CENSUS CATI/CAPI SYSTEM
National Crime Victimization Survey
Case status is: New Case
Date: July 2, 2015
Time: 9:53 am
Incoming/Continuing: Incoming
Interview Number: 01
Confirmed Refusal: No
1 Telephone interview
2 Personal visit interview (See notes)
3 Personal visit interview (Skip all notes and go to GEN_INTRO_CP)
4 Noninterview (Type A/B/C)
5 Ready to transmit case - no more followup (Type Z’s)
6 Quit: Do not attempt now
START_CP
START_CP
START_CP is the first NCVS instrument screen that you
see when you enter a case. As shown above, this screen
gives you the following information:
Survey title
Case status
Current date and time
Incoming/Continuing status
Interview Number (1 through 7) (also referred to in this
chapter as Time in Sample or TIS 1-7)
Confirmed Refusal Status (Yes or No)
After reviewing the information, choose the appropriate
Precode (1-6), then press ENTER to go to the next screen.
Precode (1)
For interviews you conduct by telephone, enter Precode (1).
Telephone interviews are discussed in more detail in Topic
4 of this chapter.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-3
Part B, Chapter 2
Precode (2)
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
For interviews you conduct by personal visit for which you
wish to view information available for the case, enter
Precode (2). Entering Precode (2) allows you to view:
The household roster (SHOW_CP_ROSTER), and
A reminder screen to view case level notes and the
interview time preference grid (Best Time to Call/no
Sunday information) (SHOW_INFO_CP)
Precode (3)
For interviews you conduct by personal visit and for which
you do not wish to view information available for the case,
enter Precode (3). This option is essentially the same as
selecting Precode (2) except that you bypass Items
SHOW_CP_ROSTER and SHOW_INFO_CP. Personal
Visit interviews are discussed in more detail in Topic 3 of
this chapter.
Precode (4)
To code a case as a noninterview (Type A/B/C), enter
Precode (4). These Noninterview outcomes are discussed
in more detail in Part A, Chapter 6.
Precode (5)
To code Type Z reasons for individual respondents in cases
that are a sufficient partial (that is, the interview is complete
for the household respondent) and for which you no longer
will make attempts to interview any remaining individual
respondent(s) in the sample household whose interview(s)
is/are not complete, enter Precode (5). Coding persons as
Type Z noninterviews is also discussed in more detail in
Part A, Chapter 6.
Precode (6)
Enter Precode (6) if you want to exit the case, for example, if
you do not want to attempt interviewing the case at this time.
After entering Precode (6) you will skip to the VERIFY
screen in the back of the instrument. The Back Section of
the instrument is discussed further in Part B, Chapter 6.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Topic 3. CAPI Personal Visit Interview for
Household Respondent and Individual Respondent(s)
(Screen Layout and Instructions for START_CP
through INTRO_REC_CP)
CENSUS CATI/CAPI SYSTEM
National Crime Victimization Survey
Case status is: New Case
Date: July 2, 2015
Time: 9:53 am
Incoming/Continuing: Incoming
Interview Number: 01
Confirmed Refusal: No
1 Telephone interview
2 Personal visit interview (See notes)
3 Personal visit interview (Skip all notes and go to GEN_INTRO_CP)
4 Noninterview (Type A/B/C)
5 Ready to transmit case - no more followup (Type Z’s)
6 Quit: Do not attempt now
START_CP
START_CP
The START_CP screen is the first NCVS instrument screen
that you see when you enter a case. As shown above, this
screen gives you the following information:
Survey title
Case status
Current date and time.
Incoming/Continuing status
Interview Number (1 through 7) (also referred to in this
chapter as Time in Sample or TIS 1-7)
Confirmed Refusal Status (Yes or No)
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-5
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
After reviewing the information, choose Precode (2) or (3) to
continue with a personal visit interview.
When you select Precode (2) at START_CP the instrument
continues with SHOW_CP_ROSTER.
Status of household composition
LN
NAME
REL
MEMBER
SEX AGE
1
2
3
Ted Moe
Megan Moe
Jane Moe
Ref Per
Wife
Daughtr
Member
Member
Member
M 43
F 43
F 14
1
STATUS
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
Enter 1 to Continue
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
SHOW_CP_ROSTER displays the household roster. The
roster includes anyone added to the roster during the time
the case has been in sample. Therefore, persons coded as
nonmembers are also shown at this screen. In addition to
the SHOW_CP_ROSTER screen, you can also view the
household roster at any place in the instrument by clicking
on the HHROSTER index tab at the top of the Info Pane or
by pressing the “Shift” + “F1” keys.
INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS INTERVIEW
Press Control + F7 to view case level notes
Press Control + T to view interview time preference
Language:
1 Enter 1 to Continue
SHOW_INFO_CP
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
SHOW_INFO_CP
Part B, Chapter 2
The SHOW_INFO_CP screen gives you a chance to review
any notes entered for the case since the household first
came into sample, by pressing the “Ctrl” + “F7" keys
simultaneously. You can also check for any “Best Time to
Call or No Sunday Information” that was previously entered
in the Interview Time Preferences grid by pressing the “Ctrl”
+ “T” keys simultaneously. Last, this will display any
non-English languages the household may speak based on
entries in the instrument during a previous contact. From
SHOW_INFO_CP, continue with GEN_INTRO_CP when
attempting to contact the Household Respondent or
WHOTOCALL_CP when attempting to reach an Individual
Respondent once the case has reached the status of a
sufficient partial (that is, the interview is complete for the
household respondent).
For interviews you conduct by personal visit and for which
you do not wish to view information available for the case,
the instrument bypasses SHOW_CP_ROSTER and
SHOW_INFO_CP and continues with either
GEN_INTRO_CP (when attempting to contact the
Household Respondent) or WHOTOCALL_CP (when
attempting to reach an Individual Respondent).
Enter the line number of the person with whom you want to speak.
1 Ted Moe
3 Jane Moe
WHOTOCALL_CP
WHOTOCALL_CP
WHOTOCALL_CP appears when you are re-entering a
case where you have already completed the Household
Respondent’s interview. This screen is used to select a
person to contact in order to set up the fills in the question
text in GEN_INTRO_CP as well as other screens in the
Front Section of the instrument with the name of the next
person you are trying to reach.
This screen allows you to enter the line number for any
individual respondent whose interview you have not yet
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-7
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
completed. The instrument only displays those respondents
who have not completed their interview yet.
Enter the line number of the person you want to speak to
and then press the “Enter” key to proceed to
GEN_INTRO_CP.
? [F1]
Identify yourself - and show I.D.
Hello, I’m (YOUR NAME)...from the U.S. Census Bureau. Here is my identification.
If new household - give introductory letter and allow time to read
ASK FOR: Eligible respondent (a household member at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable
about the household)
Household address is:
101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
1 Respondent available
2 Respondent not available
3 Unavailable through closeout
GEN_INTRO_CP
GEN_INTRO_CP
Item GEN_INTRO_CP gives you instructions for introducing
yourself and starting the personal visit interview. It also
displays information about who to ask for:
For incoming (TIS 1) households in which you have not
yet established a household respondent, this screen
displays: “ASK FOR:” Eligible respondent (a household
member at least 18 years of age and knowledgeable
about the household).
For incoming (TIS 1) households for which you have
established a household respondent but are making a
callback to complete their interview, or for continuing
cases in which you are interviewing the household
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respondent, this screen displays the household
respondent’s name after the interviewer instruction:
“ASK TO SPEAK TO:”
For any (TIS 1-7) household in which you are
interviewing an individual respondent, the individual
respondent’s name displays after the interviewer
instruction that reads: “ASK TO SPEAK TO:” The name
of the individual respondent is filled based upon the line
number you enter in the WHOTOCALL_CP screen. The
WHOTOCALL_CP screen appears in the instrument
front only after you have completed the interview for the
household respondent.
The precodes you enter in GEN_INTRO_CP result in the
instrument progressing to different screens based on the
case’s Time in Sample (that is, whether it is incoming (TIS
1) or continuing (TIS 2-7), and whether you are interviewing
a household respondent on the first attempt, interviewing a
household respondent on a reentry into the case (for
example, to complete a partial interview with the household
respondent), or interviewing an individual respondent.
Precode (1)
Precode (2)
Entering Precode (1), “Respondent available” in
GEN_INTRO_CP takes you to:
CAPI_INTRO_B when you are interviewing a
household respondent whose interview has not been at
least partially completed. (All TIS)
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP when you are interviewing a
household respondent or an individual respondent
whose interview has been partially completed this
interview period. (All TIS)
INTRO_REC_CP when you are interviewing an
individual respondent whose interview has not been at
least partially completed. (All TIS)
If you enter Precode (2), “Respondent not available,” at
GEN_INTRO_CP the instrument goes to:
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
HHNUM_VR_CP for a continuing case when you are
interviewing a household respondent whose interview
has not been at least partially completed. (TIS 2-7).
NEWHHR_CP for a continuing case when you are
attempting to interview a household respondent whose
interview has been partially completed this interview
period. (TIS 1-7)
VERIFY in the back of the instrument for an incoming
case when you are attempting to interview a household
respondent whose interview has not been at least
partially completed. (TIS 1)
ALTERNATE1_CP for a case when you are attempting
to interview an individual respondent who is not
available but there is at least one other individual
respondent in the household who still needs to be
interviewed. ALTERNATE1_CP allows you to select the
line number of the another person to attempt to
interview. (All TIS)
Precode (3)
Entering Precode (3), “Respondent not available through
closeout,” in GEN_INTRO_CP progresses to:
VERIFY in the back of the instrument for an incoming
case when you are attempting to interview a household
respondent whose interview has not been at least
partially completed. (TIS 1)
GEN_INTRO_CP_CK when you are conducting an
interview with a TIS 2-7 case. GEN_INTRO_CP_CK is
used to determine whether a new household
respondent is needed or whether a proxy interview is
needed when attempting to reach an individual
respondent.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
(For household respondent):
Are you sure this person is unavailable through closeout? If so, you must select a
new household respondent.
(For individual respondent):
Are you sure this person is unavailable through closeout? If so, try to find a proxy
respondent for this person.
Questions involved
GEN_INTRO_CP: Introduction 1st time
Value
Unavailable through closeout
Suppress
GEN_INTRO_CP_CK
Close
Goto
GEN_INTRO_CP_CK displays FR instructions based on
the situation. When interviewing the Household Respondent
the instrument displays the first FR instruction in the screen
shot above and when interviewing an Individual
Respondent the instrument displays the second FR
instruction.
When the “Suppress” button is selected at this edit check,
the instrument progresses to screens to allow you to select
a new household respondent (Items HELLO_ALT2_CP or
HELP_OTH_CP) or allow you to select a proxy respondent
for an individual respondent (TOOLATE_CP). These
screens are discussed in more detail in Topic 5 of this
chapter.
When the “Close” or “Goto” buttons are selected, the
instrument returns to the GEN_INTRO_CP screen.
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Is respondent ready to complete the interview?
1 Continue
2 Inconvenient time - callback needed
3 Reluctant respondent - hold for refusal follow-up
4 Other outcome -problem/select new household respondent
5 Wrong address (wrong case selected)
CAPI_INTRO_B
CAPI_INTRO_B
CAPI_INTRO_B checks to make sure the respondent is
ready to complete the interview.
The precodes you enter in the CAPI_INTRO_B screen
result in the instrument progressing to different screens
based on the case’s Time in Sample (that is, whether it is
incoming (TIS 1) or continuing (TIS 2-7).
Precode (1)
Precode (1), “Continue,” takes you to:
GETLETTER_CP for an incoming case where there has
not been at least a partial interview obtained with the
household respondent. GETLETTER_CP verifies
whether or not the household received the “Introductory”
or “Continuing Household” letter sent by your Regional
Office.
HHNUM_VR_CP which asks, “Is this a replacement
household?” for a continuing case in which you have not
completed at least a partial interview with the household
respondent.
A replacement household is one in which the
household interviewed in the previous enumeration
period has moved away from the sample address and
has been replaced by a new household.
Precodes (2) and (3)
Entering Precode (2), “Inconvenient time. Callback
needed.” or Precode (3) “Reluctant respondent - hold for
refusal followup”, takes you to:
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precode (4)
Part B, Chapter 2
VERIFY (then out of the instrument) for an incoming
case
HHNUM_VR_CP, which asks, “Is this a replacement
household?” for a continuing case in which you have not
completed at least a partial interview with the household
respondent.
Entering Precode (4), “Other outcome OR problem
interviewing respondent” takes you to:
HHNUM_VR_CP screen, for a continuing case.
HHRPICK_CK for an incoming case. HHRPICK_CK is
a hard error pop-up screen that displays the following
message:
Error. You indicated respondent was available to continue the interview or
you are trying to change a household respondent for an incoming case
that does not yet have a household respondent.
Questions involved
CAPI_INTRO_B: Ready for PV?
Value
Other outcome-problem/select new...
Suppress
HHRPICK_CK
Close
Goto
At this edit check, press the “Goto” button to return to
CAPI_INTRO_B and select another precode.
This edit check appears when you have selected Precode
(1), “Respondent available” in GEN_INTRO_CP, as well as
Precode (4), “Other outcome OR problem interviewing
respondent” in CAPI_INTRO_B; which are two inconsistent
answers. It also appears when you are trying to change a
household respondent in an incoming case when the
household respondent has not yet been selected. Selection
of the initial household respondent for an incoming case is
done at PICK1STHHRESP.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
Precode (5)
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Entering Precode (5), “Wrong address (wrong case
selected),” in CAPI_INTRO_B takes you to VERIFY (and
then out of the instrument) for an incoming or continuing
case.
Is this a replacement household?
If unsure, enter 2 (No)
1 Yes
2 No
HHNUM_VR_CP
HHNUM_VR_CP
This screen is displayed when entering a case, either for a
personal visit interview or telephone interview, where you
have not obtained at least a partial interview with the
household respondent.
If the household is a replacement household, indicate that
by entering Precode (1), “Yes.” The instrument goes to
CK_REPLACE_CP, which is the first of two items that must
be completed before setting up a replacement household.
If the household is not a replacement, enter Precode (2),
“No.” Then interview the household as usual.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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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?
1 Yes
2 No
CK_REPLACE_CP
CK_REPLACE_CP
CK_REPLACE_CP contains an interviewer instruction
asking you to verify that this household is indeed a
replacement household and meets the NCVS definition of a
replacement household. Enter Precode (1) “Yes” to code
this as a replacement household and continue, otherwise
enter Precode (2) “No”. After entering Precode (2), an edit
check pop-up tells you how to proceed.
Inconsistent answers were entered in HHNUM_VR_CP
and CK_REPLACE_CP.
Below select either “HHNUM_VR_CP: Replacement
household? “Yes” and press the “Goto” button to return
to the HHNUM_VR_CP screen to change the answer to
“No” to indicate this is not a replacement household OR
select “CK_REPLACE_CP:Verify replacement “No” and
press the “Goto” button to return to the CK_REPLACE_CP
screen to change the answer to “Yes” to verify this is a
replacement household.
Questions involved
HHNUM_VR_CP: Replacement household?
CK_REPLACE_CP: Verify replacement
Suppress
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-15
Close
Value
Yes
No
Goto
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
This edit check appears when you have coded that this is a
replacement household in HHNUM_VR_CP and then coded
that it is not a replacement household in
CK_REPLACE_CP. If you selected that this was a
replacement household in error, select the first row in the
“Questions Involved” column to return to the
HHNUM_VR_CP screen and change the answer to “No” to
code that this IS NOT a replacement household. Otherwise,
select the second row in the “Questions Involved” column to
return to the CK_REPLACE_CP screen and change the
answer to “Yes” to code that this IS a replacement
household.
NOTE: Only code a case as a replacement household after
you have confirmed new respondents have moved into the
sample address. If new respondents have not moved in yet,
then the current case should be coded as a Type B
Noninterview. Do not code a vacant sample address as a
replacement household since the original household has
not been replaced yet.
PARTIAL INTERVIEW FOR: Ted Moe
IF NECESSARY: Hello, this is (YOUR NAME) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
We completed part of your interview for the National Crime Victimization Survey and
would like to finish it now.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP appears when you are interviewing
a household respondent or an individual respondent whose
interview has been partially completed this interview period.
(All TIS) This screen comes up after entering Precode (1) in
GEN_INTRO_CP or a valid line number in
ALTERNATE1_CP when calling back for a respondent with
a partial interview. Use this screen to reintroduce yourself
and the survey to the respondent before proceeding with the
respondent’s interview. After Entering (1) to continue, you
can press the “End” key to skip to the last unanswered
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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question in this respondent’s interview. For example, if you
stopped the interview with a respondent at
LOCATION_GENERAL in the incident report section during
your original contact, upon callback, enter Precode (1) in
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP and at the next screen that appears
press the “End” key to skip to LOCATION_GENERAL. This
saves you and the respondent valuable time by not having
to go through all of the screens the respondent answered
during the previous contact.
?[F1]
RECALLED RESPONDENT: Jane Moe
IF NECESSARY: Hello, this is (YOUR NAME) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
INTRO_REC_CP
INTRO_REC_CP
INTRO_REC_CP appears when you are interviewing an
individual respondent whose interview has not been at least
partially completed. (All TIS)
This screen comes up after entering Precode (1) in
GEN_INTRO_CP or a valid line number in
ALTERNATE1_CP when calling back for a respondent who
has not been interviewed yet. Use this screen to introduce
yourself and the survey to the respondent before
proceeding with the respondent’s interview. After Entering
(1) to continue, proceed to NEXTPERSON, which will be
prefilled with the respondent’s line number.
Press the “Enter” key to continue to INTERVIEWSTATUS to
begin the respondent’s interview.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-17
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 4. CAPI Telephone Interview for
Household Respondent and Individual Respondents
(Screen Layout and Instructions for
START_CP through INTRO_REC_CP)
CENSUS CATI/CAPI SYSTEM
National Crime Victimization Survey
Case status is: New Case
Date: July 3, 2015
Time: 10:06 am
Incoming/Continuing: Continuing
Interview Number: 02
Confirmed Refusal: No
1 Telephone interview
2 Personal visit interview (See notes)
3 Personal visit interview (Skip all notes and go to GEN_INTRO_CP)
4 Noninterview (Type A/B/C)
5 Ready to transmit case - no more followup (Type Z’s)
6 Quit: Do not attempt now
START_CP
START_CP
(Telephone Interview)
START_CP is the first screen when you enter a case. It
shows:
Survey title
Case status
Current date and time.
Incoming/Continuing status
Interview Number (1 through 7)
Confirmed Refusal Status (Yes or No)
After reviewing the information, choose Precode (1) to
conduct the interview by telephone. If you enter Precode (1)
for an incoming case (TIS 1) and you have not yet
completed the interview with the household respondent you
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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will see the edit check, NEED_PV_CK.
• 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 “Suppress” to continue with a telephone interview for this case.
Otherwise, select “Goto” to return to the START_CP screen and select personal interview.
Questions involved
START_CP: Start CAPI interview
Value
Telephone interview
Suppress
NEED_PV_CK
Close
Goto
NEED_PV_CK appears for TIS 1 cases as well as
replacement households when Precode (1) is selected at
START_CP when the household has not yet been
interviewed. Although incoming cases should be done by
personal visit, this was added to accommodate households
that request a telephone interview.
To continue with a telephone interview click on the
“Suppress” button, which takes you to DIAL_CP to start a
telephone interview. Otherwise, click on the “Goto” button to
return to START_CP to select Precode (2) or (3) to continue
with a personal visit interview. Personal visit interviews are
discussed in Topic 3 of this chapter.
START_CP
(Telephone Interview)
When entering Precode (1) in START_CP for TIS 2-7 cases
you progress to the following screens to view information
available for the case, that is:
the household roster (SHOW_CP_ROSTER) and
a reminder screen to view case level notes and the
interview time preference grid (Best Time to Call/no
Sunday information) (SHOW_INFO_CP).
(Note that Precodes 2-6 and corresponding instrument
paths are discussed in detail in Topic 2 of this chapter.)
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Status of household composition
LN
NAME
REL
MEMBER
SEX
AGE
STATUS
1
2
3
Ted Moe
Megan Moe
Jane Moe
Ref Per
Wife
Daughtr
Member
Member
Member
M
F
F
43
43
14
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
1 Enter 1 to Continue
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
SHOW_CP_ROSTER
SHOW_CP_ROSTER displays the household roster. The
roster includes anyone added to the roster during the time
the case has been in sample. Therefore, persons coded as
nonmembers are also displayed at this screen. In addition to
the SHOW_CP_ROSTER screen, you can also view the
household roster at any place in the instrument by clicking
on the HHROSTER index tab at the top of the Info Pane or
by pressing the “Shift” + “F1” keys.
INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS INTERVIEW
• Press Control + F7 to view case level notes
• Press Control + T to view interview time preference
• Language:
1 Enter 1 to Continue
SHOW_INFO_CP
SHOW_INFO_CP
SHOW_INFO_CP gives you a chance to review any notes
entered for the case since the household first came into
sample, by pressing the “Ctrl” + F7" keys simultaneously.
You can also check for any “Best Time to Call or No Sunday
Information” that was previously entered in the Interview
Time Preferences grid by pressing the “Ctrl” + “T” keys
simultaneously. Last, this displays any non-English
languages the household may speak based on entries in the
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
instrument during a previous contact. From
SHOW_INFO_CP, continue with HHNUM_VR_CP when
first attempting to contact the Household Respondent or the
WHOTOCALL_CP screen when attempting to reach an
Individual Respondent once the case has reached the
status of a sufficient partial (that is, the interview is complete
for the household respondent).
Is this a replacement household?
If unsure, enter 2 (No)
1 Yes
2 No
HHNUM_VR_CP
HHNUM_VR_CP
HHNUM_VR_CP is displayed when entering a case, either
for a personal visit interview or telephone interview, where
you have not obtained at least a partial interview with the
household respondent.
If the household is not a replacement, enter Precode (2),
“No.” Then interview the household as usual.
During a telephone interview, when you have discovered
that the previous household has moved out and entered
Precode (1), “Yes,” at HHNUM_VR_CP, check item
CK_REPLACEFOLLOWUP_CP appears:
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.
CK_REPLACEFOLLOWUP_CP
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
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Follow up with a personal visit to verify the current status of
the sample address (vacant or occupied by new
respondents). Do not code a case as a replacement
household until you have followed up and verified that:
the entire household has moved out of the sample
address
AND
at least one new respondent has moved into the sample
address.
If you determine that the sample address is vacant, code the
case as a noninterview following the instructions in Part A,
Chapter 6. Do not code this situation as a replacement
household, since a new household has not moved into the
sample address.
Enter the line number of the person with whom you want to speak.
1. Ted Moe
3. Jane Moe
WHOTOCALL_CP
WHOTOCALL_CP
(Telephone Interview)
WHOTOCALL_CP appears when you re-enter a case
where you have already completed the Household
Respondent’s interview. This screen is used to select a
person to contact in order to set up the fills in the question
text in DIAL_CP as well as other screens in the Front
Section of the instrument with the name of the next person
you are trying to reach. This screen allows you to enter the
line number for any individual respondent whose interview
you have not yet completed. The instrument only displays
those respondents who have not completed their interview.
Enter the line number of the person you want to speak to
and then press the “Enter” key to go to DIAL_CP.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Dial number
Primary Number
(991) 555-9899 EXTENSION:
Phone Type: Home
Other Number:
(991) 555-9898 EXTENSION: 999
Phone Type: Work
Household respondent last enumeration: Ted Moe
Current Household respondent: Megan Moe
Address: 101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
1 Someone answers
2 No contact/answering machine
3 New telephone number/number disconnected
4 NOT ATTEMPTED NOW
DIAL_CP
DIAL_CP
At DIAL_CP, code the outcome of the call.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when someone answers; this takes you
to HELLO_1_CP.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when you get an answering machine or a
busy signal. This precode takes you to the back of the
instrument and VERIFY.
Precode (3)
If you get a recorded message that the number has been
disconnected or a new number is given, enter Precode (3)
which takes you to NEW_NUMBER_CP.
Precode (4)
Entering Precode (4) takes you to VERIFY to exit the
instrument.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Record new telephone number.
Enter 0 for no new telephone number.
OLD NUMBER: (991) 555-9899
NEW_NUMBER_CP
NEW_NUMBER_CP
If you find out that the phone number you dialed has been
disconnected and no new number is given, enter 0 (zero) at
NEW_NUMBER_CP to exit the instrument, via VERIFY.
Otherwise, enter the new phone number at this screen.
After typing the new number and pressing “Enter,” the
instrument goes back to DIAL_CP, which directs you to call
using the new number. If you do not enter the full ten-digit
phone number or if you enter an invalid area code, an edit
check pop-up appears that sends you back to the
NEW_NUMBER_CP screen to reenter the new number.
Hello. This is (YOUR NAME)... from the U.S. Census Bureau.
May I please speak with Megan Moe?
1 This is the correct person
2 Correct person called to the phone
3 Person not home now or not available now"
4 Person unknown at this number
5 Person no longer lives here
6 Person unavailable through closeout (includes deceased individuals)
HELLO_1_CP
HELLO_1_CP
HELLO_1_CP provides the introduction for you to use once
someone answers the phone. After saying “Hello,” you are
prompted to introduce yourself and then ask for either the
household respondent from the last enumeration (first time
calling the household this enumeration), the current
household respondent (if you have started the interview with
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
a household respondent), or the person selected at the
WHOTOCALL_CP screen.
The precode you enter at HELLO_1_CP determines what
screen the instrument brings up next, based on whether you
are interviewing a household respondent on the first
attempt, interviewing a household respondent on a reentry
into the case (for example, to complete a partial interview
with the household respondent), or interviewing an
individual respondent.
Precodes (1) and (2)
Precodes (3) or (5)
Entering Precode (1), “This is the correct person or Precode
or (2) “Correct person called to the phone” takes you to:
GETLETTER_CP when you are interviewing a
household respondent whose interview has not been at
least partially completed. (All TIS)
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP when you are interviewing a
household respondent or an individual respondent
whose interview has been partially completed this
interview period. (All TIS)
INTRO_REC_CP when you are interviewing an
individual respondent whose interview has not been at
least partially completed. (All TIS)
Entering Precode (3), “Person not home now or not
available now” or Precode (5), “Person no longer lives here”
takes you to either:
HELLO_ALT2_CP, HELP_OTH_CP, or NEWHHR_CP
when interviewing a household respondent. These
screens are discussed further in Topic 5 of this chapter.
(TIS 2-7)
ALTERNATE1_CP for a case when you are attempting
to interview an individual respondent who is not
available, but there is at least one other individual
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
respondent in the household who still needs to be
interviewed. The ALTERNATE1_CP screen allows you
to enter the line number of the next person you want to
attempt to interview. This screen is discussed further in
Topic 5 of this Chapter. (All TIS)
Precode (4)
Entering Precode (4), “Person unknown at this number,”
goes to:
Precode (6)
DIAL_CORRECT_CP, which asks, “Have I reached
(telephone number)?” to ensure that you have dialed the
correct number.
Entering Precode (6) “Other outcome or problem
interviewing respondent” goes to:
TOOLATE_CP if attempting to interview an individual
respondent. This item asks for a household member
who can serve as a proxy for an unavailable respondent
or a respondent who cannot be interviewed for some
other reason. This item is discussed in more detail in
Topic 5 of this chapter. (All TIS)
Have I reached (991) 555-9899?
1 Yes
2 No
DIAL_CORRECT_CP
DIAL_CORRECT_CP
When you call a household and the person who answers
the phone says they do not know the respondent you
asked for at HELLO_1_CP, the instrument goes to
DIAL_CORRECT_CP to verify that you dialed the correct
telephone number.
If you dialed the number correctly at DIAL_CP AND you
have not yet reached the household respondent, enter
Precode (1), which takes you to:
RTNUM_CP to verify whether you have reached the
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-26
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Part B, Chapter 2
household, when you have not contacted the
household yet this enumeration period.
NEWHHR_CP if you have already made contact with
the household respondent. At NEWHHR_CP the FR
instruction asks you if you want to change the
household respondent.
ALTERNATE1_CP if you are attempting to contact an
individual respondent and there are other household
members who have not completed their interview, or to
VERIFY, in the back of the instrument, when there are
no other respondents left to interview.
If you did not dial the correct number, enter Precode (2).
You will then see the edit check to verify that the correct
number was not reached:
Select the “Goto” button in order to return to the
DIAL_CP screen to redial the phone number for the
household.
Otherwise, select the “Close” button to return to the
DIAL_CORRECT_CP screen.
Questions involved
DIAL_CP: Dial phone number
DIAL_CORRECT_CP: Correct number
Value
Someone answers
No
Close
Goto
This edit check appears to verify that you have misdialed
the phone number for the household. If you have
misdialed, select the first row in the “Questions involved”
column to return to DIAL_CP and redial the phone
number. Otherwise, select the second row in “Questions
involved” to return to DIAL_CORRECT_CP and change
the answer to “Yes” to code that you have dialed the
correct number.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-27
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
After changing the answer in DIAL_CORRECT_CP to
“Yes” the instrument continues with RTNUM_CP.
I'm trying to reach someone in the Moe household.
Have I reached the correct household?
1 Yes
2 No
RTNUM_CP
RTNUM_CP
RTNUM_CP appears when you code at HELLO_1_CP that
the household respondent you are trying to reach is not
known by the person who answered the phone and that
person confirms that you dialed the correct number.
At RTNUM_CP, verify with the person on the telephone
whether the phone number still belongs to the household
from the last enumeration. If it is the same, enter Precode
(1) and the instrument continues to HELLO_ALT2_CP or
HELP_OTH_CP, depending on the roster composition. See
Topic 5 of this chapter for more information on these two
items.
If you have not reached the correct household, enter
Precode (2); the instrument goes to VERIFY at the back of
the instrument.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-28
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
PARTIAL INTERVIEW FOR: Ted Moe
IF NECESSARY: Hello, this is (YOUR NAME) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
We completed part of your interview for the National Crime Victimization Survey and would like
to finish it now.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP appears when you are interviewing
a household respondent or an individual respondent whose
interview has been partially completed this interview period.
(All TIS).
This screen appears after entering Precodes (1) or (2) in
Item HELLO_1_CP or a valid line number in Item
ALTERNATE1_CP when calling back for a respondent with
a partial interview. Use this screen to reintroduce yourself
and the survey to the respondent before proceeding with the
respondent’s interview. After Entering (1) to continue, you
can press the “End” key to skip to the last unanswered
question in this respondent’s interview. For example, if you
stopped the interview with a respondent at
LOCATION_GENERAL in the incident report section during
your original contact, upon callback enter Precode (1) in
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP. At the next screen that appears
press the “End” key to skip to LOCATION_GENERAL. This
saves time by not having to go through all of the items the
respondent answered during the previous contact.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-29
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
?[F1]
RECALLED RESPONDENT: Jane Moe
IF NECESSARY: Hello, this is (YOUR NAME) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
INTRO_REC_CP
INTRO_REC_CP
INTRO_REC_CP appears when you are interviewing an
individual respondent whose interview has not been at least
partially completed. (All TIS)
This screen will come up after entering Precodes (1) or (2)
in Item HELLO_1_CP or a valid line number in Item
ALTERNATE1_CP when calling back for a respondent who
has not been interviewed yet. Use this screen to introduce
yourself and the survey to the respondent before
proceeding with the respondent’s interview. After entering
(1) to continue, proceed to the NEXTPERSON screen,
which is prefilled with the respondent’s line number. Press
the “Enter” key to continue to INTERVIEWSTATUS to begin
the respondent’s interview.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-30
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Topic 5. Selecting a New Household or Individual Respondent
During CAPI Personal Visit and Telephone Interviews
(Screen Layout and Instructions for the
NEWHHR_CP, HELLO_ALT2_CP, HELP_OTH_CP,
ALTERNATE1_CP, TOOLATE_CP and NEXTPERSON)
Do you want to select a new household respondent?
1 Yes
2 No
NEWHHR_CP
NEWHHR_CP
If you answer (2), at GEN_INTRO_CP, (3), (5), or (6) at Item
HELLO_1_CP, or (1), at DIAL_CORRECT_CP, the
instrument takes you to NEWHHR_CP when you have
already started the interview with the household
respondent. NEWHHR_CP contains the interviewer
instruction, “Do you want to select a new household
respondent?” Enter (1) for “Yes,” and (2) for “No,” to exit the
instrument.
Entering Precode (1), “Yes,” at NEWHHR_CP takes you to
HELLO_ALT2_CP (if other eligible HHRs are listed on the
household roster), which prompts you to ask for another
household respondent based on those who are eligible to
be an HHR. If there are no other eligible HHRs on the roster
the instrument goes to Item HELP_OTH_CP, which asks if
the person you are currently talking to or anyone else who
lives there is eligible to be a household respondent.
NOTE: An eligible household respondent is a household
member who is:
Age 18 or older or
Age 17 and married to the reference person or
Age 17 when all members of the household are age 17 or
younger
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-31
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NEW_HHR
(index tab)
You can also use the “New HHR” index tab at the top left of
the screen to select the line number to change household
respondents. (Only eligible household respondents will be
listed at NEW_HHR.) You may use the “New HHR” Section
Tab during the household respondent’s interview, until you
have completed the household roster updates.
May I speak to ( Ask for another possible household respondent.)
LN
NAME
STATUS
SEX
AGE
1
Ted Moe
NEED SELF
F
43
Enter precode or line number
Enter 31 if no one available now
1 Ted Moe
31 No one listed available now
HELLO_ALT2_CP
HELLO_ALT2_CP
HELLO_ALT2_CP is displayed so that you can select a
new household respondent when entries in Items
NEWHHR_CP, GEN_INTRO_CP, GEN_INTRO_CP_CK,
HELLO_1_CP, CAPI_INTRO_B, or RTNUM_CP are coded
that you need to select a new household respondent. The
HELLO_ALT2_CP screen appears only when there are
other household members listed as possible household
respondents.
Use this screen to help identify an eligible household
respondent for the current interview period;
HELLO_ALT2_CP presents you with a list of other eligible
household respondents. You must interview an eligible
household respondent BEFORE interviewing any other
NCVS eligible household members. Note that only those
who are eligible to be selected to act as the household
respondent should be displayed at this screen. If an eligible
household respondent is available, enter that household
member’s line number and continue with the household
respondent’s interview at GETLETTER_CP. Otherwise,
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-32
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
enter Precode (31), “No one listed above available now.”
This takes you to HELP_OTH_CP, described below.
Perhaps you can help me.
I would like to speak to a member of the Moe household who lives there, is at least 18 years old,
and is knowledgeable about the household.
(If appropriate:) Would you or someone else there now qualify?
1 Yes (person you are speaking with or someone else available)
2 No (no one available or qualified)
3 Wrong household
HELP_OTH_CP
HELP_OTH_CP
Item HELP_OTH_CP is another screen used to identify an
eligible household respondent for the current interview
period. This screen appears when you have coded that you
would like to change the household respondent, but there
are no other persons listed on the roster who qualify as a
household respondent.
HELP_OTH_CP is displayed when there are no other
eligible household respondents listed on the roster and you
have entered in NEWHHR_CP, GEN_INTRO_CP,
GEN_INTRO_CP_CK, HELLO_1_CP, CAPI_INTRO_B,
and RTNUM_CP that you need to select a new household
respondent. HELP_OTH_CP appears when you enter
Precode (31) in HELLO_ALT2_CP because no one listed
as an eligible household respondent is available.
Precode (1), “Yes (person you are speaking with or
someone else available),” goes to
OTHR_NAME_FIRST_CP to collect the name of the new
household respondent. Entries of Precode (2), “No (no one
available or qualified),” and Precode (3), “Wrong
household,” exit the instrument.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-33
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What is your name?
Enter the respondent's first name on this screen and last name on the next screen.
OTHR_NAME_FIRST_CP
What is your last name?
Enter respondent's last name.
OTHR_NAME_LAST_CP
OTHR_NAME_FIRST_CP
and
OTHR_NAME_LAST_CP
OTHR_NAME_FIRST_CP and OTHR_NAME_LAST_CP
collect the name of the new HHR not already listed on the
household roster. These screens are accessed when Item
HELP_OTH_CP equals 1. After collecting this person’s
name, the instrument codes this new line number/
respondent as the new household respondent. When you
reach the Control Card Section, the instrument directs you
to collect demographic information for this new household
respondent. Topic 9 discusses the screens used to collect
and update the demographic information in more detail.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-34
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
These household members have not yet been interviewed:
LN
NAME
1
3
Ted Moe
Jane Moe
I still need to interview (READ NAMES FROM ABOVE)
Are either of them available now?
Enter line number or precode.
Enter 31 if No or No other household members available.
1 Ted Moe
3 Jane Moe
31 No or no one listed above available now
ALTERNATE1_CP
ALTERNATE1_CP
ALTERNATE1_CP presents you with a list of household
members (individual respondents) who have not yet been
interviewed or have not completed their interview. This
screen appears when the person selected at
WHOTOCALL_CP is coded as not available in
HELLO_1_CP, TOOLATE_CP, DIAL_CORRECT_CP or
GEN_INTRO_CP.
Therefore, when there are other respondents who still need
to be interviewed, ALTERNATE1_CP is asked to see if any
of the remaining NCVS eligible household members you
have not yet completed their NCVS or supplement
interviews are available to complete their interview. At this
screen read the question text to the person you are
speaking to and then enter the line number or precode for
the household member you wish to interview; enter Precode
(31) if no other household members are available.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-35
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Since the survey must be completed before Jane Moe's return, I can take her information from
someone else.
Would you or someone there now know how to answer the crime questions for Ted Moe?
1 Yes
2 No
TOOLATE_CP
TOOLATE_CP
This item asks for a household member who can serve as a
proxy for an unavailable respondent or a respondent who
cannot be interviewed for some other reason.
TOOLATE_CP appears when Precode (6), “Person
unavailable through closeout,” is entered in HELLO_1_CP
or the “Suppress” button is selected at the edit check
GEN_INTRO_CP_CK. If someone can act as a proxy
respondent (Precode (1)) the instrument leads you down
the path to collect the proxy reason and the line number of
the proxy respondent (that is, the person you talk to in order
to collect the data for the proxy person/person not able to
complete their interview by self-response). For a household
member to act as the proxy respondent, they must have
completed their own interview and done so by
self-response. Coding proxy interviews is discussed more in
Topic 6, below.
If a proxy respondent is not currently available, enter
Precode (2) to go to ALTERNATE1_CP when there are
other individual respondents left to be interviewed.
Otherwise, you exit the instrument via VERIFY.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-36
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
***Do not F10 from this screen ***
LN
NAME
STATUS
1
2
3
Ted Moe
Done-Int
Megan Moe Done-Int
Jane Moe
NEED SELF
HRESP
REL
SEX
AGE
R
Ref Person
Wife
Daughtr
M
F
F
43
43
14
I also need to speak with Jane Moe.
Is Jane Moe at home now?
Enter the person’s line number for next interview.
***Do not F10 from this screen ***
3 Jane Moe
31 Respondent refused for someone else
32 Household complete
33 No other person available now
NEXTPERSON
NEXTPERSON
NEXTPERSON shows the household roster and instructs
you to enter the line number of the next person to be
interviewed. After selecting the next person to interview the
instrument continues with INTERVIEWSTATUS to review
the type of interview needed for the respondent before
beginning their NCVS interview.
If the respondent you just completed an interview with
refuses for someone else, enter Precode (31) which will
lead you through screens to code that line number as a
refusal; see Topic 6 for more details on coding a respondent
as a refusal. If no other person is available for an interview,
enter Precode (33), which takes you to REFCBBREAK_CP
in the back of the instrument.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-37
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 6. Completing Self Response and Proxy Interviews
and Coding Initial Refusals
(Screen Layout and Instructions for the INTERVIEWSTATUS through
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT)
Review self/proxy status and person’s name before proceeding to screen questions.
• Interview is for: Jane Moe
• Talking to: Jane Moe
• Self/Proxy status: SELF INTERVIEW
• Jane Moe ISN’T the household respondent
• If wrong person selected, back up to the NEXTPERSON screen to select the next person
to be interviewed.
1 Continue with this respondent’s interview
2 Change to a proxy interview
INTERVIEWSTATUS
INTERVIEWSTATUS
The INTERVIEWSTATUS screen is the first screen
encountered after selecting the next person to interview. As
shown above, this screen gives you the following
information:
The name of the current respondent;
The name of the person you are speaking to;
The respondent’s current “Proxy Status” (Self or Proxy
Interview);
Whether the current respondent is or is not the
household respondent.
If the wrong line number was selected, back up to the
NEXTPERSON screen and enter the correct line number. If
the correct line number was selected and you are ready to
continue with a self interview, select Precode (1), “Continue
with this respondent’s interview” to start this respondent’s
NCVS interview. Otherwise, select Precode (2), “Change to
a proxy interview” to change the respondent’s interview
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-38
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
status from a Self interview to a Proxy interview.
• You are about to change this respondent’s interview status to a proxy interview.
• If you are sure the interview for this respondent needs to be completed by proxy, click the
“Suppress” button. Otherwise, click the “Close” or “Goto” button to return to the
INTERVIEWSTATUS screen.
Questions involved
INTERVIEWSTATUS:
Value
Proxy
Suppress
PERSTATUSPROXY
Close
Goto
The PERSTATUSPROXY edit check appears in order to
verify that you want to code the current respondent as a
proxy interview. See Part C, Chapter 1 of this manual for
more information regarding proxy interviews.
If the respondent’s interview needs to be completed by
proxy, click on the “Suppress” button. After clicking the
“Suppress” button, continue with PROXYREASON to code
the reason a proxy interview is needed for this respondent.
If you’ve reached this screen by mistake, click on the
“Close” or “Goto” button to return to INTERVIEWSTATUS.
• Enter the reason for proxy interview.
1 Proxy person is 12-13 years old and parent refused permission for self interview.
2 Proxy person is physically/mentally unable to answer.
3 Proxy person is temporarily absent and won’t return before closeout.
PROXYREASON
PROXYREASON
After you have determined a proxy interview is needed by
clicking on the “Suppress” button at the
PERSTATUSPROXY edit check, PROXYREASON
appears.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-39
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
For the NCVS, a proxy person is a person who cannot
answer the questions for himself/herself (person talking
about). In other words, a proxy person is someone who
cannot complete his/her interview by self-response. The
proxy respondent is the person who will be answering the
questions for the proxy person (person talking to).
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), “Proxy person is 12-13 years old and
parent refused permission for self interview” when the
household member is 12 or 13 years old and the child’s
parent(s) refuse(s) to allow you to interview the 12 or
13-year-old child by self-response. In this situation, only a
parent who has already completed their own NCVS
interview by self-response can be the proxy respondent.
If you enter Precode (1), and the household member is older
than 13, PROXYAGEERROR appears. Otherwise, continue
with PICKPROXYRESP to select the proxy respondent.
Precode (2)
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (2), “Proxy person is physically/mentally
unable to answer” when the household member has a
physical and/or mental illness which prevents him/her from
responding directly to you. Entering Precode (2) takes you
to PROXYREASONSPEC to record the household
member’s physical/mental illness that prohibits a
self-response interview.
Enter Precode (3), “Proxy person is temporarily absent and
won’t return before closeout” when the household member
is away from the sample address temporarily AND is not
expected to return during the interview period. Before taking
a proxy interview, make sure that the person is still a
household member and will not return at any time during the
interview period. After entering Precode (3), the instrument
goes to PROXYDATERETURN_MO to record the date the
household member is expected to return to the sample
address.
Refer to Part C, Chapter 1 of this manual for more
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-40
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
information about acceptable reasons for conducting a
proxy interview.
• A proxy interview is not acceptable because the respondent is older than 13.
• Interview status will be reset to “SELF” interview.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
PROXYAGEERROR
PROXYAGEERROR
The PROXYAGEERROR screen appears when Precode
(1) is entered at PROXYREASON and the household
member is older than 13. This household member’s
interview status will be set to a “self” interview. Since
Precode (1) was an invalid reason at PROXYREASON, the
instrument will return to NEXTPERSON where you can
continue with this household member’s interview by
self-response, select another household member to
interview, or exit the case.
Describe the physical or mental condition that prevents the respondent from completing
a self interview.
PROXYREASONSPEC
PROXYREASONSPEC
PROXYREASONSPEC is the screen where you enter a
description of the physical or mental condition of this
household member that prevents him/her from completing
the interview by self-response. For example, “Line Number
2 is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s.”
Proxy interviews cannot be conducted for temporary
conditions, such as a respondent has a cold, is drunk/on
drugs, or is heavily medicated. In these situations, contact
the person at a later date to conduct his/her interview.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-41
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
After entering a valid proxy reason, the instrument
continues to PICKPROXYRESP.
• If unsure, ask:
When is Jane Moe expected to return?
• Enter month on this screen.
PROXYDATERETURN_MO
• If unsure, ask:
When is Jane Moe expected to return?
• Enter day on this screen.
PROXYDATERETURN_DY
• If unsure, ask:
When is Jane Moe expected to return?
• Enter year on this screen.
PROXYDATERETURN_YR
PROXYDATERETURN_MO,
PROXYDATERETURN_DY,
PROXYDATERETURN_YR
PROXYDATERETURN_MO,
PROXYDATERETURN_DY and
PROXYDATERETURN_YR are used to record the date
when the household member is expected to return to the
sample address. These screens appear when Precode
(3) is entered in PROXYREASON.
Although PROXYDATERETURN_MO and
PROXYDATERETURN_DY are two digits, you only
need to enter one digit (without a leading “0”). Rather,
you can enter a one digit for the months of January
through September (1-9) as well as for the first nine days
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-42
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
of a month. However, for PROXYDATERETURN_YR,
you must enter all four digits. For example, for
September 2, 2013, enter “9/2/2013.”
When a household member you are speaking with is
unsure of the exact date the proxy person will return, you
may:
Press the “Ctrl” and “D” keys at the same time to code
a blind “Don’t Know” in any of the return date
screens.
If the household member with whom you are speaking
refuses to give you the exact date the proxy person will
return, you may:
Press the “Ctrl” and “R” keys at the same time to code
a blind “Refused” in any of the return date screens.
If you enter Don’t Know or Refused in any of these
screens, the instrument proceeds to the
RETURNBYCLOSEOUT screen to verify whether the
proxy person will return before the current month’s
close-out.
After entering the date the household member is
expected to return, the instrument goes to:
Item RETURNDATEERROR1 when the date entered
is before close-out;
Item RETURNDATEERROR2 when the date entered
is more than six months after close-out;
Item PICKPROXYRESP when a valid return date is
entered.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-43
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
• Error: Date is unacceptable. You must set a callback date for this respondent.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
RETURNDATEERROR1
RETURNDATEERROR1
RETURNDATEERROR1 appears when the date entered in
Items PROXYDATERETURN_MO through
PROXYDATERETURN_DY is prior to the current month’s
close-out date. Since the household member will return
before close-out, set up a callback for this respondent to
complete his/her interview by self-response upon his/her
return. The instrument returns to NEXTPERSON after
entering Precode (1) at RETURNDATEERROR1.
• Date is more than 6 months beyond the closeout date.
• Since this person will be away from the household for such as extended period of time,
they are being coded as a nonmember.
Since Jane Moe is away for an extended period of time, no interview is required for her at this
time.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
RETURNDATEERROR2
RETURNDATEERROR2
RETURNDATEERROR2 appears when the date entered in
PROXYDATERETURN_MO through
PROXYDATERETURN_DY is more than six months after
the current month’s close-out date. Since the household
member will not return for an extended period of time, they
are coded as a nonmember and no interview is needed.
Read the statement, “Since (proxy person’s name) is
away for an extended period of time, no interview is
required for (him/her) at this time.” to the person with
whom you are speaking. This lets them know you will not
ask NCVS questions for that person. After entering Precode
(1), the instrument returns to NEXTPERSON.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-44
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Do you expect Jane Moe to return by July 31, 2013?
1 Yes
2 No
RETURNBYCLOSEOUT
RETURNBYCLOSEOUT
Item RETURNBYCLOSEOUT appears when a blind “Don’t
Know” or “Refused” is entered in any of
PROXYDATERETURN_MO through
PROXYDATERETURN_YR. This item is used to determine
whether the household member will return before close-out.
If he/she is expected to return before close-out, enter
Precode (1), and the instrument returns to NEXTPERSON.
Set up a callback for this respondent to complete his/her
interview by self-response upon his/her return.
If the household member is not expected to return prior to
close-out, enter Precode (2), and the instrument proceeds
to VERIFYHHM to verify that this person is still considered a
household member.
• Verify that the proxy person is still a household member.
Does Jane Moe usually live here?
• If “No,” probe for usual residence elsewhere.
1 Yes
2 No
VERIFYHHM
VERIFYHHM
VERIFYHHM is designed to assist in determining whether
or not the person you are about to code as the proxy person
is still considered a household member. Ask the following
question in VERIFYHHM: “Does Jane Moe usually live
here?”
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-45
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If that person does usually live there, enter Precode (1) and
continue to PICKPROXYRESP to select the proxy
respondent. If the answer is "No," the instrument will
continue to VERIFYMEMURE to determine whether the
person has a usual place of residence held elsewhere.
Ordinarily, a person's usual place of residence is the place
where the person eats and sleeps the majority of the time.
As a general rule, a person is considered a household
member if:
the sample address is the person's usual place of
residence, or
the person is staying at the sample address at the time
of interview and does not have a usual place of
residence elsewhere.
(Also see Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 3, and Part B,
Chapter 2, Topic 10 of this manual, as well as your
Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554) for help in
determining household membership.)
Does Jane Moe have a usual place of residence elsewhere?
1 Yes
2 No
VERIFYMEMURE
VERIFYMEMURE
When a household respondent mentions that a person on
the roster does not usually live there, follow up with
VERIFYMEMURE to determine if the person qualifies as a
household member for the NCVS. If the respondent replies
that this person has a usual residence elsewhere, enter
Precode (1), “Yes,” in VERIFYMEMURE, which indicates
that this person is NOT a household member. However,
entering Precode (2), “No,” indicates that this person does
not have a usual residence elsewhere and, therefore,
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-46
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
classifies as a household member by NCVS standards and
needs to complete their interview by proxy. The instrument
proceeds to PICKPROXYRESP.
If you are still unsure whether to include a person on the
household roster as a household member, select Precode
(2), “No,” in Item VERIFYMEMURE, and continue to
interview the person by proxy. Explain the situation in the
“Case Level Notes.”
LN
NAME
STATUS
HRESP
1
2
3
Ted Moe
Megan Moe
Jane Moe
Done-Int
R
Done-Int
NEED PRXY
REL
SEX
AGE
Ref Person
Wife
Daughtr
M
F
F
43
43
3
• Enter line number of current respondent.
• If unsure, ask name.
1 Ted Moe
2 Megan Moe
PICKPROXYRESP
PICKPROXYRESP
Select the proxy respondent at PICKPROXYRESP. That is,
select the person who will answer the questions for the
proxy person. In order for a person to be selected as the
proxy respondent, they must have already completed
his/her own NCVS interview by self response. After
selecting a valid proxy respondent, the instrument continues
with Item INTPROXYSTATUS.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-47
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
• Review self/proxy status and person’s name before proceeding to screen questions.
• Interview is for: Jane Moe
• Talking to: Megan Moe
• Self/Proxy status: PROXY INTERVIEW
• Jane Moe ISN’T the household respondent
1 Enter 1 to Continue
INTPROXYSTATUS
INTPROXYSTATUS
Item INTPROXYSTATUS is the last of the series of screens
to code a proxy interview before proceeding to the NCVS
questions. Review the text displayed to verify that the proxy
person is correctly coded as a proxy interview and that the
correct proxy respondent has been selected. If everything is
correct, enter Precode (1), to continue. The instrument
begins the proxy person’s interview at TIMEATADDRESS,
which is the first screen in the Middle Section of the NCVS
instrument, as shown in Part B, Chapter 3 of this manual.
LN
NAME
STATUS
1
2
3
Ted Moe
Done-Int
Megan MoeDone-Int
Jane Moe NEED SELF
HRESP
R
REL
Ref Person
Wife
Daughtr
SEX
AGE
M
F
F
43
43
13
• Enter line number of person refused FOR.
• If unsure, ask name.
WHICHLINEREFUSEDFOR
WHICHLINEREFUSEDFOR
After entering Precode (33), “Respondent refused FOR
someone else” at NEXTPERSON,
WHICHLINEREFUSEDFOR appears. At this screen,
enter the line number of the respondent who refused to
be interviewed or for whom another household member
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-48
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
refused. This changes the household member’s status to
“Refused,” but does not code them as a noninterview.
After entering the line number in Item
WHICHLINEREFUSEDFOR, continue to
PERSTATUSREFUSED.
• Changed to: REFUSED
• If this person is a TYPE Z NONINTERVIEW, you will need to code them as such in the Type Z
section of the instrument. To do this you must first exit the instrument and then re-enter the
case. When you are ready to transmit the case, enter Precode "5" at the START_CP screen to
access the Type Z section.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
PERSTATUSREFUSED
PERSTATUSREFUSED
PERSTATUSREFUSED is an edit check that shows the
current respondent has been coded as a refusal. However,
they have not been coded as a Type Z Noninterview at this
point. Respondents cannot be coded as Type Z
Noninterviews until you are ready to transmit the case.
In order to code this respondent as a Type Z:
complete interviews with all remaining NCVS eligible
household members;
exit the case;
re-enter the case, enter Precode (5), “Ready to transmit
case - no more followup (Type Z’s)” at START_CP;
enter the Type Z reason for each household member
who was not interviewed. Follow the instructions for
coding Type Z Noninterviews in Part A, Chapter 6 of this
manual.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-49
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
• Re-introduction for new respondent.
• If necessary Hello, I’m (YOUR NAME) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
I’m here concerning the National Crime Victimization Survey. 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.
1 Enter 1 to Continue
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT
The INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT screen appears when
you are interviewing an individual respondent whose
interview has not been at least partially completed. (All TIS)
This screen will be displayed after a valid line number is
entered at NEXTPERSON. Use this screen to introduce
yourself and the survey to the respondent before
proceeding with the interview. After Entering (1) to continue,
proceed to the TIMEATADDRESS screen, which is the first
screen in the Middle Section of the NCVS instrument, as
shown in Part B, Chapter 3 of this manual.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-50
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Topic 7. Verifying the Sample Address, Primary Telephone Number
and Mailing Address (Screen Layout and Instructions for
GETLETTER_CP through NEWMAILGQDESCRIPTION_CP)
• If necessary: Hello I'm (YOUR NAME) from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t Know
GETLETTER_CP
GETLETTER_CP
GETLETTER_CP asks whether the respondent received
the NCVS introductory letter. This screen is presented for
situations where you have not yet started the interview with
a household respondent.
For personal visits, an FR instruction is displayed: ‘If “No” or
“Don’t know” give respondent an introductory letter and
allow time to read.’ If you encounter this situation, hand the
household respondent the letter (NCVS-572(L) for incoming
and replacement households or NCVS-573(L) for
continuing households).
For continuing households, the instrument automatically
inserts the statement “We contacted your household for this
survey several months ago.” So it is important that you read
text to the respondent as worded since that statement will
not be displayed for incoming or replacement households.
All precodes entered at this screen progress to the section
of the instrument where you verify the sample address,
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-51
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
beginning with VERADD_CP.
• Confirm address information
I have your address listed as ...
• Read address below
101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
Is that your exact address?
1 SAME address
2 MOVED (NOT same address)
3 Haven’t moved, but address has changed
4 Incorrect address previously recorded
VERADD_CP
VERADD_CP
The purpose VERADD_CP is to verify that you reached the
correct address. Read the address as it is displayed so we
can verify that we have the correct full address for the
sample household.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when you confirm that you reached the
correct sample address and no address corrections are
necessary. After entering Precode (1), for incoming cases,
the instrument goes to Item MAILINGSAME_CP. After
entering Precode (1), for continuing cases, the instrument
goes to CHNGPH_CP, then to MAILINGSAME_CP.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when you discover that you reached a
different address. (Precode (2) is an invalid entry for TIS-1
cases.) It is possible that the last interviewed household
moved from the sample address and kept the same phone
number. For the NCVS, we do not interview a household
after they have moved from the sample address. After
entering Precode (2), the instrument goes to MOVED_CP.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when you discover that you reached the
correct sample address, but the address has changed. After
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-52
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
entering Precode (3), continue with CHNGPH_CP, then
continue to collect the new address.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) when you discover that you reached the
correct sample address, but the address was recorded
incorrectly in a previous interview. After entering Precode
(4), continue with CHNGPH_CP, then continue with the
screens to update the sample address.
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.
1 Enter 1 to continue
MOVED_CP
MOVED_CP
MOVED_CP is to inform the person you are speaking with
that we do not need to interview them since they have
moved from the sample address, as well as thank them for
past cooperation. Entering Precode (1) to continue takes
you to error message VERADD_CP_CK.
(If an incoming case, the instrument will display:)
Invalid entry
(Else if this is a continuing case, the instrument will display:)
• This case needs to be made a replacement household. Press GOTO to proceed to
HHNUM_VR_CP.
Questions involved
HHNUM_VR_CP: Replacement household?
MOVED_CP: Moved
Suppress
Value
No
Enter 1 to continue
Close
Goto
VERADDCP_CK
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-53
Part B, Chapter 2
VERADD_CP_CK
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
When interviewing an incoming case, you will see the
VERADD_CP_CK screen when Precode (2) is selected at
VERADD_CP, since that is not a valid entry. In this situation
VERADD_CP_CK will display the message “Invalid entry”.
This edit check also appears after entering Precode (1) in
the MOVED_CP screen to verify that the entire household
has moved from the sample address. In this situation the
edit check will display the instruction “This case needs to be
made a replacement household. Press the “Goto” button to
proceed to Item HHNUM_VR_CP, discussed in more detail
in Topic 3 above. Otherwise, press the “Close” button to
return to the VERADD_CP screen.
• Do you need to change the current phone number?
CURRENT NUMBER: (991) 555-9899
1 Yes
2 No
CHNGPH_CP
CHNGPH_CP
CHNGPH_CP appears for all continuing cases that are not
replacement households. For any continuing case (TIS 2-7)
you are asked if you would like to change the current phone
number. If yes, enter Precode (1) and continue to
NEWPH_CP to ask the respondent for the new phone
number. If no, continue with the screens to change the
address (starting at NEWADDHNO_CP) when Precodes (3)
or (4) were entered in VERADD_CP or MAILINGSAME_CP
when Precode (1) was entered in VERADD_CP.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-54
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
What is the area code and telephone number where you would like to be called?
• Record new number
• Enter 0 for no telephone number
NEWPH_CP
NEWPH_CP
NEWPH_CP appears when the respondent indicates in
CHNGPH_CP that they would like to change the telephone
number at which they are contacted. Enter the new number
or enter 0 for no telephone number. The instrument
continues with the screens to change the household
address (starting at NEWADDHNO_CP) when Precodes (3)
or (4) were entered in VERADD_CP or MAILINGSAME_CP
when Precode (1) was entered in VERADD_CP.
• OLD ADDRESS
101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
• If incorrect or missing, enter new house number, otherwise press “Enter” to continue
NEWADDHNO_CP
NEWADDHNO_CP through
NEWADDGQDESCRIPTION_CP screens
NEWADDHNO_CP through
NEWADDGQDESCRIPTION_CP are asked when the
household respondent indicates at VERADD_CP that you
are at the correct sample address, but the actual address
has changed or was previously recorded incorrectly. These
screens allow you to correct or add any of the following
information: house number, house number suffix, street
name, unit designation, non-city style address, physical
location description, city, state, ZIP code, group quarters
building name, and group quarters description. If no change
is needed for a particular item, press “Enter” to move to the
next screen.
The original address information is displayed in the info
pane in the middle of the screen and can be edited in the
form pane at the bottom of the screen. After you update the
address information, ADRCHECK_CP appears to record
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-55
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
the reason for the change(s).
• Enter reason why address information provided by respondent did not match displayed address
OLD ADDRESS
NEW ADDRESS
101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
101A Ocean Avenue
Anytown, VA 99997
• HOUSE NUMBER
11 House number was incorrect
12 House number was missing/blank
• HOUSE NUMBER SUFFIX
13 House number suffix was incorrect (e.g. A instead of B)
14 House number suffix was missing
• STREET NAME
15 Street name was correct by misspelled (e.g. Pak instead of Oak Street)
16 Street name was not correct (e.g Oak instead of Pickford)
• UNIT DESIGNATION
17 Unit designation was incorrect (e.g. A instead of 1)
18 Unit designation was missing
• NON-CITY STYLE ADDRESS
19 Non-city style address was incorrect (P.O. Box 12 instead of P.O. Box 121)
• ZIP CODE
20 ZIP code was missing or incorrect
• STATE
21 State was missing or incorrect (ME instead of MD)
• CITY
22 City name was missing or incorrect
• GROUP QUARTERS
23 Group quarters name was missing or incorrect
24 Building name was missing or incorrect
25 911 Address Conversion
ADRCHECK_CP
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-56
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
ADRCHECK_CP
Part B, Chapter 2
ADRCHECK_CP prompts you to enter a reason(s) why the
address information provided by the respondent did not
match the displayed address for the sample unit. Note that
this item allows multiple entries. After recording the reason
for the update the instrument continues with
MAILINGSAME_CP.
Is your mailing address (still) the same as your physical address?
1 Yes
2 No
MAILINGSAME_CP
________________________________________________________________________
MAILINGSAME_CP
MAILINGSAME_CP asks, “Is your mailing address still
the same as your physical address?” The instrument fills
MAILINGSAME_CP
the word “still” in the question text when the prior household
respondent reported that the mailing address was the same
as the physical address. If the mailing and physical
addresses were reported as being different the previous
enumeration or this is an incoming or replacement
household the question is worded, “Is your mailing
address the same as your physical address?”
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes” and the instrument takes you to
Item TENURE when the case is a TIS 1. If the case is a TIS
3, 5, or 7 and Precode (1) is entered in Item
MAILINGSAME_CP then the instrument will go to Item
TENURE, otherwise the instrument will go to Item
STUDENTHOUSING during even numbered enumerations.
If a replacement household occurs during an even
numbered enumeration, the instrument proceeds to the
TENURE screen, because a replacement household is
treated like a TIS 1 case.
Enter precode (2) for “No” and the instrument takes you to
the VERIFYMAILING_CP screen to verify the previous
mailing address is correct. If we had not previously collected
a mailing address, the instrument instead goes to Item
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-57
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NEWMAILHNO_CP.
I have your mailing address as...
101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
Is that correct?
1 Yes
2 No
VERIFYMAILING_CP
VERIFYMAILING_CP
VERIFYMAILING_CP asks, “I have your mailing address
as 101 Ocean View Circle, Anytown, VA 99997. Is that
correct?”
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes” and the instrument takes you to
either TENURE when the case is a TIS 1. If the case is a TIS
3, 5, or 7 and Precode (1) is entered in
VERIFYMAILING_CP, then the instrument goes to
TENURE; otherwise the instrument goes to
STUDENTHOUSING during even numbered enumerations.
If a replacement household occurs during an even
numbered enumeration, the instrument proceeds to the
TENURE screen, because a replacement household is
treated like a TIS 1 case.
Enter Precode (2) for “No” and the instrument takes you to
NEWMAILHNO_CP, which begins the series of screens
that allow you to edit all of the mailing address fields.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-58
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
• OLD ADDRESS
101 Ocean View Circle
Anytown, VA 99997
• If incorrect or missing, enter new house number, otherwise press “Enter” to continue
NEWMAILHNO_CP
NEWMAILHNO_CP through
NEWMAILGQ
DESCRIPTION_CP
NEWADDHNO_CP through
NEWADDGQDESCRIPTION_CP allow you to modify the
mailing address information for the household and include
all of the same address fields for the sample address except
physical location description, which is not part of the mailing
address.
The original address information is displayed in the info
pane in the middle of the screen and can be edited in the
form pane at the bottom of the screen. If no change is
needed, press “Enter” to move to the next screen.
After completing the screens, if the case is a TIS 1, 3, 5, or 7
the instrument goes to Item TENURE, otherwise the
instrument goes to Item STUDENTHOUSING during even
numbered enumerations. If a replacement household
occurs during an even numbered enumeration, the
instrument proceeds to the TENURE screen, because a
replacement household is treated like a TIS 1 case.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-59
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 8. Housing Unit Characteristics
(Screen Layout and Instructions for
TENURE through RESTRICTEDACCESS)
• Ask or verify:
Are your living quarters ...
• Read answer categories
1 Owned or being bought by you or someone in your household?
2 Rented for cash?
3 Occupied without payment of cash rent?
TENURE
TENURE
TENURE is asked initially during the first interview with the
sample household, which should be a personal visit
interview. You only see TENURE when you interview a
sample household during the third, fifth, and seventh
enumeration periods, since this question is asked of the
original household only during the odd-numbered interview
periods. (The exception to this rule is when you create a
replacement household during an even-numbered interview
period.)
Although the interviewer instruction specifies that this is an
“Ask or verify” question, you must always ask it during the
first enumeration. In subsequent enumerations you can
either re-ask the question of the respondent and read the
answer categories until you get a “Yes” response, or verify
that the information collected during the previous interview
is still correct.
After completing TENURE, the instrument takes you to
STUDENTHOUSING.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-60
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Owned or Being Bought
by You or Someone in
Your Household
Part B, Chapter 2
Before entering Precode (1) at the TENURE screen to
indicate that the living quarters is owned or being bought by
someone in the sample household, make sure that the
owner or co-owner of the sample unit:
Is a household member.
Actually lives in the sample unit when the unit is a
cooperative apartment or a condominium unit.
Has paid completely for the housing unit or is paying
on a mortgage for the housing unit.
Rented for Cash
Before entering Precode (2) at the TENURE screen to
indicate that the living quarters is rented for cash, make sure
that money is paid for rent or a contract exists for payment
of rent for the housing unit. The person paying the rent does
not have to live in the housing unit (for example, the rent
payer could be a welfare agency or a college student’s
parents.)
Occupied Without
Payment of Cash Rent
Before entering Precode (3) at the TENURE screen to
indicate that the living quarters is occupied without payment
of cash rent, make sure that the sample household:
Does not own or have to pay a mortgage payment.
Is not required to pay rent to reside in the housing unit
and no one else pays the rent for the household.
Examples of this situation might include:
A household living in a unit without paying rent in
exchange for services the household provides to the
owner.
A household living in a unit without paying rent as a gift
from a relative or friend who does not live in the housing
unit.
A household that is only required to pay for the utilities
they use and is not required to pay rent.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-61
Part B, Chapter 2
Special situations
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Situation
Action
Sample address is in a multi-unit
structure.
Mark TENURE based only on the
status of the unit is sample.
Sample address is in a rooming
house or dormitory that requires
the payment of rent.
Mark TENURE to show that the
room is “Rented for cash.”
Sample address is a mobile home
or trailer.
Mark TENURE only for the status
of the mobile home or trailer and
not for the site or land on which it
is located.
Sample address is located on a
military base and rent is paid
directly by the household or
deducted from their pay.
Mark TENURE to show that the
room is “Rented for cash.”
A sample household owns a
piece of property and rents an
adjacent property and both are
used as a single place.
Mark TENURE to show the tenure
status for the property on which
the sample address is located.
Are your living quarters presently used as student
housing by a college or university?
1 Yes
2 No
STUDENTHOUSING
STUDENTHOUSING
STUDENTHOUSING is used to verify whether or not the
living quarters at the sample address is presently being
used as student housing by a college or university. Even
though this question is asked during the initial personal visit
interview, this information must be verified each interview
period to determine if there are any changes in the housing
unit’s status.
When TENURE is answered with Precode (1), “Owned or
being bought by you or someone in your household,” and
that case is TIS 1 or a replacement household, the
instrument continues with INDIANRESERVATIONHU.
Otherwise, the instrument continues with NAMECHECK.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-62
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
When TENURE is answered with either Precode (2),
“Rented for cash,” or Precode (3), “Occupied without
payment of cash rent,” the instrument proceeds to
PUBLICHOUSING.
Is this building owned by a public housing authority?
1 Yes, public housing
2 No, not public housing
PUBLICHOUSING
PUBLICHOUSING
PUBLICHOUSING is asked of incoming sample cases and
cases in interview periods 3, 5 and 7 in living quarters that
are rented for cash or occupied without payment of cash
rent.
If you get a “Yes” answer to PUBLICHOUSING, make sure
that the unit is in a federally funded project. If the building
is funded by a state or local government, select Precode (2),
“No, not public housing.” Also select Precode (2) if the
building is part of a federally assisted housing program,
such as VA, FHA, voucher, or certificate assisted housing.
If you select Precode (1), “Yes, public housing,” the
instrument proceeds to PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY
when conducting a personal visit interview or to
NAMECHECK for telephone interviews. If you select
Precode (2), “No, not public housing,” the instrument
proceeds to INDIANRESERVATIONHU for incoming and
replacement household cases, otherwise the instrument
goes to NAMECHECK .
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-63
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
• If possible, verify PUBLICHOUSING entry of 1 (Yes) with the manager of building.
Able to verify
1 Public housing
2 Not public housing
Unable to verify
3 Telephone
4 Other - Specify
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY
PUBLICHOUSING
MGRVERIFY
If you determine in Item PUBLICHOUSING that the sample
unit is in a building that is owned by a public housing
authority, the instrument proceeds to
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY, which instructs you,
wherever possible, to:
Locate the building manager; and
Verify that this fact is true.
Do this verification the first time the case is identified as
being owned by a public housing authority in
PUBLICHOUSING. If you are unable to verify the
respondent’s “Yes” answer in PUBLICHOUSING, mark
Precode (4), “Other - specify” in
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY. After selecting Precode
(4), the instrument goes to
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFYSPEC, where you are
prompted to enter the reason you could not verify the unit’s
public housing status.
When you are conducting a telephone interview,
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY is bypassed and
automatically filled with Precode (3).
If you are unable to verify the structure’s public housing
status during the first enumeration period, try to verify public
housing status in a subsequent enumeration period, if
possible, and update the answer for
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY then.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-64
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
• Specify the reason why you are unable to verify the public housing status for this housing unit.
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFYSPEC
PUBLICHOUSING
MGRVERIFYSPEC
The instrument goes to
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFYSPEC if you selected
Precode (4), “Other - Specify” in
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY. Specify the reason you
were unable to verify the unit’s public housing status.
Are your living quarters located on an American Indian Reservation or on American Indian
Lands?
1 Yes
2 No
INDIANRESERVATIONHU
INDIAN RESERVATIONHU
What Is an American
Indian Reservation?
INDIANRESERVATIONHU appears only during the initial
interview (including a replacement household) or when it
was left unanswered during the initial personal visit
interview with the sample household. It is acceptable to
answer this item without asking the question 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. When there is any doubt about which precode
to select, ask the household respondent the question before
selecting a precode.
An American Indian Reservation is a territory reserved as a
permanent tribal homeland with boundaries established by
treaty, statute, or executive or court order. The federal
government and some state governments established
reservations as territory over which American Indians
possess governmental jurisdiction. These entities are
designated as colonies, communities, pueblos, rancherias,
reservations, and reserves.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-65
Part B, Chapter 2
What Are American
Indian Lands?
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
American Indian Lands are comprised of tribal subdivisions
and trust lands.
A tribal subdivision is an administrative subdivision of a
reservation. Tribal subdivisions may extend beyond the
boundary of their reservations and are internal units of self
government or administration that serve social, cultural, or
economic purposes for the American Indians living on and
adjacent to the reservation.
Trust Lands are held in trust by the federal government for
either a tribe (tribal trust land) or an individual member of a
tribe (individual trust land). Such land is always associated
with a specific federally recognized reservation or tribe, but
may be located on or off the reservation.
During the past 12 months did sales of crops, livestock,
and other farm products from this place amount to $1,000 or more?
1 Yes
2 No
FARMSALES
FARMSALES
What We Mean by
“Place”
FARMSALES is asked of incoming cases or replacement
households which are identified as being in a rural area.
For this question, the term "place" encompasses one or
more tracts of land which the respondent considers to be on
the same property, farm, ranch, or estate. These tracts may
be adjoining or separated by a road, creek, or other pieces
of land. In most cases, a "place" can be clearly defined. For
example, in a built-up area, a "place" is likely to consist of a
house and a lot. However, in a more rural setting, a "place"
could consist of a whole tract of land or a combination of two
or three pieces of land (for example, a sample address on
one piece of land and another piece of land used to grow
crops for sale).
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-66
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
What We Mean by
“Sales of Crops,
Livestock, and other
Farm Products”
The household respondent should report the gross amount
of money received for the sale of crops, vegetables, fruits,
nuts, livestock and livestock products (milk, wool, and so
forth), poultry and eggs, and nursery and forest products
that are produced at this place and sold at any time during
the past 12 months.
Exclude the value of any products consumed at the place.
The household respondent does not need to provide an
exact amount. He/she only needs to identify whether or
not these sales totaled $1,000 or more during the past 12
months.
Sample household owns or is buying the property:
In this case, farm sales include sales from the entire
acreage or property that the sample household owns or is
buying, even if a portion of the property is rented to
someone else.
Sample household is paying cash rent for the property:
In this case, farm sales include only the amount of sales
generated from the property they are renting.
Sample household lives on property without paying
cash rent:
In this case, if the sample address for both the owner and
the non-cash renter are in the sample, include the amount of
farm sales from the entire acreage of the owner. Do not limit
the amount of sales to only the property occupied without
payment of cash rent.
Sample household lives on property subsidized by the
federal government not to grow certain crops:
Only include the amount of the subsidy if the respondent
would normally have grown and sold the crops that he/she
is paid not to grow.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-67
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Sample household moved to the property during the
past 6 months:
Explain to the current household that this question refers to
farm sales from the property during the past 12 months,
regardless of who resided on the property during those 12
months. If the current respondent is unable to answer this
question, press “Ctrl” + “D” simultaneously to code the item
as “Don’t know.”
Sample household is unable or unwilling to answer:
If a respondent is unable or unwilling to answer Item
FARMSALES, press “Ctrl” + “D” simultaneously to code the
item as “Don’t know.” Use the Case Level Notes to explain
why you entered “Don’t know” for Item FARMSALES.
• Please mark whether or not the sample household has direct access to their living quarters.
1 Direct
2 Through another unit - Not a separate HU; combine with unit through which access is gained
ACCESS
ACCESS
ACCESS is asked of incoming cases, replacement
households or continuing cases, when the question has not
been previously answered. It is designed to indicate
whether or not the sample household has direct access to
their living quarters.
A living quarters has direct access when an occupant can
either:
Enter his/her living quarters directly from the outside of
the structure OR
Enter his/her living quarters from a common hall or
lobby that is used by occupants of more than one unit
(as found in apartment buildings). The hall or lobby must
not be part of any unit and must be clearly separate from
all units in the structure.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-68
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
If the only entrance to an occupant’s living quarters is
through a room or hall of another household’s living
quarters, then the living quarters does not have direct
access.
Only mark ACCESS by observation when you are sure that
the sample unit has direct access. If you are not sure, ask
the household respondent before you complete ACCESS.
If you mark Precode (2) because the unit does not have
direct access, then the sample address is not a separate
housing unit and should be considered part of the housing
unit through which access to it is gained. It is also possible
that the unit may have been merged with another unit. A
merger is the result of combining two or more unit
addresses to form one unit address. A merger could involve
two single family homes or two or more apartments in a
multi-unit structure.
• Please select one box that describes the type of housing unit.
1 House, apartment, flat
2 HU in nontransient hotel, motel, etc.
3 HU permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
4 HU in rooming house
5 Mobile home or trailer with no permanent room added
6 Mobile home or trailer with one or more permanent rooms attached
7 HU not specified above - Describe
8 Quarters not HU in rooming or boarding house
9 Unit not permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.
10 Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
11 Student quarters in college dormitory
12 Other unit not specified above - Describe
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT is asked only of incoming cases,
replacement households, or continuing cases, when the
question has not ben previously answered.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-69
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
A housing unit is a group of rooms or a single room
occupied as separate living quarters or intended for
occupancy as separate living quarters. A housing unit may
be occupied by a family or one person, as well as by two or
more unrelated persons who share the living quarters.
To be considered a separate living quarters, the
occupants must:
Live and eat separately from all other persons on the
property; and
Have direct access to their living quarters from the
outside or through a common hall or lobby (as found in
apartment buildings).
Once you have determined that the sample address
qualifies as a housing unit, mark the appropriate box in
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT to indicate the type (not condition)
of housing unit. For example, mark Precode (1), “House,
apartment, flat,” for a vacant or occupied housing unit that
appears to be dilapidated, but still meets the housing unit
definition.
Precode (1), House,
Apartment, Flat
Mark Precode (1) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when
the housing unit is:
Precode (2), HU in
Nontransient Hotel,
Motel, etc.
An ordinary house or apartment,
An apartment located over a garage or behind a store,
A janitor's quarters in an office building, and
Housing units in structures like converted barns or
sheds.
Mark Precode (2) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when
the housing unit is in a nontransient hotel, motel, motor
court, or YMCA. A hotel or motel is classified as
nontransient if 75 percent or more of the rooms or suites
are occupied or intended for occupancy by permanent
guests. Permanent guests usually stay a month or more at
reduced monthly or weekly rates.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-70
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precode (3), HU
Permanent in Transient
Hotel, Motel, etc.
Precode (4), HU in
Rooming House
Part B, Chapter 2
Mark Precode (3) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when
the housing unit is occupied or intended for occupancy by
permanent guests or resident employees. A hotel or motel
is classified as transient if more than 25 percent of the
rooms or suites are occupied or intended for occupancy by
transient guests. Transient guests usually stay less than a
month and pay daily rates.
Mark Precode (4) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when
the housing unit is located in a rooming house or a
combination rooming and boarding house. Rooming houses
and boarding houses are group quarters that have five or
more units for rent. However, the weekly or monthly rent
paid by roomers at a rooming house does not cover meals,
but it could cover linens and maid service. At a boarding
house, the weekly or monthly rent paid by boarders entitles
them to their room and regular meals. The proprietor may or
may not eat with the boarders at a boarding house.
Precode (5), Mobile
Home or Trailer With No
Permanent Room
Added
Mark Precode (5) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when
the housing unit is a mobile home or trailer (regardless of
the type of foundation) and no permanent rooms have been
added to the mobile home or trailer. Open or unheated
porches or sheds built onto trailers are not considered
rooms.
Precode (6), Mobile
Home or Trailer With
One or More Permanent
Rooms Added
Mark Precode (6) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when
the housing unit is a mobile home or trailer (regardless of
the type of foundation) and one or more permanent rooms
have been added. Sheds and open or unheated porches
built onto trailers are not considered rooms.
Precode (7), HU Not
Specified Above
Mark Precode (7) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT when a
housing unit cannot be described by the specific categories
already listed. Tents, houseboats, and railroad cars can fall
into this category if they meet the housing unit definition.
Whenever you mark Precode (7), make sure to describe the
type of structure accurately in Item
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNITSPEC7.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-71
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precode (8), Quarters
Not HU in Rooming or
Boarding House
Mark Precode (8) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT if the
GQ unit is located in a rooming or boarding house or a
combination rooming and boarding house. The sample unit
must not meet the housing unit definition. (Also see
Appendix B of Form 11-922.)
Precode (9), Unit Not
Permanent in Transient
Hotel, Motel, etc.
Mark Precode (9) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT if the
GQ unit is located in a transient hotel, motel, motor court,
etc. and is occupied or intended for occupancy by transient
guests. The sample unit must not meet the housing unit
definition. (Also see Appendix B of Form 11-922.)
Precode (10),
Unoccupied Site for
Mobile Home, Trailer, or
Tent
Mark Precode (10) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT if the
sample address identifies an unoccupied site for a mobile
home, trailer, or tent within a group quarters. The site must
not be intended for a mobile home, trailer, or tent that meets
the housing unit definition.
Precode (11), Student
Quarters in College
Dormitory
Mark Precode (11) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT if the
GQ unit is occupied by a college student in a dormitory. The
sample unit must not meet the housing unit definition.
Precode (12), Other Unit
Not Specified Above
Mark Precode (12) for Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT if the
GQ unit is not described in the categories already
mentioned. For example, mark Precode (12) for dormitories
used by nurses and interns in military hospitals (GQ Type
Code 904 for the 2000 sample design). Then enter the
description of the GQ type as shown in the Table of GQ
Types in Item TYPEOFHOUSINGUNITSPEC12. (Also see
Appendix B of Form 11-922.)
Identifying Changes in
Type of Living Quarters
If you discover a change in the type of living quarters or an
error in classification, correct the entries, if possible, and
note the circumstances and the date that you discovered
the change or error in the Case Level Notes.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-72
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Observe or ask:
How many housing units are in this structure?
11
22
33
44
5 5-9
6 10+
7 Mobile home/trailer
8 Only OTHER units
NUMBEROFUNITS
NUMBEROFUNITS
What Is a Structure?
If you are sure how to mark Item NUMBEROFUNITS by
your observation, mark the appropriate precode without
asking the question. However, if there is any doubt in your
mind, ask the question of the household respondent and
select the appropriate precode to indicate the number of
housing units in the structure. The NUMBEROFUNITS
screen is asked only of incoming cases, replacement
households or continuing cases, where the question has not
previously been answered. If you enter Precodes (1) or (7)
the instrument goes to GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY.
Otherwise, it goes to DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT.
A structure is a separate building that either:
Has open space on all sides (no other building attached
to it) OR
Is separated from other structures by dividing walls that
extend from ground to roof.
Consider the following residential buildings to be separate
structures if the common wall between them goes from
ground to roof:
Double houses
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-73
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Duplex houses
Row houses
Houses attached to nonresidential structures.
Sheds and private garages attached to houses are not
considered separate structures because they are not
intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.
What Is a Housing Unit?
A housing unit is a group of rooms or a single room
occupied as separate living quarters or intended for
occupancy as separate living quarters. A housing unit may
be occupied by a family or one person, as well as by two or
more unrelated persons who share the living quarters.
(See Form 11-922, Chapter 1, page 5, for more information
about separate living quarters and direct access.)
Single-Unit Structures
If you select Precode (1) or Precode (7) because there is
only one housing unit in the structure, the instrument skips
to GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY. Make sure to mark
Precode (7), “Mobile home/trailer,” in NUMBEROFUNITS if
you marked either Precode (5), “Mobile home or trailer with
no permanent room added” or Precode (6), “Mobile home or
trailer with one or more permanent rooms added,” in
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT.
Multi-Unit Structures
If you mark Precode (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) because there
are two or more housing units in the structure, complete
DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT to inquire about direct access
from outside the structure.
Group Quarters Units
If the sample address identifies a group quarters (GQ) unit,
mark Precode (8) "Only OTHER units." Make sure to mark
Precode (8) in NUMBEROFUNITS if you marked any one of
the Precodes (8) through (12) in TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-74
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
• 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?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT
DIRECTENTRANCE
TOUNIT
DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT is asked only of incoming
cases, replacement households or continuing cases, when
the question has not previously been answered. When you
are sure how to mark DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT by your
observations, mark the appropriate precode without asking
the question. However, if there is any doubt in your mind,
ask the question of the household respondent and mark the
appropriate precode.
Precode (1) “Yes”
Mark Precode (1), "Yes" if there is some means of entering
the sample unit directly from the outside, such as a door,
patio doors, or windows at ground level (even if there are
locks and/or bars to prevent entrance) and outside stairs
(such as porch, deck, or fire escape stairs) that lead directly
to an outside entrance for the sample unit.
Precode (2) “No”
Mark Precode (2), "No" when there is no direct access into
the sample unit from outside of the structure and the only
entrance to the sample unit is through a common hall from
within the structure, such as a common hall into a second
floor apartment.
Precode (3) “Don’t
know”
In most cases, you should not need to mark the “Don’t
know” answer, so only select it as a last resort.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-75
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
• 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?
1 Yes
2 No
GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY
GATEDWALLED
COMMUNITY
GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY is asked only of incoming
cases or continuing cases where the question has not
previously been answered. When you are sure how to
answer GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY by your
observation, select the appropriate precode without asking
the question. If there is any doubt about how to properly fill
this item, ask the question of the household respondent and
then mark the appropriate precode.
Precode (1) “Yes”
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if access to the household’s
community requires some sort of special entry procedure
and the community is surrounded by walls, fences, or other
barriers to restrict entrance to the community’s homes by
non-residents of the community. Some resort or retirement
communities are good examples of gated or walled
communities. This restricted access refers to the entire
community, rather than just to an individual building or
housing unit. It also includes communities with guard
houses or protection that are operational during certain
hours, such as evenings only. However, it excludes
neighborhood watch programs with no authority to stop
visitors, as well as single-family housing units with gated
driveways.
Precode (2) “No”
Enter Precode (2), “No,” if the household’s unit is not
located in a gated or walled community which restricts
access to non-residents.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-76
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
• 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?
1 Yes
2 No
RESTRICTEDACCESS
RESTRICTEDACCESS
RESTRICTEDACCESS is asked only of incoming cases,
replacement households, or continuing cases, when the
question has not previously been answered.
Precode (1) “Yes”
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the housing unit is in a building
that has some type of special entry system, such as an
intercom system from which the occupants can identify and
“buzz in” visitors or a security guard who monitors access
into the building.
Precode (2) “No”
Enter Precode (2), “No,” if the housing unit is not located in a
building that requires a special entry system for access
(including an intercom system or a security guard).
After completing RESTRICTEDACCESS the instrument
continues with the household roster demographic
characteristics section to build or update the household
roster. This is detailed in Topic 10 of this chapter.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-77
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 9. Household Roster Demographic Characteristics
(Screen Layout and Instructions for
HHROSTER_FNAME Through ANY_OTHERCHNG)
Overview of the Control
Card Section
The Control Card section of the NCVS instrument is made
up of three parts or tables; the PreDemo Table, the
DemoDetailed Table and the DemoChange Table. The
PreDemo Table is used to collect basic information about
the person living at the sample address, such as; their
name, gender, membership status. On the other hand, the
DemoDetailed Table is used to collect the more detailed
demographic information, such as; their age, marital status,
highest level of schooling and race, to name a few. Last, the
DemoChange Table is used to correct demographic
information that was previously collected and may not have
been updated or verified during the current enumeration.
The PreDemo Table General Information
The order in which you proceed through the PreDemo
Table, depends on whether the case is an incoming or
continuing household. An “incoming household” is one that
is being interviewed for the first time; either the first time it is
in sample or as a replacement household. A “continuing
household” is a case in enumerations 2-7 that is not a
replacement household.
For an incoming household you start this section by building
the roster, entering the names of the persons living or
staying at the sample address beginning at the
HHROSTER_FNAME screen. After entering the person’s
name you collect personal demographic information about
them, such as their relationship to the reference person,
gender and household membership. For a continuing case,
you start this section at the NAMECHECK screen to verify
all the household members listed from the previous
enumeration are still household members.
For all enumerations, continue by collecting and/or verifying
personal demographic information for each household
member in the DemoDetailed Table.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-78
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Building the Household
Roster During the First
Enumeration Period
Build the household roster by listing each person who is
living or staying at the sample address. Each person is
assigned a unique line number that is automatically allotted
in the instrument and is displayed to the left of the person’s
name. This line number distinguishes the various
individuals from each other in the instrument as well as the
output data. The line number is also used to identify the
household respondent for each enumeration period as well
as to identify the household member who reported an
incident. The line number should also be used to refer to a
person in the Incident Summary screen as well as the “Case
Level Notes,” rather than using the person’s name.
What are the names of all people living or staying here? Start with the name of the
person or one of the people who owns this home.
Enter first name on this screen.
Enter 999 to leave the table.
HHROSTER_FNAME
What are the names of all people living or staying here? Start with the name of the
person or one of the people who owns this home.
Enter last name on this screen.
HHROSTER_LNAME
HHROSTER_FNAME and
HHROSTER_LNAME
Build the household roster during the first interview with a
sample household starting with the first and last name of
each person living or staying at the sample address.
Once you ask the question in bold type, "What are the
names of all people living or staying here?" the next
statement you read varies, depending on the answer
recorded in Item TENURE.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-79
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If the living quarters is either owned or being bought by
someone in the household, read the statement as
follows: "Start with the name of the person or one of
the people who owns this home."
If the living quarters is rented for cash, read the
statement as follows: "Start with the name of the
person or one of the people who rents this home."
HHROSTER_LNAME is the second item of the two screens
used to enter a person’s name into the roster. Therefore, the
question text is in grey, which means that you do not have to
ask the question since you most likely were given the
person’s first and last name when you asked the question in
Item HHROSTER_FNAME.
Who to List on the
Roster
List the names (last names first) of the following persons:
All persons living or staying at the sample address at the
time of your contact.
All persons who usually live at the sample address, but
who are temporarily away for reasons such as visiting
friends or relatives, traveling for their jobs, in "general"
hospitals, and so forth.
All children who usually live at the sample address,
including infants under 1 year of age.
Any lodgers, servants, hired hands, and other persons
who usually live at the sample address.
Visitors and other persons who are not household
members (do not usually live at the sample address),
but are in the sample household at the time of your
interview and have stayed at the sample address at
least one night before your interview, such as a visitor or
student with a usual residence elsewhere.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-80
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Preferred Order for
Listing Names
Part B, Chapter 2
The "preferred" order for listing names on the roster by
relationship to the reference person is:
Reference person
Husband or wife of the reference person
Unmarried children of the reference person or his/her
spouse, starting with the oldest and ending with the
youngest
Married sons and/or daughters of the reference person
or his/her spouse, followed by the married child's
spouse, and each of their children (oldest to youngest)
Other persons related to the reference person or his/her
spouse. (If these other relatives are related to each
other, list them together.)
Lodgers and other nonrelatives staying at the sample
address. (If these other nonrelatives are related to each
other, list them together.)
Although this is the "preferred" order, it is not necessary to
change entries in the roster so that they match the
"preferred" order.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-81
Part B, Chapter 2
Completing the
Household Roster
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Normally, you list the reference person in the first line of the
household roster. Then complete Items SEX (male or
female), RELATIONSHIP (relationship to reference
person), and HHMEMBER (household member) for one line
number before entering the next person in
HHROSTER_FNAME.
NOTE: The instrument automatically fills Precode (21),
“Reference Person” in RELATIONSHIP for the first
person listed on the roster when building the roster for a
new household. In this situation the instrument skips
from SEX to HHMEMBER.
The instrument automatically prefills the last name of the
person in the previous row so for each person with the same
last name as the preceding person you can just press the
“Enter” key to move from Item HHROSTER_LNAME to Item
SEX. If the last names are different you can press the
“Delete” key or type over the previous entry when the last
name is highlighted in blue.
As you complete the household roster, you may need to
probe for the household respondent to give you the names
of all remaining persons staying at the sample address. If
so, you can ask, "What are the names of all other
persons who are living or staying here?" Repeat this
question, as necessary, until you are sure that the
household roster is complete. Once you are sure you have
collected the names of all the persons living or staying at the
sample address enter “999” at Item HHROSTER_FNAME
in the next empty row to proceed to the HHLDCOVERAGE
screen.
If you mistakenly enter “999” in Item HHROSTER_FNAME
of a person who is already listed on the roster you encounter
an edit check pop-up that tells you how to proceed.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-82
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
You can only enter 999 on a blank line – not over an
existing person.
If you need to delete this person from the roster, use
arrow keys to go to MEMBERCHANGES and enter the
reason why this person is no longer a member.
Select “close” to return to HHROSTER_FNAME to
restore Jane to the household roster.
Questions involved
HHROSTER_FNAME: First name
Close
Value
999
Goto
This edit check appears when you have entered “999” over
someone’s name. You are only permitted to enter “999” on a
line that is not occupied by a person listed on the roster.
Click on the “Close” or “Goto” buttons to return to Item
HHROSTER_FNAME and reenter the person’s name that
was overwritten with the entry of “999.” Notice that this edit
check displays the first name of the person that needs to be
stored in the third interviewer instruction, so make note of
the name before returning to the HHROSTER_FNAME
screen.
If you enter “999” in Item HHROSTER_FNAME to exit the
PreDemos Table and the person listed as the reference
person is coded as a nonmember you will also encounter an
edit check pop-up that tells you how to proceed.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-83
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
You need to select a reference person who is a
household member.
Enter 21 in the “Relation” column for the
reference person.
Questions involved
HHROSTER_FNAME: First name
Close
Value
999
Goto
This edit check appears when you enter “999” to exit the
PreDemos Table and the line number marked as the
reference person is also listed as a nonmember. Click on
the “Close” or “Goto” buttons to return to Item
HHROSTER_FNAME and resolve this issue by either:
changing the current reference persons member status
to Precode (1) or
entering Precode (21) “Reference Person” in
RELATIONSHIP for another line number.
Every case must have a valid reference person before
leaving the PreDemos Table.
For the remaining items in the household roster
demographic screens the instrument automatically fills the
name of the household member for whom you are collecting
information in the question text.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-84
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Ask if necessary
Is Ted Moe male or female?
1 Male
2 Female
SEX
SEX
(Household Member’s
Gender)
For each household member, enter Precode (1) for “Male”
or Precode (2) for “Female,” as appropriate. You can usually
determine the household member’s sex from his/her name.
However, if there is any doubt, ask the question in SEX and
enter the appropriate precode based on the household
respondent’s answer.
What is Ted Moe’s relationship to you?
11 Husband
12 Wife
13 Son
14 Daughter
15 Father
16 Mother
17 Brother
18 Sister
19 Other relative
20 Nonrelative
RELATIONSHIP
RELATIONSHIP
(Relationship to the
Reference Person)
Use Item RELATIONSHIP to identify the reference person
and the relationship of each remaining person listed on the
roster to the reference person. The reference person is a
concept used to establish the relationship of everyone on
the roster to one specific person. When building the roster,
the instrument automatically codes the first person listed as
the reference person, so you do not need to select someone
to be the reference person at this point.
Ask the household respondent the question in Item
RELATIONSHIP and enter the precode corresponding to
the relationship (husband, wife, son, daughter, and so forth)
to the reference person.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-85
Part B, Chapter 2
Reference Person
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
The reference person is usually the first person
mentioned when you begin to build the household roster.
Since we want a responsible adult household member who
is less likely to permanently leave the household, it is
preferable to designate one of the persons who owns or
rents the home as the reference person. Each household
must have a reference person and the reference person
must be a household member.
(Also see Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 4, for more
information about the reference person.)
Relationship of Other
Persons to the
Reference Person
Once you have identified which person will be the reference
person, you must determine the precise relationship of all
other persons listed on the roster to the reference person.
Edit Checks Based on
Relationship Codes
After coding RELATIONSHIP you may encounter a pop-up
edit check based on a possible inconsistency in the
responses entered in SEX and RELATIONSHIP. You will
encounter these edit checks when:
You have listed more than one husband or more than
one wife;
You have listed both a husband and a wife as
relationships to the reference person;
You have listed more than one father or more than one
mother;
Someone is the person’s gender is inconsistent with the
relationship, such as; a male sister, or a female father.
Correct inconsistencies when necessary.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-86
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Does Ted Moe usually live here?
If "No", probe for usual residence elsewhere.
1 Yes
2 No
HHMEMBER
HHMEMBER
(Household Member
Status)
HHMEMBER is designed to help you determine whether or
not each person listed in the household roster is considered
a household member. Once you have identified a person's
relationship to the reference person in Item
RELATIONSHIP, ask the following question in Item
HHMEMBER, "Does...usually live here?" If the answer is
"No," try to determine whether the person has a usual place
of residence held elsewhere for him/her in Item
HSEMEMURE. Ordinarily, a person's usual place of
residence is the place where the person eats and sleeps the
majority of the time.
As a general rule, a person is considered a household
member if:
The sample address is the person's usual place of
residence or
The person is staying at the sample address at the time
of interview and does not have a usual place of
residence elsewhere.
(Also see Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 3, of this manual as
well as your Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554) for
help in determining household membership.)
Person Is a Household
Member
If you determine that the person meets the household
member criteria:
Select Precode (1) “Yes” in Item HHMEMBER and
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Continue to the next line on the household roster.
Person Is Not a
Household Member
If you determine that the person does not meet the
household member criteria:
Select Precode (2) “No” in Item HHMEMBER and
Then ask the question in HSEMEMURE to confirm that
person’s usual place of residence is elsewhere.
Does Ted Moe have a usual place of residence elsewhere?
1 Yes
2 No
HSEMEMURE
HSEMEMURE
(Usual Residence
Elsewhere)
When a household respondent mentions that a person on
the roster does not usually live there, follow up with the
question in HSEMEMURE to determine if the person
qualifies as a household member under NCVS procedures.
If the household respondent replies that this person has a
usual residence elsewhere, then enter Precode (1) “Yes” in
HSEMEMURE which means this person is NOT a
household member. However, entering Precode (2) “No”
means that the person does not have a usual residence
elsewhere and therefore classifies as a member by NCVS
standards.
If the entire household has a usual residence elsewhere,
follow the procedures for classifying the case as a Type B
Noninterview, as discussed after HHLDCOVERAGE below.
(See Part A, Chapter 6, Topic 3, for procedures to
classify a case as a Type B noninterview.)
When Unsure About
Household Membership
First, reread the information:
In Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 3, of this manual and
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
In your Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554).
If you are still unsure whether to include a person on the
household roster as a household member, select Precode
(1), "Yes," in Item HHMEMBER, continue to interview the
person, and explain the situation in the "Case Level Notes."
I have
LN
1
2
3
• Read names below listed as living or staying at this address.
NAME
Ted Moe
Megan Moe
Jane Moe
REL
Ref Person
Wife
Daughtr
AGE
43
43
14
SEX
M
F
F
MARITAL
Married
Married
Never Married
STATUS
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
Are ALL of these people still living or staying at that address?
1 Yes
2 No
NAMECHECK
Verifying the Household
Roster During the Second
Through Seventh
Enumeration Periods
In enumerations two through seven you verify, with the
household respondent, that the household roster is
up-to-date. In NAMECHECK you begin adding members to
the household, coding persons as nonmembers or adding
back persons who were previously coded as nonmembers.
NAMECHECK
(Verifying the Roster)
NAMECHECK appears after STUDENTHOUSING or
PUBLICHOUSING. NAMECHECK is only asked during
enumerations 2-7 for continuing cases to verify that all of the
people listed on the roster from the previous enumeration
are still living or staying at the sample address at the time of
the current interview. NAMECHECK should only display
those people who were marked as household members
during the previous enumeration. When reading the
question to the household respondent you are instructed to
read all the names of the people displayed at this item. So
using the example above you would ask, "I have Ted,
Megan and Jane Moe listed as living or staying at this
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address. Are ALL of these people still living or staying
at this address?"
On the other hand, if the household respondent is the only
household member the question is phrased, "I have you
listed as living or staying at this address. Is that
correct?"
Who Should Be Listed
The household roster in NAMECHECK should include:
All persons living or staying at the sample address at the
time of the interview.
All persons who usually live at the sample address, but
who are temporarily away for reasons such as visiting
friends or relatives, traveling for their jobs, in “general”
hospitals, and so forth.
All children who usually live at the sample address,
including infants under 1 year of age.
Any lodgers, servants, hired hands, and other persons
who usually live at the sample address.
Visitors and other persons who are not household
members (do not usually live at the sample address),
but are in the sample household at the time of your
interview and have stayed at the sample address at
least one night before your interview, such as a visitor or
student with a usual residence elsewhere.
If the household roster is correct, enter Precode (1) “Yes” at
NAMECHECK and continue with HHLDCOVERAGE.
If you determine that the roster is not correct either because
someone listed is no longer a household member, there is
someone new living or staying at the address or someone
who is listed on the roster as a nonmember has returned to
the household and needs to be recoded as a household
member, enter Precode (2) “No” at NAMECHECK. Then
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Part B, Chapter 2
continue with REFPERSTILLLIVE to determine if the
reference person still lives at the sample address before
moving on to MEMBERCHANGES, to code the reason the
household roster is changing.
Ask or verify
Does Ted Moe still live at this address?
1 Yes
2 No
REFPERSTILLLIVE
REFPERSTILLLIVE
REFPERSTILLLIVE appears when you have coded that
there has been a change to the household composition at
NAMECHECK. At REFPERSTILLLIVE you ask or verify
whether the reference person still lives at the sample
address.
Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” answer, indicating that the
reference person is still a usual resident and still qualifies as
the reference person for the sample household. After
entering Precode (1), continue with MEMBERCHANGES to
code the reason there was a change in the household
composition.
Changing the Reference
Person (Person Is Not a
Household Member)
If you determine that the person identified in
RELATIONSHIP as the reference person is not a
household member, you must identify another household
member as the reference person. If you encounter this
situation, you must:
Enter Precode (2) “No” in Item NAMECHECK.
Enter Precode (2) “No” in Item REFPERSTILLLIVE.
Determine who should be the new reference person by
asking the question in Item NEWREFPER.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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If necessary, correct the relationship precodes in
RELATIONSHIP for the remaining persons in the
household roster to show their relationship to the new
reference person.
What is the name of the person (or one of the persons) who owns or rents that home? Would
that be you?
Enter line number of the new reference person or 31 if someone not listed
LN
NAME
1
2
Ted Moe
Megan Moe
REL
Ref Person
Wife
AGE
SEX
MARITAL
STATUS
43
43
M
F
Married
Married
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
NEWREFPER
NEWREFPER
This item is similar to the screen in the front of the
instrument where you can select a new household
respondent (HELLO_ALT2_CP). NEWREFPER asks the
current household respondent to select a new reference
person by asking, “What is the name of the person (or
one of the persons) who owns or rents that home?
Would that be you?” After reading the question, select a
new reference person based on the people listed in
NEWREFPER. The instrument should only display persons
at this screen who qualify to be selected as the reference
person, based on the criteria for selecting a reference
person. (For more information on who qualifies as a
reference person see Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 4, of this
manual.)
Although rare, you may encounter a situation where the
household respondent mentions someone who is not listed
on the roster displayed at this item. If that occurs, verify that
this new person is actually a household member and if so,
enter Precode (31) “Someone not listed above” in
NEWREFPER to add a new person to the roster via the
PreDemos Table discussed above. By adding a new
household member using this path, the instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
automatically removes the code in the “Relation” column
from the previous reference person. The instrument will also
create a new line number and assigns Precode (21)
“Reference Person” in the “Relation” column of this person
just added to the household roster. The instrument also
empties the “Relation” column for any remaining household
members. You will need to enter the relationship codes for
the remaining household members based on the new
reference person. When a new person is added to the roster
as the new reference person the instrument will continue
with MEMBERCHANGES for line number 1. At this point,
you should enter the reason the previous reference person
has left the household and then use the arrow keys to go to
HHROSTER_FNAME for the new reference person.
Complete the items for this person; HHROSTER_FNAME,
HHROSTER_LNAME, SEX and MEMBERCHANGES.
Note: Enter the reason the new reference person entered
the household in MEMBERCHANGES.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-93
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Enter reason why there is a change in household membership for this person.
If no change is needed for this person, press the ENTER key without selecting a precode.
Use the arrow keys to move through the table and REVIEW/UPDATE demographics.
When done, press Page Down.
WHY ENTERED HOUSEHOLD:
11 Returned from school or college
12 Returned from institution
13 Entered because of marriage/separation/
divorce
14 Person entered household for
reasons other than above
WHY LEFT HOUSEHOLD:
15 Person died
16 Left for school or college
17 Entered institution
18 Left because of marriage/separation/divorce
19 Person left household for
reasons other than above
20 Visitor – residence elsewhere
MEMBERCHANGES
MEMBERCHANGES
(Changes in Household
Composition)
MEMBERCHANGES is accessible when a change in the
household composition has been noted by an entry in
HELP_OTH_CP, NAMECHECK, or HHLDCOVERAGE.
When a change has occurred in the household composition,
record the reason for the change based on the Precodes
listed in MEMBERCHANGES. The instrument automatically
goes to MEMBERCHANGES associated with the first line
number. Even if Line Number 1 does not have any changes,
the instrument starts at line number 1. If there are no
changes to the first line number’s household member status
you can use the down arrow to navigate to the line number
where the first change occurred.
MEMBERCHANGES does not have a question for you to
ask the household respondent. Use this screen to document
household composition changes when you discover that a
household member has entered or left the household since
the previous interview. Try to determine the reason for the
change without antagonizing the household respondent
with questions that may be too personal or specific.
Once you determine the reason a household member
entered or left a household, find the appropriate 2-digit
reason code in the answer list, which is divided by reasons
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Part B, Chapter 2
for entering and leaving the household. If the reason does
not fit into any of the precodes, use the "Case Level Notes"
to further explain the change.
Adding a Household
Member
When a new person enters a household:
Add the person's name to the household roster using
HHROSTER_FNAME and HHROSTER_LNAME in the
next unused row. These items were discussed earlier in
this topic.
Complete Item RELATIONSHIP to determine the new
person's relationship to the reference person.
Complete HHMEMBER to determine if the new person
qualifies as a household member.
If you get a "Yes" answer in HHMEMBER, complete
BRTHDATEMO through RACE (in the
DemoDetailed Table) for the new household
member, as applicable.
If you get a "No" answer in HHMEMBER, ask the
HSEMEMURE. If the new person does not have a
usual residence elsewhere enter Precode (2) “No”,
then follow the instruction above for when
HHMEMBER equals “Yes.” Otherwise, enter
Precode (1) in HSEMEMURE, since the person
being added is staying at the household temporarily
and has a usual residence elsewhere. In this case
you need not collect data for Items BRTHDATEMO
through RACE (in the DemoDetailed Table) for this
person because they are not considered a
household member. However, you do need to enter
Precode (20) “Visitor - residence elsewhere” in
MEMBERCHANGES for this person.
In MEMBERCHANGES, enter the appropriate Precode
(11 - 14), to code the reason the household member
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was added to the roster. In the “Case Level Notes” enter
a brief description of the reason for the change. For
example, "L2 added to roster Precode 14/Married to
L1/1-2013."
Deleting a Household
Member
Person dies:
If a person listed on the roster has died, enter Precode (15),
"Person died," in Item MEMBERCHANGES and add a brief
description in the “Case Level Notes.”
Person leaves household:
If a person leaves a household and is not just temporarily
absent, enter the appropriate Precode (16-19) in Item
MEMBERCHANGES. Then in the “Case Level Notes” enter
a brief description, such as; "L4 left HHLD/Precode
16/Attending College/2-2013" or "Precode 19/L2 Active
military duty overseas/3-2013."
Person's Household
Membership Changes
If a person listed on the roster was coded as a nonmember
during a previous enumeration and then returns while the
household is still in sample, enter the appropriate Precode
(11-14) in MEMBERCHANGES. Be sure to verify that this
person’s Membership status in the “HHmember” column
has changed to a value of (1) “Yes.” In the “Case Level
Notes” enter a brief description of the reason the person has
returned to the household, for example, “L3 returned to
household/Precode 13/ Released from prison/7-2013."
If you discover that a person who was listed as a URE
(usual residence elsewhere) in a previous enumeration
period, is now a household member, enter the appropriate
Precode (11-14) in MEMBERCHANGES. Be sure to verify
that this person’s Membership status in the “HH member”
column has changed to a value of (1) “Yes.” Then in the
“Case Level Notes” enter a brief description of the reason
the person has returned to the household, for example,
"Precode 14/L2 Returned from active military duty
overseas/2-2013."
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-96
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Part B, Chapter 2
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?
1 Yes
2 No
HHLDCOVERAGE
HHLDCOVERAGE
(Household Roster
Coverage)
Asking
HHLDCOVERAGE 1st Enumeration Period
HHLDCOVERAGE is designed to remind the household
respondent to mention anyone he/she may have forgotten
to mention initially and to ensure that the household roster is
complete. Many household respondents forget to mention
babies, lodgers, and visitors when asked about persons
staying at their home.
During the first enumeration, HHLDCOVERAGE appears
after you enter “999” in the next empty row, at
HHROSTER_FNAME to indicate you’ve completed the
roster.
When interviewing a sample household for the first time,
start Item HHLDCOVERAGE by reading, "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?"
If the household respondent answers "Yes" to the question
in Item HHLDCOVERAGE:
Select Precode (1) "Yes,"
Add the person's name to the household roster via the
HHROSTER_FNAME and HHROSTER_LNAME
screens, and
Complete Items SEX, RELATIONSHIP and
HHMEMBER for the added person.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Continue asking if you missed anyone else living or
staying at the address until the household respondent
answers, "No." Then enter “999” again in the next empty
row at the HHROSTER_FNAME screen. Then enter
Precode (2) “No” in IHHLDCOVERAGE. The instrument
then goes to BIRTHDATEMO to begin collecting the
rest of the demographic information for each household
member.
If the household respondent answers "No" to the question in
HHLDCOVERAGE:
Select Precode (2) "No,"
The instrument proceeds to BIRTHDATEMO to begin
collecting the rest of the demographic information for
each household member.
Asking
HHLDCOVERAGE 2nd Through 7th
Enumeration Periods
HHLDCOVERAGE appears next for the second through
seventh enumeration cases after entering Precode (1) “Yes”
at Item NAMECHECK to signify the input roster was
correct.
HHLDCOVERAGE also appears during Time in Sample
two through seven after entering Precode (2) “No” in
NAMECHECK to signify the input roster was not correct,
then entering “999” in the next empty row in Item
HHROSTER_FNAME when you have completed making
those changes to the roster. Once you reach
HHLDCOVERAGE, ask "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?"
If the household respondent answers "Yes" to
HHLDCOVERAGE:
Select Precode (1) "Yes,"
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Part B, Chapter 2
Add the person's name to the household roster via the
HHROSTER_FNAME and HHROSTER_LNAME
screens, and
Complete Items SEX, RELATIONSHIP and
HHMEMBER for the added person.
Continue asking if you missed anyone else living or
staying at the address until the household respondent
answers "No." Then enter “999” in the next empty row at
the HHROSTER_FNAME screen and then enter
Precode (2) “No” in Item HHLDCOVERAGE. The
instrument then proceeds to the AGECHECK screen for
the first household member to begin verifying and/or
collecting the rest of the demographic information for
each household member.
If the household respondent answers "No" to the question in
Item HHLDCOVERAGE:
Select Precode (2) "No,"
Households consisting entirely of persons who are not
household members and have a usual residence
elsewhere proceed to Item ENTIREHHURE.
Otherwise, the instrument proceeds to Item
AGECHECK to begin verifying the demographic
information collected during previous enumerations for
each household member.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-99
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
All people on the household roster have a usual residence elsewhere.
Enter 1 to exit the case.
Then reenter the case to code it a Noninterview (Type B - Entire Household URE) via START_CP.
1 Enter 1 to continue
ENTIREHHURE
ENTIREHHURE
In the situation, where all of the persons listed on the
household roster have a usual residence elsewhere the
case will need to be coded as a Type B Noninterview. This
screen will appear when Precode (2) is entered in
HHLDCOVERAGE and all of the persons listed on the
roster have been coded as nonmembers.
By entering Precode (1) at ENTIREHHURE you
acknowledge that this case classifies as a Type B
noninterview (outcome code 225), “Temporarily occupied
by persons with URE.”
After exiting the case, you will need to reenter the case to
complete the process of coding this case as a Type B via
the START_CP screen. (Also see Part A, Chapter 6,
Topic 3, Type B Noninterview Categories.)
The DemoDetailed Table General Information
Once you have verified which persons listed in the
household roster qualify as household members at the
sample address, then begin collecting and/or verifying the
demographic information for each household member. The
DemoDetailed Table consists of Items AGECHECK
through RACE which are used to obtain personal
characteristics (date of birth, age, marital status, and so
forth) for each household member listed on the roster.
Complete Items AGECHECK through RACE, as applicable,
for one household member before completing these items
for the next household member on the roster. You do not
complete Items AGECHECK through RACE for any
nonhousehold members listed on the roster.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-100
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
I have you listed as 43 years old as of last month.
Is that correct?
1 Yes, age IS correct
2 No, age is NOT correct
AGECHECK
AGECHECK
(Verifying the Age on Input)
During enumerations two through seven AGECHECK is the
first of these demographic information collection/verification
screens and is used to verify each household member’s
current age during each enumeration period. This screen
appears for the first household member and is then
repeated for each remaining household member. The
NCVS instrument inserts the appropriate household
member’s name and age based on information from the
previous interview.
When a case is loaded, the instrument calculates each
household member’s age, based on the date of birth that
was collected during a prior enumeration period and fills that
age into the question text of AGECHECK. During
enumerations two through seven you will ask the household
respondent the question in AGECHECK for each
household member. For example, when verifying the
household respondent’s age you will ask, “I have you listed
as 43 years old. Is that correct?”
Ask the question as worded; the question text changes
when a household member’s birth month is the same as the
current interviewing month. In this situation the instrument
automatically inserts the phrase “as of last month” into the
question text to alert the household respondent we are
verifying the person’s age “as of last month.” This way if a
household member’s birthday has already occurred during
the current interview month the age information is
collected/verified the same across all cases. Therefore,
when the interviewing month is the same as the birth month
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-101
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for a household member ask, in AGECHECK, “I have you
listed as 43 years old, as of last month. Is that correct?”
When the Previous Age
Recorded Is Correct
When you ask the question in AGECHECK and the
household respondent confirms the household member’s
age is correct:
Enter Precode (1) “Yes, age IS correct”.
Continue to verify the remaining demographic
information items for the current household member. If
the current household member you are verifying
information about is 14 years of age or older the
instrument proceeds to MARITAL. If the current
household member is 12 or 13 years of age the
instrument proceeds to either EDUCATIONATTAIN or
ATTENDINGSCHOOL. Otherwise, if the current
household member is under 12 years of age the
instrument proceeds to AGECHECK for the next
household member or to ROSTERREVIEW when there
are no more household members left to verify
demographic information for.
When the Previous Age
Recorded Is Not Correct
When you ask the question in Item AGECHECK and the
household respondent says the age we previously recorded
is incorrect:
Enter Precode (2) “Yes, age is NOT correct”.
The instrument proceeds to the BRTHDATEMO,
BRTHDATEDY and BRTHDATEYR screens to edit the
incorrect date of birth information. See below for more
information regarding completing these three items.
When the Birthday
Previously Collected is
Incomplete or Refused
If a household member’s date of birth (month, day, or year)
was not completed or the person's date of birth was refused
during a prior enumeration, the instrument will not be able to
calculate an age for that person for the current enumeration.
In this situation, the instrument skips the AGECHECK
screen and go to the Items BRTHDATEMO,
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
BRTHDATEDY and BRTHDATEYR screens to edit the
incorrect or incomplete date of birth information.
What is Ted Moe’s date of birth?
Enter month on this screen
BRTHDATEMO
What is Ted Moe’s date of birth?
Enter day on this screen
BRTHDATEDY
What is Ted Moe’s date of birth?
Enter year on this screen
If the year is less than 1890, enter 1890
BRTHDATEYR
BRTHDATEMO,
BRTHDATEDY and
BRTHDATEYR
(Date of Birth)
During the first enumeration you come to BRTHDATEMO
after entering Precode (2) in HHLDCOVERAGE in order to
start collecting a household member’s date of birth. You
also come to BRTHDATEMO during enumerations two
through seven when a person was added to the household
roster during the current enumeration, when the household
member’s date of birth was not correct (you entered
Precode (2) in AGECHECK) or the date of birth was
incomplete or refused during a previous enumeration.
Entering the Date of Birth
Although BRTHDATEMO and BRTHDATEDY are two
digits, you do not need to enter a zero for a one digit month
or day. Rather, you can enter a one digit for the months of
January through September (1-9) as well as for the first 9
days of a month. However, for BRTHDATEYR you must
enter 4 digits. For example, enter 4/2/2013 for April 2, 2013.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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When a household respondent is unsure of the exact date of
birth, you can:
Press the “Ctrl” and “D” keys at the same time to code a
blind “Don’t Know” in any or all three birth date screens.
If you enter don’t know in BRTHDATEYR the instrument
proceeds to ESTAGE to ask the household respondent
to estimate the household member’s age.
Date of Birth is Refused
If the household respondent refuses to give you another
household member's date of birth, you can:
Press the “Ctrl” and “R” keys at the same time to code a
blind “Refused” in any or all three birth date screens.
If you enter refused in BRTHDATEYR the instrument
proceeds to AGERNG to ask the household respondent
to select which age range the household member’s age
fits into, based upon the age ranges specified in the
answer list.
That would make Ted Moe 43 years old.
Is that correct?
1 Yes
2 No
VFYAGE
VFYAGE
(Verify Age Based on Birth
Date Collected)
After collecting the date of birth information the instrument
goes to VFYAGE to verify that the age calculated in the
instrument, based on the date of birth information collected
in BRTHDATEMO, BRTHDATEDY and BRTHDATEYR is
correct. If you entered a blind “Don’t Know” or a blind
“Refusal” in BRTHDATEYR the instrument bypasses this
screen and continues on to either ESTAGE or AGERNG as
discussed below.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
VFYAGE is set up similarly to AGECHECK. For example,
when verifying the age based on the date of birth just
collected for the household respondent you ask, “That
would make you 43 years old. Is that correct?” Be sure
to ask the question as worded, because the question text
changes when a household member’s birth month is the
same as the current interviewing month. In this situation the
instrument automatically inserts the phrase “as of last
month” into the question text to alert the household
respondent we are verifying the person’s age as of last
month. This way if a household member’s birthday has
already occurred during the current interview month the age
information is collected/verified the same across all cases.
Therefore, when the interviewing month is the same as the
birth month for a household member, ask in Item VFYAGE,
“That would make you 43 years old, as of last month. Is
that correct?”
If the age is not correct enter Precode (2) to return to
BRTHDATEMO, BRTHDATEDY and BRTHDATEYR to
edit the incorrect date of birth information. If the age is
correct and the current household member you are verifying
information about is 14 years of age or older the instrument
proceeds to MARITAL. If the current household member is
12 or 13 years of age the instrument proceeds to either
EDUCATIONATTAIN or ATTENDINGSCHOOL.
Otherwise, if the current household member is under 12
years of age the instrument proceeds to Item AGECHECK
for the next household member or to the ROSTERREVIEW
screen when there are no more household members left to
verify demographic information for.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-105
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Even though you don’t know Ted Moe’s exact birthdate, what is your best guess as to how old he
was on his last birthday?
ESTAGE
ESTAGE
(Estimating a Household
Member's Age)
Item ESTAGE is asked when the household respondent
does not know the birth year for a household member and
you entered a blind “Don’t Know” in Item BRTHDATEYR.
This screen is used to collect an estimated age of the
household member, in lieu of a date of birth. This is an
attempt to get some age for a household member in order to
determine whether the respondent is eligible for the NCVS.
Age is also used as criteria for asking certain questions like
employment, as well as some NCVS supplements.
For Babies Under 1 Year:
Enter "0" in Item ESTAGE for household members who are
under 1 year of age.
For Adults Over Age 96:
Enter "96" in Item ESTAGE for an adult whose age is 96 or
older.
If you enter a blind “Don’t Know” or a blind “Refusal” in Item
ESTAGE the instrument will proceed to the AGERNG
screen. Otherwise if the current household member you are
verifying information about is 14 years of age or older the
instrument proceeds to the MARTIAL screen. If the current
household member is 12 or 13 years of age the instrument
proceeds to either Item EDUCATIONATTAIN or Item
ATTENDINGSCHOOL. Otherwise, if the current household
member is under 12 years of age the instrument proceeds
to Item AGECHECK for the next household member or to
the ROSTERREVIEW screen when there are no more
household members left to verify demographic information
for.
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B2-106
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
Is he a child, a teenager, or an adult? Is he ...
Read appropriate age categories.
1 0 - 11 years old?
2 12 - 13 years old?
3 14 - 15 years old?
4 16 - 17 years old?
5 18 - 24 years old?
6 25 - 34 years old?
7 35 - 49 years old?
8 50 - 65 years old?
9 66 years old or older?
AGERNG
AGERNG
(Coding an Age into a
Range of Ages)
AGERNG is asked when the household respondent refuses
to give you the birth year for a household member and you
entered a blind “Refused” in BRTHDATEYR. AGERNG
also appears when you enter a blind “Don’t Know” or a blind
“Refusal” in ESTAGE. AGERNG is used to code a
household member’s age into one of nine ranges. This is
done in an attempt to narrow down a household member’s
age in order to determine whether the respondent is eligible
for the NCVS. Age is also used as a criterion for asking
certain questions like employment and some NCVS
supplements.
After entering the precode in AGERNG and the current
household member you are verifying information about is 14
years of age or older, the instrument proceeds to MARITAL.
If the current household member is 12 or 13 years of age the
instrument goess to either EDUCATIONATTAIN or
ATTENDINGSCHOOL. Otherwise, if the current household
member is under 12 years of age the instrument goes to
AGECHECK for the next household member or to
ROSTERREVIEW when there are no more household
members left to verify demographic information for.
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B2-107
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
LAST REPORTED AS: Married
Enter new marital status for Ted Moe
If in doubt, ask:
Is Ted Moe now married, widowed, divorced, separated, or has he never been married?
1 Married
2 Widowed
3 Divorced
4 Separated
5 Never married
MARITAL
MARITAL
(Marital Status)
Item MARITAL is used to verify the marital status of each
household member who is at least 14 years of age during
each enumeration period. For household members who are
12 or 13 years of age, the instrument codes them
automatically as “Never married,” Precode (5). In most
cases, this screen also shows the person’s marital status as
reported in the previous enumeration period. You can often
determine a household member's marital status without
asking the question in Item MARITAL. However, if there is
any doubt, ask the question in Item MARITAL as worded for
all household members who are 14 years of age and older.
If an unrelated man and woman are living together and it is
not evident whether or not they consider themselves as
married to each other (either legally or by common law), ask
the question in Item MARITAL as worded or determine the
marital status without asking, if possible.
Precode (1) “Married”
Enter Precode (1) “Married” in MARITAL when:
The person is currently married and living with his/her
spouse.
The person is currently married, but is parted
temporarily from his/her spouse for reasons other than
marital discord. For example: employment, military
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Part B, Chapter 2
service, spouse in nursing home, and so forth.
The person is not officially married, but is living with
someone as husband and wife, such as a common-law
marriage.
If the person is separated from his/her spouse due to marital
discord, enter Precode (4), “Separated.”
Precode (2) “Widowed”
Enter Precode (2), “Widowed” in Item MARITAL when the
household member's spouse has died and the person has
not remarried. If not sure, ask the question in Item
MARITAL as worded and accept the household
respondent's answer.
Precode (3) “Divorced”
Enter Precode (3), “Divorced” when the person's divorce is
final. If you suspect that the person's divorce is not final, ask
the question in Item MARITAL as worded and accept the
household respondent's answer.
Precode (4)
“Separated”
Enter Precode (4), “Separated” in Item MARITAL when:
The person is married, but has a legal separation.
The person is married, but has parted from his/her
spouse because of marital discord.
The person expects to obtain a divorce in the future.
The person 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.”
Precode (5)
“Never Married”
Enter Precode (5) “Never married” in MARITAL when the
person has never been married or the person's only
marriage was annulled. The instrument prefills Precode (5)
“Never married,” automatically and skips over this item for
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B2-109
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
children in the household who are under 14 years of age.
After completing the MARITAL screen the instrument will
proceed to Item ARMEDFORCES when the current
household member you are verifying information about is
between the ages of 18 and 65. If the current household
member is between the ages of 14 and 17 the instrument
proceeds to either Item EDUCATIONATTAIN or Item
ATTENDINGSCHOOL.
LAST REPORTED AS: No
Is Ted Moe now in the Armed Forces?
1 Yes
2 No
ARMEDFORCES
ARMEDFORCES
(Armed Forces)
For each household member (male or female) between the
ages 18 and 65, ask the question in ARMEDFORCES. The
instrument skips over ARMEDFORCES when the
household member is under 18 years of age or over 65
years of age. In most cases, this screen also shows the
person’s military status as reported in the previous
enumeration period.
A household member who is between 18 and 65 years of
age is considered as "in the Armed Forces" when the
person is serving on active duty at time of interview in the:
U.S. Army
U.S. Navy
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Coast Guard
Reserve branch of any of the above Armed Services
and is currently on active duty status for several months
U.S. Public Health Service as commissioned officers
who are attached to any branch of the above Armed
Services
National Guard in Federal Service (if his/her unit has
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-110
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Part B, Chapter 2
become part of regular forces by Presidential Order)
U.S. military academies as Cadets (for example, West
Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and the
Coast Guard Academy).
Each of the military services has a regular component and a
reserve component. Members of the regular component of
any branch of the Armed Forces are always considered to
be on active duty, unless they are retired. 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.
First Enumeration
Period
Select Precode (1) “Yes” if the household member is
currently in the Armed Forces on active duty.
Select Precode (2) “No” if the household member is not
currently on active duty in the Armed Forces. Also select
Precode (2) if the household member:
Only serves in the Coast Guard Temporary Reserve
Is an employee of the Merchant Marines, Maritime
Commission, or the American Field Service Department
Is a civilian employee of the Department of Defense
Serves in a National Guard unit not blanketed into the
regular forces by Presidential order and is not serving
the 4-6 months of active duty in connection with
provisions of the Reserve Forces Act of 1955
Is in short periods of active reserve training or is
attending weekly reserve meetings.
If still unsure which box to mark in ARMEDFORCES, select
Precode (1) “Yes”; explain the situation in “Case Notes.”
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-111
Part B, Chapter 2
Subsequent
Enumeration Periods
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
When you see Precode (1) marked in ARMEDFORCES for
a household member, verify each enumeration period that
the person is still an active duty member of the Armed
Forces. If you discover that the person is no longer an active
duty member of the Armed Forces, select Precode (2).
Using the "Case Level Notes," note the change and the date
that you discovered the change (for example, Item 20 - L2
separated from AF (1/2013).
If a household member has turned 18 years of age since the
last interview, this item will appear, but the response will be
empty because it was previously unanswered. Ask
ARMEDFORCES during the current interview.
If you happen to discover that any household member ages
18 to 65 years has entered the Armed Forces on active duty
since the last interview, select Precode (1) in
ARMEDFORCES. Using the "Case Level Notes," note the
change and the date that you discovered the change (for
example, Item 20 - L3 joined the AF (1/2013).
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-112
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
(Page 6)
LAST REPORTED AS:
12th grade (no diploma)
What is the highest level of school Ted Moe completed or the highest degree he received?
1 1st grade
2 2nd grade
3 3rd grade
4 4th grade
5 5th grade
6 6th grade
7 7th grade
8 8th grade
9 9th grade
10 10th grade
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
11th grade
12th grade (no diploma)
High school graduate (diploma, or the equivalent)
Some college (No Degree)
Associate’s degree
Bachelor’s degree (e.g. BA, AB, BS)
Master’s degree (e.g. MA, MS, MEng, MSW, MBA)
Professional School degree (e.g. MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD)
Doctoral degree (e.g. PhD, EdD)
Never attended, preschool, kindergarten
EDUCATIONATTAIN
EDUCATIONATTAIN
(Educational Attainment)
When to Ask
EDUCATIONATTAIN
EDUCATIONATTAIN is designed to provide up-to-date
information on the educational attainment of each
household member who is 12 years of age or older. The
question in this item asks about the highest level of school
completed or the highest degree received by the household
member. In most cases, this screen also shows the
person’s highest level of education as reported previously.
During the first, third, fifth, and seventh enumeration
periods, ask EDUCATIONATTAIN for each eligible
household member. The instrument skips over this question
during these enumerations, for any household members
who are under 12 years of age during the reference period.
Under the following situations, also ask Item
EDUCATIONATTAIN during an enumeration period other
than the first, third, fifth, and seventh enumeration period:
The household was not interviewed in the previous
enumeration period (first, third, or fifth).
The person became a household member since the
previous enumeration period.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-113
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
The person celebrated his/her 12th birthday since the
previous enumeration period.
Before asking EDUCATIONATTAIN during a personal visit,
open your Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554) and show
the “Table of Education Codes” flashcard to the household
respondent. Notice in Item EDUCATIONATTAIN that the
page number (Page 6) that the “Table of Education Codes”
are on is displayed next to the Flashcard icon in the upper
left hand corner of the screen.
If you add a household member during a telephone
interview, ask EDUCATIONATTAIN, and if necessary, read
the education categories from the answer list.
Education Codes for
Item
EDUCATIONATTAIN
A “Table of Education Codes” also appears in your
Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554). Shown below are
the available precodes for Item EDUCATIONATTAIN,
along with descriptions for these educational attainment
codes.
If interviewing during a household member's summer
vacation from school, enter the appropriate code for the
grade just completed, NOT the grade that he/she will attend
in the fall. For persons who have skipped or repeated
grades, enter the code for the highest grade completed,
regardless of the number of years it took.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-114
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
CODE
DESCRIPTION OF GRADE/YEAR/DEGREE
1-8
Use one of these codes, as appropriate, for elementary
school grades 1 through 8.
9 - 11
Use one of these codes, as appropriate, for high school
grades 9 through 11.
12
Enter code (12) if the respondent completed
12th grade, but did not receive a high school diploma.
13
Enter code (13) if the respondent completed 12th grade
and received a high school diploma or the equivalent of
a high school diploma.
14
Enter code (14) if the respondent completed some
college without receiving a college degree.
15
Enter code (15) if the respondent has an Associate’s
degree, which is normally awarded after completing two
years of college.
16
Enter code (16) if the respondent has a Bachelor’s
degree (BA, AB, or BS), which is normally awarded after
completing four years of college.
17
Enter code (17) if the respondent has a Master’s degree
(MA, MS, MEng, MSW, or MBA), which is normally
awarded after completing six years of college.
18
Enter code (18) if the respondent has a Professional
School degree (MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, or JD) earned in
fields such as medicine, dentistry, chiropractic
medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy,
podiatry, veterinary medicine, law, or theology.
19
Enter code (19) if the respondent has a Doctorate
degree (PhD or EdD).
20
Use this code for children who have never attended
school and for children attending kindergarten,
preschool, or only day care.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-115
Part B, Chapter 2
Special Situations for
Item
EDUCATIONATTAIN
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Here are some examples for handling a response other than
the highest grade or year completed:
Junior high/middle school:
Since junior high or middle school can cover different
grades in different localities, probe to determine the highest
grade or year completed and enter the appropriate code in
Item EDUCATIONATTAIN.
High school equivalency tests:
Enter Precode 13 in Item EDUCATIONATTAIN for persons
who pass a high school equivalency test, such as the GED,
or who receive a high school diploma while in the Armed
Forces.
Post-graduate high school:
Enter Precode 13 in Item EDUCATIONATTAIN for persons
who have received a high school diploma and are attending
post-graduate high school courses in preparation for
attending college.
Miscellaneous school system:
Determine the equivalent grade in the American regular
school system for household members who have obtained
their formal education in foreign schools, ungraded schools,
night schools or by the instruction of tutors (if counted
toward promotion in the American regular school system),
"readers" (roughly equivalent to regular grades), or "normal"
schools.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-116
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
You marked 8th grade as the highest level of school completed for a person age 18. Are you sure
this is correct?
Questions involved
EDUCATIONATTAIN: Education
Value
8th grade
Suppress
Close
Goto
EDUCATION_CK
EDUCATION_CK
(Edit Check to Verify
Education Attainment)
EDUCATION_CK is a soft edit check that compares the
entry in EDUCATIONATTAIN against the household
member’s age. The edit check is set up to be displayed
when the precode entered in EDUCATIONATTAIN does
not fit the norm for someone the age of the household
member. For example, this item appears if a 14 year old is
coded as having completed college. If the entry in
EDUCATIONATTAIN is correct, then click on the
“Suppress” button to continue with the
ATTENDINGSCHOOL screen. Otherwise, press either the
“Goto” or “Close” buttons to return to EDUCATIONATTAIN
to change the answer.
LAST REPORTED AS: Regular school
Is Jane Moe currently attending or enrolled in a regular school such as elementary or high school
or enrolled either full-time or part-time in a college or university, trade, or vocational school?
1 Regular school
2 College/University
3 Trade school
4 Vocational school
5 None of the above schools
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
ATTENDINGSCHOOL
(Attending School)
ATTENDINGSCHOOL is designed to determine whether or
not each household member who is 12 years of age or older
is currently attending or enrolled in regular school
(elementary or high school) or enrolled full-time or part-time
in a college or university, trade, or vocational school. In
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-117
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
most cases, this screen also shows the answer given for
this household member as reported in the previous
enumeration period. Ask the question in
ATTENDINGSCHOOL in ALL enumeration periods.
When asking ATTENDINGSCHOOL for a high school
graduate, the instrument automatically omits the phrase,
“enrolled in a regular school such as elementary or
high school or” In other words, this phrase should be
omitted for the person when you enter educational
attainment code 13 or a higher code in
EDUCATIONATTAIN.
Precode (1) “Regular
school”
The term "regular school" includes both public and private
schools starting with kindergarten and continuing through
elementary, junior or middle, and high school, regardless of
whether the classes are graded or ungraded. If a household
member is enrolled or attends special education classes,
but the school consists of mostly regular classes, use
Precode (1) “Regular school” for the person. However, if the
person's school is entirely for special education classes,
use Precode (5), “None of the above schools.”
Precode (2) “College/
University”
Use Precode (2), “College/University,” for each household
member who:
Has graduated from high school, and
Is currently enrolled in or attending a 2- or 4-year college
or university or post-graduate school.
Precode (3) “Trade
school”
Use Precode (3), “Trade school,” when a household
member is enrolled in or attending a secondary school
teaching a skilled trade that does not earn college credit. A
trade school prepares a person for a skilled trade, such as
plumber or electrician. Most trade schools have
apprentice/journeyman programs.
Precode (4) “Vocational
school”
Use Precode (4), “Vocational school,” when a household
member is enrolled in or attending a secondary school
teaching a skill to help the person pursue a career, such as
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-118
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
barber or cosmetology schools. These courses do not earn
college credit.
Precode (5) “None of
the above schools”
Use Precode (5), “None of the above schools,” when the
household member is:
Not enrolled in or attending any type of school,
Attending a home school,
Attending a school devoted entirely to special
education, such as an alternative school, or
Working on completing a GED.
(Page 8)
Are you Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino?
1 Yes
2 No
SP_ORIGIN
SP_ORIGIN
(Hispanic or Spanish
Origin)
Item SP_ORIGIN is only asked once to record whether or
not each household member is Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino
by his/her national, cultural, or language group. Always ask
Item SP_ORIGIN during the first interview or when adding a
household member during a subsequent enumeration
period, regardless of the household member's race.
Purpose of Item
SP_ORIGIN
If a respondent wants to know why we ask whether anyone
is Spanish, Hispanic or Latino, explain that this information
enables us to tabulate crime victimization data for this group
of people, since they comprise the largest minority group in
this country.
Completing Item
SP_ORIGIN
For a personal visit interview, open the Information Card
Booklet (NCVS-554) and show the “Hispanic Origin”
flashcard to the household respondent before asking Item
SP_ORIGIN. Notice in Item SP_ORIGIN that the page
number (Page 8) is displayed next to the Flashcard icon in
the upper left hand corner of the screen. For a telephone
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-119
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
interview, ask the Hispanic origin question from the
Information Card Book including the Hispanic Origin
examples.Enter Precode (1) for “Yes” even if the household
member has multiple origins and one origin is Spanish,
Hispanic, or Latino.
If you get a "No" answer, enter Precode (2) for the
household member.
If you get a "Don't know" answer, probe by asking if the
household member has a parent or grandparent who is
Spanish, Hispanic or Latino. The following list may also help
to determine whether or not a person is Spanish, Hispanic
or Latino.
A Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino person identifies his/her ancestry with one of the following
groups:
Argentina
Balaoric Islands
Basque
Bolivia
Boricua
Californie
Californio (Californi)
Canary Islands
Catalonian
Central American
(Spanish speaking)
Chicano
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuban
Dominican
Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Hispanic
Honduras
Iberian (i.e., Spain)
La Raza
Majorcan
Mexican
Mexican American
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Puerto Rican
South American
(Spanish speaking)
Spanish
Spaniard
Spanish American
Spanish speaking
Uruguay
Venezuela
When a household respondent is still unable to answer
SP_ORIGIN for a household member, enter “Ctrl” + “D” for
“Don’t know.” If a household respondent refuses to answer
SP_ORIGIN for a household member, enter “Ctrl” + “R” for
“Refused.” In both of these situations, enter a note in the
"Case Level Notes" (for example, SP_ORIGIN - DK for
LN3...).
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-120
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 2
(Page 10)
If personal interview show flash card.
If telephone interview read answer categories.
Do not probe.
Please choose one or more races that you consider/considers yourself to be.
1 White
2 Black or African American
3 American Indian, or Alaska Native
4 Asian
5 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
6 Other - Specify
RACE
RACE
(Race)
Ask Item RACE once for each household member to record
up to six races that each household member considers
him/herself to be. Enter the appropriate race code(s) for
each household member's race(s) based on the household
respondent's answer. If you add any household members in
subsequent enumeration periods, make sure to complete
Item RACE for these added persons at that time.
Before asking Item RACE for a personal visit interview,
open the Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554) and show
the “Race” flashcard to the household respondent. Notice in
Item RACE that the page number (Page 10) is displayed
next to the Flashcard icon in the upper left hand corner of
the screen.
If you add a household member during a telephone
interview, ask Item RACE and, if necessary, read the race
categories from the answer list.
Do NOT mark Item RACE either 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 may seem obvious.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-121
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Review all categories
Is this information correct?
LN NAME
REL
AGE
SEX
MARITAL STATUS
___________________________________________________________________________________
1
2
3
TED MOE
MEGAN MOE
JANE MOE
Ref Per
Wife
Daughtr
43
43
14
M
F
F
Married
NEED SELF
Married
NEED SELF
Never married NEED SELF
1 Yes
2 No
ROSTERREVIEW
ROSTERREVIEW
(Reviewing the Household
Roster)
When you have completed the Control Card questions in
the NCVS instrument for all household members, you will
see the ROSTERREVIEW, which is the last screen in the
front section of the NCVS instrument. This screen gives you
one LAST opportunity to make changes to the household
roster. If no household roster changes are required, enter
Precode (1), “Yes” which takes you to TIMEATADDRESS,
which is the first screen in the middle section of the NCVS
instrument and is shown in Part B, Chapter 3 of this manual.
If changes are required to the roster because something
was previously coded incorrectly, enter Precode (2), “No”
and the instrument progresses to WHOTOCHANGE, the
first screen in the DemoChange Table, to select the line
number of the household member whose information needs
to be updated.
The DemoChange Table General Information
The DemoChange Table is only accessed when Precode
(2) is entered in Item ROSTERREVIEW. Use the
DemoChange Table to edit demographic information that is
missing or was coded incorrectly in a previous enumeration.
This section lets you make changes to certain demographic
information for any household member. You may edit
multiple demographic variables for a person at one time, but
can only edit the information for one person at a time.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
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Part B, Chapter 2
• Enter the line number of the person requiring a change.
LNNAME REL
AGE SEX
MARITAL
STATUS
_________________________________________________________________________
1
2
3
Ted Moe
Megan Moe
Jane Moe
Ref Person
Wife
Daughtr
43
43
14
M
F
F
Married
Married
Never married
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
NEED SELF
WHOTOCHANGE
WHOTOCHANGE
(Selecting a Household
Member to Update Their
Information)
At WHOTOCHANGE enter the number that corresponds to
the line number of the household member whose
information needs to be updated. After entering the number,
the instrument proceeds to WHATFIX.
HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT: Megan Moe
REFERENCE PERSON: Ted Moe
What change is needed?
LNNAME STATUS
REL
AGE
SEX
MARITAL
_________________________________________________________________________
3
Jane Moe
Daughtr
NEED SELF
14
F
Never married
1 Name
2 Relationship
3 Date of Birth
4 Sex
5 Marital Status
WHATFIX
WHATFIX (Selecting the
Information to Update)
At Item WHATFIX select the precode(s) that correspond
with the demographic information that needs to be updated;
you can select up to five precodes per household member.
Since you must first select a household member in Item
WHOTOCHANGE, you can only update one household
member’s demographic information at a time.
Front Section of the NCVS Instrument
B2-123
Part B, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
You only go through those screens listed below that
correspond to the precode(s) selected in Item WHATFIX.
Precode (1) “Name”
Enter Precode (1) "Name" when you notice that the
household member’s name, as listed in Item
ROSTERREVIEW is either incorrect or misspelled. After
selecting all the precodes in Item WHATFIX press “Enter” to
proceed to the CHNG_NAMEFIRST screen when you
selected Precode (1) in the WHATFIX screen.
Precode (2)
“Relationship”
Enter Precode (2) "Relationship" when you notice that the
household member’s relationship code is incorrectly
displayed in Item ROSTERREVIEW. You cannot change
who the reference person is or their relationship code via
the WHATFIX screen; this must be done in the
NAMECHECK and REFPERSTILLLIVE screens discussed
earlier in this topic. However, you can change any other
household member’s relationship code using these
screens. When Precode (2) is selected in Item WHATFIX,
the CHNG_REL screen appears.
Precode (3) “Date of
Birth”
Enter Precode (3) "Date of Birth" when you notice that the
household member’s age is not correct or is missing in
ROSTERREVIEW. If there is no data in the “AGE” column
for a respondent it is because the age was not collected
during a previous enumeration. If this is the case, take this
opportunity to collect birth date information. When Precode
(3) is selected in Item WHATFIX, CHNG_BRTHDATEMO
appears to collect or update the date of birth information for
that household member.
Precode (4) “Sex”
Enter Precode (3) "Sex" when you notice that the household
member’s gender is incorrect at ROSTERREVIEW. When
Precode (4) is selected in WHATFIX, the CHNG_SEX
screen appears.
Precode (5) “Marital
Status”
Enter Precode (5) "Marital Status" when you notice that the
household member’s marital status is incorrect at Item
ROSTERREVIEW. You will not be able to change the
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marital status for household members under the age of 14,
since the instrument automatically codes the marital status
for those household members as Precode (5), “Never
married.” When Precode (5) is selected in Item WHATFIX,
the CHNG_MARITAL screen appears.
OLD FIRST NAME: Jane
OLD LAST NAME: Moe
Enter corrected first name
Press the enter key if no change to first name
CHNG_NAMEFIRST
OLD FIRST NAME: Jane
OLD LAST NAME: Moe
Enter corrected last name
Press the enter key if no change to last name
CHNG_NAMELAST
CHNG_NAMEFIRST and
CHNG_NAMELAST
(Changing a Member’s
Name)
Items CHNG_NAMEFIRST and CHNG_NAMELAST
should be used to correct a misspelled first or last name or a
situation where a respondent prefers to be listed differently.
For example, a household respondent would rather be listed
as “Chris” rather than “Christopher.” The instrument will
always go to the CHNG_NAMEFIRST screen when
Precode (1) is entered in Item WHATFIX. Therefore, if only
the last name needs to be updated, you can just press the
“Enter” key to move to the CHNG_NAMELAST screen
without making changes to the household member’s first
name. The same is also true when only the first name needs
to be updated; press the “Enter” key in CHNG_NAMELAST
to move on without making any changes to that screen.
After updating the household member’s name the
instrument proceeds to Items CHNG_REL,
CHNG_BRTHDATEMO, CHNG_SEX or CHNG_MARITAL
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when any of Precodes (2-5) are entered in Item WHATFIX,
respectively. If none of Precodes (2-5) are entered in
WHATFIX the instrument continues to Item
ANY_OTHERCHNG.
Ask if necessary.
What is Jane Moe’s relationship to Ted?
11 Husband
12 Wife
13 Son
14 Daughter
15 Father
16 Mother
17 Brother
18 Sister
19 Other relative
20 Nonrelative
CHNG_REL
CHNG_REL
(Changing a Member’s
Relationship Code)
CHNG_REL is used to change the relationship code when it
was previously coded incorrectly or there was a change that
was not caught during the current interview. If you selected
Precode (1) in addition to Precode (2) in WHATFIX the
instrument proceeds to Item CHNG_NAMEFIRST before
coming to the CHNG_REL screen. You cannot change who
the reference person is or their relationship code via
CHNG_REL; this must be done in NAMECHECK and
REFPERSTILLLIVE, discussed earlier in this topic. You
may, however, change any other household member’s
relationship code using CHNG_REL.
If the relationship code entered in CHNG_REL conflicts with
the relationship codes of other household members, such
as there being both a “Husband” and a “Wife” codes or a the
relationship conflicts with the gender entered for the person,
such as a “Female” “Brother” then you will encounter the
same edit checks discussed earlier in Topic 10, when we
covered RELATIONSHIP.
After updating the household member’s relationship code,
the instrument proceeds to Items CHNG_BRTHDATEMO,
CHNG_SEX or CHNG_MARITAL depending on which of
the Precodes (3-5) are entered in Item WHATFIX,
respectively. If none of the Precodes (2-5) were entered in
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Item WHATFIX the instrument proceeds to Item
ANY_OTHERCHNG.
Ask if necessary.
Enter month on this screen.
Press the enter key if no change to day.
OLD BIRTHDATE (Month): 04
What is your date of birth?
CHNG_BRTHDATEMO
Ask if necessary.
Enter day on this screen.
Press the enter key if no change to day.
OLD BIRTHDATE (Day): 21
What is your date of birth?
CHNG_BRTHDATEDY
Ask if necessary.
Enter year on this screen.
If year is less than 1890, enter 1890.
Press the enter key if no change to year.
OLD BIRTHDATE (Year): 1995
What is your date of birth?
CHNG_BRTHDATEYR
CHNG_BRTHDATEMO,
CHNG_BRTHDATEDY,
CHNG_BRTHDATEYR
(Changing a Member’s Date
of Birth)
Use Items CHNG_BRTHDATEMO, CHNG_BRTHDATEDY
and CHNG_BRTHDATEYR to change a household
member’s date of birth when you notice that the household
member’s age is missing or incorrect at the
ROSTERREVIEW screen. These items appear when
Precode (3) is selected at Item WHATFIX, but the
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instrument proceeds through Items CHNG_NAMEFIRST,
CHNG_NAMELAST and CHNG_REL if Precodes (1)
and/or (2) were also selected at Item WHATFIX.
If necessary, ask the household respondent the question in
the CHNG_BRTHDATEMO screen and enter the
household member’s birth month. If the displayed birth
month is correct, press the “Enter” key to move to the next
screen without making any changes to Item
CHNG_BRTHDATEMO. Type in the day or press the
“Enter” key when the displayed day of the month is correct
in Item CHNG_BRTHDATEDY. The instrument will go to
the CHNG_BRTHDATEYR screen to update, when
necessary, the birth year of the household member. If the
birth year is correct, press the “Enter” key, otherwise type in
a new birth year between 1890 and the current year.
After updating the household member’s date of birth the
instrument will proceed to Items CHNG_SEX or
CHNG_MARITAL when either Precode (4) or (5) are
entered in Item WHATFIX, respectively. If neither Precode
(4) or Precode (5) were entered in Item WHATFIX the
instrument proceeds to Item
CHNG _ANYOTHER.
Ask if necessary:
Is Jane Moe male or female?
1 Male
2 Female
CHNG_SEX
CHNG_SEX
(Changing a Member’s
Gender Designation)
Use Item CHNG_SEX to change the gender designation if it
was previously coded incorrectly. If you selected Precodes
(1), (2) and/or (3) in addition to Precode (4) in Item
WHATFIX the instrument proceeds to Items
CHNG_NAMEFIRST, CHNG_NAMELAST, CHNG_REL,
CHNG_BRTHDATEMO, CHNG_BRTHDATEDY,
CHNG_BRTHDATEYR before coming to the CHNG_SEX
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screen.
After updating the household member’s gender designation
the instrument proceeds to Item CHNG_MARITAL when
Precode (5) was entered in Item WHATFIX, otherwise the
instrument proceeds to Item CHNG _ANYOTHER.
Ask if necessary
Is Jane Moe now married, widowed, divorced, separated or has he never been married?
1 Married
2 Widowed
3 Divorced
4 Separated
5 Never married
CHNG_MARITAL
CHNG_MARITAL
(Changing a Member’s
Marital Status)
Item CHNG_MARITAL should be used to change the
household member’s marital status if it was previously
coded incorrectly or has changed. If you selected any or all
of the Precodes (1) through (4) in Item WHATFIX the
instrument proceeds through Items CHNG_NAMEFIRST,
CHNG_NAMELAST, CHNG_REL,
CHNG_BRTHDATEMO, CHNG_BRTHDATEDY,
CHNG_BRTHDATEYR and CHNG_SEX before coming to
the CHNG_MARITAL screen.
After updating the household member’s marital status the
instrument continues to ANY_OTHERCHNG.
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Please review your changes. To correct, back up using the arrow keys.
LN
NAME
STATUS
REL
AGE
SEX
MARITAL
1
Jane Moe
NEED SELF
Daughtr
14
F
Never married
1 Enter 1 to Continue
ANY_OTHERCHNG
ANY_OTHERCHNG
(Reviewing the Changes
Just Entered)
When you have completed updating a household member’s
demographic information in the DemoChange Table the
NCVS instrument goes to Item ANY_OTHERCHNG. If the
changes you just made are correct enter “1” to go back to
the ROSTERREVIEW screen. If more corrections must be
made for the current household member, back up using the
arrow keys to the appropriate screen to make the changes.
If there are other persons on the household roster whose
information needs updating, follow the steps outlined in
Items ROSTERREVIEW through CHNG_MARITAL.
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Part B, Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Middle Section of the NCVS Instrument:
Introduction and Screening Items
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Introduction
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2 Screening Questions
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3 Screener Section Closing Screens
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4 Employment
B3-32
5 Informing the Household Respondent,
Household Income, Other Languages,
End Screens, and Choosing the Next
Respondent to Interview
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Topic 1. Introduction
Overview of the Middle
Section
The Middle Section of the NCVS instrument is designed to:
Determine whether any of the eligible household
members (12 years of age or older) at the sample
address were victimized by crime during each
household member’s 6-month reference period. These
questions are referred to as the screening items of the
NCVS instrument.
The screening items cover a wide variety of situations
and are designed to provide the respondent with
concrete examples of the 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 sample household member’s
6-month reference period.
Collect a variety of detailed information about each
reported incidence of crime that occurred during a
sample household member’s 6-month reference
period. It is important to record accurate and complete
information about each crime incident, so that we have
a clear picture of what happened during the incident.
These questions are referred to as the incident report
items of the NCVS instrument.
For items which include the “Ask or verify” instruction, you
can verify the answer with the respondent without asking
the question -- if the respondent provided the information
earlier in the interview. If you do not see the “Ask or verify”
instruction on the screen, you must ask the question as
worded.
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Topic 2. Screening Questions
Before we get to the crime questions, I have some questions that are helpful in studying
where and why crimes occur.
•
Ask or verify:
Last reported as: 3 years
How long have you lived at this address?
•
Probe:
Just approximately.
•
Enter number of years lived at address
•
Enter 0 for less than a year
TIMEATADDRESS
TIMEATADDRESS
Item TIMEATADDRESS is the first question in the
screening section of the NCVS instrument and is used to
determine the length of continuous time the respondent
has lived at the sample address. Since Items
TIMEATADDRESS and TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS do not
relate directly to crimes, it is important that you read the
lead-in statement to the respondent before asking the
question or verifying the answer from the last enumeration,
which is displayed in the top right corner of the screen at
Item TIMEATADDRESS.
If a respondent seems unsure about how to answer this
question, you can tell him/her that we are interested in the
most recent continuous length of time the respondent has
lived as a usual resident at the sample address.
Here is an example:
During the past 5 years, a household member:
Resided at the sample address,
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Then left the sample address for 6 months to live on a
college campus, and
Then returned to reside at the sample address just 3
months prior to the interview and has stayed there
continuously during the past 3 months.
For this example, enter Precode (0), ALess than a year” at
Item TIMEATADDRESS. After entering Precode (0),
continue with Item MONTHSATADDRESS where you enter
the number of months that the household member has lived
at the sample address.
Here are some examples of what to enter in
TIMEATADDRESS or MONTHSATADDRESS based on a
respondent’s answer:
If respondent says:
4 ½ months
6 months, 1 week
2 weeks
11 months, 3 weeks
11 months, 1 week
8 weeks
Half a year
11 ½ months
All my life
Don’t know
(Ctrl +D)
Enter:
5 months
6 months
1 month
1 year
11 months
2 months
6 months
1 year
Respondent’s age
If the respondent’s answer is vague, enter a “Don’t know”
answer (Ctrl + D) at either Item TIMEATADDRESS or
MONTHSATADDRESS, and continue with Item
TIMEATADDRESSPROBE shown on the next page to elicit
a more exact answer.
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Have you lived here:
1 More than 5 years?
2 Less than 5 years but more than 1 year?
3 Less than 1 year but more than 6 months?
4 Six months or less?
5 Don’t know
TIMEATADDRESSPROBE
TIMEATADDRESS PROBE
Item TIMEATADDRESSPROBE provides probe questions
to help the respondent identify the length of time he/she has
lived continuously at the sample address. If the respondent
is unsure or their answer to this question is vague, probe to
get a more exact answer. Some examples of probes:
Respondent's answer:
Probe:
Years and years
Would you say more than 5
years or less than 5 years?
5 to 10 years
Would you say more than 7
years or less than 7 years?
Less than a year
Would you say more than 6
months or less than 6
months?
It's been so long, I can't
really say.
Can you give me your
best estimate?
When the respondent is the household respondent and has
lived at the sample address for 5 or more years, continue
with Item BUSINESS. For all other respondents in the
household who have lived at the sample address for 5 or
more years, continue with Item SQTHEFT. When a
respondent has lived at the sample address for less than 5
years, continue with Item TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS shown
on the next page.
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Altogether, how many times have you moved in the last 5 years?
Enter number of times
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS
TIMESMOVED
IN5YEARS
Item TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS is used to determine how
many times the respondent has moved in the last 5 years.
Ask the question and enter the number provided by the
respondent. Do not enter a range of numbers, such as "2-4."
Count all moves whether inside or outside of the United
States, including the move into the sample unit.
Each time a respondent changes his/her usual place of
residence is considered one move. Since it is acceptable to
enter an estimate, only enter Control + D, “Don’t know,” as a
last resort.
For respondents who are students, you may need to explain
what we consider to be a move. For example, Jeffrey Doe
moved from his parents’ home (the sample address) to a
college dormitory and then moved back to his parents’
home in the 5 years prior to the interview. For this situation,
Jeffrey Doe moved two times for Item
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS.
Although some students may consider their usual place of
residence to be their parents’ home, we consider their usual
place of residence to be the place where they usually live
and sleep. During the school year, their usual residence
could be a college dormitory or apartment. Each time a
student changes the place where he/she usually lives and
sleeps is considered a move, even if it is just moving from
one dormitory room to another one.
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Does anyone in this household operate a business from this address?
1 Yes
2 No
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
Item BUSINESS is asked only of the household respondent
to determine if a sample household member operates a
business from the sample address. A “Yes” answer,
Precode (1), takes you to Item BUSINESSSIGN and a “No”
answer, Precode (2), takes you to Item SQTHEFT.
Is there a sign on the premises or some other indication to the general public that a business is
operated from this address?
1 Yes
2 No
BUSINESSSIGN
BUSINESSSIGN
Recognizable Business
Item BUSINESSSIGN is asked only of the household
respondent to determine if the business operated from the
sample address is considered recognizable or
unrecognizable.
For a business to be considered recognizable, it must have
a sign announcing the business and the sign must be:
Visible to the public from OUTSIDE the sample housing
unit,
AND
Located on the sample household's property, such as a
sign on a front door, window, garage door, mail box, or a
free standing sign in the front yard of the sample unit.
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The following indicators are NOT evidence that a business
is recognizable:
The business is advertised in a newspaper, magazine,
telephone book, or on the Internet.
A motor vehicle, such as a van, car, truck, or bus, is
parked in the driveway or in front of the housing unit,
even if the vehicle carries the business logo on it.
Unrecognizable
Business
If NO business sign is visible from outside the sample
housing unit, then the business is considered
unrecognizable. Any reported incidents of theft from an
unrecognizable business operated by a sample household
member must be included in the NCVS.
Here is the reason why we need to differentiate between a
recognizable and an unrecognizable business operated
from the sample address by a household member:
We keep crime incidents that involve property stolen
from an unrecognizable business,
BUT
We do NOT keep crime incidents that ONLY involve
property stolen from a recognizable business.
However, if the following types of incidents are reported, we
want to keep them regardless of whether a household
member operates a recognizable business:
Personal property was stolen from the household
respondent or another household member.
The household respondent or another household
member received a face-to-face threat of physical
harm, was attacked, or an attempt was made to
attack the household member.
Someone illegally entered, broke into or attempted
to break into the sample unit.
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Part B, Chapter 3
(Refer to Part C, Chapter 2, Topic 4, of this manual for
detailed definitions and examples of special situations
for recognizable and unrecognizable businesses.)
SCREENING QUESTIONS
The screening questions are used to determine whether any
eligible household members (12 years of age or older) at the
sample address were victimized by crime during each
household member’s six-month reference period. They
cover a wide variety of situations and are designed to
provide the respondent with concrete examples of the kinds
of crimes that are typically reported for the NCVS and could
be overlooked by respondents. These screen questions
ensure that we collect ALL incidents of crime in a sample
household that occurred during each respondent’s
six-month reference period.
A screener question has two parts: the “question stem” and
the “screener cues.” A “question stem” or “stem” refers to
the main part of the screener question. The terms “screener
cues” or “cues” refer to the examples or prompts that follow
the main part of the question.
There are a number of cues in each screener question
because sometimes respondents focus only on the specific
items being mentioned. In screener question SQTHEFT, for
example, if we didn’t include “Things outside your home,
such as a garden hose or lawn furniture,” respondents may
not realize that we want them to tell us about that type of
theft. We can’t have a list of every possible type of property,
so we try to identify enough different kinds of property to
help respondents think beyond the examples provided.
Some of the screener questions ask about attempted
crimes as well as completed ones. These are important
cues because often respondents may not think to report
incidents that did not result in a completed crime.
The household respondent’s interview has a few additional
screen questions to elicit crime incidents involving the entire
household, in addition to crime incidents involving just the
household respondent. These additional screen questions
are asked in items SQTHEFT, SQBREAKIN,
SQTOTALVEHICLES, and SQMVTHEFT to determine
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whether any crime incidents involving the entire household
happened.
General Instructions for
Screening Questions
In Item SQTHEFT - Things stolen from outside the
home (for example, lawn furniture or a garden hose),
and things stolen from a household member under 12
years of age (for example, a 10-year-old's bicycle stolen
from the home's driveway),
In Item SQBREAKIN - Break-ins, attempted break-ins,
or illegal entries at the sample address (for example, the
house, garage, shed, or a storage room), or at a hotel,
motel, or vacation home where the respondent was
staying,
In Item SQTOTALVEHICLES - The total number of
motor vehicles owned by the entire household during
the 6 months prior to the interview, and
In Item SQMVTHEFT - Thefts or attempted thefts of
motor vehicles owned by the household during the 6
months prior to the interview, including gasoline and
parts (for example, tire, hubcap, attached car stereo or
satellite radio, wheels, battery, CD player, etc.).
Record incidents as a respondent reports them, regardless
of whether the screening question relates to the type of
incident reported.
Most of the screening questions have at least three
categories and could have as many as eight categories.
This may prompt some respondents to give you an answer
before you finish reading each category. Even if you are
interrupted, you must read every category in its entirety, so
that we do not miss any crime incidents.
The following technique may help you get through all the
categories of a screen question before a respondent
answers:
1
After reading each category, only pause long enough to
let the respondent know that you are about to start
reading the next category. If you pause too long, the
respondent may feel that you are waiting for an answer.
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2
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?"
3
If you get a "Yes" response, enter Precode (1) which
brings up a screen similar to the SQTHEFTTIMES
screen, which asks, “How many times?”
Use this item to record the total number of incidents
reported at the screening question, along with a brief
description of what happened during each incident. If
the respondent reports more than one incident for a
screening question, number each incident separately
and enter a brief description for each incident (for
example, #1, L1 threatened by coworker, #2, L1's purse
snatched).
If this technique does not work and a respondent either
interrupts you in the middle of reading a category or before
you finish reading all categories for a screening question,
follow these steps:
Respondent answers in the middle of reading a
category:
1
Stop and thank the respondent, but explain that there is
more to the question which he/she still needs to hear
before giving an answer.
2
Reread the unfinished category again from the
beginning. If the respondent gives you a "No" answer
after you finish reading the entire category, tell the
respondent that you need to finish reading ALL
categories for the question. If the respondent gives you
a "Yes" answer before you have read all categories,
then follow the instructions below.
Respondent answers "Yes" before you have read ALL
categories:
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1
Stop and thank the respondent, but explain that there
are more categories which he/she still needs to hear
before giving an answer.
2
Reread the categories again from the beginning. If the
respondent gives you a "No" answer before you finish
reading the entire list, tell the respondent that you need
to finish reading ALL categories for the question. If the
respondent gives you a "Yes" answer before you have
read all categories, then follow the instructions below.
It’s important to ask all the questions in their entirety
because they have been specifically designed to jog
respondents’ memories and help them recall incidents they
may have forgotten. The screener questions have been
developed and refined since the beginning of the NCVS. 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 it. These omissions and
missed incidents can result in the crime rates we calculate
being erroneously low, and in survey results being biased.
Also, you must ask the questions as worded and in their
entirety for the sake of interview consistency. Standardizing
the way in which every FR asks the questions on the NCVS
ensures that every respondent hears the exact same
questions, helps the survey collect information consistently
across all regions, and helps make the survey results more
valid.
By using these techniques, there is less chance of missing
any crime incidents that occurred during a respondent's
reference period. (Also see Part A, Chapter 2, Topic 6,
for general interviewing techniques to use for the
NCVS.)
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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 January 13, 2013. Was something belonging to you stolen, such as- Read each category.
--Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet, purse, briefcase, book --Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone --Bicycle or sports equipment --Things in your home - like a TV, stereo, or tools --Things outside your home, such as a garden hose or lawn furniture --Things belonging to children in the household --Things 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?
1 Yes
2 No
SQTHEFT
SQTHEFT
Item SQTHEFT is the first screening question, asked of all
eligible household members. However, two categories for
this item are asked only of the household respondent:
Things outside your home, such as a garden hose or
lawn furniture.
Things belonging to children in the household.
Note that the instrument automatically inserts the date
marking the beginning of the reference period in the
question. Also note that this date may not be the same for all
respondents. Item SQTHEFT is designed to remind each
respondent of incidents in which thefts were attempted or
completed during the 6 months before the interview.
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Other than any incidents already mentioned, has anyone - Read each category
--Broken in or ATTEMPTED to break into your home by forcing a door or 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?
1 Yes
2 No
SQBREAKIN
SQBREAKIN
Item SQBREAKIN is asked only of the household
respondent to find out if:
The household respondent’s home or lodging was
broken into or illegally entered,
OR
An attempt was made to break into or illegally enter the
household respondent’s home or lodging.
Note that the phrase “Other than any incident already
mentioned” only displays in Item SQBREAKIN if an incident
was reported in SQTHEFT. For the remaining screen
questions, SQMVTHEFT and SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME,
the phrase “Other than any incidents already mentioned” is
automatically displayed when at least one incident was
reported in a previous screen question by the current
respondent. If no incidents have been reported, this phrase
is omitted from the question text.
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
Moved Into Sample
Address During
Reference Period
A household respondent may have lived in more than one
housing unit during the past 6 months. If you encounter this
situation, include all incidents reported at Item SQBREAKIN
that happened during the household respondent's reference
period AND involved property owned or rented by the
current household respondent.
Incident Happened at
Sample Address Before
Owned/Rented by
Household Respondent
Only accept incidents involving property owned or
rented by the current household during the 6 months
prior to the interview. For example, you would accept a
reported incident if the current household respondent was
the owner/renter of the sample unit, but had not yet moved
into the sample unit when the incident occurred.
However, do NOT accept the reported incident when the
following conditions exist:
The household respondent reports an incident that
happened at the sample address during the household
respondent's 6-month reference period,
BUT
Household Respondent
Owns/Rents a
Recreation Vehicle or
Vacation Home
The current household respondent was not the owner or
renter at the sample address at the time of the incident.
For example, the sample unit may still have been owned
or rented by the previous owner/renter or may have
been vacant while it was available for sale or rent.
Accept the incident if the recreation vehicle or vacation
home was owned or rented by the household respondent
AND was being occupied as a housing unit at the time of the
incident.
Do not accept incidents involving break-ins or attempted
break-ins of vacation or second homes when:
The vacation or second home is part of a recognizable
business,
The vacation or second home was rented to a
nonhousehold member at the time of the incident,
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-15
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
OR
The vacation or second home was not occupied by the
sample household as a residence at the time of the
incident.
What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned
by you or any other member of this household during the last 6 months?
Include those you no longer own.
If greater than 4, enter 4.
SQTOTALVEHICLES
SQTOTALVEHICLES
Item SQTOTALVEHICLES is another question that is
asked only of the household respondent to determine:
The total number of motor vehicles currently or
previously owned by the sample household during the
last 6 months;
AND
Whether any of these motor vehicles were stolen or
used without permission, including parts and gasoline;
AND
Whether any attempts were made to steal or use them
without permission, including parts and gasoline.
Make sure to include the statement “Include those you no
longer own” at the end of the question to remind
respondents that we want them to include vehicles they
owned during the last six months.
If the sample household has not owned any motor vehicles
during the six months prior to the interview, enter (0) for
“None” and continue with Item SQATTACKWHERE.
Otherwise, enter the appropriate number of vehicles up to
the number “4.” If the answer is “more than 4 vehicles,”
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
enter “4.” If the respondent refuses to answer the question
for Item SQTOTALVEHICLES, you still ask the screening
question for Item SQMVTHEFT, which asks whether
anyone stole or used any of the vehicles or their parts
without permission.
What to Include for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES
If a household respondent questions what to include in the
total number of motor vehicles for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES, here are some guidelines on the
type of vehicles to include:
Include cars, vans, trucks, sport utility vehicles,
motorcycles, or any other motorized vehicle that can be
legally used as a means of transportation on most roads
or highways (for example, motorized recreation vehicles
that do not require towing).
Include a motorized vehicle owned by a sample
household member during the 6 months prior to the
interview, even if it has been sold, given away, junked,
stolen, or abandoned.
Include all vehicles owned by an unrecognizable
business that a household member operates, as well as
all vehicles owned for the household's personal use.
Include vehicles owned by a recognizable business that
a household member operates IF the vehicles are used
at least partially for the household's personal use.
Include vehicles leased by a household member for at
least one month when the leased vehicles are the
responsibility of the household member if stolen.
What to Exclude for
Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES
If a household respondent questions what to exclude from
the total number of motor vehicles for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES, here are some guidelines on the
type of vehicles to exclude:
Exclude motorized vehicles that cannot be driven legally
as a means of transportation on most roads or highways
(for example, minibikes, go-carts, or snowmobiles).
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-17
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Exclude vehicles owned by a recognizable business
when the business is operated by a household member
AND the vehicles are used ONLY for business
purposes.
Exclude business vehicles that are loaned to a
household member for private use when the business is
NOT owned by a household member.
Exclude vehicles that a household member rented for
less than one month.
Exclude vehicles owned by parents in a sample
household when their children are using the vehicles
while attending school away from the sample address.
Respondent Refuses to
Answer Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES
If a household respondent refuses to answer or feels
uneasy about answering Item SQTOTALVEHICLES,
explain the reasons for asking about motor vehicles owned
by the household.
These reasons include determining whether or not we need
to ask about:
Any motor vehicles owned by the sample household
that were stolen or used without permission, including
parts and gasoline.
AND
Any attempts made to steal or use these motor vehicles
without permission, including parts and gasoline.
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s) already mentioned, was the vehicle Read each category
--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 it?
OR
--Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal any vehicle or parts attached to it?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
1 Yes
2 No
SQMVTHEFT
SQMVTHEFT
Distinguishing Between
Vandalism and
Attempted Thefts
Item SQMVTHEFT, shown above, refers to the motor
vehicles mentioned at Item SQTOTALVEHICLES and is
asked only of the household respondent to determine
whether:
Any of these motor vehicles were stolen or used without
permission, including parts and gasoline.
Any attempts were made to steal or use them without
permission, including parts and gasoline.
Accept reported attempts to steal motor vehicles or motor
vehicle parts owned by the household, because attempted
thefts are just as important as actual thefts. However, it may
not always be clear to a respondent that an attempt was
made to steal his/her vehicle or parts (for example, a broken
car window). If it is unclear whether the incident was an
attempted theft or an act of vandalism:
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-19
Part B, Chapter 3
Examples of Motor
Vehicle Parts
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Probe by asking, "Do you think the offender was
actually trying to break into or steal your vehicle or
do you think it was an act of vandalism?"
Rely on the respondent's perception. If the respondent
feels the incident was an attempted theft or is still
unsure, enter Precode (1), “Yes,” at Item SQMVTHEFT.
However, if the respondent feels the incident was an act
of vandalism (for example, a broken antenna, mirror or
slashed tires) AND there was no attempt to steal a
motor vehicle, including parts and gasoline, enter
Precode (2), “No,” at Item SQMVTHEFT.
The following items are examples of parts attached to motor
vehicles: tires, wheels, hubcaps, manufacturer’s insignias,
CD players, car stereos, cellular phones, batteries, steering
wheels, door handles, and so on. If a respondent reports a
theft or attempted theft of other types of items from a vehicle
at Item SQMVTHEFT (for example, Christmas presents or
grocery items), accept the reported incident at Item
SQMVTHEFT.
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
Other than any incidents already mentioned, since January 13, 2013, were you attacked or
threatened OR did you have something stolen from you Read each category
--At home including the porch or yard --At or near a friend’s, relative’s, or neighbor’s home --At work or school --In places such as a storage shed or laundry room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or airport --While riding in any vehicle
--On 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?
1 Yes
2 No
SQATTACKWHERE
SQATTACKWHERE
Item SQATTACKWHERE is asked of all eligible household
members and is designed to remind each respondent of
incidents in which he/she may have been attacked or
threatened with physical harm in a variety of locations or
situations. This item also asks about things stolen from the
respondent or attempts to steal anything from the
respondent. This question focuses on the places where a
respondent may have been attacked or threatened.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-21
Part B, Chapter 3
Acceptable and
Unacceptable Threats
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
The following conditions must exist for a threat to be
acceptable for the NCVS:
The threat 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.
Do not accept threats that an offender makes over the
telephone, in a letter, FAX, or electronic message. Also
unacceptable are threats or warnings delivered by another
person for the offender, as well as a respondent saying that
he/she just felt threatened.
Other than any incidents already mentioned, has anyone attacked or threatened you in any of
these ways - Exclude telephone threats
Read each category
--With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knife --With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan, scissors, or stick --By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle --Include any grabbing, punching, or choking --Any rape, attempted rape, or other type of sexual attack --Any 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.
1 Yes
2 No
SQATTACKHOW
SQATTACKHOW
Item SQATTACKHOW is asked of all eligible household
members and is designed to remind each respondent of
incidents in which he/she may have been attacked or
threatened with physical harm involving various weapons or
the use of force. This question focuses on the ways in which
Introduction and Screening Items
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Part B, Chapter 3
a respondent may have been attacked or threatened. Only
accept threats that are verbal, face-to-face threats to
physically harm the respondent.
Do not accept threats that an offender makes over the
telephone, in a letter, FAX, or electronic message. Also
unacceptable are threats or warnings delivered by another
person for the offender, as well as a respondent saying that
he/she just felt threatened.
With the exception of cases involving police officers, accept
any incidents in which the offender had a weapon present
during the incident, even if the offender did not use it. Also
accept incidents in which the offender threw something or
shot at the respondent, even though the object may not
qualify as a weapon for the NCVS.
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 - Exclude telephone threats
Read each category
--Someone at work or school --A neighbor or friend --A relative or family member --Any other person you have met or known?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
1 Yes
2 No
SQATTACKKNOWNOFF
SQATTACKKNOWNOFF
Item SQATTACKKNOWNOFF is asked of all eligible
household members and is designed to remind each
Introduction and Screening Items
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Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
respondent of incidents in which the offender was someone
he/she knows (for example, co-worker, friend, neighbor,
relative, or family member) and involved a theft, attack, or
threat. Only accept verbal, face-to-face threats to physically
harm the respondent.
Do not accept threats that an offender makes over the
telephone, in a letter, FAX, or electronic message. Also
unacceptable are threats or warnings delivered by another
person for the offender, as well as a respondent saying that
he/she just felt threatened.
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 - Read each category
--Someone you didn’t know --A casual acquaintance OR
--Someone you know well?
Ask only if necessary:
Did any incidents of this type happen to you?
1 Yes
2 No
SQSEXUAL
SQSEXUAL
Item SQSEXUAL is asked of all eligible household
members and is designed to record all incidents in which the
respondent was forced or coerced to engage in unwanted
sexual activity, regardless of whether the respondent did or
did not know the offender. Make sure to read the lead-in
statement before asking the question at this screen.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-24
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
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?
1 Yes
2 No
SQCALLPOLICECRIME
SQCALLPOLICE
CRIME
Item SQCALLPOLICECRIME is asked of all eligible
household members and is designed to remind each
respondent of incidents that the respondent reported to the
police because something happened to the respondent that
he/she thought was a crime. This is a general question
designed to bring out crimes that the respondent may have
overlooked earlier or perhaps we did not ask about
specifically in an earlier screening question. (For example,
incidents in which the offender was a child, or no loss or
injury resulted.)
As you ask the question in Item SQCALLPOLICECRIME,
always emphasize the word “YOU,” which appears in capital
letters. If the respondent relates an incident that might not
be a crime, such as a traffic accident, or that involved a
nonhousehold member, stress that for this item we are only
interested in an incident when:
It was reported to the police,
It directly affected the respondent or another household
member,
AND
The respondent believes it to be a crime.
After stressing these points, accept the respondent's
answer and enter Precode (1), “Yes,” for Item
SQCALLPOLICECRIME. After entering Precode (1), you
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-25
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
see the SQCALLPOLICESPEC screen.
What happened?
(Describe all incidents for this screener below)
SQCALLPOLICESPEC
SQCALLPOLICESPEC
SQCALLPOLICESPEC is used to describe what happened
during these incidents and whether or not a household
member was victimized during the incident. When you finish
entering your descriptions, press ENTER.
If not sure ask:
Were you attacked or threatened, or was something stolen or an attempt made to steal
something that belonged to you or another household member?
1 Yes
2 No
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT
SQCALLPOLICE
ATTACKTHREAT
If you can determine the answer to
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT, “Were you attacked
or threatened, or was something stolen or an attempt
made to steal something that belonged to you or
another household member?” based upon responses to
previous screen questions you can enter the appropriate
precode without asking the question. However, if you are
not sure whether the respondent was attacked or
threatened, or something was stolen or an attempt was
made to steal something that belonged to the respondent or
another household member, ask the question before
entering the precode.
When multiple incidents are reported at the
SQCALLPOLICESPEC screen AND at least one of the
Introduction and Screening Items
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Part B, Chapter 3
incidents involves the respondent being attacked or
threatened, or something was stolen or an attempt was
made to steal something that belonged to the respondent or
another household member, then enter Precode (1), “Yes.”
After entering Precode (1), ask “How many times?” in
Item SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES and enter
the TOTAL number of incidents reported at
SQCALLPOLICESPEC in which the respondent was
attacked or threatened, or something was stolen, or an
attempt was made to steal something that belongs to the
respondent or another household member.
If you enter Precode (2), “No,” at
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT, you are indicating that
the incident did not involve an NCVS crime.
How many times?
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES
SQCALLPOLICE
ATTACKTHREATTIMES
When multiple incidents are reported in
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT AND at least one of
the incidents involves the respondent being attacked or
threatened, or something was stolen or an attempt was
made to steal something that belonged to the respondent or
another household member, the instrument brings up Item
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES. Ask “How
many times?” and enter the TOTAL number of incidents
reported at Item SQCALLPOLICEATTACKSPEC in which
the respondent was attacked.
During the last 6 months, other than any incident(s) already mentioned, did anything which you
thought was a crime happen to YOU, but did NOT report to the police?
1 Yes
2 No
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-27
Part B, Chapter 3
SQNOCALLPOLICE
CRIME
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME is asked of all eligible
household members and is designed to remind each
respondent of incidents that he/she did NOT report to the
police, even though the respondent thought they were
crimes. These incidents could have been overlooked earlier
in the interview because we did not ask about them
specifically (for example, incidents in which the offender
was a child or no loss or injury resulted).
As you ask the question in SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME,
always emphasize the words “YOU” and “NOT,” which are
displayed in capital letters.If the respondent relates an
incident that might not be a crime, such as a traffic accident,
or that involved a nonhousehold member, stress that for this
item we are only interested in an incident when:
It directly affected the respondent or another household
member
AND
The respondent believes it to be a crime.
After emphasizing these points, accept the respondent’s
answer and enter the appropriate precode.
After entering Precode (1), “Yes,” for Item
SQNOCALLPOLICECRIME, continue with Item
SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC, which asks for incident details.
What happened?
Describe all incidents for this screener below.
SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC
________________________________________________________________________
SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC
The SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC screen is used to describe
what happened during these incidents, and whether or not a
SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC
household member was victimized during the incident.
Enter the incident description, then press ENTER.
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
If not sure ask:
Were you attacked or threatened, or was something stolen or an attempt made to steal
something that belonged to you or another household member?
1 Yes
2 No
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT
SQNOCALLPOLICE
ATTACKTHREAT
If you can determine from previous responses to screen
questions the answer to the question at the
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT screen, “Were
you attacked or threatened, or was something stolen or
an attempt made to steal something that belonged to
you or another household member?” you can enter the
appropriate precode without asking the question. However,
if you are not sure the respondent was attacked or
threatened, or something was stolen or an attempt was
made to steal something that belonged to the respondent or
another household member, ask the question before
entering the precode.
If you enter Precode (2), “No,” in this item, you indicate that
the incident did not involve an NCVS crime.
How many times?
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES
SQNOCALLPOLICE
ATTACKTHREAT
TIMES
When multiple incidents are reported in
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT AND at least one
of the incidents involves the respondent being attacked or
threatened, or something was stolen or an attempt was
made to steal something that belonged to the respondent or
another household member,
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES appears.
Ask “How many times?” and enter the TOTAL number of
incidents reported at SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKSPEC.
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 3. Screener Section Closing Screens
Who besides the respondent was present when the screen questions were asked?
If telephone interview mark box 11.
11 Telephone (Field telephone)
12 No one besides respondent present
13 Respondent’s spouse
14 Household member(s) 12+, not spouse
15 Household members under 12
16 Nonhousehold member(s)
17 Someone was present - Can’t say who
18 Don’t know if someone else present
PRESENTFORSQS
PRESENTFORSQS
The intent of this question is to determine who besides the
respondent was present when the screen questions were
asked. If the interview is taken over the telephone, only
enter Precode (11), “Telephone.” Otherwise, enter the
appropriate precode(s).
Did the person for whom this interview was taken help the proxy respondent answer any screen
questions?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Person for whom interview taken not present
PROXYHELP
PROXYHELP
Item PROXYHELP appears when a proxy interview has
been taken and is intended to find out whether the proxy
person helped the proxy respondent answer any of the
screen questions.
Introduction and Screening Items
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Part B, Chapter 3
End of Screening items
A total of 1 incident(s)
AND
0 refusals were reported in "how many times?"
Enter 1 to continue
INC_REPORTS
INC_REPORTS
The INC_REPORTS screen marks the end of the screening
items when a respondent has reported at least one crime
incident. This screen also tells you how many incidents
were reported, and how many refusals were reported in the
“How many times?” screener. Once you have read this
screen, press (1) to proceed. After pressing (1), continue
with the INCIDENTINTRO screen, which leads you into the
incident report items.
No incident reports needed for: John Doe
Enter 1 to continue
NO_CRIMES
NO_CRIMES
The NO_CRIMES screen marks the end of the screening
questions when a respondent did NOT report any incidents.
After pressing (1) to proceed, continue with Item
ENDSCREENER.
DO NOT F10 to exit the instrument from Item
ENDSCREENER; doing so may cause loss of all collected
data and necessitate restarting the case.
The instrument continues with JOBLASTWEEK when the
respondent is at least 16 years of age. Otherwise, it
continues with the NEXTPERSON screen.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-31
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 4. Employment
Did you have a job or work at a business LAST WEEK?
If necessary: Do not include volunteer work or work around the house.
If farm or business operator in household, ask about unpaid work
1 Yes
2 No
JOBLASTWEEK
JOBLASTWEEK
Item JOBLASTWEEK is asked to determine if the
respondent had a job AT ALL during the week before the
interview. This could be a full-time or part-time job for salary
or wages working for a business, government agency, or
self-employed. Do NOT include volunteer work for which the
respondent was not paid. You only see this screen if the
respondent is at least 16 years of age.
For the NCVS, a job is defined as any activity that is done
for pay, wages, salary, commission, tips, or payment "in
kind," or that is done without pay on a family farm or for a
family business. If someone in the household has a farm or
a business, make sure to probe by asking the respondent
about any unpaid work last week for the family farm or
business.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent had a job or
worked at a business at any time during the week prior to
the interview, even if the respondent was on vacation or
temporarily absent due to sickness or some other reason.
After entering Precode (1), "Yes," continue with Item
JOBDESCRIPTION.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent did not have a job
or work at a business during the week prior to the interview.
Also, enter Precode (2) if a respondent receives scholarship
money while attending school (even if it is in excess of the
cost of tuition, textbooks, late fees, and so on) AND does
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not have a job. After entering Precode (2), "No," continue
with Item JOBDURINGREFPERIOD.
Ask or verify:
Did you have a job or work at a business DURING THE LAST 6 MONTHS?
1 Yes
2 No
JOBDURINGREFPERIOD
JOBDURINGREF
PERIOD
Item JOBDURINGREFPERIOD is asked to determine
whether the respondent had a job or worked at a business
at any time during the 6 months prior to the interview. You
only see this screen when the respondent did not have a job
or work at a business during the week before the interview.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent had a job or
worked at a business at any time during the 6 months prior
to the interview, even if the respondent was away from work
during some of that time for a vacation or illness. After
entering Precode (1), continue with Item
JOBLAST2WEEKS.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent did not have a job
or work at a business at any time during the 6 months prior
to the interview. After entering Precode (2), continue with
the NEXTPERSON screen (In some cases Items
BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY and/or OTHER_LANGUAGE
may appear if they have not been answered in previous
enumerations). (If the respondent is the household
respondent, however, and the household is in its first, third,
fifth, or seventh interview period, the instrument goes to
Item HOUSEHOLDINCOME.)
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Did that (job/work) last 2 consecutive weeks or more?
1 Yes
2 No
JOBLAST2WEEKS
JOBLAST2WEEKS
Once the respondent tells you in Item
JOBDURINGREFPERIOD that he/she had a job or worked
at a business during the 6 months before the interview, then
you will ask the question in Item JOBLAST2WEEKS to
determine whether that job or work lasted for 2 or more
consecutive weeks.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when the respondent has worked
at least 2 consecutive weeks at the job or business
mentioned in Item JOBDURINGREFPERIOD. After
entering Precode (1), continue with Item
JOBDESCRIPTION.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," when the job or work mentioned in
Item JOBDURINGREFPERIOD did NOT last for at least 2
consecutive weeks. After entering Precode (2), continue
with the NEXTPERSON screen. (If the respondent is the
household respondent, however, and the household is in its
first, third, fifth, or seventh interview period, the instrument
goes to Item HOUSEHOLDINCOME.)
Introduction and Screening Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
(Page 12)
Ask or verify:
Which of the following best describes your job?
Were you employed in the -Read each category until respondent says “Yes,” then enter appropriate precode
11 Medical Profession?
12 Mental Health Services Field?
13 Teaching Profession?
14 Law Enforcement or Security Field?
15 Retail Sales?
16 Transportation Field?
17 Something else?
JOBDESCRIPTION
JOBDESCRIPTION
Item JOBDESCRIPTION is used to identify whether the
respondent's job is in one of the job classifications which
may increase or decrease his/her likelihood of becoming a
victim of crime. Item JOBDESCRIPTION allows you to
verify a known answer without asking the question first. If
you need to ask this question, make sure to read each
answer category until you get a “Yes” response.
Note the book icon and page reference at the top left of the
screen. This tells you that there is a corresponding page in
the Information Card Booklet (NCVS-554). During personal
visit interviews, show the “Employment” flashcard to the
respondent so they can see the categories. Ask the
question in Item JOBDESCRIPTION, then ask the
respondent to identify on the flashcard the job category that
best describes his/her job. If the respondent cannot find a
job category that describes his/her job, use the “Something
else” answer category and enter the respondent’s job title at
the “Specify” screen.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-35
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If the respondent worked at more than one type of job during
the past six months, enter the precode for the category at
which the respondent worked the MOST hours. If the
respondent worked at more than one type of job during the
past six months AND spent the same amount of time at
each job, enter the precode for the first category mentioned.
Once you identify the general job category from one of the
seven category headings in Item JOBDESCRIPTION, then
one of the following screens appears to further identify the
respondent’s job.
If you enter Precode (11), Medical Profession, Item
MEDICALJOB appears.
If you enter Precode (12), Mental Health Services Field,
Item MENTALHEALTHJOB appears.
If you enter Precode (13), Teaching Profession, Item
TEACHINGJOB appears.
If you enter Precode (14), Law Enforcement or Security
Field, Item LAWENFORCEJOB appears.
If you enter Precode (15), Retail Sales, Item
RETAILSALESJOB appears.
If you enter Precode (16), Transportation Field, Item
TRANSPORTJOB appears.
If you enter Precode (17), Something Else, Item
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC appears.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-36
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
Employed in the Medical Profession
If not in the medical profession, back up to JOBDESCRIPTION and change answer
As a- Read each category
11 Physician?
12 Nurse?
13 Technician?
14 Other Medical Profession? - Specify
MEDICALJOB
MEDICALJOB
If the respondent’s answer is “Other” and you enter Precode
(14), a “Specify” answer screen, Item MEDICALJOBSPEC
appears. Enter the type of medical profession at
MEDICALJOBSPEC.
Employed in the Mental Health Services Field:
If not in Mental Health Services Field,back up to JOBDESCRIPTION and change answer
Are your duties - Read each category
15 Professional (Social worker/psychiatrist)?
16 Custodial care?
17 Some other Mental Health Services Profession ?- Specify
MENTALHEALTHJOB
MENTALHEALTHJOB
If the respondent answers “Other” and you enter Precode
(17), a “Specify” answer screen, Item
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-37
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
MENTALHEALTHJOBSPEC appears. Enter the type of
mental health services job at MENTALHEALTHJOBSPEC.
Employed in the Teaching Profession
If not in the Teaching Profession, back up to JOBDESCRIPTION and change answer
Were you employed in a- Read each category
18 Preschool?
19 Elementary?
20 Junior high or middle school?
21. High school?
22 College or university?
23 Technical or industrial school?
24 Special education facility?
25 Other Teaching Profession? - Specify
TEACHINGJOB
TEACHINGJOB
If the respondent answers “Other” and you enter Precode
(25), a “Specify” answer screen, Item TEACHJOBSPEC
appears. Enter the type of job in the teaching profession in
TEACHJOBSPEC.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-38
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
Employed in the Law Enforcement or Security Field:
If not in the Law Enforcement or Security Field, back up to JOBDESCRIPTION and change answer
Were you employed as a- Read each category
26 Law enforcement officer?
27 Prison or jail guard?
28 Security guard?
29 Other Law Enforcement Profession? - Specify
LAWENFORCEJOB
LAWENFORCEJOB
If the respondent answers “Other” and you enter Precode
(29), a “Specify” answer screen, Item
LAWENFORCEJOBSPEC appears. Enter the type of job in
the law enforcement or security field in
LAWENFORCEJOBSPEC.
Employed in retail sales
If not in Retail Sales, back up to JOBDESCRIPTION and change answer
Were you employed as a- Read each category
30 Convenience or liquor store clerk?
31 Gas station attendant?
32 Bartender?
33 Other Retail Sales Profession? - Specify
RETAILSALESJOB
RETAILSALESJOB
If the respondent answers “Other” and you enter Precode
(33), a “Specify” screen RETAILSALESJOBSPEC
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-39
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
appears. Enter the type of job in retail sales in
RETAILSALESJOBSPEC.
Employed in the Transportation Field
If not in Transportation Field, back up to JOBDESCRIPTION and change answer
Were you employed as a- Read each category
34 Bus driver?
35 Taxi cab driver?
36 Other Transportation Field Profession? - Specify
TRANSPORTJOB
TRANSPORTJOB
If the respondent answers “Other” and you enter Precode
(36), a “Specify” answer screen TRANSPORTJOBSPEC
appears; enter the type of job in the transportation field.
Please specify the job not covered in the answer categories 11-16 in JOBDESCRIPTION
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC
If you enter Precode (17) at Item JOBDESCRIPTION, the
instrument prompts you to enter the respondent’s
occupation in JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-40
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
Ask or verify:
Is your job with- Read each category
1
2
3
4
A private company, business, or individual for wages?
The Federal government?
A State, county, or local government?
Yourself (Self-employed) in your own business, professional practice, or farm?
EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT
EMPLOYERTYPE
CURRENT
Item EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT is used to determine
whether the respondent's job or work is with:
A private company, business, or individual for wages,
Precode (1).
The Federal government, Precode (2).
A State, county, or local government, Precode (3).
The respondent's own business, professional practice,
or farm (self-employed), Precode (4).
This item allows you to verify a known answer with the
respondent without asking the question.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when a respondent worked for a
PRIVATE employer for wages, salary, commission, tips,
piece-rates, or pay in kind. Also enter Precode (1) for
respondents who worked for pay for churches, unions, and
other private nonprofit organizations.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when a respondent:
Worked for any branch of the Federal government.
Was elected to a paid Federal office.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-41
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Was a member of the Armed Forces.
Was employed by an international organization (for
example, the United Nations) or a foreign government.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when a respondent worked in any branch
of a state, county, or local government. This also includes
respondents who were elected to paid state, county, or local
offices.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) when a respondent was self-employed
for profit or fees in his/her OWN business, farm, shop,
office, practice, and so on.
Are you employed by a college or university?
1 Yes
2 No
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
COLLEGEEMPLOYER
Item COLLEGEEMPLOYER is used to determine whether
a respondent is employed by a college or university. If the
respondent indicated in Item TEACHINGJOB that he/she
was a teacher employed by a college or university and you
entered Precode (22), the instrument skips over Item
COLLEGEEMPLOYER and continues with Item
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-42
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
While working at your job, do you work mostly in- Read each category
1
2
3
4
A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?
Or combination of any of these?
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE
CURRENTJOB
MSATYPE
Item CURRENTJOBMSATYPE is asked to find out if a
respondent works in a city, suburban area, rural area, or a
combination of any of these areas. If the respondent was a
victim of crime while on the job, we can use this information
to determine if specific areas are more prone to crime.
Read each answer category as part of the question. Most
respondents will know the correct response, so let the
respondent decide which type of area. When a respondent
worked for more than one employer, enter the precode for
the area in which he/she worked the greater number of
hours. If a respondent works offshore, such as on an aircraft
carrier, the answer to Item CURRENTJOBMSATYPE must
be based on the ship's home harbor. Avoid entering
Precode (4), "Combination of any of these?" unless a
respondent insists that the area he/she worked in MOST of
the time was a combination of city, suburban, and rural.
BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY
Item BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY allows you to review or
update the interview time preference for the household.
After reviewing the time preference, press "1" to continue.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-43
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 5. Informing the Household Respondent,
Household Income, Other Languages, End Screens,
and Choosing the Next Respondent to Interview
I need to interview all other household members age 12 and older and will be asking them the
same questions I asked you about crime.
(1) Enter 1 to continue
INFORM_HHR
INFORM_HHR
This screen appears after the household respondent has
completed their interview, including the employment
section, but only when there is at least one household
member between12-17 years old. Otherwise, the
instrument skips over this screen and goes to
HOUSEHOLDINCOME. Read the text to the respondent as
shown.
During the months when a supplement is being conducted,
this screen contains additional text to read to the household
respondent regarding asking the supplement questions of
household members under the age of 18. (For example,
when the school crime supplement is conducted, the
instrument also displays: “Additionally, I will be asking
household members age 12 through 17 some questions on
school-related crime.)
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-44
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
(Page 14)
Which category on this card 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.
Enter number for range that contains response
11. Less than $5,000
12. $5,000 - $7,499
13. $7,500 - $9,999
14. $10,000 - $12,499
15. $12,500 - $14,999
16. $15,000 - $17,499
17. $17,500 - $19,999
18. $20,000 - $24,999
19. $25,000 - $29,999
20. $30,000 - $34,999
21. $35,000 - $39,999
22. $40,000 - $49,999
23. $50,000 - $74,999
24. $75,000 and over
HOUSEHOLDINCOME
HOUSEHOLDINCOME
For personal visit
interviews
The NCVS instrument brings up Item
HOUSEHOLDINCOME only during the household
respondent’s interview and then only in the first, third, fifth,
and seventh enumeration periods. If necessary, explain to
the household respondent that we do not need him/her to
identify the specific total household income, just the income
range in which it falls.
Just before reading the question in Item
HOUSEHOLDINCOME, show the household respondent
the flashcard on Page 14 in your Information Card Booklet
(NCVS-554) and then ask the HOUSEHOLDINCOME
question to determine the household’s total combined
income. After reading the question, allow the respondent
time to read the categories, make an estimate, and respond.
When necessary, help the respondent by adding each
household member’s income and/or the income from all
sources to get the total combined income.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-45
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
For telephone
interviews
In most cases, after the first personal visit interview, the
remaining interviews at the sample address are conducted
by telephone. Read the question and each income category
until the respondent identifies the appropriate category.
What to Include
Respondents may ask about what type of income to include
in the combined household income. Include the following
types of income:
Income received from jobs
Net income from business, farm, or rent
Pensions
Dividends and interest
Social security payments
Alimony and child support
Public assistance
Any other money received by household members who
are 14 years of age and older.
We are interested in the household's combined income
during the 12 months immediately preceding the interview
date --not the last calendar year-- unless they happen to
coincide. Do not specifically ask a household respondent to
look for tax records; however, a respondent can use income
tax records to help him/her to compare the last calendar
year's income with the income in the 12-month period
preceding the interview.
Make sure that the answer includes the money income
received during the 12 months immediately preceding the
interview and covers the reference person and each
household member who is 14 years of age and older. Do not
include income from nonhousehold persons who are listed
in the household roster. If necessary, name each household
member who is 14 years of age and older, so that the
household respondent understands whose money income
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-46
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
we want to include. Remember that you can access the
household roster by pressing the “Shift” and “F1" keys
simultaneously. You can also click the “HH Roster” ta--at
the top left of the screen.
What to Exclude
We do not want the household respondent to include:
"In kind" income, such as room and board, free meals in
a restaurant, value of crops produced by a farmer and
consumed by his family, and so on.
Insurance payments or lump-sum inheritances.
Occasional gifts of money from persons not living in the
household or any exchanges of money between
relatives living in the same household.
Money received from selling one's own home, car, or
other personal property.
Savings withdrawals from banks.
Tax refunds.
Income from nonhousehold persons who are listed in
the household roster.
Special Situations for
Item HOUSEHOLD
INCOME
If a household respondent reports no income, a loss, or that
they "broke even," enter Precode (11), "Less than $5,000."
Before accepting an answer of "No income," make sure that
the household respondent understands what type of income
we want included and from which persons in the household.
In difficult cases, try to assist the household respondent by
probing to find out:
Which household members worked during the last 12
months.
How much money each working household member (14
years of age and older) earned each week or pay
period.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-47
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Whether or not any household members (14 years of
age and older) operated a business or a farm during the
last 12 months.
Whether or not any household members (14 years of
age and older) received a pension, dividends, interest,
etc.
Avoid "Don't know" or "Refused" answers if possible.
Reassuring
Respondents
You may encounter a household respondent who knows the
household income, but is reluctant to tell you because
he/she does not think we need to know or does not see why
it would be necessary for the survey. If so, explain that
information such as income, race, and sex are
essential for providing statistics which reflect the
crime experiences for various segments of the United
States population.
If number was previously collected, verify number is still current
What is the telephone number where you would like to be called?
Respondent's current number:
Enter 0 for no telephone number or no modifications to previously collected phone number
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER
RESPONDENTPHONE
NUMBER
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER is asked at the
conclusion of a completed interview; it allows you to collect
a different phone number for each household member. If the
number was previously collected, verify that it is still a
current number. Enter 0 (zero) for no telephone number or if
no modifications to a previously collected phone number are
necessary.
The instrument then goes to RESPONDENTPHONETYPE
(if a phone number is entered) or RESPINTERVIEWLANG
(if no phone number is entered).
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-48
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
What type of phone is this (for example, a home, office, or cell phone)?
1 Home
2 Work
3 Cell/digital
4 Beep/page/service
5 Pay phone
6 Toll free
7 Other
8 Fax
RESPONDENTPHONETYPE
RESPONDENTPHONE
TYPE
RESPONDENTPHONETYPE asks what type of phone the
number is. Enter the appropriate precode. The instrument
goes to RESPINTERVIEWLANG.
Was this respondent’s interview conducted in a language other than English?
1 Yes
2 No
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
RESPINTERVIEWLANG
RESPINTERVIEWLANG is asked to find out if the
respondent’s interview was conducted in a language
other than English. Enter Precode (1) for “Yes” and the
instrument goes to WHICH_LANG. Enter Precode (2) for
“No” and the instrument goes to ENDPERSON.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-49
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What language was the respondent’s interview conducted in?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Spanish
French
Russian
German
Vietnamese
Chinese
Korean
Tagalog
Asian
Japanese
Germanic
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Dutch
Norwegian
Swedish
Arabic
Greek
Italian
Polish
Portuguese
Urdu
Other-Specify
Don't know
WHICH_LANG
WHICH_LANG
Item WHICH_LANG asks, “What language was the
respondent’s interview conducted in?”
Enter the precode for the appropriate language. If the
language is not on this list, enter Precode (21), “OtherSpecify,” and the instrument takes you to Item
LANG_SPEC, where you specify the appropriate language.
Specify the other language spoken
LANG_SPEC
LANG_SPEC
In LANG_SPEC, enter the “other” language spoken. This
item allows 30 characters.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-50
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
You have completed this respondent’s interview
***Do not F10 from this screen***
Enter 1 to continue
ENDPERSON
ENDPERSON
Item ENDPERSON appears when you have completed the
individual respondent’s interview. DO NOT F10 to exit the
instrument from ENDPERSON; doing so may cause loss of
all collected data and necessitate restarting the case.
There are no more incidents to report.
***Do not F10 from this screen***
Enter 1 to continue
ENDSCREENER
ENDSCREENER
Item ENDSCREENER appears when there are no more
incident reports to complete for this screener, as well as no
more incidents for this respondent. DO NOT F10 to exit the
instrument from ENDSCREENER; doing so may cause loss
of all collected data and necessitate restarting the case.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-51
Part B, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Current incident report is over
***Do not F10 from this screen***
Enter (1) to continue
ENDINCIDENT
ENDINCIDENT
Item ENDINCIDENT appears after each incident report to
let you know that the report has been completed. This
screen is also used by the instrument to close the incident
report, which is why it is important not to press F10 at this
item. If you press F10, it may cause the loss of all collected
data and necessitate restarting the case.
***Do not F10 from this screen***
LN NAME
STATUS HRESP
REL
SEX AGE
1
2
DONE-Int
NEED SELF
Ref Person
Husband
F
M
Megan Moe
Ted Moe
25
29
I also need to talk with Ted Moe.
Is Ted Moe at home now?
Enter person’s line number for next interview
***Do not F10 from this screen***
2 Ted Moe
31 Respondent refused FOR someone else
33 No other person available now
NEXTPERSON
NEXTPERSON
Item NEXTPERSON appears when there are other eligible
household members who still need to complete the NCVS
interview. The line number of each household member is
displayed, along with the person’s name, interview status,
relation, sex, and age. Select the next person in the
household to be interviewed at Item NEXTPERSON.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-52
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 3
The question text for Item NEXTPERSON changes
depending on how many household members remain to be
interviewed. For one more household member interview,
the screen display is as shown above. If there is more than
one household member remaining to interview, the screen
display says, “I also need to talk with (names). Are any of
them at home now?”
Select Precode (31) “Respondent refused for someone
else,” if the respondent refused the interview for some other
household member. Select Precode (33), “No other person
available now,” if no other person is currently available and
the interviews for the household are not complete.
DO NOT F10 to exit the instrument from NEXTPERSON;
doing so may cause loss of all collected data and
necessitate restarting the case. Instead, use Precode (33)
to exit the case.
Introduction and Screening Items
B3-53
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Middle Section of the NCVS Instrument:
Incident Report Items
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1
Screen Layout and Instructions for Items
INCIDENTINTRO through HAPPEN
2
Screen Layout and Instructions for Items
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS through
ANYTHINGFURTHER
B4-125
3
Screen Layout and Instructions for Items
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME through SUMMARY
B4-226
Incident Report Items
B4-1
B4-2
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Screen Layout and Instructions for
Items INCIDENTINTRO Through HAPPEN
Talking to: John Doe
Asking about: John Doe
● Starting the First Incident Report
***DO NOT F10 FROM THIS SCREEN***
You said before that during the last 6 months:
L1's bike stolen from carport
Frequency:
1 time(s)
***DO NOT F10 FROM THIS SCREEN***
INCIDENTINTRO
INCIDENTINTRO
INCIDENTINTRO marks the beginning of the incident
report section in the middle of the NCVS instrument. This
section gathers a variety of information about each
reported incidence of crime that occurred during the
respondent’s six-month reference period. It is important to
record accurate and complete information so that we get a
clear picture of what happened during the incident. This
screen also identifies:
The person to whom you are speaking.
The household member about whom you are asking
these questions.
The brief description of the incident that you entered in
the screening section of the instrument.
The number of times the incident happened as
reported in the screening item.
The instrument changes the display of the first interviewer
instruction based on which incident report you are starting.
For the first incident report for a screener question, the
instrument displays “First.” For subsequent incidents
Incident Report Items
B4-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
reported in the same screen question, the instrument fills in
the word “Next.”
Once you are done reviewing this screen, enter Precode
(1) to continue to Item INCIDENTADDRESS or
INCIDENTDATE based on the number of months the
respondent has lived at the sample address, as
determined earlier in the interview in TIMEATADDRESS. If
the respondent has lived at the sample address for more
than six months, the instrument continues with Item
INCIDENTDATE. If multiple incidents are reported, when
you complete one crime report, you then return to this
screen for each remaining incident. Do not F10 from Item
INCIDENTINTRO; doing so may result in loss of data and
necessitate restarting the case.
Once you start to complete a crime incident report in this
section, you must finish it, with the exception of incidents
that happened outside of the respondent’s reference
period. For all other situations, it is important to finish this
section once you begin, as you may discover that an
additional NCVS crime has occurred in conjunction with
the original crime.
Asking about:
JOHN DOE
Did (this/the first) incident happen while you were
living here or before you moved to this address?
1 While living at this address
2 Before moving to this address
INCIDENTADDRESS
INCIDENTADDRESS
If the household member has lived at the sample address
for 6 months or less, then the NCVS instrument brings up
Item INCIDENTADDRESS in order to determine if the
reported incident occurred while the household member:
Lived at the sample address or
Lived at a previous address.
Incident Report Items
B4-3
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Before asking the question for Item INCIDENTADDRESS,
always read the lead-in statement, which includes the
incident description that you entered in the screening
question. When the incident reported in a screen question
happened ONLY ONE TIME during the reference period,
read the question text as follows: “Did this incident
happen while you were living here or before your
moved to this address?”
If more than one incident was reported for a screen
question, read the question for Item INCIDENTADDRESS
as follows: “Did the first incident happen...?” For
subsequent incidents from a screen question, read the
question for Item INCIDENTADDRESS as follows: “Did
this incident happen...?”
Based on the respondent's answer, enter either Precode
(1), "While living at this address," or Precode (2), "Before
moving to this address." The instrument then goes to Item
INCIDENTDATE.
In what month did (this/the first) incident happen?
Reference Period:
July: 2014
January: 2015
● Encourage respondent to give exact month
1 January
2 February
3 March
4 April
5 May
6 June
7 July
8 August
9 September
10 October
11 November
12 December
97 Don’t know exact month within reference period
INCIDENTDATE
INCIDENTDATE
Item INCIDENTDATE is used to determine the month and
year in which the incident occurred. Encourage
respondents to give an exact month. When necessary,
probe with holidays or other special events to help the
respondent identify an exact month of occurrence.
Incident Report Items
B4-4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter the 1- or 2-digit precode to identify the month in
which the incident happened. It is not necessary to enter
a 2-digit precode for the months of January through
September, because the instrument will accept a 1-digit
precode. As a last resort, enter Precode (97) when a
respondent cannot identify the exact month of
occurrence.
✔ When the incident reported in a screen question
happened ONLY ONE TIME during the reference
period, ask INCIDENTDATE this way:
“In what month did this incident happen?”
✔ When the incident reported in a screen question
happened MORE THAN ONE TIME, you must ask
questions about each incident that occurred during
the reference period separately. Ask the question in
INCIDENTDATE based on the number of incidents
reported.
For the first incident, ask: “In what month did the
first incident happen?”
For subsequent incidents, ask: “In what month did
this incident happen?”
Repeat as necessary for all other occurrences.
Date is Outside of Reference
Period
The reference period is displayed in the upper right of the
INCIDENTDATE screen as shown above. If the
respondent's answer to Item INCIDENTDATE is a month
outside of his/her reference period, remind the
respondent of the starting and ending dates for his/her
reference period.
When the respondent still gives you a date outside of
his/her reference period, enter the appropriate precode
for the month given by the respondent. After entering a
precode for a month outside of the respondent’s
reference period, the following edit check appears:
Incident Report Items
B4-5
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
● If necessary:
Did you say June?
Questions involved
Value
INCIDENTDATE: Incident month verify June
Suppress Close Goto
If the month reported or entered is incorrect and the
incident happened within the reference period, click
“Goto.” The instrument goes back to INCIDENTDATE so
you can record the correct month.
If you verify at the edit check that the incident was
entered or reported incorrectly and happened outside of
the respondent’s reference period, click “Suppress.” This
makes the incident out-of-scope and no further questions
are asked about that incident.
We are only asking about crimes that happened during
the last 6 months. We will not collect information on this
incident.
OSINCNOTNEEDED
Once you click “Suppress,” the instrument goes to Item
OSINCNOTNEEDED, where you read “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.
Did you have anything (else) like this happen between
July 2014 and January 2015?
INCIDENTDATEPROBE
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Item INCIDENTDATEPROBE appears: “Did you have
anything like this happen between July 2014 and
January 2015?” Choose the appropriate precode: (1) for
“Yes” and (2) for “No.” If you choose “Yes,” the instrument
goes back to INCIDENTINTRO to collect an incident
report for that incident. If you choose “No,” the current
incident entry is deleted.
If you delete the incident, the instrument goes to Item
INC_REDUCE in order for you to record the reason why
the incident is being deleted.
● Briefly explain why the number of incidents is being
reduced.
INC_REDUCE
When an incident is deleted, enter a description of why
you deleted that incident, such as “Incident occurred in
June; outside of reference period.”
If the same type of incident occurred more than once
AND one or more of the incidents happened during the
reference period, click “Close” or “Goto” at the edit check.
Complete the incident report items for each in-scope
incident.
● If unsure, ask:
Altogether, how many times did this type of incident happen during the last 6 months?
● Number of incidents recorded for this screening question: 7
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES
INCIDENTNUMBEROF TIMES
Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES is used to record, for
a specific screen question, the total number of times that
the incident happened during the reference period. It is
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also the first item used to determine whether there are
multiple incidents reported for a screen question which
could qualify as a series of crimes.
If you are already sure what the total number is, enter
the number of incidents without asking the question in
Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES. This screen always
shows the number of incidents reported earlier in the
screen question.
Always record the exact number of incidents and only
include incidents that happened during the respondent's
reference period. The instrument does not permit you to
enter a range of numbers (for example, 1-4).
Whenever a respondent seems unsure, probe to arrive
at an exact number or at least his/her best estimate. Do
not rush the respondent and allow sufficient time for the
respondent to recall information about the incidents. Use
neutral probes to help arrive at an exact number or the
respondent's best estimate, such as "Thinking back, can
you recall what you were doing or what was happening
in your life at the time of the incidents?"
If the entry in Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES is less
than or equal to the number entered in the screener
question, the instrument continues with either:
✔ Item INCIDENTTIME when less than six incidents
were reported,
OR
✔ Item INCIDENTSSIMILAR when six or more
incidents were reported in Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES.
When the number of incidents entered at Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES does not match the
number of incidents recorded earlier in the interview at
the screening item, INCIDENTTIMESPROBE appears:
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● Number of incidents recorded in
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES: 2 is GREATER than the
number of incidents recorded for this screening
question: 1
● Information will be collected for 2 incidents.
● Enter 1 to continue
INCIDENTTIMESPROBE
INCIDENTTIMESPROBE alerts you to the difference in
the number of incidents and lets you know that you will
be completing a separate set of the incident report items
for each incident recorded at
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES.
If you enter a number of incidents in
INCIDENTTIMESPROBE between 1 and 5, the
instrument continues with INCIDENTTIME because the
multiple incidents automatically disqualify as a series of
crimes and, therefore, you must complete a separate set
of incident report items for each incident. Failure to do so
will result in either the respondent classifying as a
noninterview or the household classifying as a
noninterview. If you enter 6 or more incidents in Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES, continue with Item
INCIDENTSSIMILAR.
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● If unsure, ask:
Are these incidents similar to each other in detail or are they for
different types of crimes?
1 Similar
2 Different (not a series)
INCIDENTSSIMILAR
INCIDENTSSIMILAR
Item INCIDENTSSIMILAR is used to determine whether the
multiple incidents are very similar to each other or whether the
incidents involve different types of crimes. The incidents
entered in Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES must be very
similar to each other in detail to qualify as a series of
crimes. If you are not sure which precode to enter, ask the
respondent the question in Item INCIDENTSSIMILAR.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), “Similar,” if ALL the incidents entered in
Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES are very similar to each
other in detail. For example, a respondent reported seven
separate incidents that occurred during the reference period in
which money was stolen from her desk at work. In each of
these incidents, money was stolen from her desk at work and
she was not victimized in any other way that might classify as
a different type of NCVS crime. Therefore, enter Precode (1).
After entering Precode (1), continue with RECALLDETAILS.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), “Different (“not a series”),” when there are
facts for some of the incidents entered in Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES that differentiate them from one
another. After entering Precode (2), continue with Item
INCIDENTTIME, because these incidents do not qualify as a
series of crimes. For example, a respondent reported seven
separate incidents all of which took place in the same parking
garage during the reference period. For two of the incidents,
the offender threatened to sexually assault her. For the
remaining five incidents, someone broke into her car and stole
unattached items, such as a coat, music CDs, and so on. In
this example, we do NOT have at least 6 very similar
incidents, so enter Precode (2).
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If unsure, ask:
Can you recall enough details of each incident to distinguish them from each other?
1 Yes (not a series)
2 No (is a series)
RECALLDETAILS
RECALLDETAILS
Item RECALLDETAILS is used to determine whether the
multiple incidents meet the final criteria for a series of crimes.
If you are not sure whether the respondent can recall enough
facts about each incident to distinguish them from one
another, ask the question of the respondent before entering a
precode for this item.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when the respondent can remember
enough facts to distinguish the incidents from one another, so
that you can complete most of the required incident report
questions for each incident. By entering Precode (1), you are
confirming that the multiple incidents are NOT a series of
crimes. Therefore, you will complete a separate set of
incident report questions for each incident entered in Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES. After entering Precode (1),
continue with Item INCIDENTTIME.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when the respondent cannot remember
enough facts to distinguish the multiple incidents from one
another, so that it would be impossible to complete a
separate set of incident report questions for each incident
entered in Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES. By entering
Precode (2), you are confirming that the multiple incidents
entered in Item INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES qualify as a
series of crimes. After entering Precode (2), you will continue
with Item INCIDENTTIME; however, the following statement
will appear above the question, “The following questions
refer only to the most recent incident.”
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When incidents qualify as a series of crimes, be sure to read
this lead-in statement before reading the question in Item
INCIDENTTIME.
(Also see Part C, Chapter 3, Topic 2, for more information
about a series of crimes.)
About what time did this incident happen?
● During the day:
11 After 6 a.m. -- 12 noon
12 After 12 noon -- 3 p.m.
13 After 3 p.m. -- 6 p.m.
14 Don't know what time of day
● At night:
15 After 6 p.m. -- 9 p.m.
16 After 9 p.m. -- 12 midnight
17 After 12 midnight -- 6 a.m.
18 Don't know what time of night
● OR
19 Don't know whether day or night
INCIDENTTIME
INCIDENTTIME
Item INCIDENTTIME is used to determine what time of day
or night the incident happened. When completing the incident
report items for a series of crimes, read the lead-in statement;
then the question asks, “About what time did the most
recent incident happen?” This is done to remind the
respondent that we are interested in the most recent incident
in a series of crimes.
Specific Time Given
If a respondent answers with a specific time, such as 10 p.m.,
then enter the appropriate precode for the time given (For
example, when the answer is 10 p.m., enter Precode (16),
"After 9 p.m. - 12 midnight.") Verify whether the specific time
given is "a.m." or "p.m."
Range of Hours Given
When a respondent answers with a range of hours:
1. See if the hours given fit into one answer category. For
example, when a respondent answers with "Between 4
and 6 p.m.," enter Precode (13), "After 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.".
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2. If the range of hours does not fit into one answer category,
see if the hours given are all "during the day" or all "during
the night." For example, when a respondent answers with
"Sometime between12 noon and 4 p.m.," enter Precode
(14), "Don't know what time of day." If a respondent
answers with "Between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.," enter
Precode (18), "Don't know what time of night."
3.
Respondent Does Not
Know What Time
If the range of hours overlaps day and night answer
categories, enter Precode (19), "Don't know whether day
or night." For example, when a respondent answers with
"Sometime between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.," enter Precode
(19), "Don't know whether day or night.”
When a respondent really does not know an exact hour or
range of hours when the incident happened and he/she tells
you that:
It happened sometime during the day, enter Precode (14),
"Don't know what time of day."
It happened sometime during the night, enter Precode
(18), "Don't know what time of night."
He/she really does not know whether it happened during
the day or during the night, enter Precode (19), "Don't
know whether day or night."
In what city, town, or village, did this incident occur?
Present residence: ANYTOWN, AK
1
2
3
4
5
Outside U.S.
Not inside a city/town/village
SAME city/town/village as present residence
DIFFERENT city/town/village from present residence - Specify
Don't know
INCIDENTPLACE
INCIDENTPLACE
Item INCIDENTPLACE is one of the items designed to
establish where the crime occurred. Encourage the
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respondent to be as precise as possible.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Outside U.S.", when the incident
happened outside of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia. For the purposes of the NCVS, consider Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the other U.S. territories as
being outside of the United States. After entering Precode
(1), continue with Item LOCATION_GENERAL.
Precode (2)
Precode (2), "Not inside a city/town/village," when the
incident did not happen inside the limits of a city, town, or
village. After entering Precode (2), continue with Items
INCIDENTSTATE and INCIDENTCOUNTY.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), “SAME city/town/village as present
residence,” when the incident took place in the same city,
town, or village as the sample address. After entering
Precode (3), continue with Item INCIDENTAIR.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4), "DIFFERENT city/town/village from
present residence," when the incident happened in a different
city, town, or village from the sample address. Make sure to
enter the name of the city, town, or village where the incident
occurred on the INCIDENTPLACESPEC screen that appears
after entering Precode (4). Once you have entered the city,
town, or village where the incident occurred, continue with
Items INCIDENTSTATE and INCIDENTCOUNTY.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) when the respondent does not know where
the incident happened. Then continue with Items
INCIDENTSTATE and INCIDENTCOUNTY.
In what state did it occur?
INCIDENTSTATE
INCIDENTSTATE
When you start typing the state name in INCIDENTSTATE, a
list of states appears in a pop-up box. Select the correct state
name and press “Enter” or the “Select” radio button. The
instrument goes to INCIDENTCOUNTY.
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In what county did it occur?
INCIDENTCOUNTY
INCIDENTCOUNTY
Type in the name of the county in INCIDENTCOUNTY. Then
Item COUNTYSTATE appears, which asks if this is the same
county and state as the respondent’s current residence. If the
respondent’s current address is available, that information is
displayed in item COUNTYSTATE as shown.
● Ask or verify:
Is this the same county and state as your present residence?
● Present residence: ANYTOWN ALASKA
COUNTYSTATE
COUNTYSTATE
Any answer in COUNTYSTATE takes you to INCIDENTAIR,
which asks if the incident occurred on American Indian
land/reservation.
Did this incident occur on an American Indian Reservation or on American Indian Lands?
1 Yes
2 No
INCIDENTAIR
INCIDENTAIR
Item INCIDENTAIR is used to determine whether the incident
happened on an American Indian Reservation or on
American Indian Lands. In most cases, a respondent will
probably answer the question in Item INCIDENTAIR without
hesitation. However, if a respondent is unsure of how to
answer, included here are defintions of “American Indian
Reservation” and “American Indian Lands” so you can help
the respondent.
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What is an American
Indian Reservation?
American Indian Reservations are territories reserved as
permanent tribal homelands with boundaries established by
treaty, statute, or executive or court order. The Federal
Government and some state governments have established
reservations as territory over which American Indians have
governmental jurisdiction. These are designated as colonies,
communities, pueblos, rancherias, reservations, and
reserves.
What are American
Indian Lands?
American Indian Lands are comprised of tribal subdivisions
and trust lands.
A tribal subdivision is an administrative subdivision of a
reservation. Tribal subdivisions may extend beyond the
boundary of their reservations, and are internal units of self
government or administration that serve social, cultural, or
economic purposes for the American Indians living on and
adjacent to the reservation.
Trust Lands are held in trust by the Federal Government for
either a tribe (tribal trust land) or an individual member of a
tribe (individual trust land). Such land is always associated
with a specific federally recognized reservation or tribe, but
may be located on or off the reservation.
If you feel that probing is necessary AFTER asking the
question in Item INCIDENTAIR, the following probe may help
the respondent to give you an accurate answer:
"Did the incident happen in an American Indian colony,
community, pueblo, rancheria, reservation, or reserve?"
After completing Item INCIDENTAIR, continue with Item
LOCATION_GENERAL to code where the incident occurred.
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Did this incident happen...
● Read each category until respondent says ‘yes,’ then enter appropriate precode
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
36
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?
At school?
In an open area, on the street, or on public transportation?
Somewhere else?
LOCATION_GENERAL
LOCATION_GENERAL
Item LOCATION_GENERAL contains eight GENERAL
categories used to identify the place where an incident
happened. Selecting one of the general categories takes you
to another screen where you select the SPECIFIC type of
place where the incident happened.
It is very important that you enter the most appropriate
precode for Item LOCATION_GENERAL, so that you follow
the correct path through the incident report items. If you enter
the wrong precode in Item LOCATION_GENERAL, the
appropriate questions will not get asked to show what really
happened during the incident.
When a respondent's answer in LOCATION_GENERAL is
not clear and you are unsure which precode to enter, probe
for more details to identify the correct incident location.
LOCATION_GENERAL allows you to enter only ONE
precode, so be sure to enter the most appropriate one.
Example:
A respondent's answer for Item LOCATION_GENERAL
is, "At work." That response is too general for you to
know which precode to enter, so you need to find out
where the respondent works.
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If you select Precode (11) ,“In your home or lodging,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_IN_HOME is the next
screen that appears.
If you select Precode (12) ,“Near your home or lodging,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_NEAR_HOME is the
next screen that appears.
If you select Precode (13) ,“At, in, or near a
friends’/relative’s/neighbor’s home,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_OTHER_HOME is the
next screen that appears.
If you select Precode (14) ,“At a commercial place,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_COMMERCE is the
next screen that appears.
If you select Precode (15) ,“In a parking lot or garage,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_PARKING is the next
screen that appears.
If you select Precode (16) ,“At school,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_SCHOOL is the next
screen that appears.
If you select Precode (17) ,“In an open area, on the street, or
on public transportation,” at LOCATION_GENERAL,
LOCATION_OPEN_AREA is the next screen that appears.
If you select Precode (36), “Somewhere else,” at
LOCATION_GENERAL, LOCATION_SPEC is the next
screen that appears. It says, “Please specify the other
location where this incident occurred.” Enter the location in
the Location Specify field, then press “Enter.” The instrument
then skips to RESTRICTEDAREA.
If, after probing, the respondent still doesn’t know where the
incident took place, enter “Ctrl” + “D” to code a blind “Don’t
know” at Item LOCATION_GENERAL.
LOCATION_GENERAL is the only location screen where
you may enter a “Don’t know” response.
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● Ask if necessary:
Where in your home or lodging did this incident happen?
11 In own dwelling, own attached garage, or enclosed porch (Include illegal entry or attempted
illegal entry of same)
12 In detached building on own property, such as detached garage or storage shed, etc. (Include
illegal entry or attempted illegal entry of same)
13 In vacation home/second home (Include illegal entry or attempted illegal entry of same)
14 In hotel or motel room respondent was staying in (Include illegal
entry or attempted illegal entry of same)
LOCATION_IN_HOME
LOCATION_IN_ HOME
LOCATION_IN_HOME covers Precodes (11) through (14) for
enclosed structures at which an incident may have
occurred. An enclosed structure is one which has a door or
window to gain entry through, such as a respondent's house,
apartment, room, garage, shed, enclosed porch, or a
vacation home, second home, or hotel/motel room in which
the respondent was staying at the time of the incident. This
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.
These enclosed structures must be owned or rented by the
sample household. It does not matter how the offender
gained entrance to the enclosed structure (For example, the
offender may have used force, was let in by a household
member, or gained entrance through an unlocked or open
door or window). However, if the offender did not enter or try
to enter the types of places identified in Precodes (11)
through (14), then return to LOCATION_GENERAL and
enter the most appropriate precode.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), In your own dwelling, own attached
garage, or enclosed porch (Include illegal entry or
attempted entry of same), when the offender either tried to
enter or was inside the following types of places during the
incident:
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✔ The respondent's own dwelling, attached garage, or
enclosed porch.
✔ The respondent's room in a boarding house, school
dormitory, or a similar type of place. As you ask the
questions in Items OFFENDERLIVE through
OFFENDERGETIN, keep in mind that we are only
interested in the respondent's room and not the rest of the
building. If the incident took place somewhere else in the
building outside of the respondent's room, do NOT enter
Precode (11), instead return to LOCATION_GENERAL
and enter Precode (12), which will take you to
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, then select Precode (16),
Apartment hall, storage area, laundry room.
✔ The respondent's apartment. As you ask the questions in
Items OFFENDERLIVE through OFFENDERGETIN, keep
in mind that we are only interested in the respondent's
apartment and not the rest of the apartment building. If
the incident took place somewhere else in the building
outside of the respondent's apartment, do NOT enter
Precode (11) in LOCATION_IN_HOME, instead return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (12), which
will take you to LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, then select
Precode (16), Apartment hall, storage area, laundry
room.
✔ The respondent's former living quarters, as long as the
respondent was living there at the time of the incident
AND the incident occurred during the respondent's 6month reference period.
✔ The respondent's enclosed porch. If the incident occurred
on the respondent's unenclosed porch, do NOT enter
Precode (11), LOCATION_IN_HOME, instead return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (12), which
will take you to LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, then select
Precode (15), Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport,
unenclosed porch.
After entering Precode (11) in LOCATION_IN_HOME,
continue with Item OFFENDERLIVE.
Incident Report Items
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Precode (12)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (12), In detached building on own property,
such as detached garage or storage shed,etc. (Include
illegal entry or attempted illegal entry of same), when the
offender either tried to enter or was inside the following types
of places during the incident:
✔ A detached building on the respondent's property other
than the respondent's dwelling or attached garage, such
as a detached garage, tool shed, guest house, barn,
greenhouse, and so on. Do NOT enter Precode (12)in
LOCATION_IN_HOME if the incident took place in an
open carport on the respondent's property, instead return
to LOCATION_ GENERAL and enter Precode (12), which
takes you to LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, then select
Precode (15) Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport,
unenclosed porch.
✔ A mobile home or trailer that is NOT used as a recreation
vehicle and is situated on the respondent's property. If the
mobile home or trailer is used as a recreation vehicle, do
NOT enter Precode (12) in LOCATION_IN_HOME,
instead return to LOCATION_ GENERAL and enter
Precode (12), which will take you to LOCATION_NEAR_
HOME, then select Precode (15), Own yard, sidewalk,
driveway, carport, unenclosed porch.
After entering Precode (12) in LOCATION_IN_HOME,
continue with Item OFFENDERLIVE.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13), In vacation home/second home
(Include illegal entry or attempted illegal entry of same),
when the offender either tried to enter or was inside the
following types of places during the incident:
✔ A second home either owned or in the possession of the
respondent. Second homes include former dwellings still
owned or rented by the respondent, but not used as the
respondent's primary residence, as well as new dwellings
that are in the possession of the respondent, but not yet
used as the primary residence. If the incident happened at
a second home owned by a nonhousehold member or
rented to a nonhousehold member, do NOT enter
Precode (13) in LOCATION_IN_HOME, instead return to
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LOCATION_GENERAL and select Precode (13), which
takes you to LOCATION_OTHER_HOME, then select
Precode (18), At or in home or other building on their
property.
✔ A vacation home owned by the respondent, regardless of
whether or not the respondent was residing at the
vacation home when the incident took place. If the
incident happened at a vacation home that is owned or
rented by a nonhousehold member, do NOT enter
Precode (13) in LOCATION_IN_HOME, instead return to
LOCATION_ GENERAL and select Precode (13), which
takes you to LOCATION_OTHER_HOME, then select
Precode (18), At or in home or other building on their
property.
✔ A detached building on the property of a second home or
vacation home owned by the respondent, such as a
detached garage, storage shed, and so on. If the incident
happened in the yard of a vacation or second home, do
NOT enter Precode (13) in LOCATION_IN_HOME,
instead return to LOCATION_GENERAL, enter Precode
(36), then describe the location on the "Specify" screen,
Item LOCATION_SPEC, that appears after entering
Precode (36).
After entering Precode (13) in LOCATION_IN_HOME,
continue with Item OFFENDERLIVE.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), In hotel or motel room respondent
was staying in (Include illegal entry or attempted illegal
entry of same), when the offender either tried to enter or was
inside a hotel or motel room where the respondent was
staying temporarily during any part of the incident. However,
if the incident happened somewhere else in the hotel or motel
building (for example, in a conference room, lobby, or
hallway) and the offender never entered or tried to enter the
respondent's room, do NOT enter Precode (14) in
LOCATION_IN_HOME; instead return to
LOCATION_GENERAL, enter Precode (14) “At a
commercial place,” which takes you to Item
LOCATION_COMMERCE. There, select Precode (25),
“Inside other commercial building, such as store.”
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After entering Precode (14) in LOCATION_IN_HOME,
continue with Item OFFENDERLIVE.
● Ask if necessary:
Where near your home or lodging did this incident happen?
15 Own yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport, unenclosed porch (does not include apartment yards)
16 Apartment hall, storage area, laundry room (does not include apartment parking lot/garage)
17 On street immediately adjacent to own home
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME
LOCATION_NEAR _HOME
Precode (15)
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME covers Precodes (15) through
(17) for places near a respondent's primary residence where
an incident may have occurred.
Enter Precode (15), Own yard, sidewalk, driveway,
carport, unenclosed porch (does not include apartment
yards), when the incident happened in the following places
near the respondent's home:
✔ The respondent's yard, regardless of its size, when it
belongs solely to the respondent's house, townhouse,
mobile home, apartment, condominium, and so on. If the
yard is for the use of all occupants in the apartment
building, do not enter Precode (15) in
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, instead return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and select Precode (17) which
takes you to the LOCATION_OPEN_AREA screen. Then
enter Precode (33), In apartment yard park, field,
playground.
✔ The respondent's driveway, mailbox, sidewalk,
unenclosed porch, or carport used solely by the
respondent's unit. If the incident happened in a parking lot
used by more than just the sample unit, do NOT enter
Precode (15) in LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, instead
return to LOCATION_ GENERAL and choose Precode
(15), which takes you to LOCATION_PARKING. Enter
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Precode (30), Apartment/townhouse parking
lot/garage.
✔ The respondent's motor vehicle or recreation vehicle
parked on the respondent's property and intended for the
sole use of the respondent.
✔ The respondent's balcony or patio when it is used solely
by the respondent's unit and there was no illegal entry or
attempted illegal entry to the sample unit itself.
✖ Do not enter Precode (15) when the incident took place in
a detached garage or storage shed on the respondent’s
property. Instead, select Precode (11) in
LOCATION_GENERAL and mark Precode (12) in
LOCATION_IN_HOME.
After entering Precode (15) in LOCATION_NEAR_HOME,
continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), Apartment hall, storage area, laundry
room (does not include apartment parking lot/garage),
when the incident happened inside a respondent's residential
building, but not in the respondent's apartment, condominium,
room in a boarding house, a dormitory room, and so on.
Precode (16) is NOT intended for incidents that:
✖ Happened in another apartment or room in the
respondent's building, other than the respondent's
apartment or room, instead return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and select Precode (13).
LOCATION_OTHER_HOME appears; enter Precode
(18), At or in home or other building on their property.
✖ Happened in an apartment parking garage, even if the
parking garage is in the basement of the respondent's
building, instead return to LOCATION_ GENERAL and
select Precode (15). LOCATION_PARKING appears;
enter Precode (30), Apartment/townhouse parking
lot/garage.
After entering Precode (16) in LOCATION_NEAR_HOME,
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continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), On street immediately adjacent to own
home, when the incident occurred on the street
IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT to the respondent's property.
"Immediately adjacent" includes directly in front or to the side
of the sample unit and does NOT include next door or across
the street from the sample unit.
After entering Precode (17) in LOCATION_NEAR_HOME,
you continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
● Ask if necessary:
Where at, in, or near a friend’s/relative’s/neighbor’s home did this incident happen?
18
19
20
21
At or in home or other building on their property
Yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport (does not include apartment yards)
Apartment hall, storage area, laundry room (does not include apartment parking lot/garage)
On street immediately adjacent to their home
LOCATION_OTHER_HOME
LOCATION_OTHER_HOME
Precode (18)
LOCATION_OTHER_HOME covers Precodes (18) through
(21) for places where an incident may have happened that
are at, in, or near the home of a respondent's friend, relative,
or neighbor.
Enter Precode (18), At or in home or other building on
their property, when the incident happened at or in a
dwelling or other building on the property owned by a friend,
relative, or neighbor. Other buildings on a friend's, a
relative's, or a neighbor's property could include a garage,
porch, tool shed, guest house, barn, greenhouse, mobile
home, or trailer that is not used as a recreation vehicle, and
so on.
Also enter Precode (18) when the incident happened at or in:
✓ A second home or vacation home owned by a friend,
relative, or neighbor of a respondent.
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✓ A friend's, relative's, or neighbor's room in a boarding
house, school dormitory, or similar type of place.
✓ A friend's, relative's, or neighbor's apartment.
After entering Precode (18) in LOCATION_OTHER_HOME,
continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
If the incident happened at or in a dwelling or other building
on the property of someone the respondent does not know,
return to LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (36) and
enter a description of exactly where the incident took place
when the “Specify” screen appears.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), Yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport
(does not include apartment yards), when the incident
happened in a friend's, relative's, or neighbor's yard,
sidewalk, driveway, carport, balcony, open porch, or patio.
The yard, sidewalk, driveway, carport, balcony, open porch,
or patio must be intended for the sole use of the respondent's
friend, relative, or neighbor and not for the use of other
housing units.
Do NOT enter Precode (19) in LOCATION_OTHER_HOME if
the incident took place in an apartment yard; instead, return
to LOCATION_GENERAL and select precode (17). The
LOCATION_OPEN_AREA screen appears; select precode
(33). If the incident happened in the yard, sidewalk, driveway,
or carport of someone the respondent does not know, return
to LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (36); then
enter a description of exactly where the incident took place
when the “Specify” screen, LOCATION_SPEC appears.
After entering Precode (19) in LOCATION_OTHER_HOME,
continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20), Apartment hall, storage area, laundry
room (does not include apartment parking lot/garage),
when the incident happened in the building where a
respondent's friend, relative, or neighbor lives, but not in the
friend, relative, or neighbor's housing unit. The building could
include apartments, condominiums, dormitory rooms,
boarding house rooms, and so on. If the incident happened in
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the building's parking garage, do not enter Precode (20) in in
LOCATION_OTHER_ HOME, instead return to LOCATION_
GENERAL and enter Precode (15); then enter Precode (30)
at the LOCATION_PARKING item.
After entering Precode (20) in LOCATION_OTHER_HOME,
continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21), On street immediately adjacent to
their home, when the incident occurred on the street
IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT to the property of the
respondent's friend, relative, or neighbor. "Immediately
adjacent" includes directly in front or to the side of the
friend's, the relative's, or the neighbor's unit and does NOT
include next door or across the street from the friend's,
relative's, or neighbor's housing unit.
After entering Precode (21) in LOCATION_OTHER_HOME,
continue with Item INSIDEOROUT.
● Ask if necessary:
At what type of a commercial place did this incident happen?
22
23
24
25
26
27
Inside restaurant, bar, nightclub
Inside bank
Inside gas station
Inside other commercial building, such as a store
Inside office
Inside factory or warehouse
LOCATION_COMMERCE
LOCATION_COMMERCE
LOCATION_COMMERCE covers Precodes (22), (23), (24),
(25), (26), and (27) for different types of commercial places
inside of which the incident could have occurred
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22), Inside restaurant, bar, nightclub, when
the incident happened INSIDE any type of eating and/or
drinking establishment, such as a restaurant, bar and grill,
cafe, tavern, cafeteria, bar, and so on.
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After entering Precode (22) in LOCATION_COMMERCE,
continue with Item RESTRICTED AREA.
If the incident happened OUTSIDE of an eating and/or
drinking establishment, return to LOCATION_GENERAL and
enter Precode (15), “In a parking lot or garage.” When the
incident happened in a parking lot outside of the eating
and/or drinking establishment, enter either Precode (28),
“Commercial parking lot or garage,” or Precode (29),
“Noncommercial parking lot or garage” in
LOCATION_PARKING.
Enter Precode (17), “In an open area, on the street, or on
publich transportation,” at LOCATION_GENERAL and
Precode (34), “On the street,” at LOCATION_OPEN_AREA
when the incident happened on the street near the eating
and/or drinking establishment.
Precodes (23), (24), and
(25)
Enter Precode (23), Inside bank, when the incident
happened in a bank, credit union, or some other type of
financial institution. Enter Precode (24), Inside gas station,
when the incident happened anywhere on the property of a
gas station. Enter Precode (25), Inside other commercial
building, such as a store, when the incident happened
INSIDE a business establishment where cash/credit is
exchanged for purchased products by the general public,
OTHER THAN AT A BANK OR GAS
STATION. For example, in a department store, factory outlet
store, hotel gift shop, and so on.
Precode (25) is NOT intended for incidents that happened in
a:
✖ Restaurant, bar, or nightclub; instead, enter Precode (22),
Inside restaurant, bar, nightclub.
✖ Commercial parking lot or garage; instead, return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (15); then
enter Precode (28), Commercial parking lot/garage at
LOCATION_PARKING.
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✖ Noncommercial parking lot or garage; instead, return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (15); then
enter Precode (29), Noncommercial parking lot/garage
at LOCATION_PARKING.
✖ Airport, bus or train station, or on a bus, train, plane, or
some other type of public transportation; instead, return to
LOCATION_GENERAL and enter Precode (17); then
enter Precode (35) On public transportation or in
station, at LOCATION_OPEN_AREA.
After entering Precode (23), (24), or (25) in
LOCATION_COMMERCE, continue with Item
RESTRICTEDAREA.
Precode (26) or (27)
Enter Precode (26), Inside office, when the incident
happened INSIDE a building used for office work, including
incidents that occurred in post office buildings. Enter Precode
(27), Inside factory or warehouse, when the incident
happened INSIDE a commercial building used for factory
work or warehouse storage purposes.
After entering Precode (26) or (27) in
LOCATION_COMMERCE, continue with Item
RESTRICTEDAREA.
● Ask if necessary:
In what type of a parking lot or garage did this incident happen?
28 Commercial parking lot/garage
29 Noncommercial parking lot/garage
30 Apartment/townhouse parking lot/garage
LOCATION_PARKING
LOCATION__PARKING
LOCATION_PARKING covers Precodes (28) through (30)
for all types of parking lots and parking garages at which the
incident could have happened.
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Precode (28)
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Enter Precode (28), Commercial parking lot/garage, when
the incident took place at an attended or unattended parking
lot or garage which is privately operated for profit AND
requires a parking fee.
Do NOT enter Precode (28) when the incident occurred:
✖ In a parking lot or garage that has parking meters or is
operated by a local, state, or Federal government,
regardless of whether or not a fee is required, instead
enter Precode (29), Noncommercial parking lot/garage.
✖ In a commercial parking lot or garage during hours when
the general public can park free, instead enter Precode
(29), Noncommercial parking lot/garage.
After entering Precode (28) in LOCATION_PARKING,
continue with Item RESTRICTEDAREA.
Precode (29)
Enter Precode (29), Noncommercial parking lot/garage,
when the incident happened at a public parking lot or
garage where the general public can park free of charge,
such as at a shopping mall or shopping center, bus station,
office building, and so on.
Also enter Precode (29) when the incident happened at:
✓ A parking lot or garage that has parking meters.
✓ A parking lot or garage that is operated by a local, state,
or Federal government, regardless of whether or not a fee
is required.
✓ A commercial parking lot or garage during hours when
parking is free to the general public.
Do NOT enter Precode (29) when the incident took place:
✖ At parking meters on the side of a street, instead return to
LOCATION_GENERAL, enter Precode (17), In open
area, then select Precode (34), On the street, at
LOCATION_OPEN_AREA.
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✖ At apartment parking lots, instead enter Precode (30) in
LOCATION_ PARKING.
✖ At school parking lots or areas, instead enter Precode
(16), At school, at LOCATION_ GENERAL, On school
property, and Precode (32) at LOCATION_SCHOOL.
After entering Precode (29) in LOCATION_ PARKING,
continue with Item RESTRICTEDAREA.
Precode (30)
Enter Precode (30), Apartment/townhouse parking
lot/garage, when the incident happened in the parking area
provided for residents and their guests. This includes
residents of apartments, townhouses, rooming houses,
dormitories, condominiums, and so on. It does not matter if
the parking garage is inside or attached to the resident's
building. If you are unsure what type of parking lot/garage to
select, probe to determine the correct category.
After entering Precode (30) in Item LOCATION_PARKING,
continue with Item RESTRICTEDAREA.
If you are unsure about what type of parking lot to select,
probe to determine the correct category.
● Ask if necessary:
Where at school did this incident happen?
31 Inside school building
32 On school property (school parking area, play area, school bus, etc.)
LOCATION_SCHOOL
LOCATION_SCHOOL
Precode (31)
LOCATION_SCHOOL covers Precodes (31) and (32)
for school buildings and school property at which the
incident could have taken place.
Enter Precode (31), Inside school building, when the
incident happened INSIDE a school building (for
example, in a classroom, gym, hallway, or principal's
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office). If the incident happened on the grounds of a
school and not inside a school building, enter Precode
(32), On school property. If the incident happened in
a school dormitory building, return to
LOCATION_GENERAL, enter Precode (11), “In own
dwelling, own attached garage, or enclosed porch,” at
Item LOCATION_IN_HOME or (16), “Apartment hall,
storage area, laundry room,” at
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME, as appropriate.
After entering Precode (31) in LOCATION_SCHOOL,
continue with RESPONDENTSSCHOOL.
● Ask if necessary:
Where in an open area, on the street, or on public transportation did this incident happen?
33 In apartment yard, park, field, playground (other than school)
34 On the street (other than immediately adjacent to own/friend's/relative's/neighbors's home)
35 On public transportation or in station (bus, train, plane, airport,depot, etc.)
LOCATION_OPEN_AREA
LOCATION_OPEN _AREA
Item LOCATION_OPEN_AREA covers Precodes (33)
through (35) for a variety of places open to the general public
where an incident could take place.
Precode (33)
Enter Precode (33), In apartment yard, park, field,
playground (other than school), when the incident occurred
in a public, unenclosed area AND the area is NOT on school
property. Also enter Precode (33) when the incident
happened in a yard shared by more than one family.
After entering Precode (33) in LOCATION_OPEN_AREA,
continue with INSIDEOROUT.
Precode (34)
Enter Precode (34), On the street (other than immediately
adjacent to own/friend's/relative's/neighbor's home),
when the incident happened on a public street or highway
AND the street or highway is not adjacent to the respondent's
own home or the home of a respondent's friend, relative, or
neighbor.
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Also enter Precode (34) when the incident involved:
Precode (35)
A parked motor vehicle, such as an incident involving
auto theft,
The respondent driving or riding in a motor vehicle,
The respondent walking or riding a bicycle on a street,
The respondent while on the shoulder of a street or on a
public sidewalk that is not covered in another answer
category of Item LOCATION_GENERAL.
Enter Precode (35), On public transportation or in station
(bus, train, plane, airport, depot, etc.), when the incident
happened on some type of public transportation (bus, taxi,
train, plane, subway, and so on) or in a bus depot, train
station, airport, or subway station. Also enter Precode (35)
when the incident happened on a school bus while
transporting persons to or from an activity that is NOT
sponsored by the school, such as to or from a summer camp.
After entering Precode (35) in LOCATION_OPEN_AREA,
continue with INSIDEOROUT.
LOCATION_SPEC
Precode (36)
If you choose Precode (36), “Somewhere else” at the
LOCATION_GENERAL screen, the LOCATION_SPEC
screen appears.
Enter Precode (36) when the incident happened at or in a
place that does not fit any of the places shown for any other
location screen. After entering Precode (36) in
LOCATION_GENERAL, always describe the place or
situation on the "Specify" screen, LOCATION_SPEC, that
appears after entering Precode (36).
Some examples for when to enter Precode (36):
Fenced in storage yard of a factory
Jail or prison
Hospital
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Library
Church
On a beach.
If a respondent doesn’t know where the incident occurred,
enter “Ctrl” + “D” to recode “Don’t know” at
LOCATION_GENERAL instead of LOCATION_SPEC.
After entering Precode (36) and describing the crime incident
location on the “Specify” screen, continue with
RESTRICTEDAREA.
Did the offender live there or have a right to be there, for instance, as a guest or a repair person?
1 Yes
2 No
OFFENDERLIVE
OFFENDERLIVE
If you enter Precode (11), (12), (13), or (14) in Item
LOCATION_IN_HOME, you will ask the question in Item
OFFENDERLIVE to determine whether the offender had a
legal right to be in the respondent's home or other structure
on the respondent's property.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when the offender:
Was living or staying with the respondent when the
incident happened.
Had a legal right to be in the respondent's dwelling or a
building on the respondent's property when the incident
happened, such as a plumber, cleaning service,
hotel/motel maid, and so on.
Had permission to enter the respondent's dwelling or a
building on the respondent's property prior to the time the
incident took place, such as a friend, relative, salesperson,
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or meter reader. However, if the offender entered
fraudulently, do not enter Precode (1). For example, if the
offender misrepresented his/her purpose for needing to
enter the building/unit/dwelling as a repair person,
policeman, maid, etc. to gain entrance, enter Precode (2),
“No.”
After entering Precode (1), continue with FARFROMHOME.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," when the offender:
Was not living or staying with the respondent and did not
have a legal right or permission to be in the dwelling or
building on the respondent's property at the time of the
incident.
Was let into the dwelling by a child and did not have a
legal right to enter the dwelling because the parents would
not have allowed access to the offender.
Pushed his/her way into the dwelling when the respondent
answered the door.
Entered the dwelling by fraudulently misrepresenting
himself/herself as a repair person, policeman, maid, etc.
After entering Precode (2), continue with OFFENDERINSIDE.
(Don’t Know)
Enter Ctrl + D, for "Don't know," when the respondent does
not know who the offender was or whether the offender had a
legal right to be in the dwelling or other building on the
respondent's property. If you think that the respondent
answered "Don't know," because he/she is uncertain who the
offender is, you may want to probe by asking the respondent
if the person suspected of being the offender had a legal
right to be in the respondent's dwelling.
After entering Ctrl + D, continue with OFFENDERINSIDE.
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Did the offender actually get INSIDE your
(house/apartment/room/garage/shed/enclosed porch) ?
1 Yes
2 No
OFFENDERINSIDE
OFFENDERINSIDE
After entering “No” or “Don’t know” in Item OFFENDERLIVE,
ask the question in Item OFFENDERINSIDE to determine if
the offender actually entered the building or dwelling. As you
ask the question, make sure to read the appropriate type of
structure. For example, if the incident occurred in the
respondent's garage, ask, "Did the offender actually get
INSIDE your garage?"
For a Multi-Unit Structure
If the incident happened in a multi-unit structure, such as an
apartment building or a hotel, we are only interested in the
respondent's apartment unit or hotel room for Item
OFFENDERINSIDE. Enter Precode (2), "No," if the offender
got inside the building, but did not actually get inside the
respondent's apartment unit or hotel room.
Before entering a “Don’t
know” answer
If you feel that a respondent may know how the offender
entered the dwelling or other building on the respondent's
property even though he/she answered "Don't know," probe
by repeating the respondent's answer or pausing a moment.
However, some respondents really do not know if the
offender actually got inside. For instance, enter Ctrl + D if a
respondent:
Did not find anything disturbed or stolen even though the
window in the back door was broken and the door was
unlocked.
Was told by a neighbor that an offender was seen leaving
the respondent's house, but there was no evidence that
the offender got inside
The instrument goes to Item FORCEDENTRY when Precode
(1) is selected at Item OFFENDERINSIDE, otherwise it goes
to Item OFFENDERTRY.
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Did the offender TRY to get in your (house/apartment/room/garage/shed/enclosed porch)?
1 Yes
2 No
OFFENDERTRY
OFFENDERTRY
After entering Precode (2) or “Don’t know” in Item
OFFENDERINSIDE, you will ask the question in Item
OFFENDERTRY to determine if the offender tried to get into the
respondent's dwelling or other building on the respondent's
property. As you read the question, make sure to read the
appropriate type of structure. For example, if the incident
occurred in the respondent's enclosed porch, ask, "Did the
offender TRY to get inside your enclosed porch?"
For a Multi-Unit Structure
If the incident happened in a multi-unit structure, such as an
apartment building or a hotel, we are only interested in the
respondent's apartment unit or hotel room for Item
OFFENDERTRY. Enter Precode (2), "No," if the offender
tried to get inside the building, but did not actually try to get
inside the respondent's apartment unit or hotel room.
Before Entering
Precode (2)
Before entering Precode (2), "No," in Item OFFENDERTRY,
make sure that the respondent did NOT answer "No"
because the offender was let in or entered through an
unlocked or open door or window. In other words, there was
no evidence of forcible entry. If this is the case, back up and
change the answer in Item OFFENDERINSIDE to “Yes” by
entering Precode (1) to show that the offender actually got
inside the respondent's home or lodging.
Reviewing Answer in
Item LOCATION_
GENERAL
If you entered Precode (2), "No," in Items
OFFENDERINSIDE and OFFENDERTRY, you are indicating
that the offender did NOT get inside or try to get inside the
respondent's home or lodging. Therefore, no illegal entry or
attempted illegal entry happened. Edit check ENTRY_CK will
appear to alert you to the inconsistency. In this situation, you
must go back to one of the questions involved in the
inconsistency and review the entry with the respondent so
you can verify that the correct precode was entered to
indicate where the incident took place.
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Was there any evidence, such as a broken lock or broken window, that the
offender(s) got in by force?
1 Yes
2 No
FORCEDENTRY
What was the evidence?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
WINDOW:
11 Damage to window (include frame, glass broken/removed/cracked)
12 Screen damaged/removed
13 Lock on window damaged/tampered with in some way
14 Other (specify)
DOOR:
15 Damage to door (include frame, glass panes or door removed)
16 Screen damaged/removed
17 Lock or door handle damaged/tampered with in some way
18 Other (specify)
OTHER:
19 Other than window or door (specify)
EVIDENCE
Evidence of Forcible Entry
Items FORCEDENTRY and EVIDENCE are used to
determine whether there was any physical, visible evidence
of forcible entry found after the incident took place.
FORCEDENTRY
Ask the question in Item FORCEDENTRY when:
Precode (1) is entered in Item OFFENDERINSIDE
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indicating that the offender actually got inside the
respondent's dwelling or lodging
OR
Precode (1) or Control + D is entered in Item
OFFENDERTRY indicating that the offender tried to get in
the respondent's dwelling or lodging or the respondent
does not know whether the offender tried to get in the
respondent's dwelling or lodging.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when there was physical, visible
evidence following the incident that the offender entered or
tried to enter the respondent's dwelling or lodging by force.
Examples of visible evidence are shown in the answer
categories for Item EVIDENCE. After entering Precode (1) for
Item FORCEDENTRY, you will continue with Item
EVIDENCE to identify the types of physical, visible evidence
from the incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," in Item FORCEDENTRY, when the
evidence is:
A skeleton key or entry through an open window,
door, etc.
A ladder or trash placed next to a window, but there
was no evidence that the window was tampered with
in some way.
An injury to the respondent as he/she opened the
door and the offender pushed the respondent out of
the way. Although this is evidence of an attack, it is
not evidence of a break-in.
An offender forces a respondent to let him/her enter
the dwelling or lodging and there is no visible
evidence of a break-in or attempted break-in to the
dwelling or lodging after the incident.
In the examples provided above, enter Precode (2), "No," if
no evidence of a forcible entry or attempted forcible entry was
mentioned. After entering Precode (2) in Item
FORCEDENTRY, continue with Item OFFENDERGETIN.
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Part B, Chapter 4
EVIDENCE
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
After entering Precode (1) in Item FORCEDENTRY, you ask
the question in Item EVIDENCE to identify the types of
evidence found after the incident indicating that there was a
forcible entry or an attempted forcible entry of the
respondent's dwelling or lodging. Enter all precodes that
apply to the respondent's answer and continue to ask,
"Anything else?" until you get a "No" response.
The answer categories for Item EVIDENCE are separated
into three groups--Window, Door, and Other. Precodes (11)
through (14) relate to the types of damage to a window.
Precodes (15) through (18) relate to the types of damage to a
door. Precode (19) relates to all other means of force used to
gain entry or to try to gain entry into the respondent's dwelling
or lodging.
Since physical, visible evidence of force is evidence that can
be seen, the following types of evidence are NOT considered
signs of forcible entry or attempted forcible entry:
✖ An open or unlocked window
✖ An open or unlocked door.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the glass in the window was broken,
cracked, or removed, or if there was evidence on the window
frame that force was used to gain access or to try to gain
access into the building, such as pry marks on the window
frame.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the window screen was cut, ripped, or
removed by the offender to gain access or to try to gain
access.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the window lock was damaged,
removed, or showed visible signs that the offender tampered
with it to gain access or to try to gain access.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the respondent mentions some type of
window damage not covered by Precodes (11) through (13).
When the “Specify” screen, EVIDENCE_SPEC14, appears
after entering Precode (14), enter a note describing how the
offender gained access or attempted to gain access through
a window. Avoid entering Precode (14) if the respondent's
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answer really fits one of the answer categories for Precodes
(11) through (13).
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if there were marks on the door or door
frame, such as scratches, holes, or damaged glass in the
door, or if the offender removed or knocked down the door to
gain access or to try to gain access.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the offender damaged or removed a
screen door.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if a door lock or handle was damaged,
tampered with, or removed.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the respondent mentions some type of
door damage not covered by Precodes (15) through (17).
When the “Specify” screen, EVIDENCE_SPEC18, appears
after entering Precode (18), enter a note describing how the
offender gained access or attempted to gain access through
a door. Avoid entering Precode (18) if the respondent's
answer really fits one of the answer categories for Precodes
(15) through (17).
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if the offender forcibly gained access or
tried to gain access other than through a door or window,
such as by cutting a hole in a wall. After entering Precode
(19), always note what type of evidence there was of forcible
entry or attempted forcible entry when the “Specify” screen,
EVIDENCE_SPEC19, appears. After completing the
EVIDENCE screen, continue with Item FARFROMHOME.
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How did the offender get in?
11 Let in
12 Offender pushed his/her way in after door opened
13 Through OPEN DOOR or other opening
14 Through UNLOCKED door or window
15 Through LOCKED door or window - Had key
16 Through LOCKED door or window - Picked lock, used credit card, etc., other than key
17 Through LOCKED door or window - Don't know how
18 Don't know
19 Other - specify
OFFENDERGETIN
OFFENDERGETIN
OFFENDERGETIN appears if FORCEDENTRY is answered (2),
“No” and determines how the offender got/tried to get inside the
respondent’s dwelling/lodging when there was no evidence of
actual or attempted forcible entry. Enter the first precode that
applies; probe when respondent’s answer is unclear or too
general.
After completing OFFENDERGETIN, the instrument goes to
FARFROMHOME.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the offender was let into the dwelling or
lodging by someone who was not authorized to permit entry. For
example, a child lets in an offender even though the child's
parents had told the offender never to come to their home.
Also enter Precode (11) if the offender entered the dwelling or
lodging without permission or entered fraudulently when
someone answered the door. For example, an offender
falsely claims to be a police officer or a maid to gain access.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the offender pushed his/her way in after
someone opened the door.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the offender got in or tried to get in through
a door or other opening that was already open at the time of the
incident. Do not enter Precode (13) if the offender had to open
an unlocked door, window, and so on to enter the respondent's
dwelling or lodging.
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The phrase "Other openings" includes open windows, open
garage doors, the open side of a three-sided shed, an opening
left by a missing door or window, a hole in the wall, etc.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the offender opened or tried to open an
unlocked door or window to gain access.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the offender used a key to enter the
respondent's dwelling or lodging through a locked door
or window. A key includes one cut to fit the lock, a skeleton key,
or any other key.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the offender used "another means," other
than a key, to gain access through a locked door or window
AND the respondent knows or has a pretty good idea how the
offender entered or attempted to enter the dwelling or lodging.
The phrase "another means" includes picking the lock, using a
credit card, and so on.
It is possible that you could discover that the method used to
gain access or to try to gain access left physical, visible
evidence of force. If this happens, correct the answer in Item
FORCEDENTRY by changing Precode (2) to Precode (1). When
you go back to a previous screen to change an answer, the
instrument will bring up the correct screens automatically.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if the respondent thinks or knows that the
offender entered or tried to enter his/her dwelling or lodging
through a locked door or window, but does not know how.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the respondent does not know how the
offender gained access or tried to gain access to his/her
dwelling or lodging. For example, a respondent returns home
and discovers that the television and stereo system are gone,
but there is no indication at all of how the offender got into the
home.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if the offender entered or tried to enter the
respondent's dwelling or lodging by some means not described
by Precodes (11) through (18). After entering Precode (19),
always describe the method used on the "Specify" screen,
OFFENDERGETIN_SPEC.
An example for entering Precode (19): The offender held a gun
to the respondent's head and forced the respondent to open the
door.
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Was it your school?
1 Yes
2 No
RESPONDENTSSCHOOL
RESPONDENTSSCHOOL
After entering Precode (31), "Inside school building," in
LOCATION_SCHOOL, continue with
RESPONDENTSSCHOOL to determine whether or not the
incident happened at the school the respondent attends.
Precode (1)
For a "Yes" answer, enter Precode (1). Continue with Item
PARTSCHOOLBLDG to determine in what part of the
school building the incident happened.
Precode (2)
For a "No" answer, enter Precode (2). Continue with Item
RESTRICTEDAREA to determine whether or not the incident
happened in an area restricted to certain people.
In what part of the school building did it happen?
1 Classroom
2 Hallway/Stairwell
3 Bathroom/Locker room
4 Other (library, gym, auditorium, cafeteria)
PARTSCHOOLBLDG
PARTSCHOOLBLDG
Item PARTSCHOOLBLDG is asked to determine in what part
of the school building the incident happened. Only ONE
precode is allowed to identify the most accurate description of
where the incident took place within the respondent's school
building.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent tells you that the incident
occurred in a classroom.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the respondent tells you that the incident
occurred in a school hallway or stairway/stairwell.
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Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent tells you that the incident
occurred in a school bathroom, shower room, or locker room.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent tells you that the incident
occurred in another location within the school building other
than the locations mentioned for Precodes (1), (2), or (3),
such as in the school library, gym, auditorium, cafeteria, etc.
● Ask or verify:
Did the incident happen in an area restricted to certain people or
was it open to the public at the time?
1 Open to the public
2 Restricted to certain people (or nobody had a right to be there)
3 Don't know
4 Other - specify
RESTRICTEDAREA
RESTRICTEDAREA
Item RESTRICTEDAREA is asked to determine whether at
the time of the incident the location (where the incident
occurred) was restricted to certain people or was open to the
public.
Notice that Item RESTRICTEDAREA has the instruction
"ASK OR VERIFY." When you see this instruction, you can
verify a known answer with the respondent without asking the
question. Only verify a known answer when you see this
instruction and do not enter the precode without at least
verifying the answer first with the respondent.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when the incident happened in an area
that was open to the general public at the time of the incident.
Places that are usually open to the public include stores,
public sidewalks, public buildings, restaurants, parking lots,
apartment yards, parks, etc.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when the incident happened in an area
that was restricted to certain people at the time of the
incident, such as an employee's lounge in a store, a
school classroom, or a private country club. Restricted places
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normally consider persons who do not belong on the
premises as trespassers. Also enter Precode (2) if the
incident happened at a business during non-business hours
when the place is restricted and is not open to the general
public.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when the respondent does not know if the
place where the incident happened was open to the general
public at the time of the incident. For example, a respondent
left his rain coat at a restaurant and, when he returned the
next day, the rain coat was not found. In this situation, you
would enter Precode (3) since the respondent does not know
whether the incident happened during business or nonbusiness hours AND the restaurant is NOT open to the
general public during non-business hours.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent's answer does not fit the
answer categories for Precodes (1) through (3). After entering
Precode (4), make sure to explain the situation on the
"Specify" screen, RESTRICTEDAREA_SPEC. Avoid entering
Precode (4) if the respondent's answer really fits Precode (1),
(2), or (3).
● Ask or verify:
Did it happen indoors, outdoors, or both?
1 Indoors (inside a building or enclosed space)
2 Outdoors
3 Both
INSIDEOROUT
INSIDEOROUT
Item INSIDEOROUT is asked to determine if the incident
happened indoors, outdoors, or both indoors and outdoors.
Item INSIDEOROUT includes the "ASK OR VERIFY"
instruction, which allows you to verify a known answer with
the respondent without asking the question. Only verify a
known answer when you see this instruction and do not enter
the answer without at least verifying it with the respondent.
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Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the incident happened inside a building
or enclosed space that has a roof, such as a three-sided
shed, screened porch, screened gazebo, patio room, etc.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the incident happened outdoors in an
open space, such as in a backyard (fenced or unfenced),
baseball field, carport, parking lot, open porch or patio, and
so on. For the NCVS, all modes of transportation are
considered outdoors. This includes cars, trucks, vans, sport
utility vehicles, buses, taxicabs, airplanes, trains, etc.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the incident happened both indoors and
outdoors. For example, a respondent was attacked inside a
bar. As the respondent fled the bar, the offender followed him
and continued to attack him in the parking lot. Another
example would be an incident in which a respondent's
property was stolen from inside the home and from the
unenclosed patio.
● Ask or verify:
How far away from home did this happen?
● Probe: Was it within a mile, 5 miles, 50 miles or more?
● Enter the code for the first answer category that the respondent is sure of
1 At, in, or near the building containing the respondent's home or next door
2 A mile or less
3 Five miles or less
4 Fifty miles or less
5 More than 50 miles
6 Don't know how far
FARFROMHOME
FARFROMHOME
Item FARFROMHOME is asked to determine the distance
between where the incident happened and where the
respondent was residing at the time of the incident.
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Notice that Item FARFROMHOME has the instruction "ASK
OR VERIFY." When you see this instruction, you can verify a
known answer with the respondent without asking the
question. Only verify a known answer when you see this
instruction and do not enter the answer without at least
verifying it first with the respondent. Enter the first precode
about which the respondent feels sure of the answer.
Item FARFROMHOME also includes a probe question that
you only need to ask if the respondent seems uncertain about
how to answer the question.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when the incident took place in the
respondent's home or on the respondent's property. If the
respondent was living in a single family home or a mobile
home at the time of the incident, Precode (1) refers to the
home, yard, driveway, carport, sidewalk, or street adjacent to
the home. Also enter Precode (1) if the incident happened at
the respondent's next door neighbor's home.
If the respondent was living in an apartment, dormitory room,
and so on, at the time of the incident, Precode (1) refers to:
Inside the respondent's unit,
Inside the building where the unit is located (for example,
an apartment hallway or laundry room),
Inside another resident's unit in the same building,
The yard, sidewalk, or street adjacent to the respondent's
building.
Precodes (2) Through (6)
Enter the first precode from Precodes (2) through (6) that
best describes the distance between where the incident
happened and where the respondent was residing at the time
of the incident. For example, enter Precode (3) when the
respondent is unsure if the distance is less than 5 miles, but
is positive that the distance is at least two miles.
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? [F1]
● Ask or verify:
Were you or any other member of this household present when this incident occurred?
● You may need to probe to obtain more details to determine if respondent was present.
1 Yes
2 No
HHMEMBERPRESENT
HHMEMBERPRESENT
Ask or verify Item HHMEMBERPRESENT to determine
whether any household members were present when the
incident occurred. Note the question mark at the top left of
the screen. It indicates that there is a help screen for this
item. In this question the help screen includes a definition of
what “present” means, should you need to review the concept
during an interview. It is extremely important that you enter
the correct precode for this item, because an incorrect
answer will either:
✓ Cause you to skip over items needed to fully describe the
incident and could cause the incident to classify
incorrectly when you enter Precode (2), "No," by mistake,
OR
✓ Cause you to ask questions that do not relate to what
happened during the incident when you enter Precode
(1), "Yes," by mistake.
It is very important that you understand the NCVS concept of
"presence" during an incident. If you suspect that a
respondent's answer to Item HHMEMBERPRESENT is not
correct based on the information provided earlier in the
interview, make sure to probe for an accurate answer. If you
probe and it is still unclear which precode to enter for Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT, it is better to enter Precode (1),
"Yes," than to enter Precode (2), "No."
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Here are three examples when the respondent answered
"No," but, by NCVS standards, each respondent is
considered present during the incident:
A respondent answers "No" to Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT because she was sleeping in her
bedroom on the second floor while the offender forcibly
entered through her kitchen door on the first floor and
stole electronic equipment.
A respondent answers "No" to Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT because he is watching television
in his family room while the offender stole three bicycles
from his attached garage.
A respondent answers "No" to Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT because she is in the kitchen
cooking dinner while the offender who is a guest was
stealing jewelry and money from her bedroom dresser.
In all of these examples, Precode (1), "Yes," should be
entered because the respondent in each case is considered
present during the incident. This may not always be clear to a
respondent.
For the NCVS, a household member is considered
present when he/she is at the immediate scene of the
crime incident and there is an opportunity for the
offender to attack or threaten to physically harm a
household member or to take something directly from a
household member.
If a current household member was not at the immediate
scene of the incident, but was personally attacked or
threatened with physical harm or an attempt was made to
harm the household member, consider the person present
during the incident and complete the incident report items for
each eligible household member who was personally
victimized. This includes:
Being shot at through a window by someone outside of
the house,
Being threatened with physical harm by a neighbor in the
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adjoining yard or by an ex-boyfriend standing outside the
respondent's closed door while the respondent is inside
the house and on the other side of the closed door. This
does NOT include threats that are NOT made in person
directly from the offender to the respondent, such as a
threat by telephone, Internet, FAX, mail, or through
another person.
(Also see Part C, Chapter 3, Topic 6, for more detailed
information about presence during an incident.)
Notice that Item HHMEMBERPRESENT has the instruction
"ASK OR VERIFY." When you see this instruction, you can
verify a known answer with the respondent without asking the
question. Only verify a known answer when you see this
instruction and do not enter the answer without at least
verifying it first with the respondent.
(Note: If you are taking a proxy interview, the instrument
replaces the word “you” with the proxy person’s name.)
Precode (1), "Yes"
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent or any other
person, who is a household member at the time of the
interview, was present during the incident according to the
NCVS definition of presence. After entering Precode (1), you
will continue with Item WHICHMEMBER.
Here are some examples for when Precode (1) should be
entered in Item HHMEMBERPRESENT:
✓ A woman looked out her kitchen window and saw a
strange boy entering her garage. When she entered the
garage, she saw that the boy was attempting to steal her
bicycle. The boy got scared and ran away. In this
situation, the woman was PRESENT because she
reached the immediate crime scene while the attempted
crime was still in progress and she could have been
harmed by the offender.
✓ A man falls asleep on the beach and when he wakes, his
CD player and keys are gone. In this situation, the man
was PRESENT even though he was sleeping while the
incident took place. He was at the immediate scene of
the crime and could have been harmed by the offender.
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✓
Precode (2), "No"
A woman was resting in her family room when a stranger
tried to break in through the locked door. When she
turned on the porch light, he ran away. In this situation,
the woman was PRESENT because she was at the
immediate scene of the attempted break in and, if the
break in had been successful, she could have been
harmed by the offender.
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent AND any other
person, who is a household member at the time of interview,
were NOT present during the incident according to the NCVS
definition of presence.
After entering Precode (2), continue with
KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS.
Here are some examples to demonstrate when Precode (2)
should be entered in HHMEMBERPRESENT:
✓ A woman's leather coat was stolen from the coat room in
the restaurant lobby while she was eating dinner at the
restaurant. After finishing her meal, she returned to the
coat room to get her leather coat and it was gone. In this
situation, the woman was NOT PRESENT, because she
was not at the immediate scene of the crime during the
incident and the offender did not have an opportunity to
harm the woman during the theft.
✓ A man was sleeping inside his house while someone stole
his new Mercedes from his driveway. In this situation, the
man was NOT PRESENT, because he was not at the
immediate scene of the crime during the incident and the
offender did not have an opportunity to harm him during
the theft.
✓ A woman looked out her living room window and saw
someone loading her riding lawn mower from her front
yard onto a truck. By the time she got outside, they had
driven away with her lawn mower. In this situation, the
woman was NOT PRESENT because she was not at the
immediate scene of the crime and there was no chance
that she could have been harmed during the incident.
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● Ask or verify:
Which household members were present?
1 Respondent only
2 Respondent and other household member(s)
3 Only other household member(s), not respondent
WHICHMEMBER
WHICHMEMBER
After entering Precode (1), "Yes," in Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT, continue with Item
WHICHMEMBER so you can determine which household
members were present during the incident.
Notice that Item WHICHMEMBER has the instruction "ASK
OR VERIFY." When you see this instruction, you can verify a
known answer with the respondent without asking the
question. Only verify a known answer when you see this
instruction and do not enter the answer without at least
verifying it first with the respondent.
Item WHICHMEMBER is another critical item and you need
to ensure that you enter the correct precode. Otherwise,
important information may be missed (for example,
information about weapons, attack or threat methods,
injuries, medical expenses, and so on) or inappropriate
questions may be asked (for example, questions about
weapons, attacks, and threats).
(Note: For proxy interviews, the word “respondent” is
replaced with the proxy person’s name.)
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when the respondent for a self-response
interview (or the proxy person for a proxy interview) is the
ONLY household member who was present during the
incident. After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
SEEOFFENDER.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when both the respondent for a selfresponse interview (or the proxy person for a proxy interview)
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AND other household members were present during the
incident. After entering Precode (2), continue with Item
SEEOFFENDER.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when the respondent for a self-response
interview (or the proxy person for a proxy interview) was NOT
present during the incident, but other household members
were present. Before entering Precode (3), make sure that
the respondent (or proxy person [not the proxy respondent])
was NOT present during the incident. After entering Precode
(3), continue with Item HAPPEN.
● Ask or verify:
Did you personally see an offender?
1 Yes
2 No
SEEOFFENDER
SEEOFFENDER
Proxy Interviews
Item SEEOFFENDER is asked to determine if the respondent
personally saw an offender.
If you are conducting a proxy interview, the proxy respondent
may not know for sure whether the proxy person saw the
offender during the incident. Probe by asking if the proxy
respondent thinks the proxy person saw the offender and
then enter the appropriate precode based on the proxy
respondent's answer. Precode (3), “Don’t know,” appears in
the answer list for proxy interviews only.
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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?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
WEAPONPRESENT
WEAPONPRESENT
When a respondent was present during the incident, you ask
the question in Item WEAPONPRESENT to determine
whether the offender had a weapon or used an object as a
weapon.
Guns and Knives
With the exception of BB and tear gas guns, all guns, rifles,
and knives are considered weapons. BB and tear gas guns
are only considered weapons when they are used as clubs.
Objects Used as Weapons
Objects other than guns, rifles, and knives must have been
used as weapons to be considered weapons. For example, if
the offender used a screwdriver only to break into the
respondent's home, the screwdriver is NOT a weapon for the
incident. However, if the offender attacked or threatened to
attack the respondent with the screwdriver, then the
screwdriver is a weapon for the incident.
When a respondent mentions an object that may or may not
be a weapon depending on how the offender used it,
probe to verify that the object was used to either attack the
respondent or threaten to attack the respondent. Make sure
to explain in the summary report exactly how the object was
used as a weapon during the incident.
Motor Vehicles
In the following situations, a motor vehicle (for example, a
car, truck, van, SUV, motorcycle, and so on) can be
considered a weapon:
The respondent knows the offender and the offender
deliberately used a motor vehicle to try to run into the
respondent's vehicle or a vehicle in which the respondent
was riding.
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The respondent believes that the offender deliberately
struck or tried to hit him/her with a motor vehicle while the
respondent was on foot, a bicycle, in a motor vehicle, and
so on. The respondent's belief could be based on words
spoken by the offender or facts known about the offender.
However, the offender's vehicle is NOT a weapon if the
respondent does not know the offender and there was NO
verbal threat of physical harm to the respondent when:
✖ The offender cut in front of a vehicle driven by the
respondent.
✖ The offender cut in front of a vehicle in which the
respondent was a passenger.
✖ The offender and the respondent were involved in some
type of traffic accident or incidence of road rage.
Thrown Objects
Objects that are thrown at the respondent are ONLY
considered weapons if they hit the respondent. If the object
did NOT hit the respondent, consider the incident
as a threat (entering Precode (1) in Item THREATEN) and
identify the type of threat by entering Precode (21) in Item
HOWTHREATEN. Do not enter Precode (1) in Item
WEAPONPRESENT if the respondent mentions only the
thrown object that did not hit him/her as a weapon.
Objects That Are Never
Weapons
The following objects are NEVER considered weapons for
the NCVS:
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
Animals
Parts of the body (for example, hands, feet, and so on)
Food
Small empty cans
Mace or pepper spray
Tear gas
Chloroform
Rings
Casts
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Precode (1)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the offender had a weapon, such
as a gun or knife, or used an object, such as a bottle or
baseball bat, as a weapon. After entering Precode (1), "Yes,"
you will continue with Item WEAPON.
Whenever you enter Precode (1), "Yes," indicating that the
offender had a weapon during the incident, you must enter
Precode (1), "Yes," in either Item ATTACK, TRYATTACK, or
THREATEN to indicate that the offender attacked, tried to
attack, or threatened the respondent during the incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent says that the
offender did not have a weapon. After entering Precode (2),
continue with Item ATTACK.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent says that
he/she does not know whether the offender had a weapon.
After entering Precode (3), continue with Item ATTACK.
What was the weapon?
Probe: Anything else?
Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
1 Hand gun (pistol, revolver, etc.)
2 Other gun (rifle, shotgun, etc.)
3 Knife
4 Other sharp object (scissors, ice pick, axe, etc.)
5 Blunt object (rock, club, blackjack, etc.)
6 Other - specify
WEAPON
WEAPON
Precode (1)
Item WEAPON is asked to identify the type of weapon(s) the
offender had during the incident. This is a multiple response
question; you may enter more than one response. Ask the
question as worded in Item WEAPON and continue asking,
"Anything else?" until the respondent says, "No."
Enter Precode (1) when the respondent mentions any type of
hand gun, other than a BB gun, tear gas gun, or stun gun. If a
respondent mentions a stun gun, enter Precode (6), “Other,”
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and enter "stun gun" on the "Specify" screen.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when the respondent mentions a rifle,
shotgun, or any gun that is NOT a hand gun, other than a BB
or tear gas gun.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when the respondent mentions any type of
knife.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) when the respondent mentions an object
with a thin sharp edge or a fine point (other than a knife) that
is intended for cutting or piercing (for example, scissors, ice
pick, axe, and so on). When you enter Precode (4) in Item
WEAPON, make sure to explain in the summary report
whether the sharp object was used as a weapon. If the sharp
object was used as a weapon, also explain how it was used
as a weapon, such as whether the object was thrown at and
hit the respondent, used to stab the respondent, or used to
threaten the respondent.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) when the respondent mentions a bluntedged object without sharp edges or points, such as a club,
rock, blackjack, and so on. Also enter Precode (5) when the
offender used a BB gun or tear gas gun as a club. When you
enter Precode (5) in Item WEAPON, make sure to explain in
the summary report if the blunt object was used as a weapon.
If the blunt object was used as a weapon, also explain how it
was used as a weapon, such as whether the object was
thrown at and hit the respondent, used to beat the
respondent, or used to threaten the respondent.
Precode (6)
Enter Precode (6), “Other,” and enter a complete description
of the weapon on the "Specify" screen, WEAPON_SPEC
such as "stun gun." Precode (6) is intended for weapons that
you are unsure how to classify or for weapons or objects that
the respondent believes the offender had and could use as a
weapon, even if the respondent does not know what the
weapon or object was. If possible, try to obtain a description
and enter it on the "Specify" screen. Avoid entering Precode
(6) if the weapon fits one of the other answer categories.
When you enter Precode (6) in Item WEAPON, make sure to
explain in the summary report if the object was used as a
weapon. If the object was used as a weapon, also explain
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how it was used as a weapon and whether the object was
thrown at the respondent, used to beat the respondent, or
used to threaten the respondent.
Did the offender hit you, knock you down, or actually attack you in any way?
1 Yes
2 No
ATTACK
ATTACK
Precode (1)
Ask the question in Item ATTACK to determine if the
respondent was actually attacked during the incident. In other
words, there was some type of physical contact between
the offender and the respondent.
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when there was some type of
physical contact between the offender and the respondent
(for example, the offender hit, knocked down, or assaulted
the respondent in some way).
Do NOT enter Precode (1) if the offender:
✘ Threw something at the respondent and the object did
NOT hit the respondent
OR
✘ Shot at the respondent and the bullet MISSED the
respondent.
After entering Precode (1), "Yes," continue with Item
HOWATTACK.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," when the offender did NOT touch or
have physical contact with the respondent during the incident.
Also enter Precode (2) if the offender:
✓ Threw something at the respondent and the object did
NOT hit the respondent
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OR
✓ Shot at the respondent and the bullet MISSED the
respondent.
After entering Precode (2), "No," continue with Item
TRYATTACK.
Did the offender TRY to attack you?
1 Yes
2 No
TRYATTACK
TRYATTACK
Precode (1)
Ask the question in Item TRYATTACK to determine if the
offender tried to attack the respondent during the incident, but
did NOT have any physical contact with the respondent. If
there is any question in your mind as to whether or not the
offender tried to attack the respondent, go with the
respondent's perception.
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when both the offender and the
respondent were present during the incident and the
offender:
✓ Made an attempt to attack the respondent (for example,
the offender tried to punch, hit, shoot, or stab the
respondent and missed)
OR
✓ The respondent perceives that the offender could have
caused physical injury to him/her (for example, the
offender was chasing the respondent with a gun in his/her
hand, but was stopped before reaching the respondent).
After entering Precode (1), "Yes," continue with Item
HOWTRYATTACK.
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Precode (2)
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Enter Precode (2), "No," when the offender did not attempt to
attack the respondent during the incident. Also enter Precode
(2) if the respondent was threatened with physical harm, but
the offender did not attempt to attack him/her. After entering
Precode (2), "No," continue with Item THREATEN.
Did the offender THREATEN you with harm in any way?
1 Yes
2 No
THREATEN
THREATEN
Ask the question in Item THREATEN to determine whether
the offender made a face-to-face verbal threat to
physically harm the respondent during the incident. Both
the respondent and the offender must be present and the
threat must be voiced by the offender directly to the
respondent.
Do NOT include threats made by:
✘ Telephone,
✘ Letter,
✘ Electronic mail,
✘ FAX machine, or
✘ Threats delivered by someone other than the offender.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when the offender verbally
threatened to physically harm the respondent. After entering
Precode (1), "Yes," continue with Item HOWTHREATEN.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," when:
✓ Someone other than the offender delivered the threat to
the respondent.
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✓ The respondent felt threatened, but the offender did not
verbally threaten to physically harm the respondent.
✓ The threat was made by telephone, letter, electronic mail,
or FAX machine.
After entering Precode (2), "No," continue with Item
WHATHAPPEN.
What actually happened?
●Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
11 Something taken without permission
12 Attempted or threatened to take something
13 Harassed, argument, abusive language
14 Unwanted sexual contact with force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)
15 Unwanted sexual contact without force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)
16 Forcible entry or attempted forcible entry of house/apartment
17 Forcible entry or attempted forcible entry of car
18 Damaged or destroyed property
19 Attempted or threatened to damage or destroy property
20 Other - specify
WHATHAPPEN
WHATHAPPEN
Ask WHATHAPPEN to identify what happened during the
incident when the respondent answers "No" to each of the
questions in Items ATTACK, TRYATTACK, and THREATEN
indicating that the offender did NOT attack, try to attack, or
threaten him/her with physical harm. This item allows you to
enter multiple precodes, so continue asking, "Anything
else?" until you get a "No" response. Once you have
completed Item WHATHAPPEN, the instrument continues
with Item IMPACT_JOB if Precode (15) was selected in Item
WHATHAPPEN. If Precode (14) was selected in Item
WHATHAPPEN, the instrument continues with Item
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1. Otherwise, the instrument goes
to Item PREGATTIMEOFINC if you are speaking with a
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female respondent ages 18 to 49, otherwise it continues with
Item PROTECTSELF.
After asking the question in Item WHATHAPPEN, you may
discover that the offender did attack, tried to attack, or
verbally threatened to physically harm the respondent. If so,
do not enter any precodes in Item WHATHAPPEN and
correct the answers entered in Items ATTACK,
TRYATTACK, or THREATEN, as necessary. (You may
correct previous answers by pressing the “Up” arrow key and
backing up to the appropriate screen to change responses.)
Unwanted Sexual Contact
Precodes (14) and (15) include a broad range of unwanted
sexual acts and are included in Item WHATHAPPEN for
respondents who do not consider the unwanted sexual
contact as an assault. We want to ensure that all sexual
assaults committed during an incident are reported.
Categories for unwanted sexual contact are also included in
Items HOWTRYATTACK and HOWTHREATEN to ensure
that we do not miss any sexual assaults when a respondent
says that the offender tried to attack or threatened to
physically harm him/her.
It may not always be clear whether you should enter Precode
(14), (with force), or Precode (15), (without force), based on
what the respondent tells you. Generally, if the sexual contact
involved grabbing, pushing, restraining, or other acts of force,
enter Precode (14) and then ask the structured probe at Item
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1. If the sexual contact did not
involve any force (for example, only unwanted touching
and/or fondling), enter Precode (15) in Item WHATHAPPEN.
If unsure, go with the respondent's perception of whether or
not force was used.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), "Something taken without permission," if
the offender stole something belonging to the respondent or
another household member.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), "Attempted or threatened to take
something" if the offender:
Tried to take something that belonged to the respondent
or another household member
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OR
Threatened to take something belonging to the
respondent or another household member. A threatened
theft can be verbal (For example, "I'm taking your
motorcycle.") or nonverbal (For example, the offender
reaches for the respondent's purse, but doesn't get it.)
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13), "Harassed, argument, abusive
language," if the offender verbally bothered the respondent
without threatening him/her (for example, yelling, teasing,
insulting, arguing, using obscenities, and so on).
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), "Unwanted sexual contact with force
(grabbing, fondling, etc.)," if the offender used any type of
force during the unwanted sexual contact (for example,
grabbing, pushing, or restraining). After entering Precode
(14), continue with Item SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15), "Unwanted sexual contact without force
(grabbing, fondling, etc.)," if the offender did not use any
force during the unwanted sexual contact (for example,
sexually touching, embracing, and/or fondling the respondent
without grabbing, pushing, or restraining).
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Forcible entry or attempted forcible entry
of house/apartment," if the offender used force to either break
into or attempt to break into the respondent's house or
apartment during the incident. When NO FORCE was used to
enter or attempt to enter, enter Precode (20), "Other," and
explain the break in or attempted break in when the "Specify"
screen, WHATHAPPEN_SPEC, appears.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Forcible entry or attempted forcible entry
of car," if the offender used force during the incident to break
into or attempt to break into a car or any other type of motor
vehicle owned by the respondent or another household
member. If force was NOT used, enter Precode (20),
"Other." When the "Specify" screen appears, explain how the
offender entered or attempted to enter the household
member's motor vehicle WITHOUT FORCE (For example,
the offender entered the motor vehicle through an unlocked
door).
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Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18), "Damaged or destroyed property," if the
offender damaged or destroyed property during the incident
that belongs to the respondent or another household
member.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), "Attempted or threatened to damage or
destroy property," if the offender tried or threatened to
damage or destroy property during the incident that
belongs to the respondent or another household member.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20), "Other," when the incident does not fit
one of the preceding categories for Item WHATHAPPEN and
enter a brief and concise explanation of what happened
during the incident on the "Specify" screen,
WHATHAPPEN_SPEC, which appears after entering
Precode (20). Some examples of acceptable entries for
Precode (20) are:
✓
Illegal entry of the respondent's house or car without the
use of force
✓
Obscene gestures
✓
Trespassing on the respondent's property
✓
A "Peeping Tom."
You mentioned some type of unwanted sexual contact with force. Do you mean forced or coerced
sexual intercourse including attempts?
1 Yes
2 No
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1
SEXCONFORCE
PROBE_1
This probe question appears if Item WHATHAPPEN is
answered with Precode (14), “Unwanted sexual contact with
force,” and is asked to ensure that the incident did not include
forced or coerced sexual intercourse, including attempted
forced or coerced sexual intercourse.
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If you enter Precode (1) at Item SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1,
continue with Item HOWATTACK to code the incident as an
attack. If you enter Precode (2), continue with Item
IMPACT_JOB.
How did the offender TRY to attack you?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all codes that apply, separate with commas
11 Verbal threat of rape
12 Verbal threat to kill
13 Verbal threat of attack other than to kill or rape
14 Verbal threat of sexual assault other than rape
15 Unwanted sexual contact with force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)
16 Unwanted sexual contact without force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)
17 Weapon present or threatened with weapon
18 Shot at (but missed)
19 Attempted attack with knife/sharp weapon
20 Attempted attack with weapon other than gun/knife/sharp weapon
21 Object thrown at person
22 Followed or surrounded
23 Tried to hit, slap, knock down, grab, hold, trip, jump, push, etc.
24 Other - specify
HOWTRYATTACK
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How were you threatened?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all codes that apply, separate with commas
11 Verbal threat of rape
12 Verbal threat to kill
13 Verbal threat of attack other than to kill or rape
14 Verbal threat of sexual assault other than rape
15 Unwanted sexual contact with force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)
16 Unwanted sexual contact without force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)
17 Weapon present or threatened with weapon
18 Shot at (but missed)
19 Attempted attack with knife/sharp weapon
20 Attempted attack with weapon other than gun/knife/sharp weapon
21 Object thrown at person
22 Followed or surrounded
23 Tried to hit, slap, knock down, grab, hold, trip, jump, push, etc.
24 Other - specify
HOWTHREATEN
HOWTRYATTACK and
HOWTHREATEN
Item HOWTRYATTACK is asked to identify how the offender
tried to attack the respondent when Precode (1), "Yes," is
entered in Item TRYATTACK. Item HOWTHREATEN is
asked to identify how the offender threatened to harm the
respondent when Precode (1), "Yes," is entered in Item
THREATEN.
The answer categories for Items HOWTRYATTACK and
HOWTHREATEN are the same and both items allow for
multiple entries, so continue asking "Any other way?" until
you get a "No" response. After completing Item
HOWTRYATTACK or Item HOWTHREATEN, you will
continue with Item PREGATTIMEOFINC if you are speaking
to a female respondent ages 18 to 49, otherwise you will
continue with Item PROTECTSELF.
If you determine that none of the respondent's answers for
Item HOWTRYATTACK or HOWTHREATEN indicate that
there was an attempted attack or a threat of physical harm,
do NOT enter any precodes for Items HOWTRYATTACK and
HOWTHREATEN, and correct the answer for Item
TRYATTACK or THREATEN, as necessary. (Correct
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answers for these items by using the “Up” arrow key to back
up to the item and change responses.) After making the
correction, the instrument brings up the appropriate screens
automatically.
Unwanted Sexual Contact
Precodes (15) and (16) include a broad range of unwanted
sexual acts for respondents who do not consider an
unwanted sexual contact as an attack or assault. We want to
ensure that all sexual assaults committed during an incident
are reported correctly. Precode (15), "Unwanted sexual
contact with force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)," and Precode
(16), "Unwanted sexual contact without force (grabbing,
fondling, etc.)," can be entered as answers for Items
HOWTRYATTACK or HOWTHREATEN.
Based on what the respondent tells you, it may not always be
clear whether you should enter Precode (15), (with force), or
Precode (16), (without force). Generally, if the sexual contact
involved grabbing, pushing, restraining, or other acts of force,
enter Precode (15) and then ask the structured probe
question for Item SEXCONFORCEPROBE_2. If the
respondent tells you that he/she was forced or coerced into
having sexual intercourse or a forced attempt was made to
have sexual intercourse, continue with Item HOWATTACK.
If the sexual contact did not involve any force (for example,
only unwanted touching, embracing, and/or fondling), enter
Precode (16) in Item HOWTRYATTACK or
HOWTHREATEN. If unsure, go with the respondent's
perception of whether or not force was used.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), Verbal threat of rape, if the offender
was face-to-face with the respondent and verbally
threatened to rape the respondent. For the NCVS, rape
means forced sexual intercourse including both psychological
coercion, as well as physical force. Forced sexual intercourse
means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender(s).
The penetration also can be from a foreign object, such as a
bottle.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), Verbal threat to kill, if the offender was
face-to-face with the respondent and verbally threatened to
kill the respondent.
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Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13), Verbal threat of attack other than to
kill or rape, if the offender was face-to-face with the
respondent and verbally threatened to attack the respondent
in some way other than by raping or killing him/her.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), Verbal threat of sexual assault other
than rape, if the offender was face-to-face with the
respondent and verbally threatened to sexually assault the
respondent, but did not threaten to rape him/her.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15), Unwanted sexual contact with force
(grabbing, fondling, etc.), if the offender used some type of
force such as grabbing, restraining, or pushing during the
unwanted sexual contact. After entering Precode (15), you
always ask the structured probe question in
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_2.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), Unwanted sexual contact without
force (grabbing, fondling, etc.), if the offender made some
type of unwanted sexual contact without the use of force. For
example, during the incident, the offender may have
embraced, fondled, or touched the respondent against his/her
will, but did not grab, push, or restrain the respondent in any
way.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), Weapon present or threatened with
weapon, if the offender had a weapon or an object that
he/she intended to use as a weapon and the respondent
believed the offender would use the weapon to harm him/her.
Do NOT enter Precode (17) if the offender attempted to use
the weapon or actually shot at the respondent.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18), Shot at (but missed), if the offender
discharged a gun or rifle in the direction of the respondent
intending to hit the respondent, but the bullet did NOT hit the
respondent.
Do NOT enter Precode (18) if:
✘ The offender was not aiming to hit the respondent
OR
✘ The bullet actually hit the respondent. If the respondent
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was hit by a bullet, change the answer in Item ATTACK to
"Yes" (use the “Up” arrow key to back up to the item and
change the answer) and the instrument continues with Item
HOWATTACK.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), Attempted attack with knife/sharp
weapon, if the offender tried unsuccessfully to strike or stab
the respondent with a knife or other sharp weapon, such as
an ice pick or scissors.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20), Attempted attack with weapon other
than gun/knife/sharp weapon, if the offender tried
unsuccessfully to attack the respondent with a weapon other
than a gun, knife, or other sharp weapon. This could include
weapons such as clubs, blackjacks, rocks, etc.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21), Object thrown at person, if the offender
threw an object at the respondent, but did not hit him/her.
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22), Followed or surrounded, if the offender
was following the respondent or blocking his/her way, and the
offender's close proximity to the respondent caused the
respondent to fear for his/her safety.
Precode (23)
Enter Precode (23), Tried to hit, slap, knock down, grab,
hold, trip, jump, push, etc., if the offender tried
unsuccessfully to hit, slap, knock down, grab, hold, trip, jump,
or push the respondent.
Precode (24)
Enter Precode (24), Other, if the offender tried to attack or
threatened to physically harm the respondent in a way that
does not fit one of the preceding categories. Avoid using this
category if at all possible since most threats or attempted
attacks can be identified in the categories for Precodes (11)
through (23). If you do need to enter Precode (24), make
sure to enter how the offender tried to attack or threatened to
physically harm the respondent in the "Specify" screen,
HOWTRYATTACK_SPEC, that appears after entering
Precode (24).
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You mentioned some type of unwanted sexual contact with force.
Do you mean forced or coerced sexual intercourse including attempts?
1 Yes
2 No
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_2
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_2
This probe question appears when Item HOWTRYATTACK
or Item HOWTHREATEN is answered with Precode 15,
“Unwanted sexual contact with force,” and is asked to ensure
that the incident did not include forced or coerced sexual
intercourse, including attempted forced or coerced sexual
intercourse.
If the respondent tells you that he/she was forced or coerced
into having sexual intercourse or a forced attempt was made
to have sexual intercourse, enter Precode (1) and continue
with Item HOWATTACK. Otherwise, continue with Item
IMPACT_JOB.
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How were you attacked?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all codes that apply, separate with commas
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Raped
Tried to rape
Sexual assault other than rape or attempted rape
Shot
Shot at (but missed)
Hit with gun held in hand
Stabbed/cut with knife/sharp weapon
Attempted attack with knife/sharp weapon
Hit by object (other than gun) held in hand
Hit by thrown object
Attempted attack with weapon other than gun/knife/sharp weapon
Hit, slapped, knocked down
Grabbed, held, tripped, jumped, pushed, etc.
Other - specify
HOWATTACK
HOWATTACK
After a respondent tells you in Item ATTACK that he/she was
attacked during the incident, continue with Item
HOWATTACK to determine how the respondent was
attacked during the incident. Item HOWATTACK allows you
to enter multiple precodes, so continue asking "Any other
way?" until you get a "No" response.
If you discover that the respondent was NOT physically
attacked during the incident, leave Item HOWATTACK
unanswered, back up and change the answer in Item
ATTACK to "No," and continue with Item TRYATTACK.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), “Raped,” if the respondent says that
he/she was raped during the incident. After entering Precode
(11), an “Active Signal” box appears as shown below:
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Active Signal
You mentioned rape. Do you mean forced or coerced sexual
intercourse?
If “No,” then ask: What do you mean?
Questions Involved
howAttack: How attacked
Suppress
Close
Value
Raped
Goto
This screen is included to ensure that the respondent's
definition of rape matches the NCVS definition. For the
NCVS, rape means forced sexual intercourse including both
psychological coercion, as well as physical force. Forced
sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by
the offender(s). The penetration also can be from a foreign
object, such as a bottle.
If the respondent’s answer to the probe question in the
“Active Signal” box is “Yes,” click on the “Suppress”
button to move to the next question.
If the respondent's answer to the probe question is "No," you
must ask the second probe question, "What do you mean?"
The purpose of this question is to distinguish between rape
and other forms of sexual assault. Do not probe beyond this
question.
If the respondent’s answer to the second probe question
does not satisfy the NCVS definition for rape, click on the
“Close” or “Goto” button, then delete Precode (11) in Item
HOWATTACK. Include as much detail as possible about the
incident as you write the summary report later in the
interview. If the attack involved another type of sexual assault
other than rape, enter Precode (13) in Item HOWATTACK.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), “Tried to rape,” if the respondent says
that the offender tried to rape him/her during the incident.
After entering Precode (12), an “Active Signal” box appears
as shown below:
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Active Signal
You mentioned attempted rape. Do you mean attempted
forced or coerced sexual intercourse?
If “No,” then ask: What do you mean?
Questions Involved
Value
howAttack: How attacked Tried to rape
Suppress
Close
Goto
This screen is included to ensure that the respondent's
definition of attempted rape matches the NCVS definition. For
the NCVS, rape means forced sexual intercourse including
both psychological coercion, as well as physical force. Forced
sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by
the offender(s). The penetration also can be from a foreign
object, such as a bottle.
If the respondent’s answer to the probe question in the
“Active Signal” box is “Yes,” click on the “Suppress” button to
move to the next question.
If the respondent's answer to the probe question in the
“Active Signal” box is "No," you must ask the second probe
question, "What do you mean?" The purpose of this
question is to distinguish between attempted rape and other
forms of sexual assault. After asking, “What do you mean?”
do not ask any additional probe questions.
If the respondent’s answer to the second probe question
does not satisfy the NCVS definition for attempted rape, click
on the “Close” or “Goto” button, delete Precode (12) in Item
HOWATTACK. Include as much detail as possible about the
incident as you write the summary report later in the
interview. If the attack involved another type of sexual
assault, enter Precode (13) in Item HOWATTACK.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) when the respondent was sexually
assaulted in some way other than rape or attempted rape;
that is, the sexual assault did not involve forced or coerced
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sexual intercourse or attempted sexual intercourse (for
example, fondling the respondent's breasts against her will).
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) when the offender shot a gun or rifle at
the respondent and the respondent was actually hit by the
bullet.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) when the offender shot a gun or filed
intending to hit the respondent, but the respondent did not
get hit by the bullet. During an incident, it is possible to have
both an attempted attack and an actual attack. However, if
you enter Precode (15) AND you do not enter another
precode in HOWATTACK to indicate that some physical
attack or contact happened during the incident, you must:
Leave Item HOWATTACK blank,
Back up and change the "Yes" answer in Item ATTACK
to "No," and
Ask the question about attempted attacks in Item
TRYATTACK next.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) when the offender used a gun or rifle to
strike the respondent (for example, using it to inflict blunt
force injury, rather than shooting at the respondent).
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) when the offender used a knife or other
sharp object to cut the respondent causing a puncture
wound.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) when the offender tried to cut or stab the
respondent with a knife or other sharp object, but was not
successful in causing a puncture wound. During an incident,
it is possible to have both an attempted attack and an actual
attack. However, if you enter Precode (18) AND do not enter
another precode in Item HOWATTACK to indicate that some
physical attack or contact happened during the incident, then
you must:
Leave Item HOWATTACK blank,
Back up and change the "Yes" answer in Item
ATTACK to "No," and
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Ask the question about attempted attacks in Item
TRYATTACK next.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) when the offender was holding an object,
other than a gun, in his/her hand and hit the respondent with
the object.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) when the offender threw something at the
respondent AND the thrown object hit the respondent.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) when the offender tried to attack the
respondent with a weapon, other than a gun, knife, or sharp
weapon, but the weapon did not make contact
with the respondent. During an incident, it is possible to have
both an attempted attack and an actual attack. However, if
you enter Precode (21) AND do not enter another precode in
Item HOWATTACK to indicate that some physical attack or
contact happened during the incident, then you must:
Leave Item HOWATTACK blank,
Back up and change the "Yes" answer in Item ATTACK
to "No," and
Ask the question about attempted attacks in Item
TRYATTACK next.
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22) when the offender used his/her hands or
fists to hit, slap, or knock down the respondent.
Precode (23)
Enter Precode (23) when the offender physically interfered
with the respondent's movement by grabbing, holding,
tripping, jumping, or pushing him/her.
Precode (24)
Enter Precode (24) when the offender physically attacked the
respondent in a way not covered in Precodes (11) through
(23). After entering Precode (24), make sure to explain how
the respondent was attacked on the "Specify" screen,
HOWATTACK_SPEC. Before entering Precode (24), make
sure that the method of attack does not fit one of the previous
answer categories in Item HOWATTACK.
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Did the offender THREATEN to hurt you before you were actually attacked?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Other - specify
PRETHREATEN
PRETHREATEN
After identifying in Item HOWATTACK how the
respondent was physically attacked, you will ask the
question in Item PRETHREATEN to determine if the
offender verbally threatened to hurt the respondent
prior to the actual attack. The verbal threat could be to
take any of the actions specified in Item
HOWATTACK, such as threatening to rape the
respondent.
The offender could have voiced the threat anytime from
the start of the incident until the moment of the physical
attack.
In most cases, you will enter Precode (1), "Yes," or
Precode (2), "No," based on the respondent's answer.
Only enter Precode (3), "Other," if you need to describe
the situation with more than just a "Yes" or "No"
answer. Make sure to explain the respondent's answer
on the "Specify" screen, PRETHREATEN_SPEC, that
appears after entering Precode (3).
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What were the injuries you suffered, if any?
PROBE: Anything else?
Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
11 None
12 Raped
13 Attempted rape
14 Sexual assault other than rape or attempted rape
15 Knife or stab wounds
16 Gun shot, bullet wounds
17 Broken bones or teeth knocked out
18 Internal injuries
19 Knocked unconscious
20 Bruises, black eye, cuts, scratches, swelling, chipped teeth
21 Other (specify)
INJURY
INJURY
After completing Item PRETHREATEN, you will ask Item
INJURY to determine if the respondent experienced any
personal injuries during the attack and, if so, to identify what
type of bodily injuries were suffered from the incident. Do not
include mental or emotional suffering as an injury.
Since the respondent may have suffered various types of
injuries during the incident, continue asking, "Anything else?"
until you get a "No" response.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), "None," when the respondent tells you that
he/she did not experience any physical injuries from the attack.
However, do not enter Precode (11) if:
✘ You enter another precode in Item INJURY
OR
✘ You entered Precode (11), "Raped," or Precode (12), "Tried
to rape," in Item HOWATTACK.
After entering precode (11), continue with IMPACT_JOB.
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Precode (12)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (12), "Raped," when you have entered Precode
(11), "Raped," in Item HOWATTACK, regardless of whether the
respondent mentions "Raped" as an injury. If this happens, hit
the “Suppress” button in the Active Signal box (which appears
as a pop-up), without asking the probe question a second time.
However, when the respondent did not mention "Raped" in Item
HOWATTACK and then reports "Raped" as an injury in Item
INJURY, you must ask the probe question in the Active Signal
box that appears.
Active Signal
You mentioned rape. Do you mean forced or coerced sexual
intercourse?
If “No,” then ask: What do you mean?
Questions Involved
Value
How attacked
Raped
Injury: Injuries
____________________________________________________
Suppress
Close
Goto
If the respondent’s answer to the probe question in the “Active
Signal” box is “Yes,” click on the “Suppress” button to move to
the next question. However, if the respondent answers, "No," in
the Active Signal box, ask the additional probe, "What do you
mean?" This additional probe question is needed to distinguish
between rape, attempted rape, and other types of sexual
assaults.
After asking, "What do you mean?" do not ask any additional
probe questions. Make sure to include any additional details
about the incident later in the interview at the SUMMARY
screen.
Precode (13)
Only enter Precode (13), "Attempted rape," when the
respondent specifically says that his/her injury was an attempted
rape. Do not automatically enter Precode (13), "Attempted
Rape," when Precode (12), "Tried to rape," is entered in Item
HOWATTACK. If an offender tried to rape the respondent and
the respondent does not report any physical injuries in Item
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INJURY, enter Precode (11), "None," in Item INJURY.
If the respondent reports an "Attempted rape" injury in INJURY, but
did not report "Tried to rape" in Item HOWATTACK, an “Active
signal” box appears:
Active Signal
You mentioned attempted rape. Do you mean attempted
forced or coerced sexual intercourse?
If “No,” then ask: What do you mean?
Questions Involved
Value
Injury: Injuries
Attempted rape
____________________________________________________
Suppress
Close
Goto
If you get a "Yes" answer, click on the “Suppress” button to
continue to the next screen.
If the respondent says that he/she did not mean attempted forced or
coerced sexual intercourse or is unsure of the answer, ask the
additional probe question, "What do you mean?" in the “Active
Signal” box. The second probe question is needed to distinguish
between rape, attempted rape, and other types of sexual assaults.
Make sure to include any additional details about the incident in the
summary report later in the interview.
Precode (14)
Only enter Precode (14), "Sexual assault other than rape or
attempted rape," when the respondent specifically says that this was
one of his/her injuries. Make sure to also ask if the respondent
suffered any other injuries and, if so, enter the appropriate precodes
in Item INJURY. Do not automatically enter Precode (14) when
Precode (13), "Sexual assault other than rape or attempted rape," is
entered in Item HOWATTACK. If the respondent reports a sexual
assault other than rape or attempted rape in Item HOWATTACK
and does not report any physical injuries in Item INJURY, enter
Precode (11), "None," in Item INJURY.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15), "Knife or stab wounds," when the
respondent reports an injury caused by a knife or any other
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sharp or pointed object.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Gun shot, bullet wounds," when the
respondent reports an injury caused by the bullet or shot from a
hand gun, rifle, shotgun, and so on. Do not enter Precode (16) if
the injury was caused by being shot with a BB gun, tear gas
gun, or a stun gun.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Broken bones or teeth knocked out," when
the respondent reports that he/she suffered broken, chipped, or
cracked bones from the attack. Also enter Precode (17) when a
respondent says that one or more of his/her teeth were knocked
out.
However, do not enter Precode (17) for injuries involving broken,
chipped, or cracked teeth; instead, enter Precode (20) for this
type of injury.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18), "Internal injuries," when the respondent
reports that he/she suffered any type of internal injuries during
the attack.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), "Knocked unconscious," when the respondent
reports that he/she was knocked unconscious, blacked out, passed
out, went into a coma, and so on, resulting directly from the attack.
Do not enter Precode (19) if the respondent became unconscious
or fainted due to fear or medical treatment, which cannot be
attributed directly to the attack.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20), "Bruises, black eye, cuts, scratches, swelling,
chipped teeth," when the respondent reports any minor injuries
that are not covered specifically in Precodes (12) through (19).
Examples of injuries to include for Precode (20) are minor burns,
bruises, black eyes, cuts, scratches, swellings, and chipped teeth
suffered during the attack.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21), "Other," when the respondent mentions an
injury that does not seem to fit into any of the injuries for Precodes
(12) through (20). Always enter a description of the injury on the
"Specify" screen, INJURY_SPEC after entering Precode (21) (for
example, eye damage from gasoline thrown in eyes or severe
burns from acid dropped on arms). Avoid entering Precode (21) if
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the injury fits into one of the injury descriptions for Precodes (12)
through (20).
● Ask or verify:
Were any of the injuries caused by a weapon other than a gun or knife?
1 Yes
2 No
INJURYNOTGUN
INJURYNOTGUN
Item INJURYNOTGUN is used to determine if any injuries
reported in Item INJURY were caused by a weapon
OTHER THAN a gun or a knife. If you feel sure of the
answer, you can verify the answer with the respondent,
instead of asking the question. Otherwise, ask the question
in Item INJURYNOTGUN. If you get a "Yes" answer, enter
Precode (1) and continue with Item FIRSTINJURY. If you
get a "No" answer, enter Precode (2) and continue with
Item MEDICALCARE.
Which injuries marked in the field INJURIES were caused by a weapon OTHER than a gun or
knife?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
17 Broken bones or teeth knocked out
19 Knocked unconscious
FIRSTINJURY
FIRSTINJURY
Item FIRSTINJURY is used to identify which injuries
reported in Item INJURY were caused by a weapon
OTHER THAN a gun or knife. With the exception of
Precodes (15), knife or stab wounds, and (16), gunshot
or bullet wounds, the injuries reported at Item INJURY
will be shown at Item FIRSTINJURY.
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Since we are interested in injuries that were caused by
a weapon other than a gun or knife, Precodes (15) and
(16) will not appear in Item FIRSTINJURY, even if they
were entered in Item INJURY. Enter the appropriate
precodes for the injuries listed at Item FIRSTINJURY
that were caused by a weapon other than a gun or
knife.
Were you injured to the extent that you received any medical care, including self treatment?
1 Yes
2 No
MEDICALCARE
MEDICALCARE
Item MEDICALCARE is used to find out if the respondent
received any medical care for the injuries reported in Item
INJURY. This medical care includes any care or treatment
provided for the respondent's physical injuries, including
self treatment. Treatment can range from bandages and
ice packs to setting broken bones and major surgery.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when the respondent received
any type of medical treatment for the reported injuries,
regardless of where the medical care was provided or who
provided the treatment. After entering Precode (1), you will
continue with Item RECEIVECAREWHERE.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," when the respondent did not
receive any medical treatment for his/her injuries. After
entering Precode (2), continue with Item IMPACT_JOB.
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Where did you receive this care?
● PROBE: Anywhere else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
11 At the scene
12 At home/neighbor's/friend's
13 Health unit at work/school, first aid station at a stadium/park, etc.
14 Doctor's office/health clinic
15 Emergency room at hospital/emergency clinic
16 Hospital (other than emergency room)
17 Other - specify
RECEIVECAREWHERE
RECEIVECAREWHERE
Item RECEIVECAREWHERE is used to determine
where the respondent received medical treatment for
his/her injuries. Continue asking, "Anywhere else?"
until you get a "No" response, since the respondent
may have been cared for at more than one location (for
example, at the crime scene, then at an emergency
room, and later at a doctor's office).
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), "At the scene," if the respondent
received any type of medical treatment at the scene of
the attack (for example, in the alley where he was
mugged or in the shopping mall where she was
stabbed).
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), "At home/neighbor's/friends," if the
respondent received any type of medical treatment at
his/her home or at the home of the respondent's
neighbor, friend, or relative.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13), "Health unit at work/school, first
aid station at a stadium/park, etc.," if the respondent
received any type of medical treatment at a health unit
or first aid station at work or school, at a sports arena
or stadium, airport, at a train or subway station, a
museum or some other type of emergency facility other
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than those covered in Precodes (14), (15), or (16).
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), "Doctor's office/health clinic," if the
respondent received any type of medical treatment at
any type of doctor's or dentist's office, or in some kind
of medical or health clinic that serves patients on either
a routine or an emergency basis.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15), "Emergency room at hospital/
emergency clinic," if the respondent received any type
of medical treatment at a hospital emergency room or
at an emergency clinic. Emergency clinics differ from
other medical clinics in that they only deal with
emergency cases and do not provide services on a
routine basis.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Hospital (other than emergency
room)," if the respondent received any type of medical
treatment after being admitted to a hospital or being
referred to an outpatient treatment center or therapy
area. If the respondent was treated first at a hospital
emergency
room and was later admitted to the hospital, enter
Precodes (15) AND (16).
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Other," if the respondent received
any type of medical treatment at a location other than
the places identified in Precodes (11) through (16).
Avoid entering Precode (17) if the location fits into one
of the other precodes in Item RECEIVECAREWHERE.
If you do enter Precode (17), always enter a
description of the place on the "Specify" screen,
RECEIVECAREWHERE_SPEC (for example, in
ambulance on way to hospital or on a street, shoulder
of a highway, parking lot, and so on, but NOT at the
crime scene).
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Did you stay overnight in the hospital?
1 Yes
2 No
CAREOVERNIGHT
CAREOVERNIGHT
When a respondent received medical care in a hospital
(Precode (16) entered in Item RECEIVECAREWHERE), Item
CAREOVERNIGHT is asked to find out if the respondent
stayed in a hospital overnight to receive medical care for
his/her injuries suffered during the attack.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, continue
with Item CAREDAYHOSPIT. If you enter Precode (2) for
a "No" answer, continue with MEDICALINSURANCE.
How many days did you stay in the hospital?
● If over 200 days, enter 200
CAREDAYHOSPIT
CAREDAYHOSPIT
CAREDAYHOSPIT is used to identify how many days the
respondent spent in the hospital for this treatment.
When determining the number of days spent in the hospital:
Count each night spent in the hospital as one day and
only enter whole days (for example, enter 3 days, not
3 1/2 days).
Count all days spent in the hospital up to the night
prior to the interview.
If a respondent cannot recall the exact number of
days, enter the respondent's best estimate.
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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?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
MEDICALINSURANCE
MEDICALINSURANCE
Item MEDICALINSURANCE is used to determine if the
respondent was eligible to receive health benefits from a
medical insurance plan or policy. Normally, the benefits will
cover all or part of the hospital expenses and the charges for
a doctor or surgeon's services, medication, and so on. The
respondent needs to understand that you are asking about
health benefits from a formal plan or policy with defined
membership and benefits which he/she was eligible to
receive at the time of the incident.
In addition to health insurance coverage from a private
company, we are also interested in knowing whether the
respondent was eligible for benefits from any publicly
organized system that provides health benefits, such as
medicaid, Veterans Administration, or Public Welfare.
If a respondent tells you that a friend or family member
offered to pay for his/her medical expenses, probe to find out
whether the respondent was covered by some type of health
insurance plan, even if the respondent did not submit a claim
or the plan did not pay any benefits.
Enter Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, Precode (2) for a "No"
answer, and Precode (3) for "Don't know." After completing
Item MEDICALINSURANCE, continue with Item
MEDICALEXPENSES.
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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 injury-related expenses.
Obtain an estimate if necessary
Round to the nearest dollar
Enter a number between 1-999,996
MEDICALEXPENSES
MEDICALEXPENSES
Item MEDICALEXPENSES is used to identify the
TOTAL dollar amount of the respondent's medical
expenses resulting directly from injuries suffered during
the incident. (Note that the parenthetical phrase
“INCLUDING anything paid by insurance only appears
if item MEDICALINSURANCE was answered with
Precode (1), “Yes.”) Include in this figure any doctor
and hospital bills, surgeon's fees, emergency room
expenses, ambulance services, services provided by a
physical therapist, dentist, and so on. Also include
expenses for medicine and any kind of special devices
or aids required as a result of the respondent's injuries,
such as braces, crutches, dentures, eyeglasses, a
wheelchair, or artificial limbs.
Enter the respondent's answer in whole dollars in the
“Total amount” space. If the respondent is not sure of
the exact amount, enter his/her best estimate of the
cost for medical expenses.
If the respondent is still undergoing medical treatment
for injuries related to the incident, ask for the
respondent's best estimate of the projected total cost
for his/her medical expenses and enter the projected
estimate in the "Total amount" space.
Enter 0 (zero), to indicate “No Cost,” if the respondent
did not incur any medical expenses for his/her injuries
as a result of the incident.
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After completing Item MEDICALEXPENSES, the
instrument goes to Item IMPACT_JOB.
Emotional Toll Questions:
Items IMPACT_JOB through
KIND_HELP_ PHYPROBS
The Emotional Toll questions (added in July 2008) are
only asked of persons who reported a violent crime,
such as an attack, threat of attack, attempted attack, or
unwanted sexual contact (with or without force).
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?
1 Yes
2 No
IMPACT_JOB
IMPACT_JOB
Item IMPACT_JOB informs the respondent that we are
changing the focus of the next set of questions to talk
about how being a victim of a crime has affected them.
This question specifically asks the respondent whether
being a victim of this crime has led the respondent to
have significant problems with their job or schooling, or
trouble with their boss, coworkers, or peers.
Select Precode (1), “No,” when the respondent reports
that they have experienced significant problems with
their job or schoolwork, or people they frequently
interact with in their daily lives.
Select Precode (2), “Yes,” when the respondent reports
that they have not experienced any significant
problems with their job or schoolwork, or people they
frequently interact with in their daily lives.
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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?
1 Yes
2 No
IMPACT_FAMILY
IMPACT_FAMILY
Item IMPACT_FAMILY is asked to find out whether
being the victim of a crime caused the respondent to
have significant problems with his/her family and/or
friends.
Select Precode (1), “Yes,” when the respondent reports
that being a victim of this crime led to significant
problems with family members or friends.
Select Precode (2), “No,” when the respondent reports
that being a victim of this crime did not lead to any
significant problems with family members of friends.
How distressing was being a victim of this crime to you? Was it not at all distressing, mildly
distressing, moderately distressing, or severely distressing?
1
2
3
4
Not at all distressing
Mildly distressing
Moderately distressing
Severely distressing
HOW_DISTRESSING
HOW_DISTRESSING
Precode (1)
Item HOW_DISTRESSING is asked to find out what
level or magnitude of distress the respondent felt after
having been the victim of a crime.
Select Precode (1) when the respondent states that
being a victim of this crime was not at all distressing.
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Precode (2)
Part B, Chapter 4
Select Precode (2) when the respondent states that
being a victim of this crime was mildly distressing.
If Precodes (1) or (2) are selected and either of the
Items IMPACT_JOB and IMPACT_FAMILY are
marked “Yes,” then the instrument goes to the
FEEL_WORRIED screen. However, if both Items
IMPACT_JOB and IMPACT_FAMILY are marked “No”
and Precode (1) or (2) is marked in Item
HOW_DISTRESSING, the instrument skips to one of
the following screens:
Item PREGATTIMEOFINC, if the respondent is a
female between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.
Item PROTECTSELF when the respondent is NOT
a female between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.
Precode (3)
Select Precode (3) when the respondent states that
being a victim of this crime was moderately distressing
to them. If Precode (3) is selected the instrument goes
to Item FEEL_WORRIED.
Precode (4)
Select Precode (4) when the respondent states that
being a victim of this crime was severely distressing to
them. If Precode (4) is selected the instrument goes to
Item FEEL_WORRIED.
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?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_WORRIED
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Angry?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_ANGRY
Sad or depressed?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_SAD
Vulnerable?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_VULNERABLE
Violated?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_VIOLATED
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Like (you/he/she) couldn't trust people?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_MISTRUST
Unsafe?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_UNSAFE
Some other way?
1 Yes
2 No
FEEL_OTHER_WAY
What other way did being a victim of this crime make (you/name) feel?
FEEL_OTHER_WAY_SP
FEEL_WORRIED through
FEEL_OTHER_WAY_SP
Items FEEL_WORRIED through FEEL_OTHER_WAY_SP
ask about the feelings and perceptions of distress the
respondent may have had after experiencing a crime
incident.
This series of eight questions is asked when the
respondent reports that they were moderately or severely
distressed or they have experienced significant problems
at work or school or with family members or friends as a
result of being a victim of this crime. These questions are
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asked independently of one another, but share the same
question stem.
On the FEEL_WORRIED screen the question stem
appears in bold face text and reads, “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 ...” followed by
“worried or anxious?”
In items FEEL_ANGRY through FEEL_OTHER_WAY the
question stem is in gray text to signify that reading the
question stem is optional, however, the specific question
text appears in bold face text and must be read to the
respondent. Repeat the question stem whenever
appropriate or if asked by the respondent. If the responses
to all eight of these questions is “No,” signifying that the
respondent has not experienced any of these types of
feelings for a month or more, the instrument goes to Item
HAVE_HEADACHES. Otherwise, it goes to Item
SEEK_PRO_HELP.
Precode (1)
Select Precode (1), “Yes,” in each of these eight questions
if the respondent reports that they experienced those
specific types of feelings for a month or more as a result of
being a victim of this crime. A “Yes” response in Item
FEEL_OTH_WAY causes the instrument to go to Item
FEEL_OTH_WAY_SP to collect any other feelings that do
not fit the first seven categories presented. Remember the
respondent must have experienced these feelings for a
month or more and attribute these feelings directly to being
a victim of this crime. Be brief but descriptive when
entering this information in Item FEEL_OTHER_WAY_SP.
Precode (2)
Select Precode (2), “No,” in each of these eight questions if
the respondent reports that they did not experience that
specific type of feeling for a month or more as a result of
being a victim of this crime.
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Did you seek any kind of professional help for the feelings you experienced
as a result of being a victim of this crime?
1 Yes
2 No
SEEK_PRO_HELP
SEEK_PRO_HELP
Item SEEK_PRO_HELP is asked to find out whether the
respondent sought any kind of professional help dealing with
their feelings after experiencing a crime incident. It appears
when the respondent reported having at least one of the
feelings in FEEL_WORRIED through FEEL_OTHER_WAY
because they were a crime victim.
Precode (1)
Select Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent reports that they
sought some form of professional help for the prolonged
feelings they experienced. The instrument goes to
PRO_HELP_SOUGHT.
Precode (2)
Select Precode (2), “No,” if the respondent reports that they
did not seek any professional help for the feelings they
experienced. The instrument goes to HAVE_HEADACHES.
What kind of professional help did you seek?
● Mark all that apply separated by commas
1
2
3
4
5
Counseling/therapy
Medication
Visited doctor or nurse
Visited ER/hospital/clinic
Other - Specify
PRO_HELP_SOUGHT
Incident Report Items
B4-95
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What other kind of professional help did you seek?
HELP_SOUGHT_SP
PRO_HELP_SOUGHT and
HELP_SOUGHT_SP
Items PRO_HELP_SOUGHT and HELP_SOUGHT_SP are
asked to find out what kind of professional help the
respondent sought. Mark as many responses as apply in Item
PRO_HELP_SOUGHT.
Item HELP_SOUGHT_SP appears if Precode (5), “Other,” is
marked in PRO_HELP_SOUGHT. Use HELP_SOUGHT_SP
to list any type of professional help that does not appear in
the answer categories in PRO_HELP_SOUGHT.
HELP_SOUGHT_SP allows 100 characters for a response.
Precode (1)
Select Precode (1) if the respondent reports that they sought
professional counseling/therapy as a result of being a victim
of this crime.
Precode (2)
Select Precode (2) if the respondent reports that they sought
medication as a result of being a victim of this crime.
Precode (3)
Select Precode (3) if the respondent reports that they visited
a doctor or nurse as a result of being a victim of this crime.
Precode (4)
Select Precode (4) if the respondent reports that they visited
the emergency room, hospital, or clinic, as a result of being a
victim of this crime.
Precode (5)
Select Precode (5) if the respondent reports that they sought
some other form of professional help not listed in categories 1
through 4. If Precode (5) is selected, the instrument goes to
HELP_SOUGHT_SP to collect the “other” kind of
professional help the respondent sought. Be brief, but
descriptive, when entering the other kind of professional help
in the “Other - Specify” field.
Incident Report Items
B4-96
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
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?
1 Yes
2 No
HAVE_HEADACHES
Trouble sleeping?
1 Yes
2 No
TRBL_SLEEPING
Changes in (your/his/her) eating or drinking habits?
1 Yes
2 No
EATING_PROBS
Upset stomach?
1 Yes
2 No
UPSET_STOMACH
Incident Report Items
B4-97
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Fatigue?
1 Yes
2 No
FATIGUE
High blood pressure?
1 Yes
2 No
HIGH_BLOOD_PRESS
Muscle tension or back pain?
1 Yes
2 No
MUSCLE_TENSION
Some other physical problem?
1 Yes
2 No
OTHER_PHYSICAL
What other physical problem did you experience for A MONTH OR MORE?
OTH_PHY_SP
Incident Report Items
B4-98
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
HAVE_HEADACHES through
OTH_PHY_SP
Part B, Chapter 4
Items HAVE_HEADACHES through OTH_PHY_SP ask
about physical problems the respondent may have had in
response to the crime incident they experienced. The
respondent must have experienced the physical problems for
a month or more and attribute these problems directly to the
crime incident. These questions are asked independently of
one another but share the same question stem.
In Item HAVE_HEADACHES the question stem appears in
bold face text and reads, “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...” followed by “headaches?”
Items TRBL_SLEEPING through OTHER_PHYSICAL the
question stem appears in gray text to signify that reading the
question stem is optional, however, the specific question text
appears in bold face text and must be read to the
respondent. Repeat the question stem whenever appropriate
or if asked by the respondent. If you select the “Yes”
response to Item OTHER_PHYSICAL the instrument goes to
Item OTH_PHY_SP. Enter the verbatim response provided
by the respondent for the other physical problem that they
experienced for a month or more as a result of being the
victim of this crime.
Precode (1)
Select Precode (1) in each of these eight questions if the
respondent reports that they experienced that specific type of
physical problem for a month or more as a result of being a
victim of this crime. If the respondent reports that they
experienced at least one prolonged physical problem for a
month or more by answering “Yes” to at least one of Items
HAVE_HEADACHES through OTHER_PHYSICAL, the
instrument goes to Item SEEK_HELP_PHYPROBS.
Precode (2)
Select Precode (2) in each of these eight questions if the
respondent reports that they did not experience that specific
type of physical problem for a month or more as a result of
being a victim of crime. If the response to all eight of these
questions is “No,” signifying that the respondent has not
experienced any of these types of physical problems for a
month or more the instrument skips to one of the following
screens:
Incident Report Items
B4-99
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item PREGATTIMEOFINC, if the respondent IS a female
between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.
Item PROTECTSELF when the respondent is NOT a
female between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.
Other than any medical care you received for the (injury/injuries) 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?
1 Yes
2 No
SEEK_HELP_PHYPROBS
SEEK_HELP_PHYPROBS
Item SEEK_HELP_PHYPROBS asks the respondent if they
sought any kind of professional or medical help for the
prolonged physical problems they reported as a result of
being a victim of this crime. The phrase “Other than any
medical care you received for the injury(ies) you
suffered,” is only displayed and read to the respondent when
the respondent reported an injury. If no injuries were reported
you read, “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?”
Precode (1)
Select Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent reports that they
sought some form of professional or medical help for the
prolonged physical problems they experienced. The
instrument goes to Item KIND_HELP_PHYPROBS.
Precode (2)
Select Precode (2) if the respondent reports that they did not
seek any professional or medical help for the physical
problems they experienced. The instrument will skip to one of
the following screens:
Item PREGATTIMEOFINC, if the respondent IS a female
between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.
Item PROTECTSELF when the respondent is NOT a
female between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.
Incident Report Items
B4-100
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
What kind of professional or medical help did you seek?
● Mark all that apply separated by commas
1 Counseling/therapy
2 Medication
3 Visited doctor or nurse
4 Visited ER/hospital/clinic
5 Other - Specify
KIND_HELP_PHYPROBS
What other kind of professional help did you seek?
KIND_HELP_PHYOTH_SP
KIND_HELP_ PHYPROBS,
KIND_HELP_PHYPROBS _SP
Item KIND_HELP_PHYPROBS asks the respondent what
kind of professional or medical help they sought for the
prolonged physical problems they experienced. This question
is only asked when the respondent reports that they sought
professional help for the physical problems they reported.
Select all precodes that apply.
Precode (1)
Select Precode (1) if the respondent reports that they sought
professional counseling/therapy for the physical problems
they experienced.
Precode (2)
Select Precode (2) if the respondent reports that they sought
medication to alleviate the physical problems they
experienced.
Precode (3)
Select Precode (3) if the respondent reports that they visited
a doctor or nurse to treat or diagnose the physical problems
they experienced.
Precode (4)
Select Precode (4) if the respondent reports that they visited
the emergency room, hospital, or clinic, to treat the physical
problems they experienced.
Incident Report Items
B4-101
Part B, Chapter 4
Precode (5)
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Select Precode (5) if the respondent reports that they sought
some other form of professional help not listed in answer
categories 1 through 4 to address the prolonged physical
problems they experienced. If Precode (5) is selected, the
instrument will proceed to the KIND_HELP_PHYOTH_SP
screen to collect the “other” kind of professional help the
respondent sought for their prolonged physical problems.
After completing the new Emotional Toll section the
instrument goes to the PREGATTIMEOFINC screen if the
respondent is a female between the ages of 18 and 49 years
old. Otherwise the instrument goes to Item PROTECTSELF.
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?
1 Yes
2 No
PREGATTIMEOFINC
PREGATTIMEOFINC
Item PREGATTIMEOFINC is asked to determine the
pregnancy status of all female respondents ages 18 to 49
during any incidents in which they were present.
Some women may be sensitive to this question or find it
intrusive in nature. If you encounter such reactions, remind
the respondent of the confidentiality and importance of the
data.
Incident Report Items
B4-102
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Did you do anything with the idea of protecting YOURSELF or your PROPERTY
while the incident was going on?
1 Yes
2 No/took no action/kept still
PROTECTSELF
PROTECTSELF
Item PROTECTSELF is used to determine if the respondent
did anything in an attempt to protect himself/herself or his/her
property during the incident.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, continue with
Item ACTIONSDURINGINC. Enter Precode (2) when the
respondent answers "No" or says that he/she took no action
or just kept still during the incident. After entering Precode
(2), continue with Item DURINGINCIDENT.
Was there anything you did or tried to do about the incident while it was going on?
1 Yes
2 No/took no action/kept still
DURINGINCIDENT
DURINGINCIDENT
Item DURINGINCIDENT is used to find out if the respondent
did ANYTHING while the incident was taking place, even if
the respondent's actions were not intended to protect
himself/herself or his/her property.
Enter Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer and you will continue
with Item ACTIONSDURINGINC. Enter Precode (2) if the
respondent answers "No" or says that he/she took no action
or just kept still during the incident. After entering Precode
(2), continue with Item ANYONEPRESENT.
Incident Report Items
B4-103
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What did you do?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
● Used physical force toward offender:
11 Attacked offender with gun; fired gun
12 Attacked with other weapon
13 Attacked without weapon (hit, kicked, etc.)
14 Threatened offender with gun
15 Threatened offender with other weapon
16 Threatened to injure, no weapon
● Resisted or captured offender:
17 Defended self or property (struggled, ducked, blocked blows, held onto property)
18 Chased, tried to catch or hold offender
● Scared or warned off offender:
19 Yelled at offender, turned on lights, threatened to call police, etc.
● Persuaded or appeased offender:
20 Cooperated, or pretended to (stalled, did what they asked)
21 Argued, reasoned, pleaded, bargained, etc.
● Escaped or got away:
22 Ran or drove away, or tried; hid, locked door
● Got help or gave alarm:
23 Called police or guard
24 Tried to attract attention or help, warn others (cried out for help, called children inside.)
● Reacted from pain or emotion:
25 Screamed from pain or fear
● Other:
26 Other - specify
ACTIONSDURINGINC
Incident Report Items
B4-104
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
ACTIONSDURINGINC
Part B, Chapter 4
Item ACTIONSDURINGINC is used to identify the types of
actions taken by the respondent during the incident. Since
the respondent may have taken more than one action,
continue asking, "Anything else?" until you get a "No"
response. Based on the respondent's answer, enter ALL
precodes that apply.
The types of actions listed in Item ACTIONSDURINGINC are
divided into eight groups and each group has a heading
which is in large blue type. Scan these titles to speed up your
search for the correct precodes to enter for a respondent's
answer.
Precodes (11)
through (16)
Precodes (11) through (16) fall under the heading, “USED
PHYSICAL FORCE TOWARD OFFENDER,” and cover any
aggressive actions taken by the respondent against the
offender, such as attacking the offender either with or without
a weapon or threatening to physically harm the offender with
or without a weapon.
Precodes (17) and (18)
Precodes (17) and (18) fall under the heading, “RESISTED
OR CAPTURED OFFENDER,” and cover a respondent's
actions taken in an attempt to catch the offender or resist the
offender (for example, the respondent struggled, ducked,
blocked blows, held onto property) without actually attacking
or threatening to physically harm the offender.
Precode (19)
Precode (19) falls under the heading, “SCARED OR
WARNED OFF OFFENDERS,” and covers a respondent's
actions taken in an attempt to scare or warn off the offender
by yelling, turning lights on, threatening to call the police, and
so on.
Precodes (20) and (21)
Precodes (20) and (21) fall under the heading “PERSUADED
OR APPEASED OFFENDER,” and cover a respondent's
actions taken in an attempt to coax the offender not to take
specific actions or to calm the offender down to avoid injury.
This could include pretending to cooperate with the offender,
stalling for time to escape, pleading with the offender, etc.
Precode (22)
Precode (22) falls under the heading, “ESCAPED OR GOT
AWAY,” and covers a respondent's attempts to get away
from the offender and leave the crime scene.
Incident Report Items
B4-105
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precodes (23) and (24)
Precodes (23) and (24) fall under the heading, “GOT HELP
OR GAVE ALARM,” and cover the respondent calling the
police or a guard or the respondent trying to attract attention
(for example, crying out for help or sounding a car horn).
Precode (25)
Precode (25) falls under the heading, “REACTED TO PAIN
OR EMOTION,” and covers the respondent screaming or
making noise in reaction to pain or fear.
Precode (26)
Precode (26) falls under the heading, “OTHER,” and covers
any action(s) taken by the respondent that do not fit into one
of the previous categories for Item ACTIONSDURINGINC.
Before entering Precode (26), make sure that the answer
does not fit Precodes (11) through (25). However, if you do
enter Precode (26), always enter a description of the
respondent's action(s) on the "Specify" screen,
ACTIONSDURINGINC_SPEC.
Continue with Item INJACTION if the respondent was injured
in the incident (Precode (12) - (21) entered in Item INJURY).
Otherwise, continue with Item INJACTIONHELP.
Did you take these actions before, after, or at the same time that you were injured?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1
2
3
Actions taken before injury
Actions taken after injury
Actions taken at same time as injury
INJACTION
INJACTION
Item INJACTION is used to determine whether the
respondent took the actions identified in Item
ACTIONSDURINGINC BEFORE, AFTER, OR AT THE
SAME TIME THAT THE OFFENDER INJURED THE
RESPONDENT. Enter all precodes that apply; separate with
commas.
After completing Item INJACTION, continue with Item
INJACTIONHELP.
Incident Report Items
B4-106
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Did your action help the situation in any way?
● Probe: Did your action help you avoid injury, protect your property, escape from the
offender - or were they helpful in some other way?
1
2
3
Yes
No
Don't know
INJACTIONHELP
INJACTIONHELP
Item INJACTIONHELP is used to find out whether the
respondent feels that any of his/her actions identified in Item
ACTIONSDURINGINC improved the situation or helped
minimize the damage done during the incident. If the
respondent seems unsure of how to answer this question,
also ask the additional probe question shown for Item
INJACTIONHELP.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you will
continue with Item HELP. After entering Precode (2) for a
"No" answer or Precode (3) for a "Don't know" answer, you
continue with Item ACTIONWORSE.
How were they helpful?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1
2
3
4
5
6
Helped avoid injury or greater injury to respondent
Scared or chased offender off
Helped respondent get away from offender
Protected property
Protected other people
Other - specify
HELP
Incident Report Items
B4-107
Part B, Chapter 4
HELP
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item HELP is used to identify how the respondent’s actions
improved the situation or minimized the damage done during
the incident. You will only ask this question if the respondent
answers "Yes" to the question in Item INJACTIONHELP.
Based on the respondent’s answer, enter all precodes that
apply and continue asking, "Any other way?" until you get a
"No" response.
If the respondent mentions a way that his/her actions helped
improve the situation and the answer does not fit the
descriptions in Precodes (1) through (5), enter Precode (6),
"Other," and enter the description on the "Specify" screen,
HELP_SPEC. Avoid entering Precode (6), if the answer
matches one of the other descriptions in Precodes (1)
through (5).
After completing Item HELP, continue with Item
ACTIONWORSE.
Did your action make the situation worse in any way?
● Probe: Did your action lead to injury, greater injury, loss of property, make the offender
angrier, or make the situation worse in some other way?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
ACTIONWORSE
ACTIONWORSE
Item ACTIONWORSE is used to find out whether the
respondent feels that any of his/her actions identified in Item
ACTIONSDURINGINC caused the situation to deteriorate or
the damage done to escalate during the incident. If the
respondent seems unsure of how to answer this question,
also ask the additional probe question shown for Item
ACTIONWORSE.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you continue
with Item WORSE. After entering Precode (2) for a "No"
Incident Report Items
B4-108
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
answer or Precode (3) for a "Don't know" answer, continue
with Item ANYONEPRESENT.
How did they make the situation worse?
●Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1 Led to injury or greater injury to respondent
2 Caused greater loss of property or damage to property
3 Other people got hurt (worse)
4 Offender got away
5 Made offender angrier, more aggressive, etc.
6 Other - specify
WORSE
WORSE
Item WORSE is used to identify how the respondent's actions
made the situation worse or caused the damage done to
escalate during the incident. You will only ask this question if
the respondent answers "Yes" to the question in Item
ACTIONWORSE. Based on the respondent's answer, enter
all the precodes that apply and continue asking, "Any other
way?" until you get a "No" response.
If the respondent mentions a way that his/her actions made
the situation worse and the answer does not fit the
descriptions in Precodes (1) through (5), enter Precode (6),
"Other," and enter the description on the "Specify" screen,
WORSE_SPEC. Avoid entering Precode (6), if the answer
matches one of the other descriptions in Precodes (1)
through (5).
After completing Item WORSE, continue with Item
ANYONEPRESENT.
Incident Report Items
B4-109
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Was anyone present during the incident besides you
and the offender? (Other than children under age 12.)
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
ANYONEPRESENT
ANYONEPRESENT
Item ANYONEPRESENT is used to find out if anyone other
than the offender and the respondent was present during the
incident, EXCLUDING children under 12 years of age. Other
persons present could include other crime victims,
bystanders, or other household members.
When deciding whether a person is "present" during an
incident, follow the instructions in this chapter for completing
Item HHMEMBERPRESENT, as well as the detailed
information about presence during an incident in Part C,
Chapter 3, Topic 6.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you will
continue with Item OTHERSACTIONS. After entering
Precode(2) for a "No" answer or Precode (3) for a "Don't
know" answer, you continue with either:
Item FIRSTTOUSEFORCE when the respondent used or
threatened to use physical force against the offender
(Precodes (11) through (16) entered in Item
ACTIONSDURINGINC)
OR
Item ONEORMOREOFFENDERS when the respondent
did NOT use or threaten to use physical force against the
offender.
Incident Report Items
B4-110
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Did the actions of (this person/any of these people) help the situation in any way?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
OTHERSACTIONS
OTHERSACTIONS
When persons, other than the respondent, the offender, and
children under the age of 12 were present during the incident
(Precode (1), "Yes," entered in Item ANYONEPRESENT),
you will continue with Item OTHERSACTIONS so you can
determine whether the actions taken by any of these persons
may have helped the situation in any way.
As you read the question in Item OTHERSACTIONS, only
use the phrase "this person" if the respondent happens to
mention that there was only one other person present.
Otherwise, read the question using the phrase "any of these
people."
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you will
continue with Item HOWOTHERSHELP. Enter Precode (2)
for a "No" answer or for instances when the other persons
present did nothing or took no actions during the incident.
Enter Precode (3) for a "Don't know" answer. After entering
either Precode (2) or (3), continue with Item
OTHERSACTIONSWORSE.
Incident Report Items
B4-111
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
How did they help the situation?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1 Helped avoid injury or greater injury to respondent
2 Scared or chased offender off
3 Helped respondent get away from offender
4 Protected property
5 Protected other people
6 Other - specify
HOWOTHERSHELP
HOWOTHERSHELP
Item HOWOTHERSHELP is used to identify how the actions
of other persons present during the incident helped the
situation. Based on the respondent's answer, enter all
precodes that apply and continue asking, "Any other way?"
until you get a "No" response.
If the respondent mentions a way that the other person's
actions helped the situation which does not fit the
descriptions in Precodes (1) through (5), enter Precode (6),
"Other," and enter the description on the "Specify" screen,
HOWOTHERSHELP_SPEC. Avoid entering Precode (6), if
the answer matches one of the other descriptions in
Precodes (1) through (5).
After completing Item HOWOTHERSHELP, press “Enter” to
continue with Item OTHERSACTIONSWORSE.
Incident Report Items
B4-112
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Did the actions of (this person/any of these people) make the situation worse in any way?
1
2
3
Yes
No
Don't know
OTHERSACTIONSWORSE
OTHERSACTIONSWORSE
Item OTHERSACTIONSWORSE is used to find out whether
the respondent feels that any actions taken by other persons
present during the incident caused the situation to deteriorate
or the damage done to escalate.
As you read the question in OTHERSACTIONSWORSE, use
the phrase "this person" if the respondent says that there
was only one other person present. Otherwise, read the
question using the phrase "any of these people."
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, continue with
Item OTHWORSE. After entering Precode (2) for a "No"
answer or Precode (3) for a "Don't know" answer, continue
with Item PERSONSHARMED.
How did they make the situation worse?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1
2
3
4
5
6
Led to injury or greater injury to respondent
Caused greater loss of property or damage to property
Other people got hurt (worse)
Offender got away
Made offender angrier, more aggressive, etc.
Other - specify
OTHWORSE
OTHWORSE
Item OTHWORSE is used to identify how the actions of other
persons made the situation worse or caused the damage
Incident Report Items
B4-113
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
done to escalate during the incident. Based on the
respondent's answer, enter all precodes that apply and
continue asking "Any other way?" until you get a "No"
response.
If the respondent mentions a way that the actions of other
persons made the situation worse and the answer does not fit
the descriptions in Precodes (1) through (5), enter Precode
(6), "Other," and enter the description on the "Specify"
screen, OTHWORSE_SPEC. Avoid entering Precode (6) if
the answer matches one of the other descriptions in
Precodes (1) through (5).
After completing Item OTHWORSE, continue with Item
PERSONSHARMED.
Not counting yourself, were any of the persons present during the incident harmed (PAUSE),
threatened with harm (PAUSE), or robbed by force or threat of harm?
(Do not include yourself, the offender, or children under
12 years of age.)
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
PERSONSHARMED
PERSONSHARMED
Item PERSONSHARMED is used to determine whether or
not other persons who were present during the incident were
physically harmed, threatened with physical harm, or robbed
by force or threat of harm. As you ask the question for Item
PERSONSHARMED, make sure to pause where indicated
and make sure that the respondent understands NOT to
include:
✖ Himself/herself,
✖ The offender(s), and
✖ Any children who were younger than 12 years of age at
Incident Report Items
B4-114
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
the time of the incident.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you will
continue with Item PERSONSHARMEDNUM. Enter Precode
(2) for a "No" answer or when the respondent indicates that:
The respondent was the only person harmed or
threatened with harm.
The only other person who was harmed or threatened
with harm was someone under 12 years of age.
The other person(s) did NOT experience any physical
harm or threat of physical harm (for example, they had
their pockets picked or property was stolen from their cars
while they were in a bank).
Enter Precode (3) for a "Don't know" answer.
After entering Precode (2) or (3), continue with either:
Item FIRSTTOUSEFORCE when the respondent used or
threatened to use physical force against the offender
(Precodes (11) through (16) entered in Item
ACTIONSDURINGINC)
OR
Item ONEORMOREOFFENDERS when the respondent
did NOT use or threaten to use physical force against the
offender.
How many?
(Do not include yourself, the offender, or children under 12 years of age.)
PERSONSHARMEDNUM
PERSONSHARMEDNUM
Item PERSONSHARMEDNUM is used to identify the total
number of persons over the age of 12 who were harmed,
threatened with harm, or robbed by force or threat of harm
Incident Report Items
B4-115
Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
during the incident, EXCLUDING the respondent and the
offender(s). Enter the number of persons provided by the
respondent in the space for "How many harmed."
If the respondent's answer is not a number (for example, the
respondent says "several," "just a few," "many," or similar),
probe to get an estimate of the number of other persons who
were present and personally victimized during the incident.
After completing Item PERSONSHARMEDNUM, continue
with Item HHMEMHARMED.
How many of these persons are members of your household now?
(Do not include yourself, the offender, or children under 12 years of age.)
Number of hhld members 12 years and older: 3
Number of persons present: 3
HHMEMHARMED
HHMEMHARMED
Item HHMEMHARMED is used to:
Determine whether any of the persons included in the
count in Item PERSONSHARMEDNUM are household
members at the time of interview.
Identify the number of persons included in the count in
Item PERSONSHARMEDNUM who are household
members at the time of interview.
If you enter a number of persons at this screen, continue with
Item HHMEMHARMED_NAMES.
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If not sure, ask:
Who are these household members? (Do not include yourself,
the offender, or children under 12 years of age.)
2 Jane Doe
3 Jeffrey Doe
HHMEMHARMED_NAMES
At Item HHMEMHARMED_NAMES, identify by line number,
each of the household members other than the respondent,
the offender(s), or children under 12 years of age, who were
harmed, threatened with harm, or robbed by force or the
threat of harm during the incident.
Each of the household members identified at this screen
should report this incident during his/her interview. However,
do NOT ask about the victimization reported by another
household member if the current respondent does not
mention it himself/herself. You may discover that a household
member was NOT personally victimized during the incident or
you have already interviewed one of these household
members and the person did not report this incident. If this
happens, enter this fact in an “F7" note at this screen, as well
as at the Control + F7 case level notes.
For proxy interviews, if the proxy respondent was one of the
persons who was personally victimized during the incident
reported for the proxy person, make sure that you enter the
proxy respondent's line number in Item
HHMEMHARMED_NAMES, NOT the line number for
the person for whom the interview is being taken (proxy
person).
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Who was the first to use or threaten to use physical force - you, the offender, or someone else?
1 Respondent
2 Offender(s)
3 Someone else
FIRSTTOUSEFORCE
FIRSTTOUSEFORCE
Item FIRSTTOUSEFORCE is asked when any precode of 11
through 16 is entered in Item ACTIONSDURINGINC. This
item is used to identify the first person to use or threaten to
use physical force during the incident.
If the first person to use or threaten to use force during the
incident was:
✓ The respondent (not proxy respondent) - Enter Precode
(1)
✓ One or more of the offenders - Enter Precode (2)
✓ Someone other than the respondent or an offender Enter Precode (3)
If the respondent does not know who used or threatened to
use force first - use Ctrl + D for “Don’t know.”
After entering the appropriate precode in Item
FIRSTTOUSEFORCE, continue with Item
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS.
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Do you know or have you learned anything about the offender(s) - for instance,
whether there was one or more than one offender involved, whether it was someone young or
old, or male or female?
1 Yes
2 No
KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS
KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS
Item KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS is ONLY asked when NO
household members were present during the incident
(Precode (2), "No," entered in Item HHMEMBERPRESENT).
If you discover that any household members WERE present
during the incident, do not ask the question in Item
KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS. Using the “Up” arrow, return to
Item HHMEMBERPRESENT and correct the answer to show
that the respondent or other household members were
present.
Item KNOWLEARNOFFENDERS is used to find out if the
respondent knows anything or has learned anything about
the offender(s), such as whether there were one or more
offenders, whether the offender was young or old, or male or
female. It does not matter from which source the respondent
received this information; for instance, it may have come from
the police, neighbors, or other circumstances of the incident.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, continue with
Item SUREOFINFO. After entering Precode (2) for a "No"
answer, continue with Item THEFT.
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How sure are you of this information?
Do you have a suspicion, are you fairly sure or are you certain?
1 Suspicion
2 Fairly sure
3 Certain
SUREOFINFO
SUREOFINFO
Item SUREOFINFO is used to discover how sure the
respondent is about the accuracy of what he/she knows or
has learned about the offender(s).
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent only suspects what
he/she knows about the offender(s) is true. Enter Precode (2)
if the respondent is fairly sure what he/she knows about the
offender(s) is true. Enter Precode (3) if the respondent is
certain what he/she knows about the offender(s) is true.
How did you learn about the offender(s)?
Probe: Any other way?
Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Respondent saw or heard offender
From other member of household who was eyewitness
From other eyewitness(es) other than household member(s)
From police
Other person (not eyewitness)
Offender(s) admitted it
Offender(s) had threatened to do it
Stolen property found on offender's property or in offender's possession
Figured it out by who had motive, opportunity or had doneit before
Other - specify
LEARNOFFENDERS
LEARNOFFENDERS
Item LEARNOFFENDERS is used to determine how the
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respondent found out any information about the offender(s).
Since there may have been more than one source, enter all
precodes that apply and continue asking "Any other way?"
until you get a "No" response. Once you complete Item
LEARNOFFENDERS, continue with Item THEFT.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the respondent saw or heard the
offender, but was not present during the incident. For more
information about presence during an incident, refer to Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT in this chapter and Part C, Chapter
3, Topic 6.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the respondent found out about the
offender from another household member who saw the
offender, but was not present during the incident.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the respondent found out about the
offender from someone who is not a household member,
such as a neighbor who actually saw the offender commit the
crime.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the respondent found out about the
offender from the police department.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the respondent found out about the
offender from someone who is not a household member, but
this person did not see the offender commit the crime.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the offender(s) admitted his/her offense
to the respondent, another household member, or to
someone who is not a household member AFTER the
incident happened.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if the offender(s) threatened to commit
this type of crime against the respondent or someone else
PRIOR to the incident.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the respondent or someone else found
property that was stolen during the incident on the offender's
property or in the offender's possession.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if the respondent suspects a particular
person to be the offender because that person had a motive
or opportunity to commit the crime or because the person had
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committed similar crimes in the past.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if the respondent's answer really does not
fit the descriptions in Precodes (11) through (19). After
entering Precode (20), explain how the respondent found out
information about the offender(s) on the "Specify" screen,
LEARNOFFENDERS_SPEC.
What actually happened?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Something taken without permission
Attempted or threatened to take something
Harassed, argument, abusive language
Forcible entry or attempted forcible entry of house/apartment
Forcible entry or attempted forcible entry of car
Damaged or destroyed property
Attempted or threatened to damage or destroy property
Other - specify
HAPPEN
HAPPEN
Item HAPPEN is used to determine what actually happened
during the incident when only other household members were
present, but NOT the respondent (Precode (3) entered in
Item WHICHMEMBER). Since the offender(s) may have
taken more than one action during the incident, continue
asking "Anything else?" until you get a "No" response and
enter all precodes that apply.
If you discover that a household member other than the
respondent was personally victimized during the incident,
complete the incident report items for the incident for other
household members who report that they were victimized
when you conduct their interviews. If you already interviewed
the other household members and they did not report the
incident, note this fact in an “F7" note at this screen, as well
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as at the case level notes (Ctrl + F7).
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the offender stole something that
belongs to the respondent or another household member.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the offender:
✓ Tried to steal something that belongs to the respondent or
another household member
OR
✓ Threatened either verbally or nonverbally to take
something that belongs to the respondent or another
household member. An example of a verbal threat to take
something is the offender saying: "Give me your jacket or
I'll rip it off your back." An example of a nonverbal threat
to take something is an offender lunging towards the
household member reaching for her necklace.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the offender bothered a household
member verbally without threatening the household member.
This could include yelling, teasing, insulting, arguing, using
obscenities, and so on.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the offender forced his/her way into or
attempted to force his/her way into the respondent's home
and physical evidence of force is visible on the
house/apartment after the incident happened. Do not enter
Precode (14) if there was no force involved or if the only force
involved was used against a household member and not
against the house/apartment. In this case, enter Precode
(18), "Other," and explain the situation at "HAPPEN_SPEC"
which prompts, “Please specify what actually happened.”
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the offender forcibly entered or tried to
enter a car or other motor vehicle owned by the respondent
or another household member. However, if no physical force
was used to enter or to try to enter the vehicle (for example,
offender opened an unlocked door to enter the vehicle), enter
Precode (18), "Other," and explain the situation on the
"HAPPEN_SPEC" screen that appears.
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Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the offender damaged or destroyed
property during the incident that belongs to the respondent or
another household member.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if the offender tried or threatened to
damage or destroy property belonging to the respondent or
another household member while the crime was being
committed.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the respondent's answer does not fit
any of the descriptions in Precodes (11) through (17) and
then explain what actually happened during the incident on
the "HAPPEN_SPEC" screen that appears.
Here are some examples of acceptable explanations after
entering Precode (18), "Other":
✓ Illegal entry into house/apartment, no force used
✓ Peeping tom
✓ Offender opened hood of car
✓ Obscene gestures.
After entering all appropriate precodes, press “Enter” and
proceed to the next item.
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Topic 2. Screen Layout and Instructions for
Items ONEORMOREOFFENDERS through
ANYTHINGFURTHER
● Ask or verify:
Was the crime committed by only one or by more than one offender?
1 Only one
2 More than one
3 Don't know
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS
ONEORMORE
OFFENDERS
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS is asked to find out if the
crime was committed by one offender or multiple offenders. If the
respondent has already told you how many offenders were
involved in the incident, you can verify this information with the
respondent instead of asking the question in Item
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when only one offender was involved in the
incident. The instrument continues with
SINGOFFENDERKNEW, which asks the respondent if they
knew the offender.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when there were two or more offenders
involved in the incident. The instrument continues with Item
HOWMANYOFFENDERS.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does not know whether there
was just one offender or more than one offender involved in the
incident. After entering Precode (3), continue with Item
KNOWOFFENDERS.
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Do you know anything about one of the offenders?
1 Yes
2 No
KNOWOFFENDERS
KNOWOFFENDERS
Item KNOWOFFENDERS is used to determine whether the
respondent knows anything about the offender(s). You only ask
this question when the respondent does not know whether there
was one or more than one offender (“Don’t know” entered in Item
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS).
After entering Precode (1) for a “Yes” answer, continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERKNEW, which asks the respondent if they knew
the offender. After entering Precode (2) for a “No” answer,
continue with Item THEFT.
Was the offender someone you knew or a stranger you had never seen before?
1 Knew or had seen before
2 Stranger
3 Don’t know
SINGOFFENDERKNEW
SINGOFFENDERKNEW
Item SINGOFFENDERKNEW is used to determine whether the
respondent knew the offender or had seen the offender in the
past.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the offender knew or had seen the offender at
some time prior to the incident. After entering Precode (1),
continue with Item SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the offender is a stranger to the respondent.
After entering Precode (2), the instrument continues with Item
SINGOFFENDERRECOG.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does not know for sure
whether or not the offender is someone he/she knows or is a
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stranger. The instrument continues with Item
SINGOFFENDERRECOG.
Would you be able to recognize the offender if you saw him/her?
1 Yes
2 Not sure (possibly or probably)
3 No
SINGOFFENDERRECOG
SINGOFFENDERRECOG
Item SINGOFFENDERRECOG is used to find out how certain
the respondent is that he/she could identify the offender if the
respondent saw the offender again.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when the respondent is fairly sure that he/she
would recognize the offender if the respondent saw the offender
again. After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when the respondent thinks he/she might
recognize the offender if the respondent saw the person again, but
is not certain. After entering Precode (2), continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when the respondent knows that he/she could
not recognize the offender if the respondent saw the offender
again. After entering Precode (3), continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERGENDER.
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How well did you know the offender - by sight only, casual acquaintance, or well known?
1 Sight only
2 Casual acquaintance
3 Well known
SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL
SINGOFFENDERHOW
WELL
After a respondent has indicated in Item
SINGOFFENDERKNEW that he/she knew or had seen the
offender before the incident, then you ask the question in Item
SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL to find out how well the
respondent knew the offender. If the respondent does not answer
with one of the suggested choices, probe by repeating the options.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent only remembers seeing the
offender previously. After entering Precode (1), you will continue
with Item SINGOFFENDERSIGHT.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the respondent knew the offender somewhat
and felt comfortable saying “Hello,” but did not necessarily know
his/her name. After entering Precode (2), you continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERRELATION.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent feels that he/she knew the
offender very well. Let the respondent make this decision. After
entering Precode (3), continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERRELATION.
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Would you have been able to tell the police how they might find the offender, for instance,
where he/she lived, worked, went to school, or spent time?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Other - Specify
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT
Item SINGOFFENDERSIGHT is used to determine whether the
respondent has any information which may help the police find the
offender. The respondent's answer should be based on what
he/she knows about the offender, and NOT necessarily on what
the respondent actually told the police.
Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” answer, Precode (2) for a “No”
answer, and Precode (3), “Other,” when you need to record more
than just a "Yes" or “No” answer. After entering Precode (3), make
sure to enter a description of the respondent's answer on the
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT_SPEC screen, which then appears.
When you complete Item SINGOFFENDERSIGHT,
continue with Item SINGOFFENDERGENDER.
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How well did you know the offender?
For example, was the offender a friend, cousin, etc.?
RELATIVE:
11 Spouse at time of incident
12 Ex-spouse at time of incident
13 Parent or step-parent
14 Own child or step-child
15 Brother/sister
16 Other relative - specify
NONRELATIVE:
17 Boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
18 Friend or ex-friend
19 Roommate, boarder
20 Schoolmate
21 Neighbor
22 Customer/client
23 Patient
24 Supervisor (current or former)
25 Employee (current or former)
26 Co-worker (current or former)
27 Teacher/school staff
28 Other nonrelative - Specify
SINGOFFENDERRELATION
SINGOFFENDER
RELATION
Item SINGOFFENDERRELATION is used to identify the
relationship between the respondent and the offender, when the
respondent indicates in Item SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL that
he/she was a casual acquaintance of the offender or knew the
offender very well (Precode (2) or (3) entered in Item
SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL). Always ask BOTH questions
in Item SINGOFFENDERRELATION to ensure that the
respondent identifies all types of relationships, not just relatives.
Enter only the first precode that applies to the respondent’s
answer. Notice that the answer categories are divided into two
groups: Precodes (11) through (16) cover relatives of the
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respondent and Precodes (17) through (28) cover nonrelatives of
the respondent.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the offender was the spouse of the
respondent (husband/wife) at the time of the incident, regardless
of whether they are currently married to each other.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the offender was a former spouse
(husband/wife) of the respondent at the time of the incident.
Accept the respondent's answer and do not probe when the
respondent says “Ex-spouse” or “Former wife/husband.”
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the offender is the mother, father, stepmother, or step-father of the respondent. Precode (13) is not
intended for parents through marriage, which should be included
in Precode (16), “Other relative.” After entering Precode (16),
indicate the type of other relative on the “Specify” screen, such as
“father-in-law” or “mother-in-law.”
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the offender is a child of the respondent by
birth, adoption, or marriage, such as a son, daughter, step-son, or
step-daughter. Precode (14) is not intended for foster children;
instead enter Precode (28), “Other nonrelative,” and enter the
relationship on the “Specify” screen.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the offender is a brother or sister of the
respondent or the child of a respondent's step-parent. Precode
(15) is not intended for “brothers-in-law” or “sisters-in-law.” Instead
enter Precode (16), “Other,” and enter the relationship on the
“Specify” screen.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the offender was the respondent's aunt,
uncle, cousin, grandparent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-inlaw, brother-in-law, or any offender who is related to the
respondent by blood or marriage and is not described in Precodes
(11) through (15). After entering Precode (16), always enter the
relationship on the “Specify” screen,
SINGOFFENDERRELATION_SPEC_16.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if the offender is a nonrelative who has or has
had romantic connections to the respondent. For example, the
offender and the respondent were dating at the time of the
incident or used to date before the incident.
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Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the offender is a male or female friend or
past friend of the respondent AND there is no romantic connection
between the two persons.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if the offender is a person who is NOT related
to the respondent, but was living with the respondent at the time of
the incident, such as a boarder or roommate. Precode (19) is not
intended for “live-in” boyfriends/girlfriends; instead, enter Precode
(17) for these situations.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if the offender attended the same school as
the respondent at the time of the incident AND is not related to the
respondent.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) if the offender lives close enough to the
respondent to be considered a neighbor AND is not related to the
respondent.
Precodes (22), (23),
(24), (25), or (26)
Enter the most appropriate precode from Precodes (22),
(23), (24), (25), and (26) if the offender is a nonrelative, but is
known by the respondent as a business client, patient, or a
supervisor, employee, or co-worker, including former supervisors,
employees, and co-workers.
Precode (27)
Enter Precode (27) if the offender is a teacher or a school staff
member at the respondent’s school. If the respondent works at the
school, use the appropriate precode (24), (25), or (26).
Precode (28)
Enter Precode (28) if the respondent's answer does not fit any of
the other nonrelative relationships, but the offender is either well
known or a casual acquaintance. Enter the offender's relationship
to the respondent on the “Specify” screen,
SINGOFFENDERRELATION_SPEC_28, such as the
respondent's barber or financial planner.
Once you have completed Item SINGOFFENDERRELATION,
continue with Item SINGOFFENDERGENDER.
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Was the offender male or female?
1 Male
2 Female
3 Don't Know
SINGOFFENDERGENDER
SINGOFFENDER
GENDER
Item SINGOFFENDERGENDER is used to identify
whether the offender is male or female. Based on the
respondent's perception, enter Precode (1) for "Male," Precode (2)
for "Female," or Precode (3) if the respondent does not know the
offender's gender. The instrument then goes to Item
SINGOFFENDERAGE.
How old would you say the offender was?
1 Under 12
2 12-14
3 15-17
4 18-20
5 21-29
6 30 or older
7 Don't know
SINGOFFENDERAGE
SINGOFFENDERAGE
Item SINGOFFENDERAGE is used to identify the approximate
age of the offender based on the respondent's perception. If the
respondent seems unsure, ask the respondent to give you his/her
best estimate.
Each precode identifies a range of years, such as "Under 12" for
Precode (1), "12-14" for Precode (2), and so on. Enter the
appropriate precode based on the respondent's answer. If the
respondent is unable to give you even an estimated age for the
offender, enter Precode (7) for "Don't know." The instrument goes
to Item SINGOFFETHNICITY.
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Was the offender Hispanic or Latino?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
SINGOFFETHNICITY
SINGOFFETHNICITY
SINGOFFETHNICITY asks whether the offender was Hispanic
or Latino. Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response; Precode (2) for
“No,” or Precode (3) for “Don’t know.” The instrument then goes
to Item SINGOFFRACE.
What race or races was the offender? You may mark more than one. Was the offender...
Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
1 White?
2 Black or African American?
3 American Indian or Alaska Native?
4 Asian?
5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
6 Don’t know
SINGOFFRACE
SINGOFFRACE
Item SINGOFFRACE is used to record the offender’s race as
perceived by the respondent. Read the answer categories to the
respondent as part of the question. Do not read answer category
(6), “Don’t know.”
Enter Precode (1) for “White” and Precode (2) for “Black or
African American.” Enter Precode (3) for “American Indian or
Alaska Native.” Enter Precode (4) for “Asian.” Enter Precode (5)
for “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.” Enter Precode (6)
“Don’t know,” if respondent cannot identify offender’s race.
After completing Item SINGOFFRACE, continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERGANG.
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Was the offender a member of a street gang, or don't you know?
1 Yes (a member of a street gang)
2 No (not a member of a street gang)
3 Don't know (if a member of a street gang)
SINGOFFENDERGANG
SINGOFFENDERGANG
Item SINGOFFENDERGANG is used to determine whether or
not the offender is a member of a street gang based on the
respondent's perception. Consider a street gang as a group of
people who associate regularly with one another, generally have a
leader or group of leaders who issue orders and reap the rewards
of the gang's activities, and often engage in anti-social or deviant
behavior.
Some ways to identify gang members are their "colors," clothing,
tattoos, brands, or imprints of the gang's name, logo, or other
identifying marks on their bodies.
Enter the appropriate precode based on the respondent's answer–
Precode (1) for "Yes," Precode (2) for "No," or Precode (3) for
"Don't know." The instrument then goes to
SINGOFFENDERDRINKDRUG.
Was the offender drinking or on drugs, or don't you know?
1 Yes (drinking or on drugs)
2 No (not drinking/not on drugs)
3 Don't know (if drinking or on drugs)
SINGOFFENDERDRINKDRUG
SINGOFFENDER
DRINKDRUG
Precode (1)
Item SINGOFFENDERDRINKDRUG is used to find out if the
offender was drinking alcoholic beverages or under the influence
of drugs during the incident. Enter the appropriate precode based
on what the respondent believes or knows.
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the offender was actively drinking or
under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident.
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After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the offender was not drinking or under
the influence of drugs or alcohol. After entering Precode (2),
continue with Item SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent could not tell if
the offender was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After
entering Precode (3), continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME.
Which was it? (Drinking or on drugs)?
1 Drinking
2 On drugs
3 Both (drinking and on drugs)
4 Drinking or on drugs - could not tell which
SINGOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG
SINGOFFENDERDRINK
ORDRUG
Item SINGOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG is used to distinguish
between whether the offender was just drinking, just on drugs,
under the influence of BOTH alcohol and drugs, or perhaps the
respondent cannot distinguish between the two. After completing
Item SINGOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG, continue with Item
SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Drinking," if the respondent thinks or knows
that the offender was under the influence of only alcohol during
the incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "On drugs," if the respondent thinks or knows
that the offender was under the influence of only drugs during the
incident.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Both," if the respondent thinks or knows that
the offender was under the influence of BOTH drugs and alcohol
during the incident.
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Precode (4)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (4), "Drinking or on drugs," if the respondent thinks
or knows that the offender is under the influence of drugs or
alcohol, but cannot tell which one.
Was this the only time this offender committed a crime or made threats against you or your
household?
1 Yes (only time)
2 No (there were other times)
3 Don't know
SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME
SINGOFFENDER
ONLYTIME
Item SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME is used to determine
whether the offender has ever committed any type of crime or
threatened to physically harm the respondent or another
household member, other than the current incident. For this
question, do not limit the respondent to crimes committed only
during the 6-month reference period.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes (only time)," if the respondent tells you
that the current incident is the only crime this offender has
committed against his/her household. Make sure that the
respondent understands we are interested in crimes committed by
this offender at ANY time prior to this incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No (there were other times)," if the respondent
says that this offender did commit other crimes against the
respondent or other household members at ANY time prior to this
incident.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does not really know whether
or not the offender has committed other crimes against the
household prior to this incident.
Once you have completed Item SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME,
continue with Item THEFT.
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Part B, Chapter 4
HOWMANY
OFFENDERS
through
MULTOFFENDER
ONLYTIME
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Items HOWMANYOFFENDERS through
MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME are asked to collect the same
type of information for multiple offenders as Items
ONEORMOREOFFENDERS through
SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME collect for a single offender.
Notice that the age items for multiple offenders are handled
differently. For multiple offenders, the ages of the youngest and
oldest offenders are asked.
How many offenders?
● Enter number between 2-96
HOWMANYOFFENDERS
HOWMANY
OFFENDERS
Item HOWMANYOFFENDERS appears when the respondent
indicated in ONEORMOREOFFENDERS that there was more
than one offender. Enter the appropriate number as specified by
the respondent. The instrument then goes to
MULTOFFENDERKNEW.
Were any of the offenders known to you, or were they all strangers you had never seen before?
1 All known
2 Some known
3 All strangers
4 Don’t know
MULTOFFENDERKNEW
MULTOFFENDER
KNEW
Item MULTOFFENDERKNEW is used to determine whether the
respondent knew the offenders or had seen the offenders in the
past.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent knew or had seen all the
offenders at some time prior to the incident. After entering
Precode (1), continue with Item MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the respondent knew or had seen some of the
offenders at some time prior to the incident. After entering
Precode (2), continue with Item MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL.
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Part B, Chapter 4
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent did not know or had not seen
any of the offenders at some time prior to the incident. After
entering Precode (3), continue with Item
MULTOFFENDERRECOG.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent does not know for sure
whether or not the offenders are someone he/she knows or are
strangers. The instrument continues with Item
MULTOFFENDERRECOG.
Would you be able to recognize any of them if you saw them?
1 Yes
2 Not sure (possible or probably)
3 No
MULTOFFENDERRECOG
MULTOFFENDER
RECOG
Item MULTOFFENDERRECOG is used to find out how certain
the respondent is that he/she could identify the offenders if the
respondent saw the offenders again.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when the respondent is fairly sure that he/she
would recognize the offenders if the respondent saw the offenders
again. After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
MULTOFFENDERSIGHT.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when the respondent thinks he/she might
recognize the offenders if the respondent saw them again, but
is not really certain. After entering Precode (2), continue with
Item MULTOFFENDERSIGHT.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when the respondent knows that he/she could
not recognize the offenders if the respondent saw the offenders
again. After entering Precode (3), continue with Item
MULTOFFENDERGENDER.
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How well did you know the offenders – by sight only, casual acquaintance, or well known?
1 Sight only
2 Casual acquaintance
3 Well known
MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL
MULTOFFENDER
HOWWELL
After a respondent has indicated in Item
MULTOFFENDERKNEW that he/she knew or had seen the
offenders before the incident, then you ask the question in Item
MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL to find out how well the
respondent knew the offenders. If the respondent does not answer
with one of the suggested choices, probe by repeating the options.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent only remembers seeing the
offenders previously. After entering Precode (1), continue
with Item MULTOFFENDERSIGHT.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the respondent knew the offenders somewhat
and felt comfortable saying "Hello," but did not necessarily know
the offenders’ names. After entering Precode (2), continue with
Item MULTOFFENDERRELATION.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent feels that he/she knew the
offenders very well. Let the respondent make this decision. After
entering Precode (3), continue with Item
MULTOFFENDERRELATION.
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Part B, Chapter 4
Would you have been able to tell the police how they might find any of them, for instance,
where they lived, worked, went to school, or spent time?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Other - Specify
MULTOFFENDERSIGHT
MULTOFFENDERSIGHT
Item MULTOFFENDERSIGHT is used to determine whether the
respondent has any information which may help the police find the
offenders. The respondent's answer should be based on what
he/she knows about the offenders, and NOT necessarily on what
the respondent actually told the police.
Enter Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, Precode (2) for a "No"
answer, and Precode (3), "Other," when you need to record more
than just a "Yes" or "No" answer. After entering Precode (3), make
sure to enter a description of the respondent's answer on the
MULTOFFENDERSIGHT_SPEC screen, which then appears.
When you complete Item MULTOFFENDERSIGHT,
continue with Item MULTOFFENDERGENDER.
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
How did you know them? For example, were they friends, cousins, etc.?
Probe: Anything else?
Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
RELATIVE:
11 Spouse at time of incident
12 Ex-spouse at time of incident
13 Parent or step-parent
14 Own child or step-child
15 Brother/sister
16 Other relative - specify
NONRELATIVE:
17 Boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
18 Friend or ex-friend
19 Roommate, boarder
20 Schoolmate
21 Neighbor
22 Customer/client
23 Patient
24 Supervisor (current or former)
25 Employee (current or former)
26 Co-worker (current or former)
27 Teacher/school staff
28 Other nonrelative – Specify
MULTOFFENDERRELATION
MULTOFFENDER
RELATION
Item MULTOFFENDERRELATION is used to identify the
relationship between the respondent and the offenders, when the
respondent indicates in Item MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL
that he/she was a casual acquaintance of the offenders or knew
the offenders very well (Precode (2) or (3) entered in Item
MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL). Always ask BOTH questions
in Item MULTOFFENDERRELATION to ensure that the
respondent identifies all types of relationships, not just relatives.
Enter all that apply. Notice that the answer categories are divided
into two groups: Precodes (11) through (16) cover relatives of the
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respondent and Precodes (17) through (28) cover nonrelatives of
the respondent.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if any offender was the spouse of the
respondent (husband/wife) at the time of the incident, regardless
of whether they are currently married to each other.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if any offender was a former spouse
(husband/wife) of the respondent at the time of the incident.
Accept the respondent's answer and do not probe when the
respondent says "Ex-spouse" or "Former wife/husband."
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if any offender is the mother, father, stepmother, or step-father of the respondent. Precode (13) is not
intended for parents through marriage, which should be included
in Precode (16), "Other relative." After entering Precode (16),
indicate the type of other relative on the "Specify" screen, such as
"father-in-law" or "mother-in-law."
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if any offender is a child of the respondent by
birth, adoption, or marriage, such as a son, daughter, step-son, or
step-daughter. Precode (14) is not intended for foster children;
instead enter Precode (28), "Other nonrelative," and enter the
relationship on the "Specify" screen.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if any offender is a brother or sister of the
respondent or the child of a respondent's step-parent. Precode
(15) is not intended for "brothers-in-law" or "sisters-in-law." Instead
enter Precode (16), “Other,” and enter the relationship on the
"Specify" screen.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if any offender was the respondent's aunt,
uncle, cousin, grandparent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-inlaw, brother-in-law, or any offender who is related to the
respondent by blood or marriage and is not described in Precodes
(11) through (15). After entering Precode (16), always enter the
relationship on the "Specify" screen,
MULTOFFENDERRELATION_SPEC_16.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if any offender is a nonrelative who has or has
had romantic connections to the respondent; for example, if the
offender and the respondent were dating at the time of the
incident or used to date before the incident.
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Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if any offender is a male or female friend or
past friend of the respondent AND there is no romantic connection
between the two persons.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if any offender is a person who is NOT related
to the respondent, but was living with the respondent at the time of
the incident, such as a boarder or roommate. Precode (19) is not
intended for "live-in" boyfriends/girlfriends; instead, enter Precode
(17) for these situations.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if any offender attended the same school as
the respondent at the time of the incident AND is not related to the
respondent.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) if any offender lives close enough to the
respondent to be considered a neighbor AND is not related to the
respondent.
Precodes (22), (23),
(24), (25), or (26)
Enter the most appropriate precode from Precodes (22),
(23), (24), (25), and (26) if any offender is a nonrelative, but is
known by the respondent as a business client, patient, or a
supervisor, employee, or co-worker, including former supervisors,
employees, and co-workers.
Precode (27)
Enter Precode (27) if any offender is a teacher or a school staff
member at the respondent’s school. If the respondent works at the
school, use the appropriate precode (24), (25), or (26).
Precode (28)
Enter Precode (28) if the respondent's answer does not fit any of
the other nonrelative relationships, but any offender is either well
known or a casual acquaintance. Enter the offender's relationship
to the respondent on the "Specify" screen,
MULTOFFENDERRELATION_SPEC_28, such as the
respondent's barber or financial planner.
Once you have completed Item MULTOFFENDERRELATION,
continue with Item MULTOFFENDERGENDER.
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Part B, Chapter 4
Were they male or female?
1 All male
2 All female
3 Don’t know sex of any offenders
4 Both male and female
MULTOFFENDERGENDER
MULTOFFENDER
GENDER
Item MULTOFFENDERGENDER asks whether the offenders
are male, female, or a combination. Based on the respondent's
perception, enter Precode (1) for "All male," Precode (2) for
"All female," Precode (3) if the respondent does not know the
offenders’ gender, and Precode (4) if the offenders were both
male and female. If the respondent answers this question with
Precode (4) and there were more than two offenders, the
instrument goes to MULTOFFENDERMOSTGENDER. Otherwise,
the instrument goes to Item MULTOFFENDERYOUNG.
Were they mostly male or mostly female?
1 Mostly male
2 Mostly female
3 Evenly divided
4 Don’t know
MULTOFFENDERMOSTGENDER
MULTOFFENDER
MOSTGENDER
Item MULTOFFENDERMOSTGENDER appears when the
respondent answers MULTOFFENDERGENDER with Precode
(4) and indicates that there were more than two offenders. Based
on the respondent’s perception, enter Precode (1) for “Mostly
male,” Precode (2) for “Mostly female,” Precode (3) for “Evenly
divided,” or Precode (4) for “Don’t know.” The instrument goes to
Item MULTOFFENDERYOUNG.
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
How old would you say the youngest was?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 12
12-14
15-17
18-20
21-29
30 or older
Don’t know
MULTOFFENDERYOUNG
MULTOFFENDER
YOUNG
In Item MULTOFFENDERYOUNG, enter the precode for the
age of the youngest offender, according to the perception of the
respondent. Enter Precode (1) for “Under 12,” Precode (2) for “1214,” Precode (3) for “15-17,” Precode (4) for “18-20,” Precode (5)
for “21-29,” Precode (6) for “30 or older,” and Precode (7) for
“Don’t know.” The instrument then goes to
MULTOFFENDEROLD.
How old would you say the oldest was?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 12
12-14
15-17
18-20
21-29
30 or older
Don’t know
MULTOFFENDEROLD
MULTOFFENDEROLD
In Item MULTOFFENDEROLD, enter the precode for the age of
the oldest offender, according to the perception of the
respondent. Enter Precode (1) for “Under 12,” Precode (2) for “1214,” Precode (3) for “15-17,” Precode (4) for “18-20,” Precode (5)
for “21-29,” Precode (6) for “30 or older,” and Precode (7) for
“Don’t know.” The instrument then goes to
MULTOFFETHNICITY.
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Part B, Chapter 4
Were any of the offenders Hispanic or Latino?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
MULTOFFETHNICITY
MULTOFFETHNICITY
Item MULTOFFETHNICITY asks whether any of the offenders
were Hispanic or Latino. If you enter Precode (1) for a “Yes”
response, the instrument goes to
MULTOFFENDERMOSTTHNICITY. If you enter Precode (2)
for “No,” or Precode (3) for “Don’t know,” the instrument goes to
Item MULTOFFENDERRACE.
Were the offenders mostly Hispanic, mostly non-Hispanic,
or an equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic?
1 Mostly Hispanic
2 Mostly non-Hispanic
3 Equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic
4 Don’t know
MULTOFFENDERMOSTETHNICITY
MULTOFFENDER
MOSTETHNICITY
Item MULTOFFENDERMOSTETHNICITY asks whether the
offenders were mostly Hispanic, mostly non-Hispanic, or an equal
number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic. It is asked when Precode
(1), “Yes,” is entered in Item MULTOFFETHNICITY. Enter
Precode (1) for “Mostly Hispanic,” Precode (2) for “Mostly nonHispanic,” Precode (3) for “Equal number of Hispanic and nonHispanic,” or Precode (4) for “Don’t know.” The instrument goes to
MULTOFFENDERRACE.
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Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What race or races were the offenders? Were they…
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
1 White?
2 Black or African American?
3 American Indian or Alaska Native?
4 Asian?
5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
6 Don’t know
MULTOFFENDERRACE
MULTOFFENDERRACE
Item MULTOFFENDERRACE is used to record the offenders’
race(s) as perceived by the respondent. Read the answer
categories to the respondent as part of the question. Do not read
answer category (6), “Don’t know.” Enter all that apply.
Enter Precode (1) for “White” and Precode (2) for “Black or African
American.” Enter Precode (3) for “American Indian or Alaska
Native.” Enter Precode (4) for “Asian.” Enter Precode (5) for
“Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.” Enter Precode (6)
“Don’t know,” if respondent cannot identify offenders’ race(s).
If two or more precodes are marked, the instrument goes to Item
MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST. Otherwise, it goes to
MULTOFFENDERGANG.
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Part B, Chapter 4
What race were most of the offenders?
1 Mostly White?
2 Mostly Black or African American?
3 Mostly American Indian or Alaska Native?
4 Mostly Asian?
5 Mostly Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
6 Equal number of each race
7 Don’t know
MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST
MULTOFFENDER
RACEMOST
Item MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST is asked when the
respondent indicates that the offenders were of more than one
race in Item MULTOFFENDERRACE. Enter the appropriate
precode for the race of the majority of the offenders, based on the
respondent’s perception. The instrument continues with Item
MULTOFFENDERGANG.
Were any of the offenders a member of a street gang, or don’t you know?
1 Yes (a member of a street gang)
2 No (not a member of a street gang)
3 Don't know (if a member of a street gang)
MULTOFFENDERGANG
MULTOFFENDERGANG
MULTOFFENDERGANG is used to determine whether or not any
of the offenders is a member of a street gang based on the
respondent's perception. Consider a street gang as a group of
people who associate regularly with one another, generally have a
leader or group of leaders who issue orders and reap the rewards
of the gang's activities, and often engage in anti-social or deviant
behavior.
Some ways to identify gang members are their "colors," clothing,
tattoos, brands, or imprints of the gang's name, logo, or other
identifying marks on their bodies.
Enter the appropriate precode based on the respondent's answer–
Precode (1) for "Yes," Precode (2) for "No," or Precode (3) for
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"Don't know." The instrument then goes to
MULTOFFENDERDRINKDRUG.
Were any of the offenders drinking or on drugs, or don’t you know?
1 Yes (drinking or on drugs)
2 No (not drinking/not on drugs)
3 Don't know (if drinking or on drugs)
MULTOFFENDERDRINKDRUG
MULTOFFENDER
DRINKDRUG
Item MULTOFFENDERDRINKDRUG is used to find out if the
offenders were drinking alcoholic beverages or under the
influence of drugs during the incident. Enter the appropriate
precode based on what the respondent believes or knows.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the offenders were actively drinking or
under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident.
After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
MULTOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the offenders were not drinking or
under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After entering Precode (2),
continue with Item MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent could not tell if
the offenders were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After
entering Precode (3), continue with Item
MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME.
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Which was it? (Drinking or on drugs)?
1 Drinking
2 On drugs
3 Both (drinking and on drugs)
4 Drinking or on drugs - could not tell which
MULTOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG
MULTOFFENDER
DRINKORDRUG
Item MULTOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG is used to
distinguish between whether the offender(s) were just drinking,
just on drugs, under the influence of BOTH alcohol and drugs, or
perhaps the respondent cannot distinguish between the two. After
completing Item MULTOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG,
continue with Item MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Drinking," if the respondent thinks or knows
that the offenders were under the influence of only alcohol during
the incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "On drugs," if the respondent thinks or knows
that the offenders were under the influence of only drugs during
the incident.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Both," if the respondent thinks or knows that
the offenders were under the influence of BOTH drugs and alcohol
during the incident.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4), "Drinking or on drugs," if the respondent thinks
or knows that the offenders were under the influence of drugs or
alcohol, but cannot tell which one.
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Was this the only time any of these offenders committed a crime against you or your
household or made threats against you or your household?
1 Yes (only time)
2 No (there were other times)
3 Don't know
MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME
MULTOFFENDER
ONLYTIME
Item MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME is used to determine
whether the offenders have ever committed any type of crime or
threatened to physically harm the respondent or another
household member, other than the current incident. For this
question, do not limit the respondent to crimes committed only
during the 6-month reference period.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes (only time)," if the respondent tells you
that the current incident is the only crime these offenders have
committed against his/her household. Make sure that the
respondent understands we are interested in crimes committed by
these offenders at ANY time prior to this incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No (there were other times)," if the respondent
says that these offenders committed other crimes against the
respondent or other household members at ANY time prior to this
incident.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does not really know whether
or not the offenders have committed other crimes against the
household prior to this incident.
After completing Item MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME,
continue with Item THEFT.
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Part B, Chapter 4
? [F1]
● Ask or verify:
Was something stolen or taken without permission that belonged to you or others in the
household?
Include anything stolen from the business operated from the respondent’s home.
● Include anything stolen from an unrecognizable business
● Do not include anything stolen from a recognizable business in respondent's home or another
business, such as merchandise or cash from a register
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
THEFT
THEFT
Item THEFT is used to determine whether the offender(s)
stole or took anything without permission, regardless of its
value, that was owned by the respondent or another
household member. This could include the personal property
of one household member or property that belongs to the
entire household. It could also include property stolen during
the 6-month reference period from a former residence, IF the
property was stolen from someone who is a household
member at the time of the interview.
If the respondent or other household members own an
unrecognizable business and items were stolen from that
business, those items need to be included when answering
this question. However, do NOT include items stolen or taken
without permission from a recognizable business, unless they
are personal items belonging to the respondent or other
household members.
(Refer to Part C, Chapter 2, Topic 4, for more information
about recognizable and unrecognizable businesses.)
You can verify the answer to this question without asking the
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question if the respondent indicated the answer earlier in the
interview. Otherwise, ask the question in Item THEFT exactly
as it is worded.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when:
✓ Items were taken that belonged to any household
member, regardless of age, during a burglary or
household theft.
✓ During any other crime of theft, items were taken that
belonged to a household member who is 12 years of age
or older.
✓ Items were taken that belong to an unrecognizable
business owned by the respondent or another household
member.
✓ Items that belong to a household member were stolen
while in the possession of a friend, neighbor, co-worker,
and so on, who had borrowed them from the household
member. However, you would enter Precode (2), "No," if
the borrowed items were just never returned to the
household member, even if the household member asked
that the items be returned.
After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
WHATWASTAKEN.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," when:
✓ The items taken belong to a recognizable business owned
by the respondent or another household member,
regardless of whether or not the business is located at the
sample address. However, enter Precode (1), "Yes,"
when the items stolen from a recognizable business are
personal ones belonging to the respondent or other
household members, such as a purse, watch, and so on.
✓ The items taken belong to the owner of the sample
address. However, the owner does not reside at the
sample address, because he/she rents the home to the
respondent. In this case, the items do not belong to the
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sample household, even though the items were stolen
from the sample address.
✓ The items taken belong to a nonhousehold member,
regardless of whether or not the person was at the
sample address.
✓ The items taken really belong to a nonhousehold member
because he/she lent the items to a household member.
This is true even if the household member compensated
the nonhousehold member for the borrowed item(s).
✓ Items loaned to a friend, neighbor, co-worker, and so on,
and never returned. Do not consider these items as
stolen.
✓ Items taken belong to a household member who is
younger than 12 years old for any crime that did
NOThappen in the sample unit or on the property
belonging to the sample unit.
After entering Precode (2), "No," continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFT.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does not know whether
any items were stolen or taken without permission that
belong to him/her or another household member. After
entering Precode (3), "Don't know," continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFT.
Items THEFT and ATTEMPTTHEFT both use the same Help
screen. Press the F1 key to access this Help screen, which
provides rules about what to include or exclude in THEFT
and ATTEMPTTHEFT.
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? [F1]
● Ask or verify:
Did the offender(s) ATTEMPT to take something that belonged to you or others in the household?
Include anything stolen from the business operated from the respondent’s home.
● Do not include anything the offender tried to steal from a recognizable business in respondent's
home or another business, such as merchandise or cash from a register
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
ATTEMPTTHEFT
ATTEMPTTHEFT
Item ATTEMPTTHEFT is used to determine whether the
offender(s) tried to take something that belonged to the
respondent or another household member. You will only ask
this question when Precode (2), “No,” or Precode (3), “Don’t
know,” is entered in Item THEFT.
You can verify the answer to this question without asking the
question if the respondent has indicated the answer earlier in
the interview. Otherwise, ask the question in Item
ATTEMPTTHEFT exactly as it is worded. Read the
instruction shown below the question to yourself so you
remember what types of items to exclude.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you continue
with Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT. However, if you enter
Precode (2) for "No" or Precode (3) for "Don't know," you
continue with Item DAMAGED.
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What did the offender try to take?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Cash
Purse
Wallet
Credit cards, checks, bank cards
Car
Other motor vehicle
Part of a motor vehicle (tire, hubcap, attached car stereo or satellite radio,
attached CB radio, etc.)
Gasoline or oil
Bicycle or parts
TV, DVD player, VCR, stereo, other household appliances
Silver, china, art objects
Other household furnishings (furniture, rugs, etc.)
Personal effects (clothing, jewelry, toys, etc.)
Handgun (pistol, revolver)
Other firearm (rifle, shotgun)
Other - specify
Don't know
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT
Precode (11)
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT is used to identify the type of
item(s) that the respondent thinks the offender(s) attempted
to steal or take without permission. After asking the initial
question in Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT, continue asking,
"Anything else?" until you get a "No" response. Enter all
appropriate precodes based on the respondent’s answer.
After recording all of the respondent’s answers, press “Enter”
to move to the next item. Some of the answer categories are
self-explanatory, but the following categories require
additional clarification.
Enter Precode (11), "Cash," if the respondent thinks that the
offender(s) tried to take paper money and/or coins, such as
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$10, $20, or $50 dollar bills and/or nickels, dimes, or
quarters. Do not enter Precode (11) for checks or credit
cards, instead enter Precode (14). Also, do not enter Precode
(11) for coin collections, instead enter Precode (23).
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), "Credit cards, checks, bank cards," if the
respondent thinks that the offender(s) tried to take items that
are of little or no value unless someone tries to use them
fraudulently. For example, an offender tried to steal the
respondent's gasoline credit card so he could fraudulently
purchase gasoline for his vehicle. Also enter Precode (14) if
the offender(s) tried to take Savings Bonds, bank books,
money orders, debit cards, traveler's checks, and phone
cards.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Other motor vehicle," if the offender(s)
tried to take without permission any type of truck, van, sport
utility vehicle (SUV), motorcycle, moped, motorized bicycle,
or any motor vehicle OTHER THAN a car that belonged to
the respondent, another household member, or an
unrecognizable business owned or operated by a household
member. If the "Other motor vehicle" was owned or operated
by a recognizable business, only enter Precode (16) if the
"Other motor vehicle" was also intended for personal use by
a household member.
DO NOT enter Precode (16) for the attempted theft of boats,
jet skis, airplanes, minibikes, or snowmobiles, instead enter
Precode (26) and identify the item(s) on the "Specify" screen.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Part of motor vehicle," if the offender(s)
tried to take without permission anything that is ATTACHED
to a car, truck, van, SUV, or other motor vehicle owned by the
respondent or another household member. Here are some
examples of motor vehicle parts to include: Tires, hubcaps or
wheels, CD players, scanners, CB radios, car telephones,
antenna, license plates, motor parts, mirrors, steering wheel,
door handles, and so on.
DO NOT enter Precode (17) if the items were stored in the
glove compartment, left on a seat, or kept in the trunk of a
car or the bed of a truck, since we do not consider these
items as attached to the motor vehicle.
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Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), "Bicycle or parts," if the offender(s) tried
to take, without permission, NON-MOTORIZED bicycles or
bicycle parts owned by the respondent or another household
member.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20), "TV, stereo, DVD player, VCR, or other
household appliances," if the offender(s) tried to take without
permission items intended for the use of all or most of the
household members, such as a gas grill, kitchen stove,
freezer, VCR, CD player, personal computer, etc.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21), "Silver, china, art objects," if the
offender(s) tried to take without permission any type of silver,
china, or art object, regardless of its value.
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22), "Other household furnishings," if the
offender(s) tried to take without permission household
furnishings, such as furniture, rugs, lamps, mirrors, and so
on, that are intended for use by all or most of the household
members. Consider items such as a daughter's bedroom
furniture to be household furnishings, even though the
furniture is used primarily by one household member.
Precode (23)
Enter Precode (23), "Personal effects," if the offender(s) tried
to take without permission items that are intended for the sole
use of one household member, rather than by all or most
household members and are considered easily movable or
portable. For example, a household member's watch, jewelry,
cellular telephone, clothing, camera, luggage, briefcase,
sports or recreation equipment, toys, makeup, hair dryers,
keys, personal collections (Hummels, coins, bears, dolls,
stamps, and so on). Since the value of "Personal effects" is
not needed, do not probe to determine their dollar value.
Precode (24)
Enter Precode (24), "Handgun," if the offender(s) tried to take
without permission any type of hand-held gun that is intended
to shoot bullets, regardless of its condition or
usage. For example, the handgun could be a mint condition
collector's item from World War II that is never shot by its
owner or a new handgun kept by the respondent for
protection.
Do NOT enter Precode (24) for guns that shoot pellets, BB's,
air, flares, or tear gas. Instead, enter Precode (26), "Other,"
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and identify the type of gun on the "Specify" screen.
Precode (25)
Enter Precode (25), "Other firearm," if the offender(s) tried to
take without permission any type of rifles or shotguns that
shoot bullets or shot, regardless of whether the rifle or
shotgun works or is used by the respondent. Do not enter
Precode (25) for handguns, instead enter Precode (24).
Also, do NOT enter Precode (25) for guns that shoot pellets,
BB's, air, flares, or tear gas. Instead, enter Precode (26),
"Other," and identify the type of gun on the "Specify" screen.
Precode (26)
Enter Precode (26), "Other," AND describe the item(s) on the
"Specify" screen, ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT_SPEC, if the
offender(s) tried to take any of the following types of items
without permission: food, drugs, food stamps, animals,
plants, guns that fire BB's or pellets, flares, tear gas, and
other items that do not fit the categories for Precodes (11)
through (25). Also enter Precode (26) for boats, airplanes,
minibikes, snowmobiles, etc.
Precode (27)
Enter Precode (27), "Don't know" if the respondent does not
know or is unsure about what the offender(s) tried to take
without permission.
After completing Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT, continue with
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER.
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Did the (property/money) the offender tried to take belong to you personally, to someone else
in the household, or to both you and other household members?
1 Respondent only
2 Respondent and other household member(s)
3 Other household member(s) only
4 Nonhousehold member(s) only
5 Other - specify
ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER
ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER
Precode (1)
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER is used to identify the
owner(s) of the property/money that the offender(s)
attempted to steal during the incident. When we refer to
"household member(s)" in Precodes (2) and (3), we mean
household members at the time of the interview, NOT just at
the time of the incident.
Enter Precode (1) if the offender(s) attempted to steal
property/money that belongs SOLELY to the respondent.
After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV.
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Precode (2)
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Enter Precode (2) if the offender(s) attempted to steal
property/money that belongs to the respondent and other
household member(s) either jointly (for example, a car that is
jointly owned by the reference person and his/her spouse) or
partially (for example, a collection of music CDs of which 20
belong to the respondent and the remaining 30 CDs belong
to the respondent's son).
After entering Precode (2), Item ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS
appears. Use this item to identify by line number each
household member who owned some of the property/money
that the offender tried to steal.
● If not sure, ask:
Besides the respondent, which household member(s) owned the
property the offender tried to take?
● Enter appropriate line number(s).
1 Megan Moe
40 Household property
Enter Precode (40), “Household Property,” in Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS if the property/money belongs to the
entire household jointly or if more than three household
members own the property/money jointly with the respondent.
It is acceptable to enter one or more line numbers and also
enter Precode (40), since the offender(s) may have tried to
take both personal and household property. After completing
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS, continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the offender(s) attempted to steal
property/money that belongs ONLY to other household
member(s) and NONE of the property/money belongs to the
respondent. After entering Precode (3), Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS appears, so you can identify by line
number each household member who owned some of the
property/money that the offender tried to steal.
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Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the offender(s) attempted to steal
property/money that belongs ONLY to person(s) who are
NOT household members at the time of the interview. After
entering Precode (4), continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) if the offender(s) attempted to steal
property/money that belongs to two or more persons NOT
covered by Precodes (1) through (4), for example, if the
property/money belongs jointly to another household
member and a nonhousehold member. Use the "Specify"
screen ATTEMPTHEFTOWNER_SPEC to indicate who owns
the property/money (for example, L3 and a nonhousehold
member). After entering Precode (5) and identifying the
owners on the "Specify" screen, continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV.
● Ask or verify:
Was the article IN or ATTACHED to a motor vehicle when the attempt was made to take it?
1 Yes
2 No
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV
ATTEMPTTHEFT ITEMSINMV
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV is used to identify
whether the offender(s) tried to steal property/money that was
either:
✓ Inside a motor vehicle or
✓ Attached to a motor vehicle.
If you entered Precodes (15) or (16) in
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT, the instrument skips
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV.
For Item ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV, you can verify the
answer without asking the question if the respondent
previously indicated where the articles were when the
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offender(s) tried to steal them.
Otherwise, ask the question and enter Precode (1), "Yes," if
ANY of the articles were in or attached to a motor vehicle.
Only enter Precode (2), "No," if NONE of the articles were in
or attached to a motor vehicle.
After completing Item ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMSINMV,
continue with either:
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON if the offender tried to
take cash, a purse, or a wallet (Precodes (11), (12), or
(13) are entered in Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT).
OR
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON if the offender
tried to take anything other than cash, a purse, or a wallet.
● Ask or verify:
Was the cash on your person, for instance, in a pocket or being held?
1 Yes
2 No
ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON
ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON is used to determine
whether the offender(s) tried to steal cash, a purse, or a
wallet directly from the respondent's hands, shoulder, pocket,
backpack, etc. For the NCVS, it makes a difference whether
the offender(s) attempted to steal cash, a purse, or a wallet
directly from the respondent, rather than from a counter, car
seat, floor of a subway car, or other places where the
respondent may have left cash, a purse, or a wallet.
If the answer is obvious from information provided previously
by the respondent, verify the answer without asking the
question. Otherwise, ask the question and enter Precode (1)
for "Yes;" Precode (2) for "No." After completing Item
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ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON, continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON.
● Ask or verify:
Was there anything else the offenders tried to take directly from you, for instance, from your
pocket or hands, or something that you were wearing?
● Exclude property not belonging to respondent or other household member.
1 Yes
2 No
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEM
ONPERSON
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON is used to
determine whether the offender(s) tried to take anything
OTHER THAN cash, a purse, or a wallet (such as a watch
they were wearing) directly from the respondent or another
current household member. Exclude attempted thefts of items
belonging to nonhousehold members.
It is acceptable to verify the answer for this question without
asking the question. The instrument automatically either
inserts or omits the word "else" in the question based on what
was entered in ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON. If you entered
Precode (2), “No, at ATTEMPTTHEFTONPERSON, the word
“else” is omitted from the question.
Enter Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer and continue with Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMS. Enter Precode (2) for a "No"
answer and continue with Item DAMAGED.
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Check Item
OTHATTEMPTON
PERS_CK
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If you enter Precode (1), “Yes,” at
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON, but did not mark any
precodes (14) - (26) in Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT, edit
check OTHATTEMPTON PERS_CK appears:
The offender only tried to take cash/purse/wallet in
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT. If the offender tried to take something
else from victim, it must first be reported in
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT. If the offender only tried to take
cash/purse/wallet from victim, go to
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON and enter "No".
Close
Goto
OTHATTEMPTONPERS_CK
This is a hard edit. Click on “Close” or “Goto” to return to
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT and entering one or more Precodes
(14) - (26) or return to ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMONPERSON
and change the answer to Precode (2), “No.”
Which items did the offenders try to take directly from you?
● Exclude property not belonging to respondent or other household member.
15
24
26
40
Car
Handgun (pistol, revolver)
Other - specify
All of the above
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMS
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMS
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMS lists the property items
reported in Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT, OTHER THAN
cash/purse/wallet, that the offender(s) tried to take directly
from the respondent or another household member. Enter the
appropriate precodes from those listed in Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMS to identify the items that the
offender(s) tried to take directly from the respondent or
another household member. If the offender(s) tried to take
everything directly from the respondent, enter Precode (40),
“All of the above,” and continue with item DAMAGED.
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What was taken that belonged to you or others in the household?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
CASH/PURSE/WALLET/CREDIT CARDS:
11 Cash
12 Purse
13 Wallet
14 Credit cards, checks, bank cards
VEHICLE OR PARTS:
15 Car
16 Other motor vehicle
17 Part of a motor vehicle (tire, hubcap, attached car stereo or satellite radio, attached CB radio, etc.)
18 Unattached motor vehicle accessories or equipment (unattached CD player or satellite radio, etc.)
19 Gasoline or oil
20 Bicycle or parts
HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS:
21 TV, DVD player, VCR, stereo, other household appliances
22 Silver, china, art objects
23 Other household furnishings (furniture, rugs, etc.)
PERSONAL EFFECTS:
24 Portable electronic and photographic gear (Personal stereo, TV, cellphone, camera, etc.)
25 Clothing, furs, luggage, briefcase
26 Jewelry, watch, keys
27 Collection of stamps, coins, etc.
28 Toys, sports and recreational equipment (not listed above)
29 Other personal and portable objects
FIREARMS
30 Handgun (pistol, revolver)
31 Other firearm (rifle, shotgun)
MISCELLANEOUS:
32 Tools, machines, office equipment
33 Farm or garden produce, plants, fruits, logs
34 Animals - pet or livestock
35 Food or liquor
36 Other – specify
37 Don’t know
WHATWASTAKEN
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WHATWASTAKEN
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item WHATWASTAKEN is used to identify the types of
property/money that the offender(s) took without permission.
Continue asking, "Anything else?" until you get a "No"
response and enter all appropriate precodes, then press
“Enter” to go to the next screen.
Only include property/money that belonged to the respondent
or other household members. If the respondent mentions that
the stolen property was leased or rented by the respondent or
another household member for one month or longer,
consider the household member(s) as the owner(s) of the
stolen property for this item. If necessary, ask the respondent
how long the stolen property has been leased or rented.
Notice that Item WHATWASTAKEN has several more
answer categories than Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT. These
categories are grouped together under six separate
headings:
✓ Cash/purse/wallet/credit cards
✓ Vehicle or Parts
✓ Household Furnishings
✓ Personal Effects
✓ Firearms
✓ Miscellaneous
Categories that are NOT self-explanatory are covered below.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), "Cash," when the offender(s) stole
money (bills or coins). After entering Precode (11), Item
AMOUNTCASHTAKEN appears when you press “Enter” to
leave Item WHATWASTAKEN.
If the respondent mentions that a credit card, bank card,
checks, or a coin collection were stolen, do NOT enter
Precode (11). Instead, enter Precode (14) for credit cards,
bank cards, and checks, and enter Precode (27) for coin
collections.
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Precodes (12) and (13)
Enter Precode (12) when the offender(s) stole a purse from
the respondent or another household member and enter
Precode (13) when the offender(s) stole a wallet from the
respondent or another household member. After entering
Precode (12) and/or (13), the instrument goes to Item
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY, where you ask the respondent
if the purse and/or wallet contained any money when it was
stolen. If you get a "Yes" answer, the instrument stores
Precode (11) in Item WHATWASTAKEN so you can access
Item AMOUNTCASHTAKEN and enter the amount of cash
taken in whole dollars. Round up or down as necessary (as
instructed above for Precode (11)).
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) when the offender(s) stole a credit card,
bank card, checks, and so on, which are of little value unless
used fraudulently to obtain money and/or property. Also enter
Precode (14) for stolen Savings Bonds, bank books, money
orders, travelers checks, and phone cards.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) when the offender(s) stole a truck, van,
sport utility vehicle (SUV), motorcycle, moped, motorized
bicycle, or any motor vehicle OTHER THAN a car. If the
motor vehicle is owned by a recognizable business and is
never used for a household member's personal use, DO NOT
enter Precode (16).
Also, DO NOT enter Precode (16) for boats, jet skis,
airplanes, minibikes, or snowmobiles, instead enter Precode
(36), "Other," and identify the property on the "Specify"
screen, WHATWASTAKEN_SPEC.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) when the offender(s) stole anything that is
ATTACHED to a car, truck, van, SUV, or other motor vehicle
owned by the respondent or another household member.
Some examples of items to include for Precode (17) are tires,
hubcaps or wheels, CD players, scanners, CB radios, car
telephones, antenna, license plates, motor parts, mirrors,
steering wheel, door handles, and so on.
DO NOT enter Precode (17) if the items were stored in the
glove compartment, left on a seat, or kept in the trunk of a car
or the bed of a truck, since we do not consider these items as
attached to the motor vehicle.
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Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) when the offender(s) stole motor vehicle
accessories or equipment that was NOT ATTACHED to the
motor vehicle, such as a spare tire, a detachable antenna on
the back seat, a removable CD player or changer in the trunk,
etc.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) when the offender(s) stole any type of
bicycle or bicycle parts that do not have a motor. Include
motorized bicycles in Precode (16).
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) when the offender(s) stole any type of
electrical or gas appliances, such as kitchen stoves, freezers,
dishwashers, CD players, VCRs, computers, FAX machines,
and so on.
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22) when the offender(s) stole any type of
silver, china, or art object, regardless of its value.
Precode (23)
Enter Precode (23) when the offender(s) stole any type of
household furnishings that are intended for the use of all or
most of the household members, even if the furnishings
belong to one or more household members. For example,
bedroom furniture, rugs, patio furniture, and so on.
If you are unsure whether the stolen items are household
furnishings or personal effects, base your decision on
whether the stolen items are considered portable or
movable. If the stolen items are not easily movable or
portable, consider them household furnishings. Otherwise,
enter the appropriate "Personal Effects" precodes from
Precodes (24) through (29) to identify a stolen item that is
intended for the use of a specific household member, rather
than all or most household members.
Precode (24)
Enter Precode (24) when the offender(s) stole any type of
portable electronic or photographic gear intended for the use
of a specific household member, such as personal electronic
devices, handheld computer games, video or audio
cassettes, cell phones, cameras, etc.
Precode (25)
Enter Precode (25) when the offender(s) stole the following
types of personal items that belong to a specific household
member: hats, gloves, coats, shoes, jackets, briefcases,
luggage, etc.
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Precode (26)
Enter Precode (26) when the offender(s) stole any of the
following types of personal items, regardless of their value:
house or car keys, rings, necklaces, bracelets, money clips,
cuff links, tie tacks, watches, etc.
Precode (27)
Enter Precode (27) when the offender(s) stole any type of
personal collection, regardless of its value, such as coins,
ceramic bears, dolls, stamps, books, baseball cards, etc.
Precode (28)
Enter Precode (28) when the offender(s) stole any type of
toy, sports, or recreation equipment that belongs to a specific
household member and is not covered in Precodes (24)
through (27). Examples of such items are bowling balls,
tennis rackets, BB guns, baby dolls, etc.
Precode (29)
Enter Precode (29) when the offender(s) stole any personal
objects that are easily movable, but do not fit the descriptions
in Precodes (24) through (28). For example, these objects
could include makeup, hair dryer, curling iron, flare guns,
books, etc.
Precode (30)
Enter Precode (30) when the offender(s) stole any type of
hand-held guns (for example, pistols, revolvers, and so on),
regardless of their condition or intended use (for example,
hunting, display, target practice, and so on). Precode (30) is
not intended for pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols, flare guns,
or tear gas guns. Instead, enter Precode (28) for pellet guns,
BB guns, and air pistols, and enter Precode (29) for flare and
tear gas guns.
Precode (31)
Enter Precode (31) when the offender(s) stole any type of
firearm OTHER THAN a handgun, regardless of its
condition or intended use. For example, you should enter
Precode (31) for stolen machine guns, rifles, shotguns, etc.
Precode (31) is NOT intended for pellet guns, BB guns, air
pistols, flare guns, or tear gas guns. Instead, enter Precode
(28) for pellet guns, BB guns, and air pistols, and enter
Precode (29) for flare and tear gas guns.
Precode (32)
Enter Precode (32) when the offender(s) stole power or hand
tools, yard equipment (for example, lawn mowers, leaf
blowers, and so on) and any type of office equipment stolen
from an unrecognizable business (for example, file cabinets,
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personal computers, printers, FAX machines, scanners, and
so on). However, if the stolen office equipment is electronic
(for example, computers, printers, FAX machines, scanners,
and so on) AND the electronic equipment is used primarily for
the personal use of a household member, enter Precode
(24).
Precode (33)
Enter Precode (33) when the offender(s) stole any produce,
fruit, firewood, straw, hay, or plants (flower or vegetable)
intended for sale and NOT for the personal use or
consumption of the household members. Enter Precode (35)
for any farm or garden produce intended for the household's
personal consumption.
Precode (34)
Enter Precode (34) when the offender(s) stole any type of
animals owned by the respondent or another household
member, regardless of whether or not the animal was a pet.
This category includes cats, dogs, parakeets, hamsters, pigs,
cows, horses, etc.
Precode (35)
Enter Precode (35) when the offender(s) stole any type of
edible food, nonalcoholic beverage, or liquor, unless the
stolen food is produce or fruit intended for sale. If stolen
produce or fruit was intended for sale by the household, enter
Precode (33).
Precode (36)
Enter Precode (36) when the offender(s) stole any items that
do not fit the descriptions for any of the previous categories.
After entering Precode (36), make sure to identify the item on
the "Specify" screen, WHATWASTAKEN_SPEC. Examples
of entries could include: cases of soda belonging to an
unrecognizable business or an airplane owned by the
respondent and intended for personal use only.
Precode (37)
Enter Precode (37) when the respondent does not know or is
unsure what the offender(s) took without permission. It is
acceptable to enter this precode for some stolen items and
still enter other precodes in Item WHATWASTAKEN for
items the respondent knows or feels sure were stolen during
the incident.
After completing Item WHATWASTAKEN, continue with Item
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY if Precodes (12) or (13) were
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entered, otherwise continue with Item
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY.
Did the stolen (purse/wallet) contain any money?
1 Yes
2 No
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY
Item PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY appears when Precodes
(12) or (13) are marked in WHATWASTAKEN. If you enter
Precode (1), the instrument goes to Item
AMOUNTCASHTAKEN. Otherwise, it goes to
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY.
If not sure, ask:
How much cash was taken?
Round to the nearest dollar
Enter a number between 1-999,996
AMOUNTCASHTAKEN
AMOUNTCASHTAKEN
Item AMOUNTCASHTAKEN appears when Precode (11)
was marked in Item WHATWASTAKEN or Precode (1) was
marked in PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY.
After determining the amount of cash taken, enter the whole
dollar amount. Round up or down as necessary. For
example, if the amount given is $150.50, round up to $151
and, if the amount given is $150.49, round down to $150. If
the respondent gives an amount that is less than $1, round
up to $1. When the respondent is unable to give an exact
dollar amount, ask for his/her best estimate. Only enter “Ctrl”
+ “D” for “Don’t know” if the respondent truly has no idea of
the amount of cash taken.
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Did the stolen property belong to you personally, to someone else in the household, or to both
you and other household members?
1
2
3
4
5
Respondent only
Respondent and other household member(s)
Other household member(s) only
Nonhousehold member(s) only
Other - specify
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
WHOOWNEDSTOLEN
PROPERTY
Precode (1)
Item WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY is used to identify
the owner(s) of the property/money that the offender(s) stole
during the incident. Enter only ONE precode for this item.
Also, when we refer to "household member(s)" in Precodes
(2) and (3), we mean household members at the time of the
interview, NOT just at the time of the incident. Keep in mind
that the property owner could be a current household
member whose property was stolen from a former residence
during the 6-month reference period.
Enter Precode (1) if the offender(s) stole property/money that
belongs SOLELY to the respondent. After entering Precode
(1), either:
Continue with Item PERMISSIONGIVEN if a car or other
motor vehicle was taken during the incident (Precode (15)
or (16) is entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
OR
Precode (2)
Continue with Item ARTICLEINCAR if the stolen property
was not a car or other motor vehicle.
Enter Precode (2) if the offender(s) stole property/money that
belongs to the respondent and other household member(s)
either jointly (for example, a video camera that is jointly
owned by the reference person and his/her spouse) or
partially (for example, a collection of music CDs of which 20
belong to the respondent and the remaining 30 CDs belong
to the respondent's son). After entering Precode (2),
OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY appears. Use
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OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY to identify by line
number each household member who owned some of the
property/money that the offender stole.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) in item WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
if the offender(s) stole property/money that belongs ONLY to
other household member(s) and NONE of the
property/money belongs to the respondent. After entering
Precode (3), Item OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
appears so you can identify, by line number, each household
member who owns any portion of the property/money that the
offender stole.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the offender(s) stole property/money that
belongs ONLY to person(s) who are NOT household
members at the time of the interview. After entering Precode
(4), either:
Continue with Item PERMISSIONGIVEN if a car or other
motor vehicle was taken during the incident (Precode (15)
or (16) is entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
OR
Precode (5)
Continue with Item ARTICLEINCAR if the stolen property
was not a car or other motor vehicle.
Enter Precode (5) if the offender(s) stole property/money that
belongs to two or more persons NOT described in Precodes
(1) through (4). For example, the property/money belongs
jointly to another household member and a nonhousehold
member. After entering Precode (5), use the "Specify"
screen, WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY_SPEC to
indicate who owns the property/money (for example, L3 and
a nonhousehold member). Continue to complete the incident
report items, regardless of what you enter on the "Specify"
screen.
Once you are done identifying the property/money owners,
either:
Continue with Item PERMISSIONGIVEN if a car or other
motor vehicle was taken during the incident (Precode (15)
or (16) is entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
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OR
Continue with Item ARTICLEINCAR if the stolen property
was not a car or other motor vehicle.
● If not sure, ask:
Besides the respondent, which household member(s) owned the stolen money and property?
2 Ted Moe
3 Megan Moe
40 Household property
● Enter appropriate line number(s).
OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY
OTHERSOWNED
STOLENPROPERTY
Item OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY is used to
identify, by line number, each household member who owned
any part of the property/money that the offender took without
permission. Enter Precode (40), “Household property,” if the
property/money belongs to the entire household jointly or if
more than three household members own the
property/money jointly with the respondent. It is acceptable to
enter Precode (40) and also enter one or more line numbers,
since the offender(s) may have tried to take both personal
and household property.
Had permission to use the car ever been given to the offender(s)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
PERMISSIONGIVEN
PERMISSIONGIVEN
Item PERMISSIONGIVEN is used to determine whether the
owner of the stolen car or other motor vehicle EVER gave the
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offender permission to use the vehicle.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent has EVER given
the offender permission to use the vehicle. Also enter
Precode (1) if permission can be assumed, such as in a
family situation. After entering Precode (1), continue with
Item RETURNCAR.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) "No," if the respondent NEVER gave the
offender prior permission to use the car or other motor
vehicle. After entering Precode (2):
Precode (3)
Continue with Item NUMBERHANDGUNS if you entered
Precode (30), “Handguns,” in Item WHAT WASTAKEN.
Continue with Item NUMBERFIREARMS if you entered
Precode (31), “Other firearm” in Item WHATWASTAKEN.
Continue with Item CASHONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet were taken (Precodes (11), (12), or (13)
are entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
Continue with Item OTHERONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet was NOT taken.
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent has no
idea whether the offender had permission to use the stolen
vehicle. This could occur when the offender has not been
identified. After entering Precode (3), either:
Continue with Item NUMBERHANDGUNS if you entered
Precode (30), “Handguns,” in Item WHAT WASTAKEN.
Continue with Item NUMBERFIREARMS if you entered
Precode (31), “Other firearm,” in Item WHAT
WASTAKEN.
Continue with Item CASHONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet were taken (Precodes (11), (12), or (13)
are entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
Continue with Item OTHERONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet was NOT taken.
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Did the offender return the car (motor vehicle) this time?
1 Yes
2 No
RETURNCAR
RETURNCAR
Item RETURNCAR is used to find out if the offender
personally returned the motor vehicle that was taken during
the incident of his/her own free will.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the offender did return the motor
vehicle in person of his/her own free will.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if:
✓ The police returned the motor vehicle.
✓ The motor vehicle was recovered in a way OTHER THAN
by the offender or the police.
✓ The motor vehicle was never returned or recovered.
After completing Item RETURNCAR, either:
Continue with Item NUMBERHANDGUNS if you
entered Precode (30), “Handguns,” in Item
WHATWASTAKEN.
Continue with Item NUMBERFIREARMS if you
entered Precode (31), “Other firearm” in Item
WHATWASTAKEN.
Continue with Item CASHONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet were taken (Precodes (11), (12), or
(13) were entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
Continue with Item OTHERONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet was NOT taken.
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● Ask or verify:
Was the article IN or ATTACHED to a motor vehicle when it was taken?
1 Yes
2 No
ARTICLEINCAR
ARTICLEINCAR
Item ARTICLEINCAR is used to find out if any articles that
the offender stole were either in or attached to a motor
vehicle during the incident. You can verify the answer to this
question without asking it if the respondent mentioned earlier
in the interview the location of the articles when they were
stolen.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if ANY articles stolen during the
incident were in or attached to a motor vehicle. Otherwise,
enter Precode (2).
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if NONE of the articles stolen during
the incident were in or attached to a motor vehicle.
After completing Item ARTICLEINCAR:
Continue with Item NUMBERHANDGUNS if you
entered Precode (30), “Handguns,” in Item
WHATWASTAKEN.
Continue with Item NUMBERFIREARMS if you
entered Precode (31), “Other firearm” in Item
WHATWASTAKEN.
Continue with Item CASHONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet were taken (Precodes (11), (12), or
(13) were entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN).
Continue with Item OTHERONPERSON when cash, a
purse, or a wallet was NOT taken.
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How many handguns were taken?
NUMBERHANDGUNS
NUMBERHANDGUNS
If a respondent indicated in Item WHATWASTAKEN of the
incident report section that one or more handguns were
stolen during the incident (Precode 30), then you will see
Item NUMBERHANDGUNS. Item NUMBERHANDGUNS is
asked to determine the number of handguns stolen during the
incident.
Enter either the total number of handguns stolen or Ctrl + D
to indicate that the respondent does not know the number of
handguns stolen during the incident. Before entering Ctrl + D,
attempt to get the respondent’s best estimate of the number
of handguns stolen.
Include any type of hand-held gun, such as a pistol or
revolver, regardless of the handguns condition or intended
use, such as for hunting, display, target practice, and so on.
Exclude pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols, flare guns, or tear
gas guns. If you discover at this point that Item
WHATWASTAKEN was answered incorrectly, return to that
screen and correct the entry(ies).
How many other types of firearms were taken?
● Enter 97 for Don’t know
NUMBERFIREARMS
NUMBERFIREARMS
If a respondent indicated in Item WHATWASTAKEN of the
incident report section that one or more “other types of
firearms” were stolen during the incident (Precode 31), then
you will see Item NUMBERFIREARMS. Item
NUMBERFIREARMS is asked to determine the number of
firearms (other than handguns) stolen during the incident.
Include machine guns, rifles, shotguns, and so on, regardless
of their condition or intended use. You will enter either the
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total number of firearms (other than handguns) stolen or Ctrl
+ D to indicate that the respondent does not know the
number of other firearms stolen during the incident. Before
entering Ctrl + D, attempt to get the respondent’s best
estimate of the number of other types of firearms stolen.
Exclude pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols, flare guns, or tear
gas guns. If you discover at this point that Item
WHATWASTAKEN was answered incorrectly, return to that
screen and correct the entry(ies).
● Ask or verify:
Was the cash or purse on your person, for instance, in a pocket or being held?
1 Yes
2 No
CASHONPERSON
CASHONPERSON
Item CASHONPERSON is used to determine whether the
cash, purse, or wallet was taken directly from the respondent,
such as from his/her hands, shoulder, pockets, backpack,
etc. The answer to this question is important in classifying the
crime accurately. For example, we are interested in whether
the cash was stolen directly from the respondent (on their
person) or whether it was stolen from a counter, car seat, or
other places where the respondent may have left it.
If the respondent already indicated the answer to this
question, you can verify the answer without asking the
question. Otherwise, ask the question as worded on the
screen.
After completing Item CASHONPERSON, continue with Item
OTHERONPERSON.
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● 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?
● Exclude property not belonging to respondent or other household member.
1 Yes
2 No
OTHERONPERSON
OTHERONPERSON
Item OTHERONPERSON is used to determine whether
anything OTHER THAN cash, a purse, or a wallet were taken
directly from the respondent, such as a bracelet from the
respondent's wrist, a hat from the respondent's head, or a
computer game from the respondent's pocket. Only
include property stolen directly from the respondent or
another household member.
If the answer is obvious from the information already
provided, verify the answer without asking the question.
Otherwise, ask the question as worded on the screen.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, you will
continue with Item ITEMSTAKEN. After entering Precode (2)
for a "No" answer in Item OTHERONPERSON, continue with
either:
•
ALLPARTRECOVERED when ONLY Precodes (11)
and/or (14) are entered in Item WHATWASTAKEN.
OR
•
Check item
OTHERONPERSON_CK
Item PROPERTYVALUE when precodes OTHER THAN
Precodes (11) and (14) are entered in Item
WHATWASTAKEN.
Edit check OTHERONPERSON_CK appears when the
respondent reports that something other than cash, purse, or
wallet was stolen from their person, but only cash, purse, or
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wallet was reported stolen in WHATWASTAKEN.
• Only cash/purse/wallet reported as stolen in
WHATWASTAKEN. If something else was taken from
victim, it must first be reported in WHATWASTAKEN. If only
cash/purse/wallet was taken from victim, go to
OTHERONPERSON and enter "no".
Close Goto
OTHERONPERSON_CK
This is a hard edit, so click on “Close” or “Goto” to go back
and correct your entry in either WHATWASTAKEN or
OTHERONPERSON.
Which items did the offender(s) take directly from you?
● Exclude property not belonging to (respondent/victim) or other household member
ITEMS TAKEN:
20 Bicycle or parts
30 Hand gun
40 All of the above
ITEMSTAKEN
ITEMSTAKEN
Item ITEMSTAKEN is used to identify the property reported
in Item WHATWASTAKEN, OTHER THAN a
cash/purse/wallet, that the offender(s) took directly from the
respondent or household member. Enter the appropriate
precodes from those listed for Item ITEMSTAKEN.
If the offender(s) took everything directly from the
respondent, enter Precode (40), “All of the above,” and
continue with Item PROPERTYVALUE.
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What was the value of the PROPERTY that was taken? Include recovered property. (Exclude any
stolen cash, checks, credit cards. If jointly owned with a nonhousehold member(s), include only
share owned by household members.)
● Enter total dollar value for all items taken.
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
● If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate
PROPERTYVALUE
PROPERTYVALUE
Item PROPERTYVALUE is used to identify the dollar amount
for the value of property stolen during the incident, regardless
of whether or not it was recovered. If only cash, checks, or
credit cards were stolen, you do not see Items
PROPERTYVALUE or DECIDEDVALUE.
Let the respondent arrive at this figure and, when necessary,
enter the respondent's best estimate of the value of stolen
property. Only include the dollar amount for stolen property
owned by the respondent or another current household
member.
To help the respondent decide the value of the stolen
property, you may remind the respondent of the articles
stolen. If the respondent gives you separate amounts for
each item, total the amounts and enter the sum in the space
provided.
After entering a dollar amount, you will continue with Item
DECIDEDVALUE. However, if you enter Control + D for
“Don’t know” or Control + R for “Refused” in
PROPERTYVALUE, you continue with Item
ALLPARTRECOVERED. Although these two precodes do
not appear on the screen, they are valid precodes for Item
PROPERTYVALUE.
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How did you decide the value of the property that was taken?
● Probe: Any other way?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
11 Original cost
12 Replacement cost
13 Personal estimate of current value
14 Insurance report estimate
15 Police estimate
16 Don't know
17 Other - specify
DECIDEDVALUE
DECIDEDVALUE
Item DECIDEDVALUE is used to identify how the respondent
arrived at the dollar amount reported in Item
PROPERTYVALUE. Ask the question as worded and
continue asking, "Any other way?" until you get a "No"
answer. Enter precodes for all methods that the respondent
mentions.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) when one of the methods used to arrive
at the amount entered in Item PROPERTYVALUE was the
price originally paid for the item when it was purchased.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) when one of the methods used to arrive
at the amount entered in Item PROPERTYVALUE was the
price to replace the item, regardless of the original purchase
price.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) when one of the methods used to arrive
at the amount entered in Item PROPERTYVALUE was the
respondent's personal estimate of the stolen item's worth or
current value, which is not necessarily the same as the item's
replacement cost.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) when one of the methods used to arrive
at the amount in Item PROPERTYVALUE was the insurance
company’s statement of the stolen property's worth.
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Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) when one of the methods used to arrive
at the amount entered in Item PROPERTYVALUE was the
police department's statement of the stolen property's worth.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Don't know," only after you have tried to
identify the method used by asking probing questions and
your probing was unsuccessful.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Other," if the respondent mentions a
method that does not fit the descriptions in Precodes (11)
through (15). After entering Precode (17), enter the method
used on the "Specify" screen DECIDEDVALUE_SPEC, such
as “a friend's estimate.” Also enter Precode (17) for stolen
food stamps and enter the "face value" of the food stamps on
the "Specify" screen.
Was all or part of the stolen property and money recovered, not counting anything received from
insurance?
1 All
2 Part
3 None
ALLPARTRECOVERED
ALLPARTRECOVERED
Item ALLPARTRECOVERED is used to find out whether any
or all of the stolen money and/or property was recovered.
For stolen money, only include money returned by the
offender. Also include the actual stolen money that someone
other than the offender found or discovered and returned to
the owner. Do NOT include the reimbursement of money
from an insurance company, a relative, friend, or anyone
OTHER THAN the offender.
For stolen property, only include the return of the original
property that was stolen, NOT any replacement property from
any source (for example, an insurance company or the
offender). Also include recovered stolen property that is being
held as evidence in a court case, even though the property
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has not yet been returned to the owner.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when ALL the money and ALL the property
stolen during the incident was recovered. In other words,
everything that was stolen during the incident was or will be
returned to the owner. After entering Precode (1), either:
Continue with Item RECOVEREDCASHVALUE when
property other than cash, checks, or credit cards was
recovered.
OR
Continue with Item RECOVEREDINSURANCE when the
only property recovered was cash, checks, or credit
cards.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when only a portion of the stolen money
and/or property was recovered and was or will be returned to
the owner. After entering Precode (2), you will continue with
Item WHATRECOVERED.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when NONE of the stolen money and/or
property was recovered. After entering Precode (3), you will
continue with Item RECOVEREDINSURANCE.
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What was recovered?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1 Cash
2 Purse
3 Wallet
4 Credit cards, checks, bank cards
5 Car or other motor vehicle
6 Property other than the above
WHATRECOVERED
WHATRECOVERED
Item WHATRECOVERED is used to identify what PART of
the stolen money and/or property was recovered after the
incident. After asking the initial question, continue asking,
"Anything else?" until you get a "No" response and enter all
appropriate precodes.
For stolen money, only include money returned by the
offender or the actual stolen money that someone other than
the offender found or discovered and returned to the owner.
Do NOT include the reimbursement of money from an
insurance company, a relative, friend, or anyone OTHER
THAN the offender.
For stolen property, only include the return of the original
property that was stolen, NOT any replacement property from
any source (for example, an insurance company or the
offender). Also include recovered property that is being held
as evidence in a court case, even though the property has
not yet been returned to the owner.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if stolen cash was recovered. After
entering Precode (1), continue with Item
CASHRECOVERED.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the owner's stolen purse was recovered.
After entering Precode (2), continue with Item
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CONTAINMONEY, which asks, "Did the recovered purse
contain any money?"
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the owner's stolen wallet was recovered.
After entering Precode (3), continue with item
CONTAINMONEY.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the owner's stolen credit cards, checks,
bank cards, Savings Bonds, bank books, money orders, or
travelers checks were recovered.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) if the owner's stolen car or other motor
vehicle was recovered.
Precode (6)
Enter Precode (6) if some part of the owner's stolen property
was recovered and the recovered property does not fit any of
the descriptions in Precodes (2) through (5). This could
include recovered stolen property identified in Precodes (17)
through (36) in Item WHATWASTAKEN.
Check Item
WHAT_RECOVERED_CK
If something is marked as “recovered” in Item
WHATRECOVERED that was not reported as “stolen” in Item
WHATWASTAKEN, check item WHAT_RECOVERED_CK
appears:
Invalid entry. You reported something was recovered
that was not reported as stolen.
Close
Goto
WHAT_RECOVERED_CK
This is a hard edit check. Click on “Close” or “Goto” to return
to either WHATWASTAKEN or WHATRECOVERED to
correct the entry.
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● If necessary: How much cash was recovered?
CASH REPORTED TAKEN: $124.00
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
CASHRECOVERED
CASHRECOVERED
Check Item CASH_CK
Use Item CASHRECOVERED to record the total amount of
stolen cash that was recovered in whole dollars. Round up or
down as necessary. For example, if the amount given is
$150.50, round up to $151 and, if the amount given is
$150.49, round down to $150. If the respondent gives an
amount that is less than $1, round up to $1. When the
respondent is unable to give an exact dollar amount, ask for
his/her best estimate.
If the amount of cash reported as recovered is greater than
the amount of cash reported stolen, check item CASH_CK
appears:
The amount of cash reported stolen, (amount) is less
than the amount of cash reported recovered, (amount).
Close
Goto
CASH_CK
Click on “Close” or “Goto” to return to either
AMOUNTOFCASHTAKEN or CASHRECOVERED to correct
the entry.
Incident Report Items
B4-190
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Did the recovered purse/wallet contain any money?
1 Yes
2 No
CONTAINMONEY
CONTAINMONEY
If the recovered purse or wallet did contain money, enter
Precode (1) in Item CONTAINMONEY so you can record the
amount of stolen cash recovered at Item CASHRECOVERED
as shown above. Enter the whole dollar amount and round up
or down to the nearest dollar amount, as necessary.
Considering any damage, what was the value of the property after it was recovered?
Do not include recovered cash.
● If value of recovered property is the same as value of property taken then enter the amount
below
VALUE OF PROPERTY TAKEN: $550.00
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
RECOVEREDCASHVALUE
RECOVEREDCASHVALUE
Item RECOVEREDCASHVALUE is used to identify the dollar
value of stolen property that was recovered after allowing for
any damage done to the property since it was stolen. This
includes the value of all stolen property that was recovered,
regardless of whether or not it was damaged since it was
stolen.
Remind the respondent to exclude the following recovered
stolen property when determining the dollar value: cash,
credit cards, bank cards, Savings Bonds, bank books, money
orders, or travelers checks.
Also let the respondent use any means to arrive at this value.
Incident Report Items
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Part B, Chapter 4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
To help the respondent decide the value of the recovered
property, you may remind the respondent of the articles
individually. If the respondent gives you separate amounts for
each item, total the amounts and enter the sum in the answer
space.
Enter the amount in whole dollars. Round up or down as
necessary. For example, if the amount given is $150.50,
round up to $151 and, if the amount given is $150.49, round
down to $150. If the respondent gives an amount that is less
than $1, round up to $1. When the respondent is unable to
give an exact dollar amount, ask for his/her best estimate.
Check Item
PROPERTYVALUE_CK
If the value of the item(s) recovered is a higher dollar value
than the value of the item(s) stolen, a soft edit pop-up,
PROPERTYVALUE_CK appears:
The value of the property that was recovered, (amount), is
greater than the value of the property that was taken,(amount).
Suppress
Close
Goto
PROPERTYVALUE_CK
If you select “Goto,” return to Item
RECOVEREDCASHVALUE or PROPERTYVALUE and
correct your entries so that the recovered value is less than
or equal to the original property value. If the value of the
recovered property truly is greater than its original value (for
example some art and jewelry, etc., which can appreciate
over time), then select “Suppress” and proceed to
RECOVEREDINSURANCE.
Incident Report Items
B4-192
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
Was the theft reported to an insurance company?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
4 Don’t have insurance
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
RECOVEREDINSURANCE
Item RECOVEREDINSURANCE is used to find out if anyone
reported the theft to an insurance company, regardless of
whether the insurance company made any payment for the
claim.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent, another household
member, or someone outside of the household reported the
theft to an insurance company.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the theft was not reported by anyone to
an insurance company.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent either does not know or
cannot remember whether anyone reported the theft to an
insurance company. Before entering Precode (3), ask a
probing question to help the respondent remember, such as
"Do you remember speaking to a claims adjuster or
reading any correspondence from your insurance
company about the theft?"
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the household was not covered by
insurance at the time of the incident.
Incident Report Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
?[F1]
Was anything that belonged to you or other members of the household damaged in this incident?
● Probe: For example, was (a lock or window broken/clothing damaged/
damage done to a car), or something else?
1 Yes
2 No
DAMAGED
DAMAGED
Item DAMAGED is used to find out if any other item was
damaged during the incident, excluding any stolen property.
This could be property owned by the respondent or any other
household member. If property was reported as stolen, the
instrument inserts the phrase, “Other than stolen property” at
the beginning of the question.
If the respondent seems unsure of how to answer this
question, also ask the probe question shown below the initial
question in Item DAMAGED. As you ask the probe question,
make sure to select the appropriate examples shown in
parentheses based on the circumstances of the theft.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if:
✓ Items were damaged during the incident, but they were
not stolen.
✓ These damaged items belonged to a household member
at the time of the incident or to an unrecognizable
business operated from the sample address.
✓ Any items damaged, but not stolen, during an act of
vandalism which occurred during the same incident as the
theft.
After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
DAMAGEDREPAIRED.
Incident Report Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precode (2)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (2), "No," if:
✓ The only items damaged during the incident were the
stolen items.
✓ The damaged items belonged to someone who was not a
household member at the time of the incident.
✓ The damaged items belonged to a recognizable business
operated from the sample address.
✓ The damaged items are commercial property, such as a
damaged apartment door to an apartment rented by the
respondent, even if the respondent paid for the repair or
replacement cost. In this example, the apartment door
does not belong to the respondent.
After entering Precode (2), continue with Item
POLICEINFORMED.
Was/Were the damaged item(s) repaired or replaced?
1 Yes, all
2 Yes, part
3 No, none
DAMAGEDREPAIRED
DAMAGEDREPAIRED
Item DAMAGEDREPAIRED is used to determine whether
any or all of the items damaged during the incident were
repaired or replaced, even if there was no cost involved. Also,
the person who repaired or replaced the damaged items
could be anyone, such as a household member, a friend, the
landlord, or anyone else. Only include damaged items that
were NOT stolen.
Enter the appropriate precode based on the respondent's
answer. After entering Precode (1) for “Yes, all,” or Precode
(2) for "Yes, part," continue with Item
ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE. If you enter Precode (3) for
"No, none," continue with Item ESTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE.
Incident Report Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
How much would it cost to repair or replace the damaged item(s)?
● Enter 0 for no cost
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
ESTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE
ESTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE
Item ESTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE is used to identify what
the cost would be to repair and/or replace any items
damaged, but not stolen, during the incident, if the
respondent decided to get the item(s) repaired or replaced. If
the respondent has difficulty giving you an exact amount, ask
for his/her best estimate.
Enter the amount in whole dollars in the dollar answer space.
Round up or down as necessary. For example, if the amount
given is $150.50, round up to $151 and, if the amount given
is $150.49, round down to $150. If the respondent gives an
amount that is less than $1, round up to $1.
Enter (0), (zero), if there would be no cost to repair and/or
replace the damaged items. If the respondent does not know
what the cost would be to repair and/or replace the damaged
items, enter Control + D to indicate “Don’t know.” Avoid “Don’t
know” answers when possible.
After entering a response (other than 0), continue with Item
PAIDREPAIRS. After entering (0), continue with Item
POLICEINFORMED.
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Part B, Chapter 4
How much was the repair or replacement cost?
● Enter 0 for no cost
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE
ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE
Item ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE is used to identify what
the cost was to repair and/or replace any items damaged, but
not stolen, during the incident. If the respondent has difficulty
giving you an exact amount, ask for his/her best estimate.
Enter the amount in whole dollars in the dollar answer space.
Round up or down as necessary. For example, if the amount
given is $150.50, round up to $151 and, if the amount given
is $150.49, round down to $150. If the respondent gives an
amount that is less than $1, round up to $1.
Enter (0), (zero), if there was no cost to repair and/or replace
the damaged items. If the respondent does not know what
the cost would be to repair and/or replace the damaged
items, enter Control + D to indicate “Don’t know.” Avoid “Don’t
know” answers when possible.
After entering a response (other than 0), continue with Item
PAIDREPAIRS. After entering (0), continue with Item
POLICEINFORMED.
Incident Report Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Who (paid/will pay) for the repairs or replacement?
● Probe: Anyone else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas
1 Items will not be repaired or replaced
2 Household member
3 Landlord or landlord's insurance
4 Victim's (or household's) insurance
5 Offender
6 Other - specify
PAIDREPAIRS
PAIDREPAIRS
Item PAIDREPAIRS is used to identify who paid or will pay to
repair and/or replace items that were damaged, but not
stolen, during the incident. If you enter Precode (1) or (2) in
Item DAMAGEDREPAIRED, then ask the question in Item
PAIDREPAIRS using the word "paid." Ask the question in
Item PAIDREPAIRS using the words "will pay" if you entered
Precode (3) in Item DAMAGEDREPAIRED or the respondent
has told you that the items have been repaired and/or
replaced, but the repair and/or replacement bill has not yet
been paid.
Since more than one person or company may have paid for
the repairs and/or replacements, continue asking, "Anyone
else?" until you get a "No" response and then enter all
appropriate precodes.
Only enter Precode (1) if the respondent tells you that NONE
of the damaged items will be repaired or replaced. However,
do NOT enter Precode (1) if a person or company provided or
will provide money to repair and/or replace damaged item(s),
but the respondent does not intend to use the money for this
purpose. Instead, enter the appropriate
precode to indicate who provided or will provide the money.
Also, if a household member or someone else originally paid
for the repair and/or replacement costs and the total amount
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Part B, Chapter 4
has been or will be reimbursed by insurance, only enter
Precode (3) or (4) to indicate whose insurance is reimbursing
the cost and do not enter the precode for who originally paid
the bill. However, if the insurance only paid a portion of the
costs and someone else paid the remainder of the costs, then
enter both precodes. For example, enter Precode (2) for a
household member and Precode (4) for the household
member's insurance.
If the respondent identifies a person, company, or
government agency that is not described in Precodes (2)
through (5), enter Precode (6), "Other," and enter the
respondent's answer on the "Specify" screen,
PAIDREPAIRS_SPEC (for example, relatives or friends of
the household, a government agency, a church, or a
community organization).
Were the police informed or did they find out about this incident in any way?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
POLICEINFORMED
POLICEINFORMED
Item POLICEINFORMED is used to determine whether the
police are aware that this incident took place, regardless of
how they found out about it.
Who Are Considered the
Police?
For the NCVS, consider the police to be all regular police
officers at the city, county, State, or Federal government
level, as well as officers who work for sheriff's departments.
Also include officers working for specialized police forces who
are authorized to make arrests in a special area or jurisdiction
(for example, campus police, park police, transit police,
harbor police, and airport police).
Exclude as Police
Officers
For the NCVS, exclude as police officers any security forces,
building guards, prison guards, fish and game wardens, fire
marshals, and all others who do not have the authority to
make police arrests.
Incident Report Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Victim Is a Police Officer
When the victim/respondent is a police officer and answers
"Yes" to the question in Item POLICEINFORMED, probe to
find out if the respondent or another person filed an official
report or officially notified a police department about the
incident. Do not assume that an incident was reported to the
police just because the victim/respondent is a police officer.
For example, if the respondent who is a police officer was
threatened with physical harm by a crime suspect and he/she
only mentioned it to his/her partner at the station, but never
filed a report or officially notified the department, you would
enter Precode (2), "No."
Offender Is a Police
Officer
When the victim/respondent answers "Yes" to the question in
Item POLICEINFORMED and the offender is a police officer,
probe to find out if anyone filed an official report or
officially notified a police department about the incident.
Again, do not assume because a police officer was involved
in the incident that the police were officially notified. Enter
Precode (2), "No," if no one actually notified the police.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the incident was reported to the
police; continue with Item POLICEFINDOUT.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the incident was NOT reported to
the police; continue with Item NOTREPORTEDPOLICE.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent does not
know or cannot say for sure whether anyone reported the
incident to the police and you will continue with Item
AGENCYHELP. (Also see Part C, Chapter 3, Topic 21, for
more information about incidents involving police
officers.)
Incident Report Items
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 4
How did the police find out about it?
● Enter first precode that applies
11 Respondent
12 Other household member
13 Someone official called police (guard, apt. manager, school official, etc.)
14 Someone else
15 Police were at scene
16 Offender was a police officer
17 Some other way - specify
POLICEFINDOUT
Special Instructions for Proxy
Interviews - Items
POLICEFINDOUT through
ANYTHINGFURTHER
Starting with Item POLICEFINDOUT and ending with Item
ANYTHINGFURTHER, do NOT follow the general rule for
asking questions during a proxy interview. Normally, you ask
the NCVS questions of the proxy respondent (who is usually
another household member) for the proxy person (the
household member who is unable to answer for
himself/herself). For example, when asking the question for
Item DAMAGED during a proxy interview, ask the question
this way:
"Other than any stolen property was anything that
belonged to Jeffrey Doe (the proxy person) or other
members of the household damaged in this incident?"
Since the questions for Items POLICEFINDOUT through
ANYTHINGFURTHER can apply to anyone in the sample
household who may have had contact with the police, ask
each of these questions of the proxy respondent, rather than
the proxy person.
For example, when you ask the proxy respondent in
POLICEFINDOUT, "How did the police find out about it?"
the proxy respondent says, "I told them." In this case, enter
Precode (11), "Respondent." However, if the proxy
respondent says that, "Jeffrey Doe (the proxy person) called
the police," enter Precode (12), "Other household member."
When conducting a proxy interview, the instrument displays
an interviewer instruction at this screen to remind you of this.
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B4-201
Part B, Chapter 4
POLICEFINDOUT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item POLICEFINDOUT is used to identify how the police
found out about the incident. Enter the first precode that
applies. For example, if the respondent tells you that he/she
called the police and a security guard also called the police,
enter Precode (11), "Respondent."
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the police found out about the incident
from the respondent. If you are taking a proxy interview, enter
Precode (11) if the proxy respondent informed the police.
After entering Precode (11), continue with Item
REASONREPORT.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the police found out about the incident
from a household member OTHER THAN the respondent. If
you are taking a proxy interview, enter Precode (12) if the
proxy person informed the police. After entering Precode
(12), continue with Item POLICEARRIVE.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the police found out about the incident
from some type of official, such as a security guard, an
apartment manager, a school principal, a store manager, and
so on. After entering Precode (13), you will continue with Item
POLICEARRIVE.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the police found out about the incident
from a person OTHER THAN a household member or
someone acting in an official capacity. For example, you
would enter Precode (14) if a neighbor called the police or a
relative who is not a household member called the police
(such as an uncle, aunt, brother-in-law, and so on) . After
entering Precode (14), you will continue with Item
POLICEARRIVE.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the police found out about the incident
because they happened to be on the scene at the time of the
incident or came by while the incident was taking place. After
entering Precode (15), continue with Item POLICEACTION.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the police found out about the incident
because the offender was a police officer and he/she notified
the police. After entering Precode (16), continue with Item
POLICECONTACT.
Incident Report Items
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Precode (17)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (17) if the police found out about the incident
in a way other than those described in Precodes (11) through
(16). After entering Precode (17), explain how the police were
informed on the "Specify" screen, POLICEFINDOUT_SPEC,
then continue with Item POLICECONTACT.
? [F1]
What was the reason it was not reported to the police?
● Probe: Can you tell me a little more? Any other reason?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
DEALT WITH ANOTHER WAY:
11 Reported to another official (guard, apt. manager, school official, etc.)
12 Private or personal matter or took care of it myself or informally; told offender’s parent
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO RESPONDENT:
13 Minor or unsuccessful crime, small or no loss, recovered property
14 Child offender(s), "kid stuff"
15 Not clear that it was a crime or that harm was intended
INSURANCE WOULDN'T COVER:
16 No insurance, loss less than deductible, etc.
POLICE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING:
17 Didn't find out until too late
18 Could not recover or identify property
19 Could not find or identify offender, lack of proof
POLICE WOULDN'T HELP
20 Police wouldn't think it was important enough, wouldn’t want to be bothered or get involved
21 Police would be inefficient, ineffective (they’d arrive late or not at all, wouldn’t do a good job, etc.)
22 Police would be biased, would harass/insult respondent, cause respondent trouble, etc.)
23 Offender was a police officer
OTHER REASON:
24 Did not want to get offender in trouble with the law
25 Was advised not to report to police
26 Afraid of reprisal by offender or others
27 Did not want to or could not take time–too inconvenient
28 Other - Specify
29 Respondent not present or doesn't know why it wasn't reported
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
Incident Report Items
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Part B, Chapter 4
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
Probing for Item
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item NOTREPORTEDPOLICE is used to find out why no one
reported the incident to the police. This item consists of 19
categories, grouped together under six major headings to
help you locate the correct precode for the respondent's
answer. Since you must enter all appropriate precodes for a
respondent's answer, continue asking, "Any other reason?"
until you get a "No" response.
In some cases, a respondent's answer may seem to fit under
one of the major headings, but you are not sure which
precode to enter. In this situation, you need to ask a general
probe question. For example, a respondent answers that she
did not think the police would help her. You see the major
heading, "POLICE WOULDN'T HELP," but you are not sure
which precode to enter. You could ask, "Can you tell me a
little more?" If that probe question does not work, then you
could ask, "Why do you think that the police would not
help you?"
Since this item involves a respondent's feelings and
motivations, you must be extremely careful when asking
probe questions so you do not bias the respondent's answer.
Keep your initial probe questions general and neutral. Then
if the initial probe question does not work, ask a more specific
probe question.
Only ask the structured probe question (which can be
accessed using the F1 key) for Item
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE when:
✓ You have asked general probe questions and the
respondent's answer still does not fit under one of the
major headings.
✓ The respondent's answer is so vague and obscure that it
would not be appropriate to ask a general probe question.
Verifying Answers
To ensure that all appropriate precodes are entered in Item
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE, verify the answer categories for
which you entered precodes with the respondent BEFORE
pressing “Enter” to get to the next question. Here is an
example of how to verify the answers you entered with the
respondent: "I have entered (read descriptions for the
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Part B, Chapter 4
entered precodes). Do these reasons cover why no one
reported the incident to the police?"
Answer Categories for
Item NOTREPORTED
POLICE
Since most of the answer categories in Item
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE are self-explanatory, descriptions
are provided below only for the categories that require special
attention.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), "Private or personal matter or took care
of it myself or informally; told offender's parent," when the
respondent tells you that: "It was a family matter," "He/she
wanted to catch the thief," "He/she called the person who did
it," "He/she thought it was his/her wife/husband," "The person
was a friend," and so on.
Precode (28)
Enter Precode (28), "Other," if you have tried asking both
general probe questions and the structured probe question
AND the respondent's reason still does not fit into one of the
reasons in Precodes (11) through (27). After entering
Precode (28), enter the reason on the "Specify" screen,
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE_SPEC.
Precode (29)
Enter Precode (29), "Respondent not present or doesn't know
why it wasn't reported," if the respondent really does not
know why the incident was not reported to the police.
(For example, the respondent was not present during a
burglary incident.)
Noting Distinctions
Pay close attention when a respondent tells you that the
incident is not important enough to report to the police.
Precodes (13) through (15) cover reasons why the
respondent feels that the incident was not important enough
to report to the police, while Precode (20) covers when the
respondent thinks that the police would not consider the
incident important.
Precode (27) also implies that the respondent did not feel
that the incident was important enough to report to the police,
but the primary motivation for not reporting
the incident was the respondent's lack of time and the level of
inconvenience to him/her.
After completing Item NOTREPORTEDPOLICE, continue
with either:
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Item NOTREPORTIMPORTANT when more than one
reason is entered in Item NOTREPORTEDPOLICE.
OR
Item AGENCYHELP when only one reason is entered in
Item NOTREPORTEDPOLICE.
Which of these would you say was the most important reason
why the incident was not reported to the police?
Reasons not reported:
23 Offender was police officer
27 Did not want to or could not take time - too inconvenient
29 No one reason more important
NOTREPORTIMPORTANT
NOTREPORTIMPORTANT
Item NOTREPORTIMPORTANT is used to pinpoint which of
the reasons reported in Item NOTREPORTEDPOLICE the
respondent feels is the most important reason for not
reporting the incident to the police. If necessary, read the
reasons listed for Item NOTREPORT IMPORTANT.
Based on the respondent's answer, enter the appropriate
precode. If the respondent seems to have difficulty making up
his/her mind, ask the following probe question: "If you could
only give one reason, which one would it be?"
In Item NOTREPORTIMPORTANT, Precode (29), “No one
reason more important,” is also displayed. Use this precode if
the respondent tells you that each reason selected in Item
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE was equally important as to why
the incident was not reported to the police.
After completing Item NOTREPORTIMPORTANT, continue
with Item AGENCYHELP.
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? [F1]
Besides the fact that it was a crime, did YOU have any other reason for reporting this incident to
the police?
● Probe: Any other reason?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
● TO GET HELP WITH THIS INCIDENT
11 Stop or prevent THIS incident from happening
12 Needed help after incident due to injury, etc.
● TO RECOVER LOSS
13 To recover property
14 To collect insurance
● TO GET OFFENDER
15 To prevent further crimes against respondent/respondent's household by
this offender
16 To stop this offender from committing other crimes against anyone
17 To punish offender
18 Catch or find offender - other reason or no reason given
● TO LET POLICE KNOW
19 To improve police surveillance of respondent's home, area, etc.
20 Duty to let police know about crime
● OTHER
21 Other reason - Specify
22 No other reason
REASONREPORT
REASONREPORT
Item REASONREPORT is used to identify why the
respondent reported the incident to the police.
There are 12 categories for Item REASONREPORT that are
grouped together under five major headings to help you locate
the correct precode to enter for the respondent's answer.
Since you need to enter all appropriate precodes for a
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respondent's answer, continue asking, "Any other reason?"
until you get a "No" response.
Since we are interested in the respondent's feelings at the
time of the incident (or the proxy respondent's feelings), be
sure to pause after reading the question to allow the
respondent time to recall his/her feelings. Do NOT read the
answer categories to the respondent BEFORE receiving the
respondent's answer.
Probing for Item
REASONREPORT
In some cases, a respondent's answer may seem to fit under
one of the major headings, but you are not sure which
precodes to enter. In this situation, you need to ask a general
probe question. For example, a respondent answers that he
thought the police should be aware of the incident. You see
the major heading, "TO LET POLICE KNOW," but you are not
sure which precode to enter. You could ask, "Can you be
more specific?" If the probe question does not work, then
you could ask, "Why did you feel that the police should be
notified?"
Since this item involves a respondent's feelings and
motivations, be extremely careful when asking probe
questions so you do not bias the respondent's answer. Keep
your initial probe question general and neutral. If the initial
probe question does not work, ask a more specific probe
question.
Only ask the structured probe question (which can be
accessed with the F1 key) for Item REASONREPORT when:
✓ You have asked general probe questions and the
respondent's answer still does not fit under one of the
major headings.
✓ The respondent's answer is so vague and obscure that it
would not be appropriate to ask a general probe question.
Verifying Answers
To ensure that all appropriate precodes are entered in Item
REASONREPORT, verify the answer categories that you
entered with the respondent BEFORE pressing “Enter” to
indicate that all responses have been entered. Here is an
example of how to verify the answers you entered with the
respondent: "I have entered (read descriptions for the
entered precodes). Do these reasons cover why you
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reported this incident to the police?"
Any precode entry/entries in Item REASONREPORT except
Precode (22) take(s) you to Item REPORTIMPORTANT. If
only Precode (22) is entered in Item REASONREPORT,
continue with Item POLICEARRIVE.
Answer Categories in Item
REASONREPORT
Since most of the answer categories in Item
REASONREPORT are self-explanatory, descriptions are
provided below only for the categories that require special
attention.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) ONLY when the respondent tells you that
he/she reported the incident to the police either at the time of
the incident or just prior to the incident in an effort to keep it
from happening. The respondent must have been present
during the incident in order to mark Precode (11).
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) when the respondent tells you that he/she
reported the incident to the police in an effort to get help
AFTER the incident, such as medical attention.
Do NOT enter Precode (12) if the incident was reported to:
✗ Recover property (Enter Precode (13)).
✗ Collect insurance money (Enter Precode (14)).
✗ Prevent the incident from happening again (Enter Precode
(15)).
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if the respondent feels that he/she had a
legal or moral obligation to report the incident to the police.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) if you have tried asking both general probe
questions and the structured probe question AND the
respondent’s reason still does not fit into one of the reasons in
Precodes (11) through (20). After entering Precode (21), enter
the reason on the “Specify” screen, Item
REASONREPORT_SPEC.
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22) if the respondent's only reason for
reporting the incident to the police was because it was a
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crime. If you enter Precode (22) along with other precodes,
Item REASONREPORT_CK appears as a pop-up. This is a
hard edit check:
Invalid entry. You cannot select answer category 22 “No other
reason” along with any other answer category in this item.
Questions involved
Value
Close
Goto
REASONREPORT_CK
Click on “Close” or “Goto” to return to REASONREPORT to
correct your entries.
Which of these would you say was the most important reason why the incident
was reported to the police?
12 Needed help due to injury, etc.
16 To stop off. from committing other crimes against anyone
22 Because it was a crime was most important
23 No one reason more important
REPORTIMPORTANT
REPORTIMPORTANT
Item REPORTIMPORTANT is used to identify which reason
from those reported in Item REASONREPORT the
respondent feels is the most important reason for reporting
the incident to the police. If necessary, read the reasons
displayed on the screen for Item REPORTIMPORTANT.
Based on the respondent's answer, enter the appropriate
precode. If the respondent seems to have difficulty making up
his/her mind, you could ask the following probe question: "If
you could only give one reason, which one would it be?"
The respondent may tell you that:
✓ His/her main reason for reporting the incident to the police
was that it was a crime. If so, enter Precode (22),
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"Because it was a crime was most important."
✓ Each reason is equally important. If so, enter Precode
(23), "No one reason more important."
After completing Item REPORTIMPORTANT, continue with
Item POLICEARRIVE.
Did the police come when they found out about the incident?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
4 Respondent went to police
POLICEARRIVE
POLICEARRIVE
Item POLICEARRIVE is the first of three questions intended
to find out what the police did after they were notified about
the incident. Item POLICEARRIVE is used to determine
whether the police actually came to talk in person with the
victimized person.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the police came to see and speak
to the victimized person either at the scene of the incident or
somewhere else. If the police only spoke to the victimized
person on the telephone, enter Precode (2), "No." After
entering Precode (1), continue with Item
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the police were contacted and
never came to speak in person with the victimized person
and only communicated by telephone, mail, and so on. After
entering Precode (2), continue with Item POLICECONTACT.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent really does
not know whether the police came to speak in person with the
victimized person once they were notified. After entering
Precode (3), continue with Item POLICECONTACT.
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Precode (4)
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Enter Precode (4), "Respondent went to police," if the
respondent went to notify the police in person about the
incident. After entering Precode (4), continue with Item
POLICEACTION.
How soon after the police found out did they respond?
Was it within 5 minutes, within 10 minutes, an hour, a day, or longer?
● Enter the code for the first answer category that the respondent is sure of.
1 Within 5 minutes
2 Within 10 minutes
3 Within an hour
4 Within a day
5 Longer than a day
6 Don't know how soon
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE
Item TIMEPOLICEARRIVE is used to identify how much time
elapsed between the police being notified and the police
arriving in person to speak to the victimized person. Enter the
first category from Precodes (1) through (5) about which the
respondent feels sure.
Enter Precode (6) if the respondent really does not know how
soon after being contacted the police arrived to speak to the
victimized person, such as when someone else called the
police or the police went to the crime scene before coming to
speak to the victimized person.
After completing Item TIMEPOLICEARRIVE, continue with
Item POLICEACTION.
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What did they do while they were there?
● Probe: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
11 Took report
12 Searched/looked around
13 Took evidence (fingerprints, inventory, etc.)
14 Questioned witnesses or suspects
15 Promised surveillance
16 Promised to investigate
17 Made arrest
18 Other - specify
19 Don't know
POLICEACTION
POLICEACTION
Item POLICEACTION is used to determine what actions the
police took while they were with the victimized person during
their initial visit. Exclude any police actions taken after the
police left or during any subsequent visits with the victimized
person.
Since you need to enter all precodes that apply to the
respondent's answer, continue asking, "Anything else?"
until you get a "No" answer.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), "Took report," if the police spoke to the
victimized person to find out what happened during the
incident.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), "Searched/looked around," if the police
searched the area of the incident for the offender(s) or for any
of the stolen property.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13), "Took evidence," if the police took any
type of evidence that the offender(s) may have left at the
scene of the crime, such as fingerprints, a weapon, scraps of
clothing, a hair or blood sample, and so on.
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Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), "Questioned witnesses or suspects," if
the police questioned any witnesses and suspects, as well as
potential witnesses and suspects (for example, neighbors,
co-workers, friends, and so on).
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15), "Promised surveillance," if the police told
the victimized person that they will:
✓ Patrol the crime scene
OR
✓ Keep a lookout in the area where the victimized person
lives or works.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Promised to investigate," if the police
told the victimized person that they would do any of the
following things: question suspects, witnesses, or others,
pursue the offender(s), try to recover stolen property, etc.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Made arrest," if the respondent learned
that the police arrested a suspect(s) during the initial visit
from the police.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18), "Other," if the police took any actions
during their initial visit with the victimized person which are
not described in Precodes (11) through (17) and then fully
describe the action(s) taken on the "Specify" screen,
POLICEACTION_SPEC.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), "Don't know," if the respondent really
does not know what the police did during their initial visit with
the victimized person. For example, the respondent may not
have been present when the police made their visit.
After completing Item POLICEACTION, continue with Item
POLICECONTACT.
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Did you (or anyone in your household) have any later contact with the police
about the incident?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
POLICECONTACT
POLICECONTACT
Item POLICECONTACT is the first of four questions asking
about any subsequent contacts with the police about the
incident. Item POLICECONTACT is used to determine
whether the respondent or any other household member had
any later official contacts with the police about the incident.
For example, the police may have called the victimized
person or made another personal visit, or perhaps a
household member mailed a letter to the police inquiring
about the case.
Exclude any unofficial contacts with the police, such as a
casual conversation with a police officer who is a friend or
acquaintance.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," when:
✓ There was any contact between the household and the
police following the initial visit by the police, regardless of
who initiated the contact.
✓ The police did NOT make a personal visit when they were
originally contacted about the incident, but the police did
call or send a letter to the household after they were
contacted.
✓ The police did NOT make a personal visit when they were
originally contacted about the incident, but someone in
the household called or sent a letter to the police after
they initially notified the police.
After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
POLICEINTOUCH.
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Precode (2)
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Enter Precode (2), "No," when:
✓ There was no later contact between the household and
the police AFTER the initial visit by the police.
✓ There was no contact at all between the household and
the police after the police found out about the incident.
After entering Precode (2), continue with Item
SIGNCOMPLAINT.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," when the respondent does
not know whether there was any later contact with the police
about the incident. After entering Precode (3), continue with
Item SIGNCOMPLAINT.
Did the police get in touch with you or did you get in touch with them?
1 Police contacted respondent or other household member
2 Respondent or other household member contacted police
3 Both
4 Don’t know
5 Other - Specify
POLICEINTOUCH
POLICEINTOUCH
Item POLICEINTOUCH is used to determine who initiated the
later contact between the household and the police about the
incident. Enter the appropriate precode based on the
respondent's answer.
Precode (3)
Only enter Precode (3), "Both," if there was more than one
later contact and some were initiated by the police and others
were initiated by someone in the household.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent does not know who
initiated the contact.
Precode (5)
If you enter Precode (5), "Other," make sure to identify who
initiated the later contact(s) on the "Specify" screen,
POLICEINTOUCH_SPEC. Avoid entering Precode (5) if the
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respondent's answer fits Precode (1), (2), or (3).
After completing Item POLICEINTOUCH, continue with Item
HOWPOLICECONTACT.
Was that in person, by phone, or some other way?
1 In person
2 Not in person (by phone, mail, etc.)
3 Both in person and not in person
4 Don't know
HOWPOLICECONTACT
HOWPOLICECONTACT
Item HOWPOLICECONTACT is used to find out whether or
not the later contacts were made in person.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if ALL later contacts were made in person,
regardless of who initiated the contacts.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if ALL later contacts were made by some
means OTHER THAN IN PERSON, such as by telephone,
FAX, mail, electronic mail, and so on.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if there were two or more later contacts
AND at least one later contact was made in person AND at
least one later contact was made by some other means, such
as by phone.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if, after probing, the respondent does not
know whether the later contacts were made in person or by
some other means.
After completing Item HOWPOLICECONTACT, continue with
Item POLICEFOLLOWUP.
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What did the police do in following up this incident?
● PROBE: Anything else?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
11 Took report
12 Questioned witnesses or suspects
13 Did or promised surveillance/investigation
14 Recovered property
15 Made arrest
16 Stayed in touch with respondent/household
17 Other - Specify
18 Nothing (to the respondent's knowledge)
19 Don't know
POLICEFOLLOWUP
POLICEFOLLOWUP
Item POLICEFOLLOWUP is used to determine what actions
the police took to follow up on the incident, EXCLUDING
actions that were already identified in Item POLICEACTION
and were only taken during the initial contact.
Since you need to enter all precodes that apply to the
respondent's answer, continue asking, "Anything else?" until
you get a "No" response.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11), "Took report," if the police filled out a
second report or spoke to the victimized person again since
their first contact after the incident.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12), "Questioned witnesses or suspects," if,
after the initial contact, the police questioned any witnesses
and suspects, as well as potential witnesses and suspects
(for example, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and so on).
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13), "Did or promised surveillance/
investigation," if, after initial contact, police investigated the
incident or told the respondent that they would investigate,
such as questioning suspects, witnesses, or others, pursuing
the offender(s), or trying to recover stolen property.
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Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14), "Recovered property," if the police were
able to recover stolen property.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15), "Made arrest," if the respondent learned
that the police arrested a suspect(s) after their initial visit to
the household.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16), "Stayed in touch with respondent/
household," if the police stayed in contact with someone in
the household by any means, such as by phone, mail, etc.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17), "Other," if the police took a later action
that does not fit the descriptions for Precodes (11) through
(16). After entering Precode (17), make sure to identify the
action taken on the "Specify" screen,
POLICEFOLLOWUP_SPEC.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18), "Nothing," if the respondent thinks that
no actions were taken by the police following the initial visit
by the police.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19), "Don't know," if the respondent does not
know what actions were taken since the incident happened.
After completing Item POLICEFOLLOWUP, continue with
Item SIGNCOMPLAINT.
Did you or someone in your household sign a complaint against
the offender(s) to the police department or the authorities?
1 Yes
2 No
SIGNCOMPLAINT
SIGNCOMPLAINT
Item SIGNCOMPLAINT is used to determine whether anyone
in the household signed a complaint against the offender(s)
to the police department or another authority. The complaint
could be any type of official report signed by a household
member in which one or more persons are NAMED as the
offenders in the incident. The official report could be filed with
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a police department or some other legal authority, such as
the FBI, immigration officials, and so on.
After completing Item SIGNCOMPLAINT, continue with Item
ARRESTMADE.
Ask or verify:
As far as you know, was anyone arrested or were
charges brought against anyone in connection with this incident?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
ARRESTMADE
ARRESTMADE
Item ARRESTMADE is used to find out if anyone:
✓ Was arrested in connection with the incident
OR
✓ Had charges brought against him/her.
You may already know the answer to this question. If so,
verify the answer without asking the question.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent knows or has
heard that someone was arrested or had charges brought
against him/her in connection with the incident.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), “No,” if the person was only questioned
about the incident or held in custody and then released
without being charged.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does not know whether
anyone was arrested or charged in connection with the
incident.
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After completing Item ARRESTMADE, continue with Item
AGENCYHELP.
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?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
AGENCYHELP
AGENCYHELP
AGENCYHELP is the first of two items asking about any help
the household may have received from an office or agency
that deals with crime victims, excluding the police
department. Item AGENCYHELP is used to determine
whether the household received help or advice from an office
or agency which provides assistance to crime victims.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if anyone in the household received
help or advice as a direct result of the incident and this help
or advice was in the form of financial or legal advice,
counseling, preventing similar crimes in the future, and so on.
The help or advice could have come from any office or
agency that deals specifically with crime victims, with the
exception of the police department. After entering Precode
(1), continue with Item TYPEOFAGENCY.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if no one in the household received
any help or advice from an office or agency set up to assist
crime victims. Also enter Precode (2) if the only help received
by the household came from:
✓ The police department
OR
✓ Private individuals or a group that is not trained
specifically to handle crime victims, such as neighbors,
relatives, psychologists, a family doctor, a priest or
minister, and so on.
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After entering Precode (2), either:
Continue with Item CONTACTAUTHORITIES if the police
were informed about the incident (Precode (1) entered in
Item POLICEINFORMED.)
OR
Precode (3)
Continue with Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME if the police
were NOT informed about the incident (Precode (2) or (3)
entered in Item POLICEINFORMED.)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent really does
not know whether anyone in the household received help or
advice from an office or agency set up to assist crime victims.
After entering Precode (3):
Continue with Item CONTACTAUTHORITIES if the police
were informed about the incident (Precode (1) entered in
Item POLICEINFORMED.)
OR
Continue with Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME if the police
were NOT informed about the incident (Precode (2) or (3)
entered in Item POLICEINFORMED.)
Was that a government or a private agency?
1 Government
2 Private
3 Don't know
TYPEOFAGENCY
TYPEOFAGENCY
Item TYPEOFAGENCY is used to identify whether the office
or agency who assisted the household was a government or
private agency.
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Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the office or agency is supported by
Federal, state, or local government taxes.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the office or agency is supported by
private funds or charitable contributions.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if, after probing, the respondent really does
not know who supports the office or agency that provided
assistance to the household.
After completing Item TYPEOFAGENCY, either:
Continue with Item CONTACTAUTHORITIES if the police
were informed about the incident (Precode (1) entered in
Item POLICEINFORMED.)
OR
Continue with Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME if the police
were NOT informed about the incident (Precode (2) or (3)
entered in Item POLICEINFORMED.)
Have you (or someone in your household) had contact with any other authorities about this
incident, (such as a prosecutor, court, or juvenile officer)?
1
2
3
Yes
No
Don't know
CONTACTAUTHORITIES
CONTACTAUTHORITIES
Item CONTACTAUTHORITIES is the first of two items used
to determine if anyone in the household has had contact with
an authority about the incident, OTHER THAN the police or
an agency identified in Item AGENCYHELP. By authority, we
mean a prosecutor, a court or juvenile officer, and so on.
If you enter Precode (1), "Yes," continue with Item
AUTHORITIES. If you enter either Precode (2), "No," or
Precode (3), "Don't know," continue with Item
ANYTHINGFURTHER.
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Which authorities?
● Probe: Any others?
● Enter all that apply, separate with commas.
1 Prosecutor, district attorney
2 Magistrate
3 Court
4 Juvenile, probation or parole officer
5 Other - specify
AUTHORITIES
AUTHORITIES
Item AUTHORITIES is used to identify which authorities a
household member has contacted about the incident. Since
more than one authority may have been contacted, continue
asking, "Any others?" until you get a "No" reply. If you enter
Precode (5), "Other," because the authority mentioned by the
respondent is not described in Precodes (1) through (4),
make sure to identify the authority on the "Specify" screen,
AUTHORITIES_SPEC. After completing Item
AUTHORITIES, continue with Item ANYTHINGFURTHER.
Do you expect the police, courts, or other authorities
will be doing anything further in connection with this incident?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
ANYTHINGFURTHER
ANYTHINGFURTHER
Item ANYTHINGFURTHER is used to find out if the
respondent knows or feels that any authority (police, courts,
and so on) will do anything further about the incident. This
could include bringing suspects to trial, questioning suspects,
offering a reward, investigating, or surveillance. Exclude any
counseling that could be provided because of this incident.
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If you enter Precode (1), "Yes," make sure to describe the
actions that the respondent knows or feels will be taken on
the “Specify” screen, ANYTHINGFURTHER_SPEC. After
completing Item ANYTHINGFURTHER, continue with Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME.
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Topic 3. Screen Layout and Instructions for
Items DOINGATINCIDENTTIME Through SUMMARY
● Ask or verify:
What were you doing when this incident (happened/started)?
11 Working or on duty
12 On the way to or from work
13 On the way to or from school
14 On the way to or from other place
15 Shopping, errands
16 Attending school
17 Leisure activity away from home
18 Sleeping
19 Other activities at home
20 Other - Specify
21 Don't know
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME is used to identify what the
respondent or proxy person was doing when the incident
happened or started. It is not necessary for the respondent or
proxy person to have been at the crime scene to answer this
question. If the respondent or proxy person was not present
during the incident, the instrument displays the word
“happened” when asking this question. Otherwise, it displays
the word “started.”
Proxy Interviews
Starting with Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME, you will
again ask each question about the proxy person and not
of the proxy respondent. Only Items POLICEFINDOUT
through ANYTHINGFURTHER are asked directly of the proxy
respondent.
Answer Categories in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME
Since most of the answer categories in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME are self-explanatory, descriptions
are provided below only for the categories that require special
attention.
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Precodes (11) and (12)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (11) if the respondent or proxy person was
working or on duty for his/her job when the incident began or
happened. Enter Precode (12) if the respondent or proxy
person was commuting to or from work when the incident
began or happened. After entering Precode (11), continue
with Item EMPLOYERTYPE.
After entering Precode (12), either:
Continue with Item LOSTWORKTIME if the respondent
was injured in the incident (Precodes (12) - (21) entered
in Item INJURY.)
OR
Continue with Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME if the
respondent was NOT injured in the incident.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the respondent or proxy person was
traveling to or from school when the incident started.
However, if the incident started while the respondent or proxy
person was in class during the school day, enter Precode
(16).
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the respondent or proxy person was in
class during the school day when the incident started.
However, if the incident started while commuting to or from
school, enter Precode (13).
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) when the respondent or proxy person
was involved in an activity at his/her home when the incident
started and the activity is not described in a previous answer
category for Precodes (11) through (18).
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if the respondent or proxy person was
doing something when the incident started that does not fit
any of the previous answer categories in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME. After entering Precode (20),
make sure to describe the activity on the "Specify" screen,
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME_SPEC.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) if the respondent or proxy person really
does not know what he/she was doing when the incident
started. For instance, the respondent or proxy person could
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have been away from home on vacation when his/her house
was broken into and may not know exactly when the incident
took place and what he/she was doing.
● Ask or verify:
Did you have a job at the time of the incident?
1 Yes
2 No
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
Item JOBDURINGINCIDENT is used to determine whether or
not the respondent had a job or business at the time of the
incident. If you know the answer by this point in the interview,
just verify the answer without asking the question.
For the NCVS, consider the respondent as having a job or
business if:
✓ There is a definite arrangement to work for pay or profit
either full time or part time.
✓ The respondent was self-employed in his/her own
business/farm or partnership.
✓ The respondent was working without pay on a family farm
or in a family business.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if any of the conditions mentioned
above existed at the time of the incident, even if the
respondent was temporarily absent from the job due to a
vacation, illness, bad weather, strike, or temporary layoff.
After entering Precode (1), either:
Continue with Item LOSTWORKTIME if the respondent
was injured in the incident (Precodes (12) - (21) entered
in Item INJURY.)
OR
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Precode (2)
Continue with Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME if the
respondent was NOT injured in the incident.
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent did not have a job
or business at the time of the incident. After entering Precode
(2), continue with Item MAJORACTIVITY.
What was your major activity the week of the incident - were you looking for work, keeping
house, going to school, or doing something else?
1 Looking for work
2 Keeping house
3 Going to school
4 Unable to work
5 Retired
6 Other - Specify
MAJORACTIVITY
MAJORACTIVITY
Item MAJORACTIVITY is used to find out what the
respondent's major activity was during the week of the
incident, since he/she did not have a job or business. As you
ask this question, make sure to read each of the examples in
the question.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent was attempting to find a
job or trying to start a business or profession during the week
of the incident. Examples of "looking for work" include:
✓ Registration at an employment office.
✓ FAXing your resume to potential employers.
✓ Meeting and interviewing with prospective employers.
✓ Placing or answering advertisements in newspapers or on
the Internet.
✓ Gathering information about starting his/her own
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business.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the respondent spent most of his/her
time during the week of the incident doing work around
his/her own home. Examples of "keeping house" include:
✓ Cooking, washing clothes, cleaning house, and so on.
✓ Caring for his/her own children, step-children, or foster
children, as well as children who are brothers, sisters, or
other relatives of the respondent.
✓ Overseeing the care of the home, even if the actual work
is done by a paid maid or housekeeper.
✓ Cutting the lawn, painting the house, working in the
garden (other than on a family farm), etc.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent spent the majority of the
week of the incident attending any kind of public or private
school, including trade or vocational schools. If the
respondent would normally be attending school that week,
but was out sick or on a short vacation, still enter Precode
(3).
Do NOT enter Precode (3) if the incident happened during
the respondent's summer vacation, unless the respondent
was attending summer school during the week of the
incident.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent was unable to do ANY
kind of work during the week of the incident because he/she
has a LONG-TERM physical or mental illness or disability.
However, if the respondent is only TEMPORARILY ILL or
disabled and is expected to be well enough to work at some
kind of gainful employment within 6 months after the incident,
enter Precode (6), "Other," and explain the situation on the
"Specify" screen, MAJORACTIVITY_SPEC.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) if the respondent says that he/she was
retired during the week of the incident. However, if the
respondent has only cut back on the number of hours worked
or was semi-retired during the week of the incident, you
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should enter Precode (1) in Item JOBDURINGINCIDENT to
indicate that the respondent did have a job at the time of the
incident.
Precode (6)
Enter Precode (6) if the respondent mentions a major activity
during the week of the incident that is not covered in
Precodes (1) through (5). After entering Precode (6), make
sure to explain the activity on the "Specify" screen,
MAJORACTIVITY_SPEC, such as caring for a terminally ill
spouse, child, or parent, or on summer vacation from school.
After completing Item MAJORACTIVITY, continue with Item
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME to determine if any other
household members lost time from work due to the incident.
Now I have a few questions about the job at which you worked
during the time of the incident.
Were you employed by -● Read each category - then enter appropriate code
1 A private company, business, or individual for wages?
2 The Federal government?
3 A State, county, or local government?
4 Yourself (Self-employed) in your own business, professional practice, or farm?
5 A private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, or charitable organization?
EMPLOYERTYPE
EMPLOYERTYPE
Items EMPLOYERTYPE through ISCURRENTJOB are
asked when Precode (11) is entered in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME. Notice that there is an
introductory statement printed above the question in Item
EMPLOYERTYPE. Make sure that you read this sentence to
the respondent BEFORE asking the question in Item
EMPLOYERTYPE. This statement lets the respondent know
that the following questions relate to the job at which he/she
was working during the time of the incident.
Each of the answer categories in Item EMPLOYERTYPE
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signifies a different “Class of Worker” type. Ask the
respondent about each category as a separate question. For
example: “Were you employed by a private company,
business, or individual for wages?” After asking this
question, wait for the respondent’s answer. If you get a “Yes”
answer, enter Precode (1) and you will continue with Item
INCORPORATED. If you get a “No” answer, ask the second
question, “Were you employed by the Federal
government?” Follow this procedure until you get a “Yes”
answer.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) when a respondent worked for a PRIVATE
employer for wages, salary, commission, tips, piece-rates, or
pay in kind. After entering Precode (1), continue with Item
INCORPORATED.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) when a respondent:
✓ Worked for any branch of the Federal government.
✓ Was elected to a paid Federal office.
✓ Was a member of the Armed Forces.
✓ Was employed by an international organization (for
example, the United Nations) or a foreign government.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) when a respondent worked in any branch
of a state, county, or local government. This also includes
respondents who were elected to paid state, county, or local
offices. After entering Precode (3), continue with Item
EMPLOYERNAME.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) when a respondent was self-employed for
profit or fees in his/her OWN business, farm, shop, office,
practice, etc. After entering Precode (4), continue with Item
INCORPORATED.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) when a respondent was employed for PAY
at the time of the incident by a church, union, or some other
type of private nonprofit organization. After entering Precode
(5), continue with Item INCORPORATED.
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Is this business incorporated?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
INCORPORATED
INCORPORATED
If the respondent was working at the time of the incident for a
private company, his/her own private business, or for a
private, not-for-profit organization, you will continue with Item
INCORPORATED. Item INCORPORATED is used to
determine whether the business or organization is
incorporated.
The respondent should know whether or not his/her employer
is a legal corporation. Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” answer or
Precode (2) for “No” answer. However, if the respondent
really does not know, enter Precode (3) for “Don’t know.”
What is the name of the company/agency/org for which you worked at the time of the incident?
EMPLOYERNAME
EMPLOYERNAME
Item EMPLOYERNAME is used to identify the name of the
respondent’s employer at the time of the incident. Census
Bureau coders working in the National Processing Center
need this key piece of information to assign the correct
industry code to the respondent’s employer. Record this
information accurately.
Even though a respondent may be reluctant to provide the
name of his/her employer, make every effort to collect this
information without badgering the respondent. In some
cases, you may succeed by just reassuring a respondent
that the information he/she provides is confidential.
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What kind of business or industry is this?
● Read if necessary:
What do they make or do where you worked at the time of the incident?
TYPEBUSINESS
TYPEBUSINESS
Item TYPEBUSINESS is used to determine the kind of
business or industry that is transacted by the respondent’s
employer at the time of the incident. This is another key piece
of information needed to assign the correct industry code for
a respondent’s employer.
To ensure that our coders can assign an accurate industry
code, enter a clear and specific description of the kind of
business or industry:
What is the purpose of the business?
OR
What type of products are produced by the industry?
Structured Probe
If the respondent hesitates in giving you an answer to your
initial question in Item TYPEBUSINESS, also ask the
structured probe question: “What do they make or do
where you/name worked at the time of the incident?” This
probe question may help the respondent to understand what
type of description we want for this item.
Be Specific
Avoid entering descriptions that are too general, such as:
✖ “It’s a mining company.”
✖ “The business provides a repair service.”
✖ “It’s a computer-related business.”
✖ “It’s a retail store.”
Some examples of better descriptions:
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✓ “Mines/transports coal/byproducts”
✓ “Repairs small home appliances”
✓ “Designs/sells computer software”
✓ “Operates two large hardware stores”
Enter descriptions that are specific. Avoid using unnecessary
words that make descriptions too long. This item allows for 50
characters.
Is this mainly . . .
● Read answer categories
1
2
3
4
Manufacturing?
Retail trade?
Wholesale trade?
Something else?
BUSINESSSECTOR
BUSINESSSECTOR
Item BUSINESSSECTOR is used to identify the major type of
industry in which the respondent was working at the time of
the incident:
Manufacturing
Retail trade
Wholesale trade
Something else
Distinguishing between these types of industries is important.
If this item is marked incorrectly, coders will not be able to
assign an accurate industry code.
Start by asking, “Is this mainly manufacturing?” Wait for
the respondent’s answer. If you get a “Yes” answer, enter
Precode (1) and continue with Item OCCUPATIONDESC. If
you get a “No” answer, continue by asking, “Retail trade?”
Follow this procedure until you get a “Yes” answer.
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Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), “Manufacturing,” if a respondent’s
employer makes and sells its products in large quantities or
lots to other manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), “Retail trade,” if a respondent’s employer
sells primarily to individual consumers or users, but seldom
makes products.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), “Wholesale trade,” if a respondent’s
employer buys, rather than makes, products in large
quantities or lots for resale to retailers, industrial users, or to
other wholesalers.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4), “Something else,” if a respondent’s
employer does not manufacture or sell products as a
wholesaler or a retailer. Examples of some employers that fit
into the “Something else” category are:
When To Probe
Car repair shops,
Accounting firms,
Medical centers,
Trucking companies, or
Banks.
Some firms are engaged in more than one type of business
or activity. When you encounter this situation, do some
additional probing to determine the most appropriate category
to enter in Item BUSINESSSECTOR.
If you discover that the respondent’s employer conducts
business at more than one location (for example, making
copy machines at one location and making chemicals used
by the copy machines at another location), collect data for the
location at which the respondent works.
If you discover that the respondent’s employer conducts a
variety of activities at the same location (for example, a
gasoline station that also sells groceries), probe to determine
which activity or product the respondent is most directly
involved with in his/her job. For example, if the respondent
primarily sells groceries at the gasoline station, enter Precode
(2), “Retail trade.” However, if the respondent primarily works
as a mechanic servicing motor vehicles at the gasoline
station, enter Precode (4), “Something else.”
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What kind of work did you do, that is, what was your occupation at the time of the incident?
● For example: plumber, typist, farmer
OCCUPATIONDESC
OCCUPATIONDESC
Item OCCUPATIONDESC asks about the kind of work or
occupation the respondent had at the time of the incident. In
addition to assigning an industry code for the respondent’s
employer, the coders also assign an occupation code for the
respondent’s job based on:
The kind of work described in Item OCCUPATIONDESC
and
The respondent’s most important activities or duties
described in Item USUALJOBDUTIES.
Enter complete and accurate descriptions for these items, so
coders can assign the correct occupation code.
Job Title vs. Kind of Work
The “kind of work” descriptions that our coders need must
clearly specify the type of work the respondent does on
his/her job, and this is not necessarily the respondent’s job
title. For some occupations, the common descriptions or
general job titles that a respondent provides are not sufficient
for coders to assign the correct occupation code.
Self-Employed Persons
When a respondent is self-employed, only enter “Manager”
as his/her occupation if the person actually spends most of
the workday managing his/her business. Otherwise, enter the
kind of work the respondent spends the majority of his/her
time doing, such as plumber, hair stylist, dentist, house
painter, and so on. Describe the respondent’s actual trade or
craft, when that is the kind of work that the respondent
spends most of his/her time doing for the business.
Avoid Entering
Department or
Work Place Titles
Avoid entering kind of work entries such as “Works in
shipping department” or “Works in the warehouse.” These
entries do not adequately describe the kind of work done by
the respondent. If the respondent inspects outgoing products
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for the shipping department, enter “Inspects outgoing
products for shipping dept.” If the respondent is a clerk who
monitors inventory in a warehouse, enter “Clerk monitoring
warehouse inventory.”
Apprentice vs. Trainee
There is a difference between someone who is an apprentice
and someone who is a trainee. An apprentice is under
contract during his/her training period, but a trainee is not. If a
respondent tells you that he/she is in an apprenticeship or
trainee program, make sure to enter both the person’s
occupation or kind of work, along with the term “apprentice”
or “trainee.” For example, you may need to enter “Apprentice
plumber” or “Buyer trainee.”
Machinist vs. Machine
Operator vs. Mechanic
Although all three titles sound similar, there are major
differences in the kind of work done by a machinist, a
machine operator, and a mechanic.
A machinist is a skilled craftsman who constructs metal
parts, tools, and machines through the use of blueprints,
machine and hand tools, and precise measuring instruments.
A machine operator runs a factory machine, such as a drill
press operator.
A mechanic inspects, services, repairs, or overhauls
machinery.
Secretary vs.
“Official Secretary”
The title secretary applies to someone who does secretarial
work in an office. The title official secretary applies to
someone who is an elected or appointed officer of a
business, union, or other organization.
Probing for Difficult to
Code Occupations
Avoid entering a one-word response, because it will usually
be too general for coders to assign the correct occupation
code. For these situations, we provide the following table
along with a suggested probe for each occupation. These
probes are written to encourage the respondent to provide a
more specific description of the kind of work he/she does on
the job. This table is also available as a separate job aid,
“Difficult to Code Occupations.”
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Occupation
Part B, Chapter 4
Suggested Probe
Assembler
What do you assemble? For example, do you assemble
automobiles, electric motors, farm equipment, sheet metal, or
something else?
Clerk
What type of clerk are you? For example, do you handle
accounting, billing, filing, shipping, statistical data, sales, or
something else?
Engineer
What kind of engineer are you? For example, are you a civil,
electrical, mechanical, nuclear, chemical, train, stationary,
building, or some other type of engineer?
Inspector
What type of things do you inspect? For example, do you
inspect automobiles, restaurants, houses, buildings, meats, or
something else?
Manager
What type of manager are you? For example, do you manage a
bakery, garage, hotel, office, property, store, or something else?
Machinist
Do you set up AND operate machines?
Machine operator
How many machines do you operate? Also, what type of
machine do you operate primarily?
Mechanic
What type of mechanic are you? For example, do you service
and repair automobile bodies, engines, appliances, trucks,
valves, or something else?
Nurse
What type of nurse are you? For example, are you registered,
licensed, practical, vocational, a nursing aide, or some other
type of nurse?
Researcher
What is your field of research?
Sales Worker
What do you sell? For example, do you sell advertising, cars,
houses, insurance, shoes, tickets, or something else?
Supervisor
Who or what do you supervise? For example, do you supervise
clerical workers, counselors, laborers, field representatives, or
someone else?
Teacher
Do you teach at the preschool, elementary, high school, or
college level? Also, which subjects do you teach?
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What were your usual activities or duties at this job?
USUALJOBDUTIES
USUALJOBDUTIES
Item USUALJOBDUTIES is used to describe the usual
activities or duties a respondent performs at his/her job. This
is the second key piece of information that our coders use to
assign an occupation code. What you enter in Item
USUALJOBDUTIES is especially useful when a simple job
title does not provide enough information to code the
occupation.
Some examples of entries you may need to enter in Item
USUALJOBDUTIES:
Keeping account books
Selling new and used motor vehicles
Laying bricks and stone
Typing and filing letters, reports, memos, etc.
If a respondent tells you that his/her job duties are classified,
do NOT probe. If this happens, enter “Information is
classified.”
While working at this job, did you work mostly in –
● Read each category - then enter appropriate precode
1
2
3
4
A city?
Suburban area?
Rural area?
Combination of any of these?
JOBMSATYPE
JOBMSATYPE
Item JOBMSATYPE is asked to find out if the respondent
was working in a city, suburban area, rural area, or a
combination of any of these areas at the time of the
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incident. This type of information will help the survey’s
sponsor to determine if specific areas are more prone to
crime.
For Item JOBMSATYPE, read each answer category as part
of the question until you get a "Yes" response. Since most
respondents will know how to answer this question, let the
respondent select the type of area. When a respondent
worked for more than one employer, enter the precode for the
area in which he/she worked the greater number of hours.
Avoid entering Precode (4), "Combination of any of these?"
unless a respondent insists that the area he/she worked
MOST of the time was a combination of city, suburban, and
rural.
After completing Item JOBMSATYPE, continue with Item
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK.
● Ask or verify:
Did this incident happen at your work site?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don't know
4 Other - specify
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK
Precode (1)
Item INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK is used to determine
whether the incident happened at the respondent's work site
for any job held by the respondent at the time of the incident.
If you already know the answer to this question, you can
verify the answer without asking the question.
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the incident happened while the
respondent was at his/her work site, which is considered the
place where his/her USUAL day-to-day activities take place.
Some examples of work sites include in an office, hospital,
taxi cab, convenience store, beauty parlor, etc.
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If the respondent works from an office or workshop in his/her
home and the incident occurred in the office or workshop,
also enter Precode (1), "Yes." However, do NOT enter
Precode (1) if the incident happened somewhere else in the
house, garage, or property OTHER THAN in the office or
workshop.
If the respondent has no usual work site, such as a traveling
salesperson, his/her work site is the place where he/she was
working when the incident occurred.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the incident happened at a location
OTHER THAN the respondent's work site, such as at a
meeting in another office building during working hours, out of
town on a business trip, and so on.
Also enter Precode (2) if the incident happened at the parking
lot at the respondent’s work site.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3), "Don't know," if the respondent really does
not know if the incident occurred at his/her work site. Only
enter Precode (3) as a last resort.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent's answer requires more
than just a "Yes" or "No" reply and then use the "Specify"
screen, INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK_SPEC, to answer this
question. After completing Item
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK, continue with Item
WORKDAYNIGHT.
Did you usually work days or nights?
1 Days
2 Nights
3 Both days and nights/rotating shifts
WORKDAYNIGHT
WORKDAYNIGHT
Item WORKDAYNIGHT is used to find out if the respondent
worked primarily days, nights, or rotating shifts at the time of
the incident. Enter Precode (1) for "Days," Precode (2) for
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"Nights," and Precode (3) for "Both days and nights/rotating
shifts." After completing Item WORKDAYNIGHT, continue
with Item ISCURRENTJOB.
Is this your current job?
1 Yes
2 No
ISCURRENTJOB
ISCURRENTJOB
Item ISCURRENTJOB is used to determine whether the
respondent’s job at the time of the incident is also his/her
current job at the time of the interview.
Continue with Item LOSTWORKTIME if the respondent
was injured in the incident (Precodes (12) - (21) entered
in Item INJURY.)
OR
Continue with Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME if the
respondent was NOT injured in the incident.
Did YOU lose time from work becauseof injuries you suffered in this incident?
1
2
Yes
No
LOSTWORKTIME
LOSTWORKTIME
Item LOSTWORKTIME is used to find out if the
respondent/victim of the incident lost time from work
because of his/her own injuries that were suffered during
the incident. Later in the interview, Items
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME and
AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST are used to identify any
other household members who lost time from work
because of the incident.
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Defining Terms
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Work - For this item, work is considered a job or business
rather than housework, school, or other activities.
Time lost from work - For this item, time lost from work
could be time away from his/her job or business due to:
✓ Injuries suffered in the incident or
✓ Visits to a doctor or hospital to receive medical care
for injuries suffered during the incident.
Enter Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer and then continue
with Item AMOUNTTIMELOST. Enter Precode (2) for a
"No" answer; continue with Item
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME.
How much time did you lose because of injuries?
● Enter 0 if time lost was less than one day.
● If over 200 days, enter 200.
AMOUNTTIMELOST
AMOUNTTIMELOST
Item AMOUNTTIMELOST is used to identify how much
time the respondent lost from work due to the injuries
he/she suffered from the incident. Include time lost from
work up to the day of the interview.
If the respondent lost one or more days from work, enter
the number of whole days in the answer space. If the
respondent answers in hours, always determine whether
the hours were missed all in one day or more than one
day. For example, if the respondent lost a few hours on
one day for physical therapy and a few hours on another
day to visit the doctor, enter "2" for the number of days,
even though the respondent was at work a portion of each
day. After entering the number of days missed from work,
continue with Item LOSTPAYNOMEDINS.
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Don’t know
If the respondent is unable to give an answer, always ask
for his/her best estimate. If the respondent is still unable
to give an estimate, use “Ctrl + D” to indicate a “Don’t
know” response. Only enter “Ctrl + D” as a last resort. The
instrument goes to Item LOSTPAYNOMEDINS.
Precode (0)
Enter Precode (0) (zero) if the respondent lost less than
one workday due to his/her injuries from the incident.
After entering Precode (0), continue with Item
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME.
During these days, did you lose any pay that was not covered by unemployment insurance, sick
leave, or some other source?
1 Yes
2 No
LOSTPAYNOMEDINS
LOSTPAYNOMEDINS
Defining Terms
Item LOSTPAYNOMEDINS is used to discover whether
the respondent lost any pay because the time lost from
work was not covered by unemployment insurance, sick
leave, or some other source.
Unemployment insurance - Includes any money
received from State unemployment insurance funds or
railroad unemployment benefits.
Sick leave - Includes continued payment of wages by the
respondent's employer while the respondent is unable to
work due to illness or injury.
Some other source - Includes any money received from
private insurance plans, worker's compensation, and so
on. Worker's compensation is periodic money payments
made to workers who are injured on the job and in some
states to workers with non-occupational temporary
disability or illness. Compensation checks could come
from the state, private insurance companies, or from
private businesses that insure their own workers.
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Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent lost pay and
was NOT compensated monetarily for the time away from
his/her job due to injuries from the incident. Also enter
Precode (1) for a self-employed respondent who was paid
for the time lost from work, but was obligated to hire
someone to take his/her place. After entering Precode (1),
continue with Item AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOMED.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent was
compensated monetarily for the time lost from work due to
his/her injuries from the incident. After entering Precode
(2), continue with Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME.
About how much pay did you lose?
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOMED
AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOMED
Item AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOMED is used to determine
how much pay the respondent lost because he/she
was unable to work due to injuries from the incident.
Also, if a self-employed respondent was compensated
monetarily for his/her pay, but was required to hire
someone to take his/her place, record the amount paid
to the replacement as lost pay.
Enter the amount of lost pay in whole dollars in the
answer space provided in Item
AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOMED. Round the amount up or
down as necessary. For example, if the amount given
was $670.50, enter "671," and, if the amount given was
$670.49, enter "670." If the amount was less than $1,
enter "1."
If the respondent has difficulty giving you a dollar
amount, ask for his/her best estimate. Only enter “Ctrl
+ D” for “Don’t know” as a last resort.
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After completing Item AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOMED,
continue with Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME.
Did YOU lose any (other) 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?
● Probe: Any other reason?
● Enter all that apply, separated by commas
1 Police related activities
2 Court related activities
3 Repairing damaged property
4 Replacing stolen items
5 Other - specify
6 None (did not lose time from work for any of these reasons)
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME
LOSTOTHERWORK TIME
Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME is used to find out if the
respondent lost time from work for purposes OTHER
THAN those related to his/her injuries suffered during
the incident.
If the respondent lost time from work due to their
injuries the instrument displays the word “other” in the
first line of the question as shown above; otherwise,
“other” is not shown.
As you ask the question, pause after each example
included in the question to allow the respondent time to
answer. Enter all precodes that relate to the
respondent’s answer, separating them with commas.
Continue asking “Any other reason?” until you get a
“No” response, then press “Enter” when you are done.
Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME relates specifically to
time lost from work by the respondent only; that is, the
person who was victimized during the incident. Items
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME and
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AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST collect similar
information for other household members.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent lost time from work
due to police-related activities, such as cooperating
with an investigation by identifying suspects in a lineup,
helping to construct a composite drawing of the
offender, identifying stolen items, and so on.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2) if the respondent lost time from work
due to court-related activities, such as testifying in
court, attending a trial or hearing, talking to an attorney
(either the prosecutor, the defense attorney, or the
respondent's own lawyer), and so on.
Precode (3)
Enter Precode (3) if the respondent lost time from work
to repair property damaged during the incident, drop off
and pick up a damaged motor vehicle at a repair shop,
visit an optician to repair damaged eyeglasses, wait for
a locksmith, and so on.
Precode (4)
Enter Precode (4) if the respondent lost time from work
to replace stolen items, such as waiting for delivery
persons, getting a replacement driver's license, Social
Security card, credit card, checkbook, and so on.
Precode (5)
Enter Precode (5) if the respondent lost time from work
for a reason that is not covered in the descriptions for
Precodes (1) through (4). After entering Precode (5),
explain the reason on the "Specify" screen,
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME_SPEC.
For Precodes (1) through (5), continue with Item
DAYSLOSTWORK.
Precode (6)
Enter Precode (6) if the respondent did not lose any
time from work due to this incident, excluding any time
lost due to injuries from the incident. If you enter
Precode (6), do not enter any other precodes in Item
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME. After entering Precode (6),
continue with Item HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME when
there are other household members listed on the
household roster. Otherwise, continue with:
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Item TYPETRANSPORTATION when Precode (12)
(13) or (14) was entered at Item INCIDENTTIME
OR
Item SERIESNUMTIMES if the incident is part of a
series of crimes
OR
Item INCIDENTHATECRIME if the incident is NOT
part of a series of crimes
How much time did you lose altogether because of...
-- police related activities
● Enter 0 if time lost was less than one day
● If over 200 days, enter 200
DAYSLOSTWORK
DAYSLOSTWORK
Item DAYSLOSTWORK is used to identify how much
time the respondent lost from work to take care of ALL
of the tasks identified in LOSTOTHERWORKTIME. As
you ask the question in Item DAYSLOSTWORK, read
the reason(s) that are listed on the screen, which are
the precodes selected in LOSTOTHERWORKTIME.
Include time lost up to the day of the interview. If the
respondent lost one or more days from work, enter the
number of whole days in Item DAYSLOSTWORK. If
the respondent answers in hours, always determine
whether the hours were missed all in one day or more
than one day.
When calculating the number of days missed from
work, it is not necessary for the respondent to have
missed an entire workday. For example, the
respondent may have lost 4 hours one workday to
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identify stolen property at the police station and on
another workday the respondent may have lost 3 hours
to wait for a replacement television to be delivered. In
this example, enter "2" for the number of days missed
from work due to the incident. If a respondent has
missed more than 200 days from work, enter “200.” If a
respondent is unsure of the number of days of work
missed, ask for his/her best estimate.
After entering the number of days missed from work
(between 1 and 200 days) in Item DAYSLOSTWORK,
continue with Item LOSTPAYNOEMPINS.
Enter (0), (zero), if the respondent missed less than
one full workday due to the reason(s) shown in Item
DAYSLOSTWORK.
After entering (0), continue with Item
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME.
Don’t know
Before accepting a “Don’t know” answer, ask the
respondent to give you his/her best estimate. Only
enter “Control + D” for “Don’t know” as a last resort.
During these days, did you lose any pay that was not covered by unemployment insurance,
paid leave, or some other source?
1 Yes
2 No
LOSTPAYNOEMPINS
LOSTPAYNOEMPINS
Item LOSTPAYNOEMPINS is used to determine
whether the respondent lost any pay because the time
lost from work was not covered by unemployment
insurance, paid leave, or some other source.
Defining Terms
Unemployment insurance - Includes any money
received from state unemployment insurance funds or
railroad unemployment benefits.
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Paid leave - Includes continued payment of wages by
the respondent's employer while the respondent is not
at work, such as "personal" or "annual" leave.
Some other source - Includes any money received
from private insurance plans, worker's compensation,
and so on. Compensation checks could come from the
state, private insurance companies, or from private
businesses that insure their own workers.
Precode (1)
Enter Precode (1), "Yes," if the respondent lost pay
and was NOT compensated monetarily for the time
away from his/her job due to the incident. Also enter
Precode (1) if a self-employed respondent was paid for
the time lost from work, but he/she was obligated to
hire someone to take his/her place. After entering
Precode (1), continue with
AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOEMP.
Precode (2)
Enter Precode (2), "No," if the respondent was
compensated monetarily for the time lost from work
due to the incident. After entering Precode (2),
continue with Item HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME.
About how much pay did you lose?
● Round to the nearest dollar
● Enter a number between 1-999,996
AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOEMP
AMOUNTLOSTPAY
NOEMP
Item AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOEMP is used to determine
how much pay the respondent lost because he/she lost
time from work due to the reasons identified in Item
LOSTOTHERWORKTIME. Also, if a self-employed
respondent was compensated monetarily for his/her lost
pay, but was required to hire someone to take his/her
place, record the amount paid to the replacement as the
respondent’s lost pay.
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Enter the amount of lost pay in whole dollars in Item
AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOEMP. Round the amount up or
down as necessary. For example, if the amount given was
$670.50, enter "671," and, if the amount given was
$670.49, enter "670." If the amount was less than $1, enter
"1." If the respondent has difficulty giving a dollar amount,
ask for his/her best estimate.
After completing Item AMOUNTLOSTPAYNOEMP,
continue with Item HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME.
Were there any (other) household members 16 years or older
who lost time from work because of this incident?
1 Yes
2 No
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME
Item HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME is used to find out whether
there were other household members who were at least 16
years of age and lost time from work due to the incident. If
the respondent lost time from work due to the incident, the
word "other" is displayed by the instrument as you ask the
question in Item HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME. Otherwise, ask
the question in Item HHMEMLOSTWORKTIME without the
word "other."
Let the respondent decide how to answer this question. The
time lost from work could be due to injuries suffered by these
household members or for any of the reasons identified in
Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME.
Precode (1)
If you enter Precode (1), "Yes," continue with Item
AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST.
Precode (2)
If you enter Precode (2), "No," AND the respondent was on
the way to or from work, school, or some other place when
the incident either happened or started, continue with Item
TYPETRANSPORTATION. In other words, no household
members who were 16 years of age or older lost time from
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work AND Precode (12), (13), or (14) was entered in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME.
If you enter Precode (2), “No,” AND the respondent was NOT
on the way to or from work, school, or some other
place when the incident either happened or started, either:
Continue with Item SERIESNUMTIMES if the incident is
part of a series of crimes
OR
Continue with Item INCIDENTHATECRIME if the incident
is NOT part of a series of crimes.
How much time did they lose altogether?
● Enter 0 if time lost was less than one day
● If over 200 days, enter 200
AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST
AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST
Item AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST is used to identify
how much time household members OTHER THAN the
respondent lost from work because of the incident.
Include time lost up to the day of the interview. If the
household member(s) lost one or more days from
work, enter the number of whole days in the answer
space provided in Item AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST.
If the time lost was in hours, determine whether the
hours were missed all in one day or more than one
day.
When calculating the number of days missed from
work, it is not necessary for the household member(s)
to have missed an entire workday. For example, one
household member may have lost 4 hours one
workday to visit a doctor and on another workday
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another household member may have lost 3 hours to
wait for a replacement television to be delivered. In this
example, enter "2" for the number of days missed from
work due to the incident.
Enter (0), (zero), if the household member(s) missed
less than one full workday due to the incident.
Don’t know
Before accepting a “Don’t know” answer, ask the
respondent to give you a best estimate. Enter “Control
+ D” for “Don’t know” only as a last resort.
After completing Item AMOUNTHHMEMTIMELOST,
continue with Item TYPETRANSPORTATION if the
respondent was on the way to or from work, school, or
some other place when the incident either happened or
started (Precode (12), (13), or (14) was entered in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME).
Otherwise, either:
Continue with Item SERIESNUMTIMES if the
incident is part of a series of crimes.
OR
Continue with Item INCIDENTHATECRIME if the
incident is NOT part of a series of crimes.
Ask or verify: You told me earlier you were on the way
to/from work when the incident happened.
What means of transportation were you using?
11 Car, truck, or van
12 Motorcycle
13 Bicycle
14 On foot
15 School bus (private or public)
16 Bus or trolley
17 Subway or rapid transit
18 Train
19 Taxi
20 Other - specify
TYPETRANSPORTATION
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TYPETRANSPORTATION
Part B, Chapter 4
Item TYPETRANSPORTATION is used to determine which
means of transportation the respondent was using when the
incident started or took place.
If you know the answer to this question, you can verify the
answer with the respondent without asking the question. The
instrument automatically displays the words “Work,” “School,”
or “Some place” based on the entry in Item
DOINGATINCIDENTTIME.
If the respondent mentions a mode of transportation not listed
in Precodes (11) through (19), enter Precode (20),
"Other," and then enter the type of transportation on the
"Specify" screen, TYPETRANSPORTATION_SPEC.
After completing Item TYPETRANSPORTATION, either:
Continue with Item SERIESNUMTIMES if the incident is
part of a series of crimes.
OR
Continue with Item INCIDENTHATECRIME if the incident
is NOT part of a series of crimes.
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?
● Enter a number between 6-996.
SERIESNUMTIMES
SERIESNUMTIMES
Item SERIESNUMTIMES is used to verify how many
incidents are included in the series for the 6-month reference
period. Do NOT include an incident in the series that
happened before the first day of the reference period or on
the day of the interview. It is possible that a respondent may
give you a different number of incidents now that he/she has
provided details for the most recent incident.
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Number of Incidents
Differs from Item
INCIDENTNUMBER
OFTIMES
If the respondent gives you a number that is different than the
number of incidents provided in Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES, enter the new number in Item
SERIESNUMTIMES. If the number of incidents is less than
six, the incidents do not qualify as a series. If the number of
incidents is six or more, the incidents still qualify as a series.
If the number given in Item SERIESNUMTIMES is six or
more incidents, do NOT change the number of incidents
entered in Item INCIDENTNUMBER OFTIMES, even if they
do not match.
Less Than Six Incidents
In most cases, this will not happen. However, if you
determine that there are less than six incidents, then this
incident is NOT part of a series of crimes and you must
correct the "Number of incidents" in Item
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES, and:
✓ Complete a separate set of incident report items for each
incident that happened during the reference period.
Don't Know
If the respondent cannot give you the number of incidents in
the series of crimes, enter “Ctrl + D” for “Don’t know.” This
brings up Item SERIESDK.
After completing Item SERIESNUMTIMES, continue with
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1 when conducting interviews
between January and September. Otherwise, continue with
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ2.
SERIESDK
Is that because there is no way of knowing, or
because it happened too many times, or is there some
other reason?
1 No way of knowing
2 Happened too many times
3 Some other reason – specify
SERIESDK
Ask SERIESDK to find out why the respondent is unable to
give you the number of incidents. Based on the respondent's
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answer:
✓ Enter Precode (1) when the respondent has no way of
knowing the number of incidents.
✓ Enter Precode (2) when the crime happened too many
times for the respondent to give you a number.
✓ Enter Precode (3) when the respondent gives you a
reason OTHER THAN those mentioned in Precodes (1)
or (2) and then explain the reason on the "Specify"
screen, SERIESDKSPEC.
After coding Item SERIESDK continue with:
●
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1 when you are
conducting an interview between January and
September;
●
Otherwise, continue with Item
SERIESWHICHMONTHQ2.
In what month or months did these incidents take place?
● Probe: How many in (name months)?
● TOTAL NUMBER OF TIMES: 7
● Enter 0 for none
2015: AUG SEP
SERIESWHICHMONTHQ3
SERIESWHICHMONTH
Q1-Q4
Items SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1-Q4 are used to identify
in which quarter(s) of the calendar year the incidents in
the series happened. Ask the initial question to identify
the month(s) in which these incidents occurred.
These four screens are asked based on the interview
month:
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●
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1 is asked when
conducting interviews from January through
September.
●
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ2 is asked when
conducting interviews from April through
December.
●
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ3 is asked when
conducting interviews from January through March
and July through December.
●
Item SERIESWHICHMONTHQ4 is asked when
conducting interviews from January through June
and October through December.
These screens also display information that can help you
in coding this item. In the third line, the display shows
“Total number of times.” This shows the number of times
that were reported in the beginning of the incident report.
At the bottom of the information pane the instrument
displays the year and the names of up to three months
that are within that quarter, as well as the respondent’s
reference period. In the screen as shown above, August
and September are part of the respondent’s reference
period within the third quarter of the year.
Respondent Has
Difficulty Answering
If the respondent has difficulty remembering how many
incidents took place by month or quarter:
✓ Do not rush the respondent; allow sufficient time for
him/her to recall these incidents.
✓ Use neutral probe questions to help the respondent
remember, such as "Did this type of incident
happen about an equal number of times in July
as it did in August and September or did it
happen more in August and September than it
did in July?"
✓ If your probing questions fail, ask the respondent to
give you his/her best estimate. For example, "You
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told me this type of incident happened (number
entered in Item SERIESNUMTIMES). Please give
me your best estimate of how many times the
incident happened in July and how many times
in August and September."
Recording Numbers in
Item
SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1Q4
Once you determine how many incidents from the series
happened in each quarter within the reference period,
enter the exact number in the appropriate answer
spaces for the quarter. You may need to add together
incidents by month to arrive at the total to enter for a
quarter. If no incidents in the series happened during a
particular quarter, enter Precode (0) in the answer space
for that quarter.
Only include incidents that happened after the first day of
the reference period and up to, but not including, the day
of interview. Probe as necessary to get a precise number
and do not enter a range of numbers. Only enter “Don’t
know” (Ctrl + D) when you have asked probing questions
and the respondent still cannot provide an answer.
The number of incidents in Items
INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES, SERIESNUMTIMES,
and SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1-Q4 should be
independent. Do not attempt to reconcile any differences
for a series of incidents, as long as the total number in
each of these items is at least six incidents. Also, do not
change the date entered in Item INCIDENTDATE or the
answers to Items INCIDENTSSIMILAR or
RECALLDETAILS.
After completing Items SERIESWHICHMONTHQ1-Q4,
continue with Item SERIESLOCATION.
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Did all, some, or none of these incidents occur in the same place?
1 All in the same place
2 Some in the same place
3 None in the same place
SERIESLOCATION
SERIESLOCATION
Item SERIESLOCATION is used to find out if the
incidents in the series all happened in the same place,
or if only some happened in the same place, or if none
of them happened in the same place or location. Enter
Precode (1) for "All in the same place," Precode (2) for
"Some in the same place," and Precode (3) for "None
in the same place." Only enter one precode in Item
SERIESLOCATION. After completing this item, you
continue with Item SERIESOFFENDER.
Were all, some, or none of these incidents done by the same person(s)?
1 All by same person
2 Some by same person
3 None by same person
4 Don't know
SERIESOFFENDER
SERIESOFFENDER
Item SERIESOFFENDER is asked to find out if the
offender(s) in all, some, or none of the incidents in the
series were the same person(s). Enter Precode (1) if
the offender(s) in ALL of the incidents were the same
person(s). Enter Precode (2) if the offender(s) in SOME
of the incidents were the same person(s). Enter
Precode (3) if the offender in each of the incidents was
a different person. Only enter one precode in Item
SERIESOFFENDER. After entering Precode (1), (2), or
(3), continue with SERIESOFFENDERRELATION.
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If the respondent is unable to answer this question,
enter Precode (4) and continue with Item
SAMETHINGEACHTIME.
What (was/were) the relationship(s) of the offender(s) to you?
For example, friend, spouse, schoolmate, etc.?
● Probe: Anything else?
RELATIVE:
11 Spouse at time of incident
12 Ex-spouse at time of incident
13 Parent or step-parent
14 Own child or step-child
15 Brother/sister
16 Other relative - Specify
NONRELATIVE:
17 Boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
18 Friend or ex-friend
19 Roommate, boarder
20 Schoolmate
21 Neighbor
22 Customer/client
23 Patient
24 Supervisor (current or former)
25 Employee (current or former)
26 Co-worker (current or former)
27 Teacher/school staff
28 Other nonrelative - Specify
SERIESOFFENDERRELATION
SERIESOFFENDER
RELATION
Item SERIESOFFENDERRELATION is used to identify
the relationship of each offender involved in the series
of crimes to the respondent at the time of the incident.
If there was more than one offender, enter all
appropriate precodes. Continue asking “Anything
else?” until you get a “No” reply. Make sure the
respondent understands that we are interested only in
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the relationship of each offender to the respondent,
and NOT any relationships between one offender and
another offender.
The relationships are separated into two groups–
Precodes (11) through (16) are grouped under the
heading "Relative" and Precodes (17) through (28) are
grouped under the heading "Nonrelative."
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) if the offender was either the
husband or wife of the respondent at the time of the
incident, regardless of whether or not they are still
married at the time of the interview.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) if the offender was an ex-spouse
(ex-husband or ex-wife) of the respondent at the time
of the incident. Accept the respondent's answer without
probing to determine whether they are divorced or
separated.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) if the offender was a father, mother,
stepfather, or stepmother to the respondent. Do not
enter Precode (13) if the offender was a mother-in-law
or father-in-law, instead enter Precode (16), “Other
relative,” and then enter the relationship to the
respondent at the time of the incident on the “Specify”
screen, SERIESOFFENDERRELATION14SPEC.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) if the offender is a child of the
respondent by birth, adoption, or marriage, such as a
son, daughter, step-son, or step-daughter. Precode
(14) is not intended for foster children; instead enter
Precode (28), "Other nonrelative," and enter the
relationship on the "Specify" screen,
SERIESOFFENDERRELATION26SPEC
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the offender is a brother or sister
of the respondent or the child of a respondent's stepparent. Precode (15) is not intended for "brother-inlaws" or "sister-in-laws;" instead enter Precode (16),
“Other,” and enter the relationship on the "Specify"
screen, SERIESOFFENDERRELATION14SPEC.
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Precode (16)
Part B, Chapter 4
Enter Precode (16) if the offender is a relative of the
respondent OTHER THAN the relationships described
in Precodes (11) through (14). Enter Precode (16) if the
offender is a child, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent, inlaw, or other relative of the respondent by blood or
marriage that is not covered in Precodes (11) through
(15).
After entering Precode (16), always enter the
relationship on the "Specify" screen,
SERIESOFFENDERRELATION14SPEC.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if the offender is a nonrelative who
has or has had romantic connections to the
respondent. For example, the offender and the
respondent were dating at the time of the incident or
used to date prior to the incident.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the offender is a male or female
friend or past friend of the respondent AND there is no
romantic connection between the two persons.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if the offender was not related to
the respondent by blood or marriage and lived with the
respondent as a roommate or boarder at the time of
the incident. Precode (19) is not intended for “live-in”
boyfriends/girlfriends; instead, enter Precode (17) for
those situations.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if the offender was not related to
the respondent by blood or marriage and attended the
same school as the respondent at the time of the
incident.
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) if the offender was not related to
the respondent by blood or marriage and was living
close enough to the respondent at the time of the
incident to be considered a neighbor.
Precode (22), (23), (24),
(25), (26)
Enter the most appropriate precode(s) from Precodes
(22), (23), (24), (25), and (26) if the offenders are
nonrelatives, but are known by the respondent as
business clients, patients, or supervisors, employees,
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or co-workers, including former supervisors,
employees, or co-workers.
Precode (27)
Enter Precode (27) if the offender is teacher or a
school staff member at the respondent’s school. If the
respondent works at the school, use the appropriate
precode (24), (25), or (26).
Precode (28)
Enter Precode (28) if the offender was not related to
the respondent by blood or marriage and the
nonrelative offender does not fit any of the descriptions
in Precodes (17) through (27). After entering Precode
(28), always enter the relationship to the respondent on
the "Specify" screen,
SERIESOFFENDERRELATION26SPEC, such as the
respondent's barber, electrician, and so on. After
completing Item SERIESOFFENDERRELATION,
continue with Item SAMETHINGEACHTIME.
Did the same thing happen each time?
1 Yes
2 No
SAMETHINGEACHTIME
SAMETHINGEACHTIME
Item SAMETHINGEACHTIME is used to identify how
the incidents in the series may be different from one
another. If the respondent answers "Yes" to this
question, enter Precode (1), then continue with
TROUBLEONGOING. However, if the respondent
answers "No," enter Precode (2) and then ask Item
HOWINCIDENTSDIFFER (“How did the incidents
differ?”) to determine how they were different.
For example, the offender may have vandalized the
shed in one of the incidents or perhaps the offender
used a weapon in two of the incidents. Make sure to
explain clearly what made the incidents different on the
“Specify” screen that will appear after entering Precode
(2). After completing Item SAMETHINGEACHTIME
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and HOWINCIDENTSDIFFER, continue with Item
TROUBLEONGOING.
Is the trouble still going on?
1 Yes
2 No
TROUBLEONGOING
TROUBLEONGOING
Item TROUBLEONGOING is used to find out whether
the type of problem that was recurring in the series of
crimes is still continuing or has ended. Enter Precode
(1), "Yes," if the incidents are still happening and
continue with SERIESCONTACTORNOT. If the
respondent answers "No," the instrument continues to
WHATENDEDIT (which asks, “What ended it?) to
determine what terminated these incidents.
If the problem or incidents in the series of crimes has
stopped, ask the question in WHATENDEDIT and
enter a description in the “Specify” space. For
example, the offender may have been arrested, the
respondent may have moved to another house, the
respondent may have changed schools, and so on.
Make sure to explain clearly what brought these
incidents to an end in the answer space. After
completing Item WHATENDEDIT, continue with Item
SERIESCONTACTORNOT.
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● Do not read to respondent
● Enter precode that best describes this series of crimes. If more than one category describes this
series, enter the appropriate precode with the lowest number
● Contact crimes:
11 Completed or threatened violence in the course of the victim's job
(police officer, security guard, psychiatric social worker, etc.)
12 Completed or threatened violence between spouses, other relatives,
friends, neighbors, etc.
13 Completed or threatened violence at school or on school property
14 Other contact crimes (other violence, pocket picking, purse snatching, - Specify
● Non-contact crimes:
15 Theft or attempted theft of motor vehicles
16 Theft or attempted theft of motor vehicle parts (tire, hubcap,
battery, attached car stereo, etc.)
17 Theft or attempted theft of contents of motor vehicle, including unattached parts
18 Theft or attempted theft at school or on school property
19 Illegal entry of, or attempt to enter, victim's home,
other building on property, second home, hotel, motel
20 Theft or attempted theft from victim's home or vicinity by person(s)
KNOWN to victim (roommate, babysitter, etc.)
21 Theft or attempted theft from victim's home or vicinity by person(s)
UNKNOWN to victim
22 Other theft or attempted theft (at work, while shopping, etc.) - Specify
SERIESCONTACTORNOT
SERIESCONTACTORNOT
Items SERIESCONTACTORNOT is used to help
classify the series of crimes as ONE type of crime. It is
very important that you enter the most accurate
precode to identify this series of crimes.
Based on the facts gathered to this point in the
interview, select and enter the first or lowest numbered
precode that best describes what happened during this
series of crimes. Since a contact crime is always
more serious than a non-contact crime, always enter
the lowest precode when more than one category
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describes this series of crimes.
Precodes (11) through (14) are grouped together under
the heading “Contact crimes.” Contact crimes
involve an actual or threatened face-to-face physical
confrontation between the offender and the
respondent. Precodes (15) through (22) are grouped
together under the heading “Non-contact crimes.”
Non-contact crimes do NOT involve an actual or
threatened physical confrontation between the offender
and the respondent.
Precode (11)
Enter Precode (11) when all incidents in the series
involve the offender physically attacking or threatening
to physically attack the respondent in the course of
the respondent's job. Only enter Precode (11) if the
incidents relate somehow to the respondent's job. For
example, a prison guard reports eight incidents in
which prisoners threatened to physically harm her or
an attendant at a parking garage reports seven
incidents in which he was physically attacked and
robbed while on the job.
Precode (12)
Enter Precode (12) when all incidents in the series
involve completed or attempted violence between
spouses, other relatives, friends, neighbors, and so on.
For example, a respondent's nephew has threatened to
kill her on several occasions if she does not give him
money or a respondent's
ex-spouse physically attacked her on several
occasions because she would not take him back.
Precode (13)
Enter Precode (13) when all incidents in the series
involve completed or threatened violence at school or
on school property. For example, a student threatened
to attack the respondent on several occasions in the
school parking lot.
Precode (14)
Enter Precode (14) when all incidents in the series
involve some type of physical violence or threat of
physical violence between the offender and the
respondent OTHER THAN those types described in
Precodes (11) through (13). After entering Precode
(14), make sure to explain clearly the type of violent
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contact or threat of violent contact on the "Specify"
screen, SERIESCONTACTORNOT14SPEC. For
example, someone grabbed respondent's purse from
her shoulder, knocked her down on the ground, and
ran with the purse on multiple occasions.
Precode (15)
Enter Precode (15) if the series of incidents involves
the theft or attempted theft of motor vehicles AND there
was no contact between the offender and the
respondent.
Precode (16)
Enter Precode (16) if the series of incidents involves
the theft or attempted theft of parts ATTACHED to a
motor vehicle, such as hubcaps, wheels, CD players,
batteries, gasoline, attached car stereos, and so on
AND there was no contact between the offender and
the respondent.
Precode (17)
Enter Precode (17) if the series of incidents involves
the theft or attempted theft of items left inside a motor
vehicle that are NOT ATTACHED to the motor vehicle,
such as a bowling ball, cellular phone, golf clubs,
wallet, tools, clothes, and so on AND there was no
contact between the offender and the respondent.
Precode (18)
Enter Precode (18) if the series of incidents involves
the theft or attempted theft of items belonging to the
respondent at school or on school property AND there
was no contact between the offender and the
respondent.
Precode (19)
Enter Precode (19) if the series of incidents involves
the illegal entry or attempted illegal entry into the
respondent's home, other building on his/her property,
a second home, or a motel or hotel room where he/she
is staying AND there was no contact between the
offender and the respondent.
Precode (20)
Enter Precode (20) if the series of incidents involves
the theft or attempted theft from the respondent's home
or the property surrounding the home by someone the
respondent knows, such as a roommate, babysitter, or
some other person known to the respondent and this
person did NOT illegally enter the home or property.
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Do not enter Precode (20) if there was any contact
between the offender and the respondent, instead
enter the appropriate precode from the contact crimes
in Precodes (11) through (14).
Precode (21)
Enter Precode (21) if the series of incidents involves
the theft or attempted theft from the respondent's home
or the property surrounding the home by someone the
respondent does NOT know, such as an appliance
repair person or traveling sales person and this person
did NOT illegally enter the home or property. Do not
enter Precode (21) if there was any contact between
the offender and the respondent, instead enter the
appropriate precode from the contact crimes, Precodes
(11) through (14).
Precode (22)
Enter Precode (22) if the series of incidents involves a
theft or attempted theft and the circumstances do not fit
the descriptions in Precodes (15) through (21). After
entering Precode (22), make sure to clearly explain the
type of theft or attempted theft on the "Specify" screen,
SERIESCONTACTORNOT22SPEC. Do not enter
Precode (22) if there was any contact between the
offender and the respondent, instead enter the
appropriate precode from the contact crimes, Precodes
(11) through (14).
After completing Item SERIESCONTACTORNOT,
continue with Item INCIDENTHATECRIME.
Hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry occur when
(an offender/offenders) target(s) 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?
1 Yes
2 No
INCIDENTHATECRIME
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Item INCIDENTHATECRIME is used to determine
whether the respondent has any reason to suspect that
the incident was a hate crime or crime of prejudice or
bigotry. Since Item INCIDENTHATECRIME is the first
in a series of "hate crime" questions that continue
through Item TELLPOLICEHATECRIME, make sure to
read the lead-in statement and then continue by asking
the question in Item INCIDENTHATECRIME. As you
read the lead-in statement, choose the correct wording
based on whether there was one offender or multiple
offenders.
It is very important to read the lead-in statement and
ask the question exactly as it is worded on the screen.
This wording has been tested and analyzed thoroughly
and changing the wording during an interview could
jeopardize the results.
Explaining "Hate Crimes or
Crimes of Prejudice or
Bigotry"
If a respondent asks what you mean by the phrase
"hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry," you can
tell the respondent that it is a crime in which an
offender targets one or more persons out of hatred
towards certain characteristics associated with a group.
For example, because an offender hates all persons of
the Jewish faith, he spray painted a swastika on the
garage door of each household on Main Street whose
name on the mailbox sounded Jewish to the offender.
However, if a respondent claims that a classmate
keeps picking fights with her because she is jealous of
the respondent, this type of incident is NOT considered
a "hate crime" or a "crime of prejudice or bigotry."
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, continue
with Item INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_RACE.
After entering Precode (2) for a "No" answer, continue
with:
●
Item DISABILITY_INTRO if this is the first incident
report for the respondent;
●
Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE if this is not the first
incident report and the respondent previously
reported having a disability; or
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●
Item SUMMARY when the respondent did not
report a disability and this is not the first incident
report for the respondent.
An offender/Offenders can target people for a variety of reasons, but
we are only going to ask you about a few today. Do you
suspect the offender(s) targeted you because of...
Your race?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_RACE
Your religion?
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_RELIGION
Your ethnic background or national origin (for example, people of Hispanic origin?)
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_ETHNICITY
Any disability (by this I mean physical, mental, or developmental disabilities) you may have?
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_DISABILITY
Your gender?
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_GENDER
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Your sexual orientation?
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_SEXUAL
INCIDENTHATE
TARGETREASONS:
_RACE, _RELIGION,
_ETHNICITY, _DISABILITY,
_GENDER,_SEXUAL
The INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS items are
used to identify the type of prejudice that the
respondent suspects motivated the offender to commit
the crime. Notice that the
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS items start with a
lead-in statement and then continues with six separate
questions on race, religion, ethnic background/national
origin, disability, gender, and sexuality.
Always read the lead-in statement and then ask the
first question:
"Do you suspect the offender(s) targeted you
because of your race?"
After asking this question, pause to let the respondent
answer. Enter Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, and
Precode (2) for a "No" answer, and (3) for “Don’t
know.” Unless you get interrupted, you do not need to
ask the entire question for the remaining questions. For
example, just ask "Your religion?"
Understanding "Race"
When we use the term "race," we mean whether the
person is White, Black/African American, American
Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander. "Spanish, Hispanic or Latino"
relates to a person's ethnic background or national
origin, NOT to his/her race.
Reading Examples
Items INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS
_ETHNICITY and INCIDENTHATETARGET
REASONS_DISABILITY have examples in
parentheses as part of the question. These examples
are included to help avoid any misinterpretation of what
we mean by "ethnic background or national origin" and
"disabilities." Make sure to always include these
examples as you ask the question.
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Understanding
“Sexual Orientation”
Part B, Chapter 4
If you get a "Yes" answer to Item
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_SEXUAL, a soft
edit pop-up box appears:
By this we mean homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual.
If yes, press "Suppress", otherwise press "Goto" to
change the answer in
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS_SEXUAL to "No."
Suppress
Close
Goto
After reading this statement, a respondent may tell you
that he/she meant something different. If this happens,
correct your entry for question INCIDENTHATE
TARGETREASONS_SEXUAL.
Understanding "Gender"
Most respondents will probably understand what we
mean by "gender," but, if someone seems unsure, you
can add "by this we mean male or female."
After completing the INCIDENTHATETARGET
REASONS items, continue with Item
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW.
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Some offenders target people because they associate with certain people
or the (offender perceives/offenders perceive) them as having certain
characteristics or religious beliefs.
Do you suspect you were targeted because of...
Your association with people who have certain characteristics
or religious beliefs (for example, a multiracial couple)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW
INCIDENTHATE
TARGETWHO
YOUKNOW
After completing Item
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS, read the lead-in
statement first in Item
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW and then
ask the question to determine if the respondent feels
that the offender targeted him/her due to the
respondent's association with persons who have
specific characteristics, such as being Asian,
Catholic, Hispanic, physically disabled, male or female,
homosexual, and so on. Here is an example: An
offender is prejudiced against homosexuals and
believes that the respondent is homosexual because
she lives with a woman who is known to be
homosexual.
After entering Precode (1) for “Yes,” use the “Specify”
screen to enter a brief description of WHY the
respondent suspects that he/she was targeted due to
his/her association with people who have certain
characteristics or religious beliefs. Enter Precode (2)
for a “No” response. After completing Item
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW, continue
with Item INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION.
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Do you suspect you were targeted because of...
The offender(s)'s perception of your characteristics or
religious beliefs (for example, the offender(s) thought you
were Jewish because you went into a synagogue)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION
INCIDENTHATE
TARGETRELIGION
Item INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION is asked to
determine if the respondent feels that the offender
targeted him/her due to the offender's perception of the
respondent's characteristics or religious beliefs. Here
is an example: An offender is prejudiced against persons
of Italian ancestry. This offender believes that Tina
Martino is Italian because of her personal characteristics
and her name.
After entering Precode (1) for “Yes,” use the “Specify”
screen, INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION_SPEC to
enter a brief description of WHY the respondent suspects
that he/she was targeted due to the offender(s)
perception of his/her characteristics or religious beliefs.
Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. After completing
Item INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION, continue with
either:
Item INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE if you entered
at least ONE Precode (1), “Yes,” in any of the six
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS items,
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOU KNOW, or
INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION.
OR
Item DISABILITY_INTRO if you entered all “No” or
“Don’t know” answers (Precode (2) or Precode (3)) in
the INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS items,
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INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW, or
INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION, and this is the
first incident report for the respondent.
Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE if you entered all
Precode (2), “No” or Precode (3), “Don’t know”
answers in the six
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS items,
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW, or
INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION and this is not
the first incident report for the respondent and the
respondent previously reported having a disability.
Item SUMMARY if you entered all Precode (2), “No”
or Precode (3), “Don’t know” answers in the six
INCIDENTHATETARGETREASONS items,
INCIDENTHATETARGETWHOYOUKNOW, or
INCIDENTHATETARGETRELIGION and this is not
the first incident report for the respondent and the
respondent did not report having a disability.
Do you have any evidence that this incident was a hate crime or crime of prejudice or bigotry?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE
INCIDENTHAVE
EVIDENCEHATE
Item INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE is designed to
find out if the respondent has any evidence that the
reported incident was a hate crime or a crime of
prejudice or bigotry.
After entering Precode (1) for a "Yes" answer, continue
with Item INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_MAKEFUN to
determine what type of evidence the respondent has.
After entering Precode (2) for a "No" answer or
Precode (3) for a "Don't know" answer, continue with
INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE_SUGGEST.
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Did the offender(s) say something, write anything, or leave anything behind at the crime scene
that would suggest you were targeted because of your characteristics or religious beliefs?
INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE_SUGGEST
INCIDENTHAVE
EVIDENCEHATE _SUGGEST
INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE_SUGGEST is
designed to help ensure that we get an accurate
answer concerning evidence of a hate crime.
If the probe question results in a "Yes" answer, enter
Precode (1) and continue with Item
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_MAKEFUN. If the probe
question results in a “No” answer, enter Precode (2)
and continue with Item DISABILITY_INTRO,
VICTIMDUETODISABLE, or SUMMARY, based on the
criteria discussed on the previous page.
The next questions ask about the evidence you have that makes you suspect this incident was a hate
crime or a crime of prejudice or bigotry. As I read the following questions, please tell me if any of
the following happened:
Did the offender(s) make fun of you, make negative comments, use slang, hurtful words, or abusive
language?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_MAKEFUN
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Were any hate symbols present at the crime scene to indicate the offender(s) targeted you for a
particular reason (for example, a swastika, graffiti on the walls of a temple, a burning cross, or
written words)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_SYMBOLS
Did a police investigation confirm the offender(s) targeted you (for example, did the offender(s)
confess a motive, or did the police find books, journals, or pictures that indicated the offender(s)
(was/were) prejudiced against people with certain characteristics or religious beliefs)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_POLICETARGET
Do you know if the offender(s) (has/have) committed similar hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or
bigotry in the past?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_OFFENDERDIDSAME
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Did the incident occur on or hear a holiday, event, location, gathering place, or building commonly
associated with a specific group (for example, at the Gay Pride March or at a synagogue, Korean
church, or gay bar)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_NEARHOLIDAY
Have other hate crimes or crimes of prejudice or bigotry happened to you or in your
area/neighborhood where people have been targeted?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_OTHERLIKECRIMES
I INCIDENTEVIDENCE
H HATE_MAKEFUN,
_ _SYMBOLS, _POLICETARGET,
_OFFENDERDIDSAME,
_ _NEARHOLIDAY,
_OTHERLIKECRIMES
Items INCIDENTEVIDENCE HATE_MAKEFUN
through
INCIDENTEVIDENCEHATE_OTHERLIKECRIMES
ask about specific evidence that a crime was a
hate crime.
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The next questions ask about the evidence you have that makes you suspect this incident was a hate
crime or a crime of prejudice or bigotry. As I read the following questions, please tell me if any of
the following happened:
Do your feelings, instincts, or perception lead you to suspect this incident was a hate crime or crime
of prejudice or bigotry, but you do not have enough evidence to know for sure?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
INCIDENTHATE_FELT_BELIEVED
INCIDENTHATE_FELT_BELIEVED
Item INCIDENTHATE_FELT_BELIEVED is
designed to pinpoint the type of evidence that
leads the respondent to suspect that the
reported incident was a hate crime or a crime of
prejudice or bigotry.
After completing Item
INCIDENTHATE_FELT_BELIEVED, continue
with Item TELLPOLICEHATECRIME.
At any time, did you tell the police that you believed the incident was a hate crime
or crime of prejudice or bigotry?
1 Yes
2 No
TELLPOLICEHATECRIME
TELLPOLICEHATE
CRIME
Item TELLPOLICEHATECRIME is the last "hate
crime" question in the incident report items and is used
to determine if the respondent told the police that
he/she believed the incident was motivated by the
offender's hatred, prejudice, or bigotry.
After entering Precode (1) for "Yes" or Precode (2) for
"No" continue either with the disability questions or the
summary for the incident, depending on whether this is
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the first incident report or whether the respondent
previously reported having a disability.
Disability Questions
When you complete the first incident report for a
household member, you ask all of the disability
questions in Items HEARING through
LEAVING_HOME. If the respondent indicates that
he/she has a health condition or disability in any of
Items HEARING through LEAVING_HOME, the
instrument continues with Item
VICTIMDUETODISABLE. You only ask the
WHICHDISABILITYTARGET items if you enter
Precode (1), “Yes” in Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE.
However, if you have already completed an incident
report for a household member who reported a health
condition or disability, subsequent incident reports for
the household member skip over the introduction and
Items HEARING through LEAVING_HOME and start
with Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE. If you get a “Yes”
answer in Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE, the
instrument also asks the WHICH DISABILITYTARGET
items, which are the last disability questions. If you
have already completed an incident report for a
household member who did NOT report a health
condition or disability, the instrument skips over all of
the disability questions when completing any
subsequent incident reports for the household member
and continues with the summary report for the incident.
Research has shown that people with disabilities may be more vulnerable to crime
victimization. The next questions ask about any health conditions, impairments, or
disabilities you may have.
Enter 1 to continue
DISABILITY_INTRO
DISABILITY_INTRO
Before asking the first disability question in Item
HEARING, always read the introduction to the
respondent to prepare him/her for the type of questions
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you are about to ask and to explain why we are asking
about possible health conditions, impairments, or
disabilities. Many believe that people with disabilities
are more likely to be targeted for victimization because
offenders see them as being more vulnerable. New
legislation requires the NCVS to collect data relating to
the nature of crime against people with disabilities. The
data will be used by policy makers in developing
programs that address the safety and justice needs of
people with disabilities.
Items HEARING through LEAVING_HOME were
revised in January 2008.
Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty hearing?
1 Yes
2 No
HEARING
HEARING
Item HEARING is asked to determine whether the
respondent currently has a hearing condition that
makes it very difficult to hear what is said in a
conversation with another person or very difficult to
hear what is said in a television or radio broadcast.
Unless a respondent asks, no further explanation is
necessary. However, if a respondent asks what we
consider a hearing condition to be, you can answer that
we are looking for conditions that significantly impact
the respondent’s life and are readily apparent to a
potential offender.
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Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?
1 Yes
2 No
VISION
VISION
Item VISION is asked to determine whether the
respondent currently has a vision condition that makes
it very difficult to do things that other people of the
same age do, such as reading a newspaper or book,
watching television, or driving a car. Unless a
respondent asks, no further explanation is necessary.
However, if a respondent asks what we consider a
vision condition to be, you can answer that we are
looking for conditions that significantly impact the
respondent’s life and are readily apparent to a potential
offender.
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Concentrating, remembering or making decisions?
1 Yes
2 No
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
LEARN_CONCENTRATE
Item LEARN_CONCENTRATE is asked to find out if
the respondent has any condition that caused the
respondent difficulty concentrating, remembering, or
making decisions; for example, when it is sometimes or
always very difficult or impossible to remember or
concentrate. Also enter Precode (1) when the
respondent reports Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or a
serious learning disability.
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Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Walking or climbing stairs?
1 Yes
2 No
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
PHYSICAL_LIMIT
Item PHYSICAL_LIMIT is asked to determine whether
the respondent currently has any condition that limits
basic physical activities. For example, enter Precode
(1) when it is sometimes or always very difficult or
impossible for the respondent to walk three city blocks
or climb a flight of stairs.
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have serious difficulty:
Dressing or bathing?
1 Yes
2 No
DRESS_BATH
DRESS_BATH
Item DRESS_BATH is asked to find out whether the
respondent has trouble dressing, bathing, or getting
around inside the home because of a physical, mental,
or emotional condition. For example, if a respondent
mentions that it is sometimes or always very difficult to
get dressed or bathe or that they usually need help
from another person to dress or bathe, enter Precode
(1).
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Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have difficulty doing errands
alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?
1 Yes
2 No
LEAVING_HOME
LEAVING_HOME
Item LEAVING_HOME is asked to find out whether the
respondent has any difficulty going outside the home
alone because of a physical, mental, or emotional
condition that has lasted six months or more. Enter
Precode (1) in Item LEAVING_HOME if the respondent
has any difficulty doing errands by him/herself.
If a respondent answered “Yes” to any of the items
from HEARING through LEAVING_HOME, the
instrument proceeds to Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE.
Otherwise, it continues to Item SUMMARY.
During the incident you just told me about, do you have reason to suspect
you were victimized because of your health condition(s), impairment(s), or
disability(ies)?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
VICTIMDUETODISABLE
VICTIMDUETODISABLE
Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE is asked when the
respondent has reported having some type of disability
in Items HEARING through LEAVING_HOME. It is
asked to determine whether the respondent has any
reason to suspect that he/she was victimized during
the current incident because of his/her health
condition(s), impairment(s), or disability(ies). If you get
a “Yes” answer, enter Precode (1) and the instrument
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continues with Item WHICHDISABILITYTARGET_1. If
you enter Precode (2) or (3) for a “No” or “Don’t know”
answer, the instrument continues with Item
SUMMARY.
What health conditions, impairments, or disabilities do you
believe caused you to be targeted for this incident?
● Please specify the first type of health condition, impairment, or disability
● If multiple health conditions, impairments, or disabilities mentioned enter only the first
one mentioned here.
WHICHDISABILITYTARGET_1
WHICH
DISABILITYTARGET
The three WHICHDISABILITYTARGET items are
asked to identify which health conditions, impairments,
or disabilities reported in Items HEARING through
LEAVING_HOME the respondent feels may have
caused the offender to target him/her during the
incident.
Any other conditions, impairments, or disabilities?
WHICHDISABILITYTARGETELSE_1
WHICH
DISABILITYTARGET
ELSE
After entering one disability, the instrument takes you
to one of the three WHICHDISABILITYTARGETELSE
screens which prompt: “Any other conditions,
impairments, or disabilities?” (An answer of
Precode (2), “No,” or (3),“Don’t know,” ends the
disability questions and takes you to Item
SUMMARY.) You can record one condition in each
WHICHDISABILITYTARGET question, up to three
different conditions, in the order provided by the
respondent. Since we are trying to find out how
respondents interpret the disability questions, enter
whatever the respondent reports.
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After completing Items WHICHDISABILITYTARGET,
the instrument takes you to Item SUMMARY to write a
summary report of the incident.
PERSON: JOHN DOE
SOURCE: SQTHEFT MONTH: October
NOTES: L1's bike stolen from carport
WHERE: Own yard/sidewalk/driveway/carport/unenclosed porch.
Respondent and other household member(s) were not present.
WEAPON: No weapon present
Not attacked and Not threatened
STOLE: Bicycle
Summarize this incident. Also include any details about the incident that were not asked about in
the incident report that might help clarify the incident.
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
The SUMMARY screen is designed for you to
summarize all of the pertinent facts surrounding a
reported crime incident. Write each summary report so
that anyone reading it can get a clear, well-defined
picture of how the respondent was victimized.
Include in the summary report any details that you feel
are not evident from the answers in the incident report
items. This is very important, because before sending a
case for processing, editors often need more specific
details than they can get from other entries for the
incident report items. When this happens, they must
rely on what is written in your summary report.
As you write your summary report, be careful not to
use misleading words, phrases, or vague terms that
may raise more questions about the incident, instead of
clarifying what really happened.
For example:
When you ask if the offender threatened the
respondent with harm in any way, the respondent
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answers "No." Also, the respondent tells you in Item
WHATHAPPEN that her husband was harassing her
and using abusive language. However, in the summary
report, you use the phrase "verbally threatened her."
Be careful that the words and phrases you use in
summary reports help explain the situation, instead of
adding confusion.
Key Points to Cover
Use these key words to jog your memory when writing
a summary report--who, what, where, when, and
how.
Who - Using the person's line number (L1, L2, and so
on) from the household roster, identify all household
members who were involved in the incident, even if the
member was a noninterview. Also include any
nonhousehold members who were involved in the
incident. In the summary report, identify that they are
nonhousehold members and use specific descriptions,
such as "friend," "neighbor," or "co-worker" to show
their relationship to the respondent. Avoid using
pronouns to describe persons involved in an incident.
Reminder:
If other current household members who are at least
12 years old were also victims of a personal crime with
contact, you need to complete a separate set of
incident report items for each of these persons who
you are able to interview.
What - Explain the type of crime and any pertinent
details related to the crime incident--purse stolen &
offender threatened to stab L1 while she was washing
her hands.
Where - Explain where the crime took place--in a
restaurant restroom.
When - Explain when the incident took place–At 8:30
p.m. on December 21.
How - Explain how the crime was executed--offender
yanked purse from L1's shoulder & ran/no injury to
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L1/reported to police/property not recovered.
Weapons Used
Item WEAPONPRESENT - 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?
Item WEAPON - What was the weapon? Anything
else?
If a respondent tells you at Items WEAPONPRESENT
and WEAPON that an offender had a weapon other
than any type of gun, rifle, shotgun, or knife, your
summary report needs to explain if and how this
object was used as a weapon OR if the offender
threatened to use this object as a weapon. Since guns,
rifles, shotguns, and knives are obviously weapons, it
is not necessary to explain if and how any of these
weapons were used as a weapon in the summary
report.
For example:
L1 was arguing with neighbor/neighbor picked up
rock/threw it at L1 & hit L1 in head/L1 treated at
hospital emergency room & got 4 stitches for the cut.
Thrown objects are only considered weapons if they hit
and seriously injure the respondent. BB guns and tear
gas guns are only considered weapons if they are used
as clubs.
The following objects are NEVER considered weapons:
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
✖
Animals
Parts of the body (for example: hands, feet, etc.)
Food
Small empty cans
Mace or pepper spray
Tear gas
Chloroform
Rings
Casts
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Sex-Related Crimes
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Since sex-related crimes are rare compared to other
types of crimes, include as many details as the
respondent is willing to provide. This is important so
that we can classify any sex-related crimes into the
correct category--rape, attempted rape, sexual assault,
or unwanted sexual contact.
Avoid using phrases like "made sexually explicit
comments," "unwanted sexual contact," or "unwanted
sexual advances." These phrases do not provide us
with enough information to determine what actually
happened. We need to know what was actually said,
what parts of the body were touched, whether or not
force was used, and so on.
Even though we want all the pertinent facts, do not
probe beyond the structured probes that are provided
for Items WHATHAPPEN, HOWTRYATTACK,
HOWTHREATEN, HOWATTACK, and INJURY. For
example, here is the structured probe question for Item
WHATHAPPEN, which appears in Item
SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1: "You mentioned some
type of unwanted sexual contact with force. Do you
mean forced or coerced sexual intercourse
including attempts?"
Threats
In the summary, describe the specific nature of the
threat, for example, “Threatened to hurt respondent,”
“Threatened to rape respondent,” “Threatened to kill
respondent,” “Threatened to beat up the respondent.”
The threat must be in person. Threats over the phone,
by email, text message, or on the internet do not count
as threats for the NCVS.
Stolen Property
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER - "Did the
(property/money) the offender tried to take belong
to you personally, to someone else in the
household, or to both you and other household
members?"
Item WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY - "Did the
stolen (property/money) belong to you personally,
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to someone else in the household, or to both you
and other household members?"
Items ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER and
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY relate to
ownership of property and/or money that an offender
tried to steal or stole. If property and/or money involved
in the incident belongs to the respondent AND other
household members OR just to other household
members, make sure to specifically identify these
persons by their line numbers (L1, L2, and so on).
If property and/or money involved in the incident
belongs to nonhousehold members, mention that they
are nonhousehold members, along with a specific
description of their relationship to the respondent, such
as co-worker, friend, cousin, and so on.
Also, if multiple items that were jointly owned by
household and nonhousehold members were stolen or
attempted to be stolen, record which items belonged to
nonhousehold members.
Item PROPERTYVALUE - "What was the value of
the PROPERTY that was taken? Include recovered
property. (Exclude any stolen cash, checks, or
credit cards. If jointly owned with a nonhousehold
member(s), include only the share owned by
household members.)"
When completing Item PROPERTYVALUE, please
note:
If stolen property is jointly owned by one or more
household members together with one or more
nonhousehold members, only include the dollar
amount for the portion that was owned by the
household members.
When identifying the value of stolen property that was
owned jointly by a household member and a
nonhousehold member, show a separate dollar amount
in your summary report to differentiate between the
share owned by the household member and the share
owned by the nonhousehold member. Do not use
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names in your summary report; instead, use line
numbers for household members and relationships to
the respondent for nonhousehold members.
Offender is a Police Officer
Whenever an offender is a police officer, there are
specific facts that we need to have in your summary
report. Include as many of these facts as you can
gather. Be diplomatic and ask for the following facts in
a way that does not aggravate the respondent:
✓ Get a complete description of both the officer's and
the victim's actions.
✓ Find out if the officer used or attempted to use
his/her gun or billy club.
✓ Determine if the victim signed a complaint and, if
so, include any additional details (for example,
victim was arrested).
✓ Ascertain whether any property was confiscated by
the police. If so, find out what was done with the
confiscated property--was it returned, kept as
evidence, and so on.
Commercial Establishment
If a crime incident occurred at a business or
commercial establishment, include in your summary
report as many facts as possible to provide a complete
picture of what took place. Also, make sure to mention
whether the business is recognizable or
unrecognizable.
For example:
L2 was shot in arm during clothing store robbery
(recognizable business)/Off. shot L2 with small
handgun as L2 reached under register to set off burglar
alarm/L2 treated @ emergency room/Store clothing &
displays damaged/store closed for 2 days/Est. $50k in
stolen money, damages & lost sales to store/Off.
arrested.
Although the NCVS is not interested in the theft of
property or cash belonging to a recognizable business,
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we do want this information in the summary report
when it helps in describing a situation in which:
✓ Personal property was also stolen from a
household member.
✓ A household member received a face-to-face threat
of physical harm, was attacked, or an attempt was
made to attack the household member.
✓ Someone illegally entered, broke into, or attempted
to break into the sample housing unit.
Series of Crimes
When writing a summary report for series of crimes,
start by providing a GENERAL description of the
entire series of incidents. For the last or most
recent incident in the series, provide a DETAILED
description of the incident following the who, what,
where, when, and how format.
Verifying Summary Reports
Once you have completed the summary report,
ALWAYS read it back to the respondent. This gives
the respondent a final opportunity to either change or
add any facts that may provide a clearer picture of the
crime incident.
Lengthy Summary Reports
The SUMMARY screen allows for a summary
description of up to 300 characters. If you need more
space, you may add information about an incident in
the Case Level Notes. The Case Level Notes can be
accessed at the SUMMARY screen, as well as
throughout the instrument by pressing the “Ctrl” + “F7”
keys.
Things to Avoid
When writing summary reports for crime incidents,
avoid the following bad habits:
✖ Using very general or vague statements or any
unnecessary words or phrases. Write the facts in
short, concise sentences.
✖ Using the exact wording from the answer
categories in the instrument.
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✖ Using pronouns (she, he, him, her, they, their, and
so on), instead of line numbers.
✖ Using abbreviations that most editors would not
understand. If you must abbreviate, use the
abbreviations list in the NCVS instrument by
entering Shift + F11 at the SUMMARY screen.
Lists of standard abbreviations can also be found
in the NCVS-554 “Field Representative
Information Card Booklet,” and Part B, Chapter 5
of this manual.
✖ Omitting pertinent facts that could help clarify
details of an incident.
Examples of Good Summary
Reports
Some examples of good summary reports:
☺ At 10 p.m. on Aug. 4, L1's drunken ex-spouse
(nonhousehold member) was arguing & using
abusive language while in L1's home/ex-spouse
refused to leave & threatened to burn down the
house if L1 didn't take him back/police arrested exspouse/no injury to L1/lamp broken valued @ $40.
☺ At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, L1 (school teacher) had
$10 stolen from desk drawer in classroom while
eating lunch in school cafeteria/police not
notified/off. never caught/$10 not returned.
☺ At 4 p.m. on Feb. 3, L2 (apt. mgr.) was shot in the
arm by angry evicted tenant in L2's office/small
hand gun used/police notified & off. arrested/L2
hospitalized overnight.
☺ At 2 a.m. on Dec. 12, off. attempted to break into
L1's home/no one present/security alarm scared
off. & off. ran away/damage to door & lock valued
@ $50/police notified/off. not found.
☺ At 11 a.m. on May 5, L2's antique shop robbed at
gunpoint by two off./$1,500 taken from shop
register/$50 taken from L2/gold necklace & purse
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taken from customer/no injuries or store
damage/police notified/off. caught & prosecuted.
☺ At 9 p.m. on July 10, off. threatened to rape L2 at
gunpoint/siren from passing police car scared
off./L2 got free & ran to drug store for help/L2
bruised/police notified/off. never found.
☺ At 5 p.m. on Aug. 4, off. forcibly grabbed L2/kissed
L2 against L2's will/ran his hands up & down L2's
buttocks/L2 kneed off. in his groin & got away/no
police report/no injuries to L2.
Examples of Bad
Summary Reports
Some examples of bad summary reports:
☹
There was unwanted sexual contact between off.
and L2 with no injuries.
☹
Sam was threatened by his co-worker in an office
building. There were no injuries.
☹
Rsp. sd she was shot at while walking down the
street/offenders were arrested.
☹
Rsp. was involved in a car jacking/threatened to
shoot/not far from home/police notified.
☹
Was on way to school/music compact discs
stolen/$75/no police.
☹
Garage broken into/HH sleeping at time/bike
stolen/no police/no injuries.
☹
Same as before.
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Part B, Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Middle Section of the NCVS Instrument:
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
Table of Topics
Topic
1 Screen Layout and Instructions for the Additional
Incident Items
2 Screen Layout and Instructions for the
Unduplication Items
3 Help Screens and Abbreviations
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-1
Page
B5-2
B5-7
B5-11
Part B, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Screen Layout and Instructions for the
Additional Incidents Items
Importance of Completing
Incident Report Items
The incident report items are designed to gather detailed
information about each time an incident or victimization
occurred during the reference period.
It is your responsibility to:
Collect accurate information as you screen respondents
making sure to enter the "number of times" count
correctly for reported incidents, and
Complete a separate set of incident report items for
each "time" that an incident or victimization happened
during the reference period, regardless of how minor the
incident may seem.
Ideally, once all interviews are completed for a sample
household, the case should show the identical number of:
No Incident is Too Minor
Incidents reported in the screening section of the
instrument and
Sets of incident report items for the household.
Your main task is to gather as much information as possible
about each crime incident that occurred during the
reference period by asking all appropriate questions from
the NCVS instrument. It is not your responsibility to
determine whether or not a reported incident is important
enough to require completion of the Incident Report
questions. Leave that responsibility to the survey’s data
processing staff. They take all of the detailed information
you collect and use it to determine which reported incidents
classify as crimes.
Cutting corners to save time or appease a reluctant
respondent can jeopardize the value of the data that you
collect. Do not delete crime incidents for the wrong
reasons.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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Here are a few examples of what NOT to do:
Example 1:
When an interviewer asked a respondent the question for
Item SQATTACKWHERE (attacks, threats, and stolen
items), the respondent replied that some of his money was
stolen from his bowling bag on two different nights while he
was bowling with his bowling league. Since the two reported
incidents sounded basically the same, the interviewer only
completed one set of incident report items. WRONG!
Even though the circumstances seem to be the same, the
respondent reported two distinct incidents and the
interviewer must complete two separate sets of incident
report items.
Example 2:
After an interviewer asked the question at Item SQSEXUAL
(forced or unwanted sexual acts), the young female
respondent answered "Yes." However, she told the
interviewer that she really did not want to discuss any
details about what happened to her. The interviewer
entered a "No" reply to this screen question, because the
interviewer didn't think he could persuade the respondent to
complete the incident report items. WRONG!
The interviewer must record the "Yes" answer given by the
respondent, and make every effort to persuade the
respondent to answer the incident report questions. If he
can't persuade the respondent to complete the incident
report items for an incident, then the interviewer must
classify the respondent as a refusal and the respondent's
interview is considered incomplete.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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Did the respondent mention additional incidents for the household or himself not already
Covered that were within the last 6 months, that is between:
July 01, 2015 AND January 01, 2016
1 Yes: another incident needed for this person
2 No: NONE to add
INCIDENTTOADD
INCIDENTTOADD
The INCIDENTTOADD screen always appears following
the SUMMARY screen after ALL incidents reported in the
screener section have been completed. You can use the
INCIDENTTOADD screen to:
Add an incident for a household member.
Record that there are no additional incidents for the
household member.
When Precode (1), “Yes: another incident needed for this
person” is selected the instrument goes to
INCIDENTNUMTOADD. Otherwise, it goes to
CRIME_END.
INCIDENTNUMTOADD
How many incidents do you want to add?
Enter a number between 1-25
INCIDENTNUMTOADD
Use this screen to enter the number of additional incidents
you have discovered for this respondent. After recording the
number of incidents that you need to add, continue with item
INCIDENTTOADDWHY.
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INCIDENTTOADDWHY
Part B, Chapter 5
Explain why incidents were added (i.e. what happened)
INCIDENT TOADDWHY
Use the INCIDENTTOADDWHY screen to describe the
additional incident(s), similar to the descriptions entered in
the screener section of the instrument, such as in item
SQTHEFTSPEC. After entering your explanation, continue
to complete the incident report items for the first incident
that you added. Complete a separate incident report for
each incident that you added, starting at the
INCIDENT_INTRO screen.
If you enter Precode (2), “No,” at the INCIDENTTOADD
screen, continue with the CRIME_END screen.
All incident reports completed for: James Boe
NO
NAME
SOURCE
STATUS
_________________________________________________________________________________
1
James Boe
SQTHEFT
One REGULAR
incident
CRIME_END
CRIME_END
CRIME_END marks the end of the incident report section
and lets you know that you have completed all reported
incidents for the household member.
If multiple incidents were reported by the respondent or
multiple incidents for the household (that is, other
respondents also reported incidents) the instrument
continues to INTRO_UNDUP in the unduplication section.
The instrument also continues with the unduplication
section when there were incidents recorded during the last
enumeration, even if there was only one incident reported
for the household during this enumeration. If there is only
one incident report and no incidents reported in the last
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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enumeration, the instrument continues with one of these
screens.
If the current respondent is at least 16 years old, the
instrument goes to item JOBLASTWEEK to find out if the
respondent was employed during the reference period. if
the respondent is between the ages of 12 and 15 and there
are other respondents to interview, the instrument continues
with item NEXTPERSON to select the next person to
interview. Otherwise, the instrument continues to
THANK_YOU because the case is now complete.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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Part B, Chapter 5
Topic 2. Screen Layout and Instructions for the
Unduplication Items
Now it will just take me a minute to review the crime incidents I have
recorded from you during this interview at your household.
Enter 1 to continue
INTRO_UNDUP
INTRO_UNDUP
The unduplication process starts with the INTRO_UNDUP
screen. Unduplicating or bounding interviews is an NCVS
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 enumerations periods. (If an incident is
identified as a duplicate, it is then omitted from any further
duplicate checking.)
The unduplication process is designed to avoid listing
duplicate incidents. This could occur when:
The incident actually happened and was reported in a
previous enumeration period and did not occur again
during the current enumeration period, but was reported
again during the current enumeration period.
The incident was reported already by another
household member during the current enumeration
period, such as a household break-in and robbery in
which no household members were threatened,
attacked, or personally victimized during the incident.
However, if any household members were personally
victimized during a crime incident, complete a separate
incident report for each household member who was
personally victimized during the incident.
This quality assurance measure is designed so that we can
provide a more accurate measure of criminal victimization in
the United States.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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Read the statement at INTRO_UNDUP to let the
respondent know what you are doing for the next few
minutes of the interview. After reading this statement to the
respondent, enter Precode (1) to move to the next screen
and begin the unduplication process. When there are
multiple incidents reported by the respondent and/or other
respondents in the household the instrument goes to item
UNDUP_CURINC. However, if there is only one incident
reported by the current respondent and no other incidents
reported by other respondents the instrument continues
with item UNDUP_OLD.
During the unduplication process, DO NOT discuss with the
respondent the incidents you are comparing, even to verify
that they are the same or different incidents. This tool is
provided because the respondent may have given you
information that is not readily available to staff who review
the data after it is collected.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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UNDUP_CURINC
Part B, Chapter 5
The UNDUP_CURINC screen, shown above, provides you
with pertinent facts about the current incident that you use to
compare this incident against other reported incidents, both
from the same respondent and from other respondents in
the same household. The UNDUP_CURINC screen
provides you with the following types of information about
the current incident: the enumeration period in which the
incident was reported, respondent's line number, month
incident occurred, where incident occurred, who was
present, weapon information, information on threats and
attacks, stolen items, and summary report information.
UNDUP_CURINC directs you to compare the two incidents
shown and determine whether the incident on the left is a
duplicate of the incident shown on the right. “Duplicate”
does not mean “similar.” Determine if the incident on the left
is the same incident that is displayed on the right side of the
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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screen. If it is a duplicate, enter precode (1) for “Yes.” If it is
not a duplicate, enter precode (2) for “No.”
This continues as all potential duplicate incidents are shown
for your review. When all incidents are reviewed, the
instrument takes you to UNDUP_OLDINC if there are
incidents from previous interviews to review for
unduplication. If there are no incidents from previous
interviews, the instrument takes you to UNDUP_DONE.
UNDUP_OLDINC
UNDUP_DONE
UNDUP_OLDINC looks similar to UNDUP_CURINC, but is
used for comparing and unduplicating current reported
incidents against up to four incidents reported in past
interviews. It instructs you to compare the two incidents
shown and determine whether the incident on the left
(currently reported incident) is a duplicate of the incident on
the right (previously reported incident). If it is a duplicate,
enter Precode (1) for “Yes.” If it is not a duplicate, enter
Precode (2) for “No.” When all old incidents have been
compared to current incidents, the instrument takes you to
UNDUP_DONE.
THIS PERSON DOES NOT HAVE ANY MORE
INCIDENTS TO REVIEW, CONTINUE WITH THE
INTERVIEW.
Enter 1 to continue
UNDUP_DONE
When incident review and unduplication is complete, the
UNDUP_DONE screen appears as shown above. Enter
Precode (1) to continue with the interview.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
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Part B, Chapter 5
Topic 3. Help Screens and Abbreviations
Introduction
As part of the NCVS instrument, several screens link to
“Help” screens which provide concept definitions and other
information relevant to the specific screen. If a “Help” screen
is available for a particular screen, a question mark icon
appears in the upper left corner of the info pane.
The NCVS instrument also has an abbreviation pop-up help
screen, which you can access at any time by pressing Shift
+ F11. In an effort to promote uniformity, you may use these
abbreviations to help save time and space and make it
easier for you to fit the summary report and any notes about
the case in the allotted space. However, avoid using
abbrevations unless it is necessary.
Listed below are the “Help” screens available for
specific NCVS items within the instrument:
SCREEN NAME--
SCREEN TEXT--
H_ABBREV
List of abbreviations interviewers can use to shorten the
SUMMARY and various notes.
H_STATE
Lists two-letter state abbreviations; can be accessed from
Items NEWADDSTATE, NEWMAIL STATE,
NEWADDSTATE_CP, NEWMAILSTATE _CP, and
INCIDENTSTATE.
H_PRESENCE
TO BE CONSIDERED PRESENT, one must be at the
immediate scene of the crime during the incident. The
opportunity for the person to be attacked or threatened or
have something taken directly from them must exist.
H_WEAPON
Objects that are NEVER considered weapons include
animals, parts of the body, food, small empty cans, mace or
pepper spray, tear gas, chloroform, rings, and casts.
BB guns and tear gas are only considered weapons when
used as clubs. Include these latter two items in Category 5:
"Blunt Object".
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-11
Part B, Chapter 5
H_THEFT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What to Include/Exclude as Theft/Attempted Theft
INCLUDE:
- items belonging to any member of the household,
regardless of age, taken in a burglary or household theft.
- items belonging to any member of the household 12 years
of age or older.
- items regardless of value (for example, accept theft of
"worthless" and "priceless" items)
- items that are personal property of an individual
household member
- items that belong to the entire household
- items that belong to an unrecognizable business
EXCLUDE:
- items that belong to a recognizable business in the sample
unit, even if the business is owned by a household
member.
- items that belong to some other commercial
establishment, even if the business is owned by a
household member.
- items belonging to the owner of a house, apartment, or
room that a household member was renting at the time of
the incident.
- items belonging to a nonhousehold member
- items that the respondent or another household member
had borrowed from a nonhousehold member.
- items loaned to a friend, neighbor, etc., and not
returned. (However, if someone stole the items from the
friend, neighbor, etc., INCLUDE the items)
- items belonging to a household member under age 12,
taken in any type of crime other than a burglary or
household theft.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-12
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 5
H_DAMAGED
Include only items that were damaged but not stolen.
Include damaged items that belonged to an unrecognizable
business but exclude damaged items belonging to a
recognizable business.
H_POLICEINFORMED
'POLICE' refers to all regular police and sheriff departments
at the city, county, State, or Federal level of government. If
the victim or the offender was a police officer, probe to
determine if an official report was filed or if the police
department was notified.
H_NOTREPORTED
Structured Probe: Was the reason because you dealt with
it another way, it wasn't important enough to you, insurance
wouldn't cover it, police couldn't do anything, police
wouldn't help, or was there some other reason?
(This help screen is also available in Spanish.)
H_WHYREPORTED
Structured Probe: Did you report it to get help with this
incident, to recover your loss, to stop or punish the offender,
to let the police know about it, or was there some other
reason?
(This help screen is also available in Spanish.)
H_DISABILITY
(1) WHY DOES THE NCVS ASK ABOUT DISABILITY?
Many believe that people with disabilities are more
likely to be targeted for victimization because offenders
see them as being more vulnerable. New legislation
requires the NCVS to collect data relating to the nature
of crime against people with disabilities. These data will
be used by policy makers in developing programs that
address the safety and justice needs of people with
disabilities.
(2) NON COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF SERIOUS
DISABLING CONDITIONS:
ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Huntington's Disease
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-13
Part B, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
(This help screen is also available in Spanish.)
H_OMB
Help screen for OMB notice
<>Read the NOTICE statement to the respondent only if
they have a serious grievance and would like to make a
complaint regarding the survey.
<>Allow the respondent time to copy the agency title and
address provided in the NOTICE statement.
OMB No. 1121-0111: Approval Expires: (date)
NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY
NOTICE - We are conducting this survey under the
authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section 8. Section
9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you
and your household strictly confidential. We may use this
information only for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42,
Section 3732, United States Code, authorizes the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to collect
information using this survey. Title 42, Sections 3789g and
3735, United States Code, also requires us to keep all
information about you and your household strictly
confidential. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of
information unless such collection displays a valid OMB
number. Comments about this survey or
recommendations for reducing its length may be sent to the
Chief, Victimization Statistics Branch, Bureau of Justice
Statistics, Washington, D.C. 20531.
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-14
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
H_NONINT
Part B, Chapter 5
Type A/B/C noninterview reasons:
Type A Noninterviews
Language problems
No one home
Temporarily absent - Specify
Refused
Other occupied -Specify
Type B Noninterviews
Vacant - regular
Vacant - storage of household furniture
Temporarily occupied by persons with URE
Unfit or to be demolished
Under construction, not ready
Converted to temporary business or storage
Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent
Permit granted, construction not started
Other - Specify
Type C Noninterviews
Unused line of listing sheet
Demolished
House or trailer moved
Outside segment
Converted to permanent business or storage
Merged
Condemned
Unit does not exist or is out of scope
Unlocatable address
Permit abandoned
Other - Specify
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-15
Part B, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Listed below are the abbreviations found on the help screen that can be accessed by pressing
Shift + F11. In addition to using these abbreviations when preparing your summary report for an
incident, you can also use them when entering any other written entries or notes in the NCVS
instrument.
Additional, ADL
Address, ADR
Agendum, AG
Again, AGN
Answering Machine or Morning, AM
Answering Machine Message Left, AMML
Answering Machine No Message Left, AMNML
Answer, ANS
Appointment, APPT
Apartment, APT
Association, ASSN
Assessor, ASSR
Assistant, Assist, ASST
Avenue, AVE
Available, AVL
Building, BLDG
Block, BLK
Boulevard, BLVD
Broken, BRKN
Best Time, BT
Battery, BTRY
CallBack, CB
Could Not, CDNT
CD-ROM Phone Disc, CDROM
Central Daylight Time, CDT
Circle, CIR
Called, CLD
Closed, CLSD
Completed Interview, CMPINT
Count, CNT
Contact, CNTC
County, CNTY
Company, CO
Complete, COMP
Continue, CONT
Cooperate, COOP
Contact Person, CP
Court, CT
Central Standard Time, CST
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-16
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Directory Assistance, DA
Daughter, DAU
Disconnected, DISC
Drive, DR
Descriptive Address, DSC ADR
Duplicate, DUP
East, E
Eastern Daylight Time, EDT
Exact Match, EM
Eastern Standard Time, EST
Female, F
Fax Machine, FAX
Fast Data, FD
Find/Found, FND
Field Representative, FR
Friday, FRI
Front, FRNT
Foot/Feet (Distance), FT
Followup, FU
Forward, FWD
Guess Call Back, GCB
Group, Group Home, GRP
Hard Call Back, HCB
Hang Up, HGUP
Household, HH
Household Member, HHM
History, HIST
Hawaiian Standard Time, HST
Housing Unit, HU
Highway, HWY
Identification, ID
Immediate, IMMD
Include, INCL
Income, INCM
Internet, INTRNT
Information, INFO
Inside, INSD
Interview/Interviewer, INT
Line Number, LN
Language Problem, LNG PRB
Laptop Computer, LPTP
Large, LRG
Listing Sheet, LS
Left, LT
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-17
Part B, Chapter 5
Part B, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Letter, LTR
Leave, LV
Male, M
Member, MBR
Mountain Daylight Time, MDT
Manager, MGR
Mobile Home Park, MHP
Mile(s), MI
Message Left, ML
Month, MO
Monday, MON
Missed Appointment, MSD APPT
Message, MSG
Mountain Standard Time, MST
Multiple Units, MU
Move, Moved, MV(D)
North, N
Not Available/Not Applicable, NA
Northeast, NE
Not in Service, NIS
No Message Left, NML
No One Home, NOH
(A, B, or C Noninterview Type), NO INT
Nearby, NRBY
Number, #
Northwest, NW
Organization, ORG
Original Sample Person, OSP
Other, OTH
Outside, OTSD
Pacific Daylight Time, PDT
Person, PER
Phone, Phone Number, PH
Park, PRK
Parkway, PKY
Place, PL
Afternoon/Evening, PM
Property Manager, PMGR
Place of Business, POB
P.O. Box, PO BX
Place of Employment, POE
Possible, POS
Previous, PREV
Property, PROP
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-18
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Partial Interview, PRT INT
Provide, PRVD
Pacific Standard Time, PST
Public Library, PUB LIB
Personal Visit, PV
Proxy, PXY
Question, QST
Questionnaire, QSTNR
Road/Rural Delivery, RD
Received, RECD
Refused, REF
Reference Person, REF PER
Request, REQ
Rooming House, RH
Reluctant, RLCT
Roommate, RM
Ring No Answer, RNA
Rural Route, RR
Rural Route Delivery, RRD
Respondent, RESP
Right, RT
Route, RTE
South, S
Sample Address, SA
Saturday, SAT
Soft Call Back, SCB
Screen (computer), SCRN
Said, SD
Southeast, SE
Senior Field Representative, SFR
Signal, SGNL
Sheet#, Line#, S_L_
Small, SM
Sample Person, SP
Spoke With, SP/W
Spanish Speaking, SS
Spanish Speaking Household, SSHH
Social Security Number, SSN
Street, ST
Status, STAT
Sunday, SUN
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-19
Part B, Chapter 5
Part B, Chapter 5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Supervisor, SUP
Southwest, SW
Temporarily Absent, TA
Terrace, TER
Thursday, THUR
Talk(ed), TLK(D)
Tomorrow, TOMO
Turnpike, TPK
Trail, TR
Trailer, TRLR
Trailer Park, TRLR PRK
Transmission/Transmitted, TRNSM
Transfer, TRSFR
Tuesday, TUE
Tax Assessor, TX AS
Unable to Locate, UTL
Vacant, VAC
Visited, VST(D)
West, W
Wednesday, WED
Within, W/IN
Week, WK
Without, W/OUT
Wrong, WRG
World Wide Web/Internet, WWW
Time, Two Times, Three Times, etc., X, 2X, 3X, etc.
Extra, XTR
Yukon Daylight Time, YDT
Year(s), YR(S)
Yukon Standard Time, YST
Additional Incidents, Unduplication, and Help Screens
B5-20
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Introduction
B6-2
2 Screen Layout and Instructions
B6-3
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-1
Part B, Chapter 6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Introduction
Wrapping Up the NCVS
Interview
The Back Section of the NCVS instrument includes screens
used to:
Make appointments to call back a sample household;
Thank each sample household member for his/her time
and participation in the NCVS;
Code any language issues encountered while trying to
interview the household; and
Verify and/or update the telephone numbers that have
been collected, or add up to three additional telephone
numbers for the household.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 6
Topic 2. Screen Layout and Instructions
Did this interview end because of a refusal, a callback was needed, a breakoff occurred,
or some other problem?
1 Refusal
2 Callback
3 Breakoff
4 Language or other problem (refer to supervisor)
REFCBBREAK_CP
REFCBBREAK_CP
REFCBBREAK_CP records the incomplete status of a
household respondent or individual respondent’s interview
in CAPI. Precodes (1) and (3) take you to Item VERIFY;
Precode (2) takes you to Item APPT when interviewing the
household respondent and to item PERSAPPT for
individual respondents, and Precode (4) takes you to Item
LANGUAGEPROBLEM_CP.
Enter a time to recontact the household.
I would like to schedule a date and time to complete the interview.
What date and time would be best?
Today is 1/15/2013
APPT
APPT
The APPT screen is the first screen that you access to set a
future telephone contact with a household respondent who
still needs to be interviewed. This item is a text field, so you
can enter a date, for example “9/1/12,” or a day and time, for
example, “Monday at 7 PM.” The entry at this item appears
in the appointment box in laptop case management. Also
enter the household respondent appointment information in
the case level notes.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-3
Part B, Chapter 6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What is the telephone number of the phone where you would like to be called?
Record new number
Enter 0 for no telephone number
TELEPH
TELEPH
Item TELEPH is used to record the telephone number.
Enter the telephone number, or enter “0”(zero) if there is no
telephone number.
What type of phone is this (for example, a home, office, or cell phone)?
1 Home
2 Work/office
3 Cell/digital
4 Beeper/pager/answering service
5 Pay phone
6 Toll free
7 Other
8 Fax
TELEPHTYPE
TELEPHTYPE
Item TELEPHTYPE is used to record the telephone type
(Home, work/office, cellular or digital,
beeper/pager/answering service, public pay phone, toll free,
or other).
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 6
Thank you for your help.
I will call back at the time suggested.
CALLBACK: Friday October 19, 2:00 PM
THANKCB_CP
THANKCB_CP
The THANKCB_CP screen is the thank-you screen to thank
the respondent and tell him/her that we will call back at the
suggested time. Notice that the scheduled callback date
and time are shown on this screen. After reading this
statement to the respondent, press (1) to continue to Item
VERIFY.
Press Control+F7 to enter appointment information for this person in Case Level Notes.
PERSAPPT
PERSAPPT
Because laptop case management is not set up to store
callback information for individual respondents, PERSAPPT
prompts you to enter any respondent callback information in
the Case Level Notes, which may be accessed here by
pressing “Ctrl” and “F7” simultaneously. After entering
callback information, press “1” to continue to
THANKYOU_INDIV.
Thank you. I'll call back at the time suggested.
THANKYOU_INDIV
THANKYOU_INDIV
THANKYOU_INDIV is the thank-you screen for individual
respondents after recording callback information in Case
Level Notes. Pressing “1” to continue takes you to Item
VERIFY.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-5
Part B, Chapter 6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Record the language spoken by the respondent or enter 28 if respondent is hard of hearing.
11 Spanish
12 Arabic
13 Chinese
14 French
15 German
16 Greek
17 Italian
18 Japanese
19 Korean
20 Polish
21 Portuguese
22 Russian
23 Tagalog
24 Urdu
25 Vietnamese
26 Other - Specify
27 Unknown language
28 Other problem - hard of hearing
LANGUAGEPROBLEM_CP
LANGUAGE PROBLEM_CP
LANGUAGEPROBLEM_CP allows you to record the fact
that a language problem (or other related problem; for
example, a person who is hard of hearing) exists for a
respondent. An entry of 26 takes you to LANGUAGE
PROBLEM_SPEC_CP. Otherwise, the instrument goes to
Item VERIFY.
Record the language spoken by the respondent.
LANGUAGEPROBLEM_SPEC_CP
LANGUAGE
PROBLEM_SPEC_CP
Use the LANGUAGEPROBLEM_SPEC_CP screen to
record the specific language spoken by the repondent. This
question is asked only of the household respondent.After
entering this information, the instrument proceeds to Item
VERIFY.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 6
Read if necessary
Thank you for your time.
THANKYOU_CP
THANKYOU_CP
THANKYOU_CP is the thank-you screen used after the
household is completed. The instrument fills in the screen
text to be read to the respondent based on the situation.
For noninterview households you are prompted to thank
the contact person, when appropriate, as shown above.
For completed interviews, the question text is based on
the time in sample (TIS) of the case.
Verifying Telephone
Information
For TIS 1-6, item THANKYOU_CP reads: "Six months
from now we will be contacting you again. Thank you
for your time. You've been very helpful."
For TIS 7 cases, item THANKYOU_CP reads: "This is
the last regularly scheduled interview for this
household, for the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Thank you for your participation in this survey."
The next set of screens is for the purpose of verifying and
updating previously collected telephone information. These
include:
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-7
Part B, Chapter 6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Review information listed below
Do you need to make any changes?
Press “Control T” to review/update interview time preference
TELEPHONEOK: Yes
Telephone (1) - Extn. Type:
Telephone (2) - Extn. Type:
Telephone (3) - Extn. Type:
VERIFY
VERIFY
VERIFY displays the telephone information that has been
collected to date. If no changes to this information are
needed, enter Precode (2), “No,” to exit the instrument and
proceed to the Case Level Notes. If changes are necessary,
enter Precode (1), “Yes,” and the instrument takes you to
VER_TELEPHONEACCEPTABLE.
Is a telephone interview acceptable?
Previous answer: Yes
1 Yes
2 No
VER_TELEPHONEACCEPTABLE
VER_TELEPHONE
ACCEPTABLE
Item VER_TELEPHONEACCEPTABLE allows you to
update whether or not a telephone interview is acceptable
for the household. Entering Precode (1), Yes,” takes you to
VER_PHONE. Entering Precode (2), “No,” takes you out of
the instrument and into the Case Level Notes.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-8
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 6
What is the telephone number of the phone where you would like to be called?
VER_PHONE1, 2, 3
VER_PHONE1, 2, 3
Items VER_PHONE1, 2, 3 allow you to enter or update
phone numbers for the first, second, and third household
contacts. If no update needs to be made to the first phone
number, press “Enter” to continue to VER_PHONETYPE,
which will keep the previous phone number. If you do not
need to update any other information from VER_PHONE
through VER_PHONETYPE, then enter “0” (zero) which
takes you out of the instrument and to the Case Level
Notes.
However, if you do not need to change the first number but
do need to change or update the second or third phone
number, do not enter “0,” as that will take you out of the
instrument. Instead, press “Enter” until you reach the screen
that needs to be updated. Note that if there is not a number
in VER_PHONE, you cannot press “Enter” to go to the
second phone number. You must collect the first number in
order to collect the second, and so on.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-9
Part B, Chapter 6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
What type of phone is this (for example, a home, office, or cell phone)?
1 Home
2 Work/office
3 Cell/digital
4 Beeper/page/answering service
5 Pay phone
6 Toll free
7 Other
8 Fax
VER_PHONETYPE1, 2, 3
VER_PHONETYPE
1, 2, 3
CASE NOTE EDITOR
Item VER_PHONETYPE1, 2, 3 allows you to enter or
update the type of phone for the first, second, and third
household contact numbers. After completing the VERIFY
section the instrument proceeds to the Case Level Notes.
The CASE NOTE EDITOR (see illustration above) screen
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-10
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part B, Chapter 6
appears after you exit the case, to enter any final notes
about the case which may be helpful for future contacts with
the household. You may also access the CASE NOTE
EDITOR by pressing Control + F7 at any time during the
interview.
Note: The CASE NOTE EDITOR is where you record any
callbacks necessary for individual respondents.
The instrument automatically fills in a CAPI indicator, time,
date, and your FR code. If any notes were recorded from a
previous CAPI interview, the window also displays the
previous notes. You may add to the notes or only view them.
Here are some examples of things that should be entered in
the CASE NOTE EDITOR:
Explaining why you are unable to interview an eligible
household member.
Explaining any difficulties interviewing because of a
speech or hearing disability, a particularly difficult
respondent, language difficulties, etc.
Instructions about a disabled person who requires extra
time to answer his/her telephone.
For partial interviews, noting where the interview left off.
When you finish entering your notes or if no notes are
necessary, press F10 to exit NOTES. If you added a new
note, the instrument prompts you to save the new entry.
Back Section of the NCVS Instrument
B6-11
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part C, Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Basic National Crime Victimization Survey Concepts
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Overview of Chapter 1
C1-2
2 Reference Period
C1-3
3 Household Membership
C1-5
4 Reference Person
C1-11
5 Household and Individual
Respondents
C1-14
6 Proxy Interview
C1-18
7 Unduplicating/Bounding Interviews
C1-24
8 Out-of-Scope Incident
C1-28
9 Overview of the NCVS Process
C1-29
10 Replacement Households
C1-32
Basic National Crime Victimization Survey Concepts
C1-1
Part C, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Overview of Chapter 1
Purpose
The primary purpose of the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) is to obtain, from respondents who are 12
years of age and older, an accurate and up-to-date measure
of the amount and kinds of crime committed during a
specific 6-month reference period. When you are assigned
an NCVS case for the first interview, you are given a sample
address to visit and interview, but are not provided with any
respondent names.
Your responsibilities
During your initial contact with a sample address, your
responsibility as a CAPI interviewer is to identify:
The household members who usually reside at the
sample address (household membership);
The relationship of each household member to a
reference person;
A household respondent who will provide specific
information about the household; and
All household members who are eligible as individual
respondents for an NCVS interview.
Each eligible respondent is expected to respond for himself
or herself. However, under specific circumstances, another
household member can respond for an eligible respondent
and give a proxy interview.
To avoid duplicate incidents, you will go through an
unduplicating/bounding process to ensure that duplicate
incidents are not processed. When a reported incident falls
outside of the NCVS survey limits, you delete the incident
because it is considered an out-of-scope incident.
Chapter 1 defines all of these highlighted concepts in more
detail.
Basic National Crime Victimization Survey Concepts
C1-2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part C, Chapter 1
Topic 2. Reference Period
Definition
A reference period is a time interval for which we want to
collect information from a respondent. The NCVS reference
period covers the 6 months prior to the interview date. When
conducting interviews, we are interested only in crime
incidents that happened during a household member's
specific 6-month reference period.
The type of reference period that we use for the NCVS is
often referred to as a floating reference period or
period-to-period recounting. By using this type of a
reference period, we can compile a continuous record of a
household's experiences throughout the entire 3 years that
the household is in the NCVS sample.
First Enumeration Period
Interviews
Although the reference period is calculated automatically by
the NCVS CAPI instrument, it is still important for you to
understand the reference period. For the first enumeration
period, each household member’s reference period starts
on the first day of the month 6 months before the interview
month, and ends on the day before the interview date.
Household respondent example:
If a household respondent’s first enumeration period
interview is conducted on July 2, 2015, the current
reference period for the household respondent is January
1, 2015 to July 1, 2015.
Individual respondent example:
If the remaining household members are interviewed for the
first enumeration period on July 3, 2015, the current
reference period for each household member is January 1,
2015 to July 2, 2015.
Second Through Seventh
Enumeration Period
Interviews
After the first enumeration period, reference periods for all
remaining enumeration periods start on the date of the
household member's last interview and end on the day
before the household member's interview date. Unlike the
first enumeration period, each household member could
have a different reference period start date for the second
through seventh enumeration periods based on the
member's last interview date.
Basic National Crime Victimization Survey Concepts
C1-3
Part C, Chapter 1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Incidents Outside of the
Reference Period
While interviewing, it is important to keep reminding the
respondent of the starting and ending dates for his/her
reference period. If a respondent seems to be having
difficulty keeping track of the reference period dates, try
adding the actual dates after reading "in the last 6 months."
This will help the respondent to stay focused on the correct
time frame for the interview.
Only complete the incident report section of the instrument
for incidents that happened during the reference period for
the respondent's current interview. (If the incident happened
on the day of the interview, collect the information as usual.
These incidents are reviewed during post-collection data
processing and either categorized as “in scope” or “out of
scope.” These incidents are used for comparison purposes
during unduplication in the next interview period.) If you
discover that the incident is outside of the respondent's
reference period (at Item INCIDENTDATE), the instrument
does not prompt you to collect information for that incident.
(See Topic 8 of this chapter for out-of-scope incidents.)
Basic National Crime Victimization Survey Concepts
C1-4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part C, Chapter 1
Topic 3. Household Membership
Definition
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
he/she is temporarily absent at the time of interview,
OR
Staying temporarily at the sample address at the time of
the current interview AND not have a USUAL PLACE
OF RESIDENCE ELSEWHERE. This category could
include recent immigrants, persons trying to find
permanent living quarters, and persons who have no
other home of their own. This category could also
include entire households with no usual place of
residence elsewhere, because they are renting or
lending their usual living quarters to others and have no
other home of their own.
(See “Determining Usual Place of Residence” on the
next page for a definition of “Usual place of
residence.”)
Non-family persons may be considered household
members if the sample address is their usual place of
residence. These non-family household members could be
lodgers, servants, farmhands, or other employees, as long
as they:
Live at the sample address AND
Claim the sample address as their usual place of
residence.
Household membership is not limited to sample housing
units and can also include residents of non-institutional
group quarters selected for the NCVS sample, such as
college dormitories, homes for unwed mothers, dormitories
for student nurses and doctors, and so forth.
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Determining Usual Place of
Residence
A person's usual place of residence is a specific living
quarters, either a housing unit or a non-institutional group
quarters unit, where he/she lives and sleeps most of the
time and is free to return to at any time. Do not consider a
mailing address that does not identify a living quarters as a
usual place of residence. For example, if a person has mail
delivered to a box in a post office, that person’s mailing
address does not identify a living quarters.
Also, do not consider a person's living quarters as his/her
usual place of residence when the person:
Is not residing at the living quarters AND is renting or
lending the living quarters to someone else who is
residing there in his/her absence,
OR
Families With Two or
More Homes
Is not residing at the living quarters AND the vacant
living quarters is offered for sale or rent.
If a household owns more than one housing unit and spends
time in both homes, only ONE of the housing units can be
considered the usual place of residence for these
household members. Consider the home where they spend
most of the calendar year as their usual place of residence.
If the household spends an equal amount of the calendar
year at each home, consider the family to be household
members at the address where they reside at the time of the
interview.
Here are some examples for handling this type of situation:
The Moe family owns two housing units--one in the suburbs
of Detroit, the other a cabin in a mountain resort area. They
spend about 11 months of the year in their suburban Detroit
home. The Moe family does not rent out either home in their
absence.
If the Moes were residing at their suburban Detroit home
when you attempt to interview at that residence, you
would interview all eligible household members. Since
this is the Moes’ usual place of residence, all family
member's who usually live at the address and are 12
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years of age and older are considered eligible
household members at this address.
When you attempt to interview at the cabin address, you
discover that the Moes are residing at the address.
Since the cabin is not their usual place of residence, you
would not interview them as household members at the
cabin address.
Foster Children
Always consider foster children in the household at the time
of your interview as household members at the sample
address, regardless of how long they are expected to stay
with the family.
Crew Member on a
Sailing Vessel
Never consider a sailing vessel to be a usual place of
residence for its crew members. This is true even when the
crew member is on the sailing vessel at the time of your
interview AND is on the vessel for long periods of time.
Household Members
Who Are Temporarily
Absent
Listed below are circumstances in which persons claiming
the sample address as their usual place of residence are
considered to be household members, even though they
are temporarily absent from the address at the time of
interview:
Foreign Citizens
Temporarily Staying
in the United States
Business travelers,
Crew members on sailing vessels,
Railroad personnel,
Long haul truck drivers,
Bus drivers, and
Persons who are away visiting relatives or friends, on
vacation, or temporarily in general (noninstitutional)
hospitals.
Only consider citizens of foreign countries as household
members at a sample address when:
They are temporarily living (not visiting or traveling) in
the United States,
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The sample address is not an Embassy, Consulate,
Chancellery, or any other type of office for a foreign
country,
AND
Members of the
Armed Forces
The sample address is their usual place of residence
while residing in the United States.
Men and women who are Armed Forces members can be
considered household members at a sample housing unit if:
They usually sleep at the sample housing unit and
They are stationed in the same locality as the sample
housing unit.
Do not consider Armed Forces members to be household
members at a sample housing unit if:
They are stationed in a different locality than the sample
housing unit and
They are only staying at the sample housing unit while
on leave to visit family or friends.
Students
When you interview at a sample housing unit and discover
that a student is residing away from the family residence
while attending school (boarding, college, trade, or
commercial school in the United States or overseas), do not
consider the student to be a household member at the
family residence. While attending school, the student is
considered a household member at his/her school
residence, and is interviewed at that residence if it falls into
the NCVS sample.
However, students are considered household members at
their family residence when they are:
Living at the family residence while attending school,
Living at the family residence at the time of interview
because they are on a short holiday (for example,
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Thanksgiving or spring break) or home on summer
vacation,
AND
Student Nurses
Claiming the family residence as their usual place of
residence.
At the time of interview, consider a student nurse’s usual
place of residence to be the hospital, nurse’s home, or other
place where he/she resides while receiving nurse’s training.
For example:
Before entering nursing school, David lived with his parents
at 101 Railroad Drive, Any Town, AK. David is now
attending nursing school and living at 102 Maple Avenue,
Any Town, CO. While attending nurse’s training, David’s
usual place of residence is the 102 Maple Avenue address.
Persons Working
Overseas
Do not consider persons who are absent from the sample
address at the time of interview because they are working
and residing overseas for more than 6 months out of the
year to be household members at the sample address.
Persons With
Concurrent
Residences
You may find that some persons reside part of the week at
one address and the rest of the week at another address. In
this situation, count the person as a household member at
the address where he/she resides the greater part of the
week. If the person spends an equal amount of the week at
each address, consider the person as a household member
at the address where he/she is residing at the time of your
interview.
Persons in Vacation
Homes, Tourist
Cabins, and Trailers
If persons are residing in vacation homes, tourist cabins,
and trailers and do NOT have any other usual place of
residence at the time of interview, consider these persons
as household members where they are residing at the time
of your interview. However, if these persons do have a usual
residence elsewhere, do not consider them as household
members at the vacation homes, tourist cabins, and trailers
where they are staying at the time of the interview.
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Inmates and Patients
in Institutional Group
Quarters
Inmates and patients in institutional group quarters are not
considered household members at the sample address
while they are residing in the institutional group quarters.
These inmates and patients could reside in the following
types of institutional group quarters:
Correctional Institutions
Nursing, Convalescent, and Rest Homes
Hospitals
Institutions for the Disabled
Institutions for the Mentally Ill/Retarded
Juvenile Institutions.
Remember that persons in institutional group quarters are
not free to come and go without permission. Also, persons
residing in institutional group quarters are not eligible for
NCVS interviewing, even if the group quarters is in the
NCVS sample. Do not take proxy interviews for
institutionalized persons, because they are not considered
household members while residing in an institution.
(See the Listing and Coverage Manual for Field
Representatives, Form 11-8, for more details about
group quarters.)
When You Are Still Unsure
About Household
Membership
If you have read all the household membership procedures
and still are unsure whether or not to include someone as a
household member, it is better to:
Include the person
AND
Explain the situation in either an “F7 Note” by using
Control + F7 Case Level notes screen.
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Topic 4. Reference Person
Definition
We want the household's reference person to be a
responsible adult household member who is not likely
to permanently leave the household.
To meet this goal, the reference person must:
Qualify as a household member at the sample address,
Be one of the owners or renters of the sample housing
unit, and
Be at least 18 years of age (in most cases).
Since one of the owners or renters of the sample housing
unit is normally the most responsible and knowledgeable
household member, we prefer that the reference person
also be the household respondent. However, a household
respondent does not have to be one of the household
members who owns or rents the sample housing unit.
During your initial interview with a household you must
designate one of the household members who meets the
above criteria to be the reference person.
(See Topic 5 of this chapter for more details about
household respondents.)
Special Situations
When identifying a reference person for a sample
household, you may encounter one of the following
situations:
Housing Unit Rented
Without Cash
Payment
If a sample housing unit is occupied without payment of
cash rent, then any household member who is at least 18
years of age can qualify as the reference person. (Also see
"When Can a Reference Person Be Under 18 Years of
Age?" shown below.)
Housing Unit Jointly
Owned or Rented
If a sample housing unit is owned or rented jointly, then the
instrument automatically designates as the reference
person the first owner/renter who is listed on the household
roster. This person also must be a household member at the
sample address and must be at least 18 years of age. (Also
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see "When Can a Reference Person Be Under 18 Years
of Age?" shown below.)
When Can a
Reference Person Be
Under 18 Years of
Age?
There are two situations when the household’s reference
person can be a household member who is under 18 years
of age. These situations include:
Sample households in which ALL household members
are 17 years of age. The reference person should be
one of the 17-year-old household members who owns
or rents the sample housing unit.
Sample households in which the owners/renters are
married and one or both of them are 17 years of age.
The reference person can be either person.
NOTE: If you encounter a household in which ALL
household members are under 17 years of age, tell your
supervisor. They will discuss this situation with HQ staff and
let you know how to handle the case.
Changing the Reference
Person
You may encounter situations in subsequent interviews
when you may need to identify a different person from the
household roster as the reference person. This could
happen when the reference person from the previous
enumeration period is no longer a household member
because he/she has:
Died or
Moved out of the sample address permanently.
You may discover this at Item NAMECHECK, which
displays the household roster and asks if it is correct. If you
answer “No,” then Item REFPERSTILLLIVE appears and
asks, “Does (name of person) still live at this address?” If
you answer “No,” Item NEWREFPER appears.
At the NEWREFPER screen, you ask the following question
to identify a new reference person for the sample
household, “What is the name of the person (or one of
the persons) who owns or rents that home? Would that
be you?” Enter the line number of the new reference
person at this screen; enter "31" if the new reference person
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is new to the household and must be added to the roster.
The instrument then follows with prompts to add the new
person to the household roster.
After selecting or adding a new reference person, item
MEMBERCHANGES appears and asks you to enter the
reason(s) for changes in the household roster.
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Topic 5. Household and Individual Respondents
Definition
A household respondent is the household member that is
selected to be the first household member interviewed
and is almost always a self-response interview. The
household respondent must be able to provide information
for all persons in the sample household, as well as for
herself/himself. For example, the household respondent
must be able to:
Update demographic information on the household
information tables in the front section (“Control Card”
section) of the NCVS instrument.
Complete the household respondent's screening section
of the instrument.
Complete the incident report section of the instrument
for all incidents reported by herself/himself.
An individual respondent is any household member who
is at least 12 years of age and is not selected as the
household respondent. In most cases, you will interview
each individual respondent by self-response.
Who Qualifies as a
Household Respondent?
In most cases, the household respondent must be:
A household member,
At least 18 years of age, and
Knowledgeable enough about the household to provide
the necessary information for the Control Card screens,
and, if necessary, the incident report screens for each
incident he/she reports.
Normally, the best candidate for the household respondent
is the reference person or another household member
who owns or rents the housing unit. However, unlike the
requirements for a reference person, the household
respondent does not have to be one of the owners or
renters of the housing unit.
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(See Topic 4 of this chapter for information about
reference persons.)
During your initial interview with a household, you select a
household member who meets the household respondent
requirements. In subsequent interviews, the NCVS
instrument prompts you to ask to speak to the household
respondent from the previous enumeration period.
However, if this is not possible, make sure that the
household member you select for the current interview
period meets the requirements for a household respondent
and is knowledgeable about the household.
Exceptions to the Rule
Is it acceptable for a household respondent to be under
18 years of age?
If the reference person and/or the spouse of the reference
person is 17 years of age, either the reference person or the
spouse of the reference person can be the household
respondent. For example, a sample household is comprised
of a married couple ages 28 and 17. Because they are
married, either person qualifies as a household respondent,
even though one person is 17 years old.
If ALL household members are 17 years of age, select the
household member who appears to know the most about
the sample household. For example, three 17-year-old
friends rent an apartment together while attending college.
Try to select the household member who is most likely to
provide accurate information about household matters.
If you discover a household comprised of at least one
17-year-old and the remaining persons are all under 17
years of age, select the 17-year-old household member as
the household respondent.
NOTE: If you encounter a household in which ALL
household members are under 17 years of age, tell your
supervisor, who will discuss this situation with HQ staff and
let you know how to handle the case. Also, make a note of
the situation in the case notes.
However, if the household consists of two or more
unmarried individuals AND at least one of the individuals is
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18 years of age or older, then the household respondent
must be one of the members who is at least 18 years old.
For example, Joe, Terry, and Frank rent a house together.
Joe is 17 years old, Terry is 19 years old, and Frank is 20
years old. In this example, Terry and Frank are eligible to be
the household respondent, but Joe is NOT eligible because
of his age.
When can a household respondent be a non-household
member?
A non-household member can ONLY be a household
respondent WHEN ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
CONDITIONS EXIST:
ALL eligible household members are physically and/or
mentally unable to be interviewed,
ALL eligible household members have been under the
care of the non-household member for the entire
reference period,
AND
None of the eligible household members were able to
leave the sample address during the entire reference
period, unless they were accompanied by the
non-household member.
If any of the eligible household members are capable of
being interviewed, select a capable household member as
the household respondent, instead of selecting the
non-household member.
Changing Household
Respondents During an
Interview
There may be instances when you need to change
household respondents after starting an interview.
This could happen if:
You ask to speak to the previous household respondent
and discover that he/she is no longer considered a
household member.
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You discover that the previous household respondent is
unable to answer many of the questions about the
household. (However, this situation should seldom
occur.)
Under these circumstances, stop interviewing the current
household respondent and find a current household
member who is more knowledgeable about the household.
Use the “New HHR” tab at the top left of the NCVS interview
screen. The screen that appears, Item NEW_HHR, allows
you to select a different household respondent. At
NEW_HHR, select the line number of the new household
respondent.
Once you have selected a new household respondent, start
the household respondent's interview from the beginning.
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Topic 6. Proxy Interview
Definition
A proxy interview is one in which someone other than the
intended household member answers the interview
questions for another eligible household member.
The person who is authorized to answer for the intended
household member is referred to as the proxy
respondent.
The intended household member who is unable to
answer the interview for himself/herself is referred to as
the proxy person.
Since a proxy respondent is more likely to omit an incident
or leave out some of the details about a reported incident,
we discourage proxy interviews, except as a last resort.
Acceptable Reasons for
Proxy Interviews
Only THREE conditions allow you to take a proxy interview
for a household member. These conditions are:
A parent will not allow you to speak to his/her 12- or
13-year-old child to conduct the interview. In this
situation, any household member who is at least 18
years of age can be the proxy respondent for the child.
However, one of the child's parents would be the best
proxy respondent.
An eligible household member is temporarily absent
during the entire interview period, such as a household
member who will be out of town for the entire interview
month caring for a sick relative. Before accepting a
proxy interview for this situation, make sure that the
absent person still qualifies as a household member. If
the absent person is still a household member, you can
accept a proxy interview from an eligible household
member.
(See "Who Qualifies as a Proxy Respondent?" later
in this topic. Also see Topic 3 of this chapter for
more information about household membership.)
An eligible household member is physically or mentally
incapacitated continuously throughout the entire
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interview period, due to health or mental illness
problems. For example, a household may have a family
member who is too hard of hearing to complete a
telephone interview for himself/herself or a household
may have a family member with Alzheimer’s disease
who cannot respond for herself/himself.
The following problems do not constitute being
physically or mentally incapacitated and cannot be
accepted as reasons for taking a proxy interview: old
age (by itself), colds or flu, drunkenness, under the
influence of drugs, or any problems that might be
aggravated because a respondent feels that some
NCVS questions are upsetting (such as the NCVS
questions related to rape and sexual assault).
Proxy Interviews for
Household Respondents
There is ONLY ONE ACCEPTABLE REASON for taking a
proxy interview for a household respondent - when a
non-household member is a proxy respondent for an
ENTIRE household. This should happen only occasionally,
but when it does, the non-household member must be the
proxy respondent for the household respondent AND all
other household members who are eligible for the NCVS
interview.
If at least one eligible household member is capable of
being interviewed by self-response, then that person must
be the household respondent and the proxy respondent for
the remaining household members who are eligible for
interview. Always complete the household respondent's
interview BEFORE interviewing any other eligible
household members.(Also see "Accepting a
Non-household Member as a Proxy Respondent" later
in this topic.)
Here are some scenarios:
Both members of the Coe household suffer from
Alzheimer’s disease and a nurse cares for them on a
daily basis. The nurse is over 18 years of age, caring for
Roy and Mary Coe for the past 2 years. In this situation,
the nurse qualifies as a proxy respondent for Roy and
Mary. The nurse would be the proxy respondent for the
household respondent and the individual respondent.
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Unacceptable Reasons for
Proxy Interviews
The Moe household includes the reference person,
Megan Moe, and her 78-year-old mother, Jane Voe.
When you call the Moe household, only Jane Voe is at
home. Since both Megan and Jane are eligible to be the
household respondent. You should make Jane the
household respondent, take her NCVS interview, and
recontact the household later to interview Megan as an
individual respondent.
When you contact the Coe household, the only
household member who meets the requirements for a
household respondent is away on a business trip and
will not return before closeout. However, his 16-year-old
son, Colin, is available when you call the household. In
this situation, you cannot take a proxy interview for
Colin's father and Colin cannot be the household
respondent. Since you must always interview the
household respondent first, you would not be able to
interview this household and the case is considered a
Type A noninterview.
To reinforce the fact that proxy interviews must only be
taken as a "last resort," several situations are listed below in
which you may be tempted to take a proxy interview for an
individual respondent, but must NOT. If you experience any
of these situations, you will not be able to interview the
household member.
You make several attempts to contact a household
member during the interview period, but are never
successful in reaching him/her at home. A good
example of this would be a student who lives at home,
but is engaged in so many activities during the day and
evening that you are unable to set up an interview
before closeout.
A household member refuses to be interviewed even
after you try to persuade him/her to cooperate, but tells
you to get the information from another household
member.
You are unable to interview an eligible household
member, because another household member refuses
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to let you conduct the interview. A good example of this
is a parent who refuses to let you interview his/her
15-year-old child.
Who Qualifies as a Proxy
Respondent?
If you must take a proxy interview for an acceptable reason,
your first choice for a proxy respondent would be:
A household member who is at least 18 years old,
Very knowledgeable of the proxy person, and
Has already completed his/her own NCVS interview by
self-response.
Two exceptions to the age requirement for a proxy
respondent are when:
Accepting a
Non-household Member as
a Proxy Respondent
The household's reference person or one of the other
persons who owns or rents the home is under 18 years
of age or
All household members are under 18 years of age.
On rare occasions, a non-household member can be a
proxy respondent. However, several requirements must be
met before you can allow a non-household member to be a
proxy respondent.
ALL of the following conditions must exist before accepting
a non-household proxy respondent:
Due to physical or mental illness problems, you are
unable to interview ALL eligible household members
by self-response.
During the entire reference period (6 months prior to
the interview date), ALL eligible household members at
the sample address were unable to leave the sample
address, unless they were accompanied by the
non-household person who cares for them.
The non-household caretaker must be the proxy
respondent for the entire household, including the
household respondent. This is the only situation in
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which a household respondent's interview can be a
proxy interview.
The non-household proxy respondent must be at least
18 years old.
The non-household proxy respondent must have cared
for all eligible household members during the entire
reference period. If the non-household member did not
care for some or all of the household members for more
than a few days during the reference period, this
person does NOT qualify as a proxy respondent.
If you do not feel comfortable or are unsure about a
non-household member as a proxy respondent, check with
your supervisor before conducting the proxy interview.
Protecting
Confidentiality
When you conduct a proxy interview for the entire
household with a non-household member, you must enter a
description of the situation and explain who the proxy
respondent is in the “Case Level Notes.”
We have such strict requirements for accepting a
non-household proxy respondent because we want to
ensure each sample household member's confidentiality.
When talking to a proxy respondent who is not a household
member, you need to be especially careful not to mention
any information provided in a previous enumeration period.
This includes the following types of information -- household
composition, marital status, education, income, and so
forth.
Keeping Proxy Interviews
to a Minimum
Whenever possible, we want eligible respondents
(household members who are at least 12 years of age) to
answer the interview questions for themselves. By allowing
a proxy respondent to answer for a household member, you
run the risk of:
Missing incidents and/or
Not getting sufficient details about reported incidents.
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(Also see pages A2-12 through A2-17 for proxy
respondent procedures.)
Problems Conducting a
Proxy Interview
You may encounter situations in which a proxy interview is
acceptable, but cannot be done because:
You are unable to identify an acceptable proxy
respondent
OR
An acceptable proxy respondent refuses to give you an
interview for a household member.
When this happens, you will not be able to conduct an
NCVS interview for the household member.
In the following situation, you will not be able to interview a
sample household and the case will be considered a Type A
noninterview:
All household members are unable to be interviewed by
self-response due to health or mental illness problems,
AND
The entire household is under the care of a
non-household member caretaker,
AND
The non-household caretaker refuses to give a proxy
interview for at least the household respondent.
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Topic 7. Unduplicating/Bounding Interviews
Definition
Unduplicating or reviewing bounding incidents is an NCVS
process to ensure that only one set of incident report
questions is completed for each incident or personal
victimization reported in the screen questions.
This process is designed to avoid duplicate incidents that
could occur when:
The incident actually occurred in a previous enumeration
period and did not occur again during the current
enumeration period.
The incident was reported already by another household
member during the current enumeration period, such as
a household break-in and robbery in which no
household members were threatened, attacked, or
personally victimized during the incident. However, if
any household members were personally victimized
during a crime incident, complete the incident report
questions for each household member who was
victimized during the incident.
This quality assurance measure is designed so that we can
provide a more accurate measure of criminal victimization in
the United States.
Unduplication Section of
the NCVS Instrument
After completing all incident reports with an eligible
household member (all screens covering the screen
questions and the incident report questions), the instrument
checks to see if there are any other incidents reported for
household members (including the current respondent)
either during the current interview month or during the
previous interview month. If there are other incidents
reported for the respondent or the household, then you go
through a set of unduplication screens in the NCVS
instrument.
As you go through this section of the instrument, compare
each incident reported by a respondent during the current
interview month against:
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All other incidents reported during the current interview
month
AND
Up to four incidents reported in the previous interview
month.
The NCVS instrument skips you over the unduplication
section if:
The respondent did not report any incidents during the
current interview month,
OR
The respondent only reported one incident and there are
no other incidents reported in either the current or
previous interview with the sample household.
If you need to go through the unduplication section of the
NCVS instrument, some or all of the following screens
appear:
INTRO_UNDUP
Purpose of screen:
To let the respondent know what you are doing for the next
few minutes of the interview.
Text read to respondent:
"Now it will just take me a minute to review the crime
incidents I have recorded from you during this
interview at your household."
Instructions to you:
None
Precodes:
(1) Enter 1 to continue (This precode takes you to
UNDUP_CURINC if there is more than one incident
reported in the current interview.)
UNDUP_CURINC
Purpose:
Provides you with pertinent facts about the current incident
that you use to compare it against other reported incidents
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in the same interview. Instrument provides the following
information about the current incident: enumeration period
in which the incident was reported, respondent's line
number, incident number, month incident occurred, where
incident occurred, weapon information, presence, theft, and
attack information, and summary report information.
Text read to respondent:
None
Instructions to you:
Compare the incident data below. Is the incident on the left
a duplicate of the incident on the right?
Precodes:
(1) Yes
(2) No
Precode (1) codes the incident on the left as a duplicate
incident.
If there were no incidents reported for the household from a
previous interview month, then you go from the
UNDUP_CURINC screen to the JOBLASTWEEK screen.
UNDUP_OLDINC
Purpose:
Provide you with key facts for up to four incidents reported
during a previous interview month, so you can compare
each one against the incident described on the left of the
screen.
Text read to respondent:
None
Instructions to you:
Compare the incident data below. Is the incident on the left
a duplicate of the incident on the right?
Precodes:
(1) Yes
(2) No
Precode (1) codes the incident on the left as a duplicate
incident.
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UNDUP_DONE
Part C, Chapter 1
Purpose:
To let you know that your review of reported incidents is
complete and you can continue with the interview.
Text read to respondent:
None
Instructions to you:
THIS PERSON DOES NOT HAVE ANY MORE INCIDENTS
TO REVIEW, CONTINUE WITH THE INTERVIEW.
Precodes:
(1) To continue. After pressing “1” the instrument proceeds
to JOBLASTWEEK when the respondent is 16 or older. If
the respondent is between ages 12-15, the instrument
proceeds to the NEXTPERSON screen.
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Topic 8. Out-of-Scope Incident
Definition
An "out-of-scope" incident is one that falls outside of the
limits defined for this survey. The BJS has specific reasons
for wanting to exclude certain types of incidents from our
crime victimization data.
Outside Reference Period
Once you start completing the incident report section of the
NCVS instrument, there is only ONE reason for stopping
before the end of the section. If you discover at the
INCIDENTDATE screen that the incident occurred either
before the reference period start date, a popup screen
INCIDENTDATE_OK: appears, prompting you to confirm
the date: “Did you say (month)?” Click the “suppress”
button on the popup screen to confirm that the date is
outside the reference period and keep any more questions
from being asked about the incident.
To change the date of the incident, click the “Close” or
“Goto” button to return to INCIDENTDATE.
OSINCNOTNEEDED
If the incident is outside the reference period, the next
screen that appears is OSINCNOTNEEDED:
“We are only asking about crimes that happened
during the last 6 months. We will not collect
information on this incident.”
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Part C, Chapter 1
Topic 9. Overview of the NCVS Process
NCVS Sample
The NCVS sample is made up of households from
across the country that are selected every 10 years
based on the results from the Decennial Census. The
NCVS sample is split into six rotation groups which
are interviewed twice a year for a total of seven
interviews. This format provides households to be
interviewed each month throughout the year.
Before Interviewing Starts
Each month your Regional Office (RO) splits up that
month’s sample cases among all of the Field
Representatives (FRs) and then releases your
monthly assignment to you.
Data Collection
Starting on the first of the month, you use your
survey-specific and general FR training to go out and
do your best to finish all your interviews in the most
complete and timely manner possible. As you
complete and transmit your monthly assignments,
each RO ensures that all assigned sample cases are
accounted for and all data have been received. At the
end of the month, that month’s survey closes out. This
ends the data collection phase of the NCVS for that
month.
Editing/Coding Operation
Data from all of the ROs are combined and a database
containing all cases that have at least one incident
report is created. That database is then sent to the
Census Bureau’s National Processing Center (NPC) in
Jeffersonville, Indiana. In this next phase of data
preparation, the data are clerically reviewed and
edited. This operation in the NPC is the first look we get
at the incident reports collected each month. During
this process, the data are reviewed to ensure they
meet the NCVS guidelines and inconsistent data are
corrected.
The database (created with all cases that have at least
one incident) contains on average about 1,000 cases.
Each case can have multiple incidents, so the number
of incidents reviewed is even larger.
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The edits range from minor corrections such as
recoding an “Other - Specify” entry to major
modifications that change how the incident classifies.
NPC staff members review incident reports to ensure
data quality, by reviewing such items as
“Other-Specify” write-in entries to determine whether
those entries can be recoded to a precoded category.
For example, if the location of the incident was
classified as “Other” and the write-in entry is “inside the
restaurant where respondent works,” it is reclassified
to the precoded category “Inside restaurant, bar,
nightclub.”
The NPC staff also compares the crime incident report
data to the data entered at the SUMMARY screen, the
description of the incident in the screener question,
and any case level notes and edit the data to make the
incident report is consistent with the other information.
If the summary or other notes are vague or incomplete,
NPC and Headquarters staff may not be able to recode
the incident to match what actually happened.
Although the entire incident report is reviewed,
particular attention is paid to the questions regarding
location, presence, and theft since they are main
factors used to determine how to classify an incident.
Incidents that cannot be corrected are referred to
another unit of editors at Headquarters. Approximately
300 of the 1,000 cases that make up the NPC’s
workload each month are referred to Headquarters
staff for further review.
The editing and coding process ensures that the best
quality data are provided to the BJS and data users.
Incorrectly coding the location, presence, or theft
questions can have a large impact on the data. Since
each household interviewed represents about 3,500
households, that means those incidents, when applied
to the national population, equate to thousands of
incidents that would have been miscoded if we had not
recoded them during the editing and coding operation.
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Once the referral process is completed, certain
incidents go through industry and occupation coding
and/or geographic location coding. The review and
coding operations take two months to complete, at
which point computer processing is started.
Processing the data
During the processing stage, the data are edited for
consistency, missing values are estimated, estimates
are produced, and final tabulations prepared. The
data are used to produce data files to be released to
the public.
Releasing the data
Twice a year the NCVS data are sent to the
Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social
Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan, where
our data are accessible for data users. We also send
annual data in the form of statistical tables to the BJS,
which publishes them in both paper reports and on its
web site.
The usefulness and accuracy of the published data
depends in large part upon how well you, the field
representatives, do your job. You are an essential,
extremely important part of this process.
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Topic 10. Replacement Households
NCVS Sample
The NCVS is a sample of addresses. The sample size
for the NCVS consists of approximately 78,000
addresses throughout the United States. These
addresses are scientifically selected so that
characteristics of the people who reside at these
addresses are representative of the entire population.
When Household Members
Change
Always interview the current household members at an
assigned sample address. If one or more of the
occupants from the previous interview still live at the
sample address, interview them using the current
case. If some of the respondents from the last interview
moved out, but at least one respondent from the
previous enumeration still lives at the address,
interview them using the current case.
If all of the occupants of a sample address change,
interview the people who currently live at the address
and consider the address to be their usual place of
residence. This is done by creating a replacement
household case within the NCVS instrument.
When you create a replacement household, the roster
and data from the old case are deleted and a new case
starts. You must collect a household roster and control
card information for the new residents of the sample
address.
Procedures for Phone
Interviews
If you attempt to conduct a telephone interview with a
returning household and find that the household has
moved you must attempt a personal visit to verify the
current status of the sample address. During the
personal visit follow-up, determine whether the sample
address: 1) has been vacated by the prior respondents
and 2) is occupied (new household members have
moved into the sample address) and therefore is a
replacement household. If unoccupied (new
respondents have NOT moved into the sample
address), the original case is coded as a Type B
noninterview.
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Procedures for Personal
Visits
During a personal visit, if you discover that the
respondents from the previous enumeration no longer
live at the sample address, find out whether the sample
address is now occupied (new household members
have moved into the sample address) and therefore, is
a replacement household. If unoccupied (new
respondents have NOT moved into the sample
address), the original case is coded as a Type B
noninterview.
Coding Replacement
Households
At Item HHNUM_VR_CP, the instrument asks, “Is this
a replacement household?” If this is a replacement
household, answer Precode (1), “Yes.” Item
CK_REPLACE_CP appears; “A replacement
household means that there are no members of the
original household living at this address. Are you sure
this is a replacement household?” Enter Precode (1),
“Yes.”
A soft error CK_REPLACE_CP: Verify Replacement
then appears: “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.”
If this is in fact a replacement case, suppress the error.
Continue with the case as if it were a new case.
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Part C, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Screening for Crimes
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Overview of Chapter 2
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2 Crimes Measured by the NCVS
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3 Threats
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4 Recognizable/Unrecognizable Businesses
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5 Ownership of Motor Vehicles
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6 Months/Years Living at Address
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7 Frequency of Household Moves
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Topic 1. Overview of Chapter 2
You use the Screen Section of the NCVS instrument to determine if any
eligible household members have been victimized during the reference
period. As you use this section of the NCVS instrument to screen for crimes,
you ask a series of detailed questions about various types of victimizations,
including situations in which crimes could occur. However, not all crimes
reported by respondents are measured by the NCVS. Topic 2 covers
crimes measured by the NCVS.
As you screen for crime incidents, you need to understand the concepts that
are associated with NCVS crimes. For example, a respondent may report
that he or she was threatened over the telephone, but the NCVS only
includes face-to-face threats made directly by the offender to the
respondent. Topic 3 covers threats.
When respondents report thefts from their businesses, it is important to
determine whether these businesses are recognizable or unrecognizable.
Not all thefts from businesses owned by eligible respondents are measured
by the NCVS. Only thefts from businesses that are NOT advertised to the
general public with signs or other visible indicators of a business are
included in the NCVS. Topic 4 covers recognizable/unrecognizable
businesses. When respondents report motor vehicle thefts, the NCVS
measures these thefts if they happened during the reference period and the
vehicles were owned by eligible household members at the time of each
incident. If a stolen vehicle is recovered and then sold before the interview
date, the NCVS still includes the theft. Topic 5 covers ownership of motor
vehicles.
Besides screening for crimes, you also ask questions about the sample
household, such as questions about a household's mobility. Topic 6 covers
months/years living at address, and Topic 7 covers frequency of
household moves.
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Part C, Chapter 2
Topic 2. Crimes Measured by the NCVS
NCVS Crime Categories
and Types
The NCVS incidents reported by sample household
members can be separated into two main crime categories:
personal crimes and property crimes.
Personal Crimes
Personal crimes include attempted and completed
crimes that involve direct contact between the victim and
the offender(s). Personal crimes can fall under one of the
following subcategories:
Violent crimes
Listed below are the types of personal crimes that are
considered violent crimes whether they are attempted
or completed:
Rape
Sexual assault
Personal robbery
Assault
Verbal threats of rape, sexual assault, personal
robbery, and assault
Personal theft
Listed below are the types of personal crimes that are
considered crimes of theft if they are attempted or
completed:
Purse snatching
Pocket picking
A personal theft crime involves an offender taking or
attempting to take property or cash directly from the
victim by stealth, without force or threat of force.
Property Crimes
Property crimes include attempted and completed crimes
that do not involve any direct contact with a sample
household member. Listed below are the types of crimes
that are considered property crimes:
Forcible entry
Burglary, with forcible entry
Burglary, with illegal entry and no force
Motor vehicle theft
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Personal Crimes vs.
Property Crimes
Theft
Personal crimes involve direct contact between offenders
and eligible household members during an incident,
whether or not the crimes were completed. If more than one
eligible household member was attacked, verbally
threatened, or had property or cash taken directly from them
during the same incident, you must complete the incident
report screens of the NCVS instrument, for each eligible
household member who was personally victimized during
the incident.
For example:
The Doe brothers, L1 (line number 1) and L2 (line number 2)
are both eligible household members. While they were
waiting together in a movie line, someone threatened to
stab both of them if they did not hand over their wallets.
Since both household members were threatened with
physical harm, you must complete the incident report
screens when interviewing both household members, L1
and L2.
Since property crimes do not involve any personal contact
between a household member and an offender, you only
need to keep one set of incident report screens for a
property crime incident. For example, if two household
members report the same property crime incident, you
delete one incident report during the unduplication process.
For example:
During the reference period, the Moe’s house was illegally
entered and burglarized while they were away. John and
Ellen Moe both reported this incident, but you only need to
keep the incident report screens for the incident from one of
their interviews.
Suppose you complete the incident report screens for the
property crime described above, one for L1 (John Moe) and
another for L2 (Ellen Moe), and then discover that you
completed two sets of incident report screens for the same
property crime incident.
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Part C, Chapter 2
If this happens, only keep one incident report, usually the
one reported by the household respondent, who is L1 in the
example above, and delete the duplicate incident reported
in L2's interview during the unduplication process.
(Also see Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 7, for information on
“Unduplicating/Bounding Interviews.”)
Crimes Not Measured by
the NCVS
The NCVS does not collect information about the following
types of crimes:
Murder (because there is no victim to interview)
Kidnaping
Any crimes against recognizable businesses,
regardless of whether the business is or is not operated
from a sample address
Con games and fraud, such as credit card and
computer-related
Blackmail
The following crimes against society also are excluded from
the NCVS:
Public drunkenness
Drug abuse
Prostitution
Illegal gambling
If a respondent reports a crime not measured by the NCVS,
complete the incident report screens so that we do not miss
any other crime that is measured by the NCVS and could
have been committed during the same incident.
Classifying NCVS Crimes
After the following tasks are completed, a computer
program is used at Headquarters to classify each incident
into a specific type of NCVS crime:
All out-of-scope incidents for the NCVS have been
deleted,
Any editing discrepancies have been resolved, and
Specified NCVS data have been keyed.
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Using a computer program designed to classify incidents by
type of crime ensures a consistent and standardized
classification of incidents. Keeping errors to a minimum and
reporting all important facts about a reported incident at the
SUMMARY screen helps ensure that each incident
classifies as the correct type of crime.
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Topic 3. Threats
Definition
A threat must meet the following conditions to be acceptable
as a threat for the NCVS:
The threat 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.
Examples of Acceptable
Threats
The following examples are acceptable threats for the
NCVS:
Example 1:
Julie was withdrawing money at an ATM when an offender
walked up behind her, threatened her with a knife, and told
her to give him the money she withdrew or he would stab
her.
Example 2:
David and Bobby were arguing in the school parking lot.
During the argument, David threatened to break Bobby’s
arm.
Example 3:
Ted heard a noise outside his front door. He went to the
door and asked, “Who’s there?” The woman outside
answered, “Let me in or I’ll kill you.”
Not Included for the NCVS
The following types of threats are not threats for the NCVS:
Threats to physically harm the respondent delivered
over the telephone or a FAX machine,
Threats to physically harm the respondent delivered in a
letter or an "email" message,
Threats to physically harm the respondent delivered by
someone else for an offender,
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Threats to physically harm a household member who is
under 12 years of age,
Threats to steal something from a household member or
damage something belonging to a household member,
without a threat to physically harm the household
member,
Threats to physically harm household pets without a
threat to physically harm a household member
(including thefts of household pets), and
Incidents in which a household member felt threatened,
but an offender did not verbally threaten to physically
harm the household member.
Threats made on social media, such as Twitter or
Facebook.
Examples of Unacceptable
Threats
The following are examples of unacceptable threats for the
NCVS:
Example 1:
Frank and Mike are friends. Mike asked Frank to deliver a
threat to his (Mike’s) ex-girlfriend, Diane, for him. Frank met
Diane at her office and passed on Mike’s threat to beat her
up if she continued dating her new boyfriend Tony.
Example 2:
Barbara was driving at night on the highway when she
noticed a truck tailing her. The truck driver honked, flashed
his headlights, then sped past her. Barbara says she felt
threatened during the incident, even though she exchanged
no words with the other driver.
Example 3:
Nick sent an e-mail message to Sam warning him to stop
parking in his parking space or Nick would break Sam’s
arm.
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Topic 4. Recognizable/Unrecognizable Businesses
Definitions
When a business is operated from a sample address, we
only collect information about reported incidents involving
the business, such as a theft of business property, when the
business is considered unrecognizable. For this reason, it is
important that you understand the differences between an
unrecognizable and a recognizable business.
For the NCVS, an unrecognizable business must meet
ALL of the following criteria:
It must be an establishment selling products or providing
services for a fee that is operated by a household
member from the sample address.
There must be NO indication or sign announcing the
business to anyone from outside the sample address,
such as on a front door, window, garage door, mail box,
or a free standing sign in the front yard.
For the NCVS, a recognizable business must meet ALL of
the following criteria:
It must be a commercial establishment operated by a
household member either at the sample address or in
another structure from which products are sold or
services are provided for a fee.
The business has a sign announcing its existence and
the sign is clearly visible to the general public from
OUTSIDE of the business.
When the business is operated from the sample
address, the sign announcing the business must be
located on the sample household's property, such as a
sign on a front door, window, garage door, mailbox, or a
free standing sign in the front yard.
Any crimes committed against a recognizable business,
such as an attempted or actual illegal entry of a
recognizable business or an attempted or actual theft of
property belonging to a recognizable business, are NOT
included in the NCVS. However, we do include in the NCVS
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incidents in which a household member was verbally
threatened or harmed in some way or had personal property
taken while at a recognizable business.
Here are some examples of incidents that require the
incident report screens be completed, because a household
member was verbally threatened or harmed in some way or
had personal property taken while at a recognizable
business:
Example 1:
A robbery took place while Jessica was buying milk at a
convenience store. During the robbery, the offender
threatened to kill her if she did not give him her purse. She
gave him the purse without saying anything.
Example 2:
While Dave was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy,
someone stole his wallet from his jacket pocket.
Example 3:
John operates a recognizable insurance agency from his
home. Last week, someone broke a window, entered the
home, and stole property belonging to the business and
property belonging to John personally.
Identifying Businesses
Operated From the Sample
Address
There are two questions in the Screen Section of the NCVS
instrument that are asked only of the household respondent
to determine if:
Anyone in the household operates a business from the
sample address (Item BUSINESS) and, if the answer is
"Yes,"
Whether there is a sign on the premises or some other
indication to the general public that a business is
operated from the sample address (Item
BUSINESSSIGN).
A "Yes" answer for Item BUSINESSSIGN indicates that a
recognizable business is operated from the sample
address. A "No" answer for Item BUSINESSSIGN indicates
that an unrecognizable business is operated from the
sample address.
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Unacceptable Signs of a
Recognizable Business
Part C, Chapter 2
Do not consider the following indicators as proof that a
recognizable business is operated from a sample address:
A business advertisement appearing on the Internet or
in a newspaper or telephone book.
Any form of motor vehicle that has a business logo
painted on it, such as a car, van, or truck parked either in
the driveway or on the street outside the sample
address.
Special Situations
Farms and ranches:
Consider a farm or ranch a recognizable business when
either of these conditions exist:
A sample address is on a farm or ranch AND there is a
sign somewhere on the property that identifies the farm
or ranch by a specific name, such as "Desert Creek
Dude Ranch."
A sample address is on a farm or ranch that has a
produce stand by the roadside of the property.
If the household respondent tells you at Item BUSINESS
that someone in the household operates a business from
the sample address, but the farm or ranch does not have a
sign or roadside produce stand on the property, enter
Precode (2), "No," at Item BUSINESSSIGN and consider
the business unrecognizable.
Apartments:
When a household member manages an apartment
complex in which he/she resides, consider this as a
business operated from the sample address. If the following
conditions exist, consider the business to be recognizable:
A sign is present outside the apartment of a resident
manager, resident owner, or apartment superintendent
stating his/her job.
OR
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A sign is visible somewhere in the complex directing
people to this person's specific apartment because of
his/her job.
If either situation exists, exclude any incidents involving
thefts of property owned only by the apartment complex,
such as furnishings from a furnished apartment or any hall
decorations. However, you would complete the incident
report screens if any personal items belonging to the
respondent or other household members were stolen.
When no visible sign exists in the apartment complex or
outside the resident manager's apartment identifying his/her
position, enter Precode (2), "No," at Item BUSINESSSIGN
indicating an unrecognizable business. In this situation,
include any reported crime incidents involving property
owned by the apartment complex and reported by the
property's owner, such as furnishings stolen from a
furnished apartment.
Motor Vehicles:
Item SQTOTALVEHICLES is asked only of the household
respondent and the question asks:
"What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or
any other member of this household during the last 6
months? Include those you no longer own."
When a respondent operates a recognizable business from
the sample address and has a business vehicle, only
include the business vehicle in the count for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES, if the vehicle is also used for
personal use. If the vehicle is used only for the recognizable
business, do NOT include it in the count for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES.
If the respondent operates an unrecognizable business
from the sample address and has a business vehicle, the
business vehicle would be included in the count for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES, regardless of whether the vehicle
was used for business or personal reasons.
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Identifying Ownership of
Stolen Property
It is possible that a respondent could report a crime incident
in which property was stolen that belonged to the
household, a household member, and an unrecognizable
business operated from the sample address. When writing
the incident summary at the SUMMARY screen, it is
important to identify separately who owned the stolen items.
For example, during one incident:
A television valued at $800 belonging to the entire
household was stolen,
Three rings valued at $2,000 belonging to the wife of the
reference person were stolen, and
Five watches were stolen that were valued at $1,250
and belonged to the unrecognizable jewelry repair
business operated from the sample address.
When describing the type and value of stolen property, do
not add together stolen property that belongs to the
respondent or his/her household with stolen property
belonging to the respondent's business. If the stolen
property belongs to a respondent's unrecognizable
business, describe the type and value of the business
property separately from the stolen property belonging to
the respondent or his/her household. Make sure to state
clearly that the stolen property belongs to an
unrecognizable business.
Handling Crime Incidents
Involving Businesses
The following examples show when to report incidents
involving businesses, as well as which parts of incidents
should not be reported in the incident report section of the
NCVS instrument:
A respondent owns a recognizable candy store that is
not operated from the sample address. A theft occurred
at the candy store in which $100 was taken from the
register and $30 was taken from the respondent's
wallet.
DO--Accept the incident when asking the screen
questions and complete the incident report questions for
the $30 theft from the respondent's wallet. However, do
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NOT include information about the theft from the
register when completing the incident report questions.
A respondent works at a recognizable department store
that was robbed. During the course of the robbery, the
respondent was shot in the arm with a handgun and
$500 was stolen from the register at which she was
working.
DO--Accept the incident when asking the screen
questions and complete the incident report questions for
the personal injury to the respondent. However, do NOT
include information about the theft from the register
when completing the incident report questions.
A respondent owns a recognizable hair salon and also
operates part of the business from her home (which
appears to be unrecognizable). Someone broke into her
home at the sample address and stole merchandise
belonging to the business.
DO--Accept the incident when asking the screen
questions and complete the incident report screens for
the household break in. Do NOT include information
about the theft, because the stolen property belongs to a
recognizable business.
A respondent operates a recognizable lawn mower
repair service from his home. When he and his family
were on vacation, someone broke into their home and
stole some household items, as well as business tools
and a few lawn mowers from his business.
DO--Accept the incident when asking the screen
questions. When you complete the incident report
questions, only include information about the household
break in and the stolen household items. Do NOT
include information about the stolen business tools and
lawn mowers from the recognizable business.
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Part C, Chapter 2
Someone broke into the respondent's recognizable
shoe store after it was closed for the day and stole
several shoes, boots, and purses. The respondent did
not discover the incident until the next morning when
she opened the store.
DO NOT accept the incident and do NOT complete the
incident report questions, because the stolen property
belongs to a recognizable business and no sample
household members were threatened or injured during
the incident.
A respondent operates a recognizable apartment house
at a beach resort that contains beach rental units. The
respondent reported that someone broke into and
vandalized two apartments, during the off season when
the apartment house was vacant. The offender(s) also
stole electronic equipment and appliances.
DO NOT accept the incident and do NOT complete the
incident report questions. Since this is a recognizable
business, do NOT keep the break in and theft
information. Also, since no sample household members
were threatened or injured during the incident, you do
not need to complete the incident report questions.
Screening for Crimes
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Topic 5. Ownership of Motor Vehicles
Definition
Item SQTOTALVEHICLES
For the NCVS, motor vehicles owned by household
members are any vehicles that:
Can be legally tagged, registered, and used as a means
of transportation on most roads and highways (such as
cars, trucks, motorcycles, and recreation vehicles/motor
homes) and
Were owned by a sample household member during the
6 months prior to the interview (reference period),
regardless of whether the vehicle was sold, given away,
junked, stolen, or abandoned before the interview date.
Item SQTOTALVEHICLES is asked only of the household
respondent as part of his/her screening interview. The
question at Item SQTOTALVEHICLES reads as follows:
"What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,
motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or
any other member of this household during the last 6
months? Include those you no longer own."
If the household respondent answers "None," you skip over
Item SQMVTHEFT, which asks about any incidents
involving motor vehicles owned by the sample household.
Household Respondent
Refuses
If a household respondent refuses to tell you the number of
vehicles owned by the household, tell the respondent that
we ask this question so we know whether or not to ask
about any crime incidents involving household vehicles.
If the household respondent still refuses to answer your
question, enter Control + R, “Refused.” Item SQMVTHEFT
appears next, asking about any crime incidents involving
household vehicles.
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Which Vehicles Do You
Include?
Part C, Chapter 2
Under the following circumstances, INCLUDE a motor
vehicle in the count of motor vehicles at Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES:
Vehicles used for private and/or business purposes if
the vehicles are owned by a household member who
also operates an unrecognizable business from the
sample address.
Vehicles used partially for private purposes if the
vehicles are owned by a household member who also
operates a recognizable business. You may need to
ask the household respondent whether or not a vehicle
is used only for business purposes when you are unsure
about its usage.
Vehicles that are leased by a household member for
more than one month AND for which a household
member is responsible in case of theft.
Which Vehicles Do You
Exclude?
Under the following circumstances, EXCLUDE a motor
vehicle from the count of motor vehicles for Item
SQTOTALVEHICLES:
Vehicles that are used SOLELY for a recognizable
business operated by a household member.
Vehicles that are loaned to a household member from
someone who is not a household member or from a
business owned by someone who is not a sample
household member.
Vehicles that are kept at school and used by students
living away from the sample address while attending
school, even if the parents of the students own the
vehicles.
Vehicles that are rented or leased by a household
member for a short period of time (less than one month).
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Topic 6. Months/Years Living at Address
Definition
For the NCVS, “Months/years living at address” means the
most current continuous length of time the household
member has lived at the sample address.
For example:
John and Cindy lived at the sample address for a year
before their trial separation. While they were separated for
two months, John left the sample address and lived with his
brother at another address. After the two-month separation
ended, John moved back into the sample address and has
now lived there continuously for the last four years. In this
situation, we consider John to have lived at the sample
address for four years.
Items Using This Concept
Item TIMEATADDRESS asks:
How long have you lived at this address?
When to Probe
Notice that in the top right corner of the screen text appears
that shows the “last reported as” address. The instrument
fills in the months and years the respondent answered
during the last enumeration. You can use that information if
you verify it with the respondent.
For most NCVS interviews, accept the answer given by the
respondent without probing after you ask, "How long have
you lived at this address?" However, if a respondent does
ask you to explain this question or the answer given seems
incorrect, probe by telling him/her that we want to know how
many months or years he/she has resided continuously as
a household member at the sample address.
If a respondent's answer is either too vague or given to you
in a range of years or months, probe for a more precise
answer.
If a respondent answers:
"Heavens, I've lived here for years and years."
Use this probe:
"Is it more than 5 years or less than 5 years?"
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If a respondent answers:
"It's been about 5 to 10 years."
Use this probe:
"Can you give me your best estimate of the number of
years?"
If a respondent answers:
"Oh, I haven't lived here very long, less than a year."
Use this probe:
"Have you lived here less than 6 months or more than 6
months?"
Is a "Don't Know" Entry
Acceptable?
If you have probed for an answer and the respondent really
doesn't know and is unable to give you an estimate, you can
enter "Don't know" by pressing “Ctrl” + “D.” The instrument
then takes you to Item TIMEATADDRESSPROBE.
Interpreting a
Respondent's Answer
There may be instances when you cannot enter exactly
what the respondent answers and you need to convert the
respondent ‘s answer to an acceptable form for entry. Here
are some examples for TIMEATADDRESS:
Respondent answers:
Enter:
"Half a year"
"It's been 2 1/2 years."
"I've lived here 1 year, 3 months,
and 10 days."
"11 and 1/2 months"
"All my life"
Precode 0
3 years
"Just 5 days"
"11 weeks"
"11 months and 1 week"
1 year
1 year
Respondent's age from the HHROSTER tab
by pressing “Shift” and “F1" simultaneously, or
clicking on the tab
Precode 0
Precode 0
Precode 0
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If a respondent has lived at a sample address for less than
one year (1 to 11 months), enter Precode (0) and then
enter the number of months at the MONTHSATADDRESS
screen. If a respondent has lived at a sample address 12
months or more, enter the number of years at the
TIMEATADDRESS screen.
When a respondent gives an answer in fractions of a
month or in the number of weeks, always convert weeks to
one or more months and either round up to the next month
or down to the previous month. If a respondent answers
less than a month, enter "1 month." If a respondent
answers with a number of years, plus a number of months,
either:
Round up to the next year when the number of months
given is 6 or more (7 years and 8 months converts to 8
years).
When the number of months given is 5 or less, ignore
the number of months and simply enter the number of
years (7 years and 2 months converts to 7 years).
Screening for Crimes
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part C, Chapter 2
Topic 7. Frequency of Household Moves
Definition
For the NCVS, we consider a move to be each time a
household member changes his/her usual place of
residence, regardless of whether the usual place of
residence was inside or outside of the United States. A
usual place of residence is the specific living quarters where
a household member usually lives and sleeps the majority
of each week or year.
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS
If a household member has lived at the sample address for
less than 5 years, you ask the following question at
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS:
"Altogether, how many times have you moved in the
last 5 years, that is, since (month of interview) , (year 5
years prior to interview year)?"
The NCVS instrument will fill the correct information for the
“month of interview” and “year 5 years prior to interview
year.” If an eligible household member has lived
continuously at the sample address for 5 or more years prior
to the interview, the instrument skips over
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS.
Acceptable Answers
Acceptable answers at TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS are:
One number that is a total of all moves made by the
respondent during the past 5 years, including the
household member's move to the sample address. If a
respondent answers with a range of times moved, you
need to probe for a single number.
An estimated number when a respondent cannot
provide the exact number of moves.
Enter “Ctrl” + “D,” “Don ‘t know,” only as a last resort
when a respondent cannot provide even an estimated
number of times moved.
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Part C, Chapter 2
Probing for an Accurate
Answer
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Some respondents may have difficulty remembering how
many times they have moved in the last 5 years, while
others may not understand what we mean by "moved." Be
prepared to explain what the number of times moved should
include whenever a respondent appears confused or asks
you a question about TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS.
When you need to probe for an accurate count to enter at
Item TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS, try asking the respondent
where he/she was living just before moving to the sample
address and how long he/she stayed at that address.
Repeat this type of questioning until you have covered the
respondent's moves within the past 5 years.
College Students
When interviewing a college student, you may need to
explain that we want to know each time he/she has moved
between his/her dormitory and parents' home during the
past 5 years. These students may not consider these
changes in their usual place of residence as moves, but we
do for the NCVS.
College students who live away from home during the
months of the year when school is in session should
consider the place where they are living as their usual place
of residence. However, if they return to their parents' home
to live during long vacation periods, their parents' home
would be considered their usual place of residence at that
time.
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Part C, Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Reporting Crime Incidents
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1
Overview of Chapter 3
C3-2
2
Series of Crimes
C3-3
3
Right to Legally Enter Home/Lodging
C3-7
4
Restricted Areas/Areas Open to the Public
C3-10
5
Illegal Entry (With or Without Force)
C3-12
6
Presence During an Incident
C3-16
7
Weapons
C3-22
8
Rape/Unwanted Sexual Conduct
C3-29
9 Theft/Attempted Theft of Cash/Property
10 Value of Stolen Property/Method Used to
Determine Value
C3-36
11 Property Ownership
C3-47
12 Recovered Money and/or Property
C3-51
13 Medical Care
C3-55
14 Medical Expenses
C3-57
15 Race of Offenders
C3-59
16 Other Victimized Household Members
C3-62
17 Damage to Property During an Incident
C3-65
18 Job/Business at Time of Incident
C3-70
19 Major Activity During Week of Incident
C3-71
20 Incident Occurred at Work Site
C3-74
21 Incidents Involving a Police Officer
C3-76
22 Writing Summary Reports
C3-78
23 Type of Industry and Occupation
C3-85
24 Disability
C3-94
Reporting Crime Incidents
C3-1
C3-44
Part C, Chapter 3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 1. Overview of Chapter 3
Use the incident report section of the NCVS instrument to report crime
incidents. Each time an incident or personal victimization occurred during
the reference period, complete the incident report screens to collect
detailed information about the incident or personal victimization. Complete
the incident report section for each household member who reports a
personal victimization during an incident (an attack, attempt to attack, or
threat of physical harm). However, only keep one set of incident report
questions for each reported incident of a property crime in which none of
the household members were personally victimized (an illegal entry,
something taken without permission, and so forth).
As you collect data about crime incidents, there are several concepts that
you need to understand. Following this overview, definitions and examples
are provided for important concepts associated with the incident report
module of the NCVS instrument.
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Part C, Chapter 3
Topic 2. Series of Crimes
Definition
For the NCVS, a series of crimes consists of six or more
separate incidents that:
ALL occurred during the 6-month reference period,
Were ALL reported in the same screen question,
Are ALL very similar in nature,
AND
Cannot be described separately in enough detail so that
you can complete most screens in the incident report
section of the NCVS instrument.
All of these conditions must be met before you can
complete only one set of incident report questions for
multiple incidents.
Whenever possible, attempt to complete a separate
incident report section for each reported incident.
Classify six or more similar incidents as a "series" only
as a last resort, since the NCVS will be losing detailed
information for all but the most recent incident.
Five or Less Similar
Incidents
If a respondent reports that five or less similar incidents
happened during the reference period, then you must
complete a separate set of incident report questions for
EACH reported incident. The instrument leads you
automatically through the correct number of incident
reports.
Classify an individual respondent as a noninterview if:
The respondent reports five or less similar incidents,
BUT
The respondent is unable to recall enough individual
details to complete a separate set of incident report
questions for each of these similar incidents.
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If this situation happens while interviewing a household
respondent, first try to select a new household respondent.
If you are able to do this but cannot complete the original
household respondent’s (who is now an individual
respondent) interview, classify the original household
respondent as a Type Z noninterview. However, if you are
not able to interview a household respondent, then classify
the entire household as a Type A – “Other” noninterview
and describe the situation in item TYPEA_SPEC6.
Verifying a Series of
Crimes
INCIDENTNUMBER
OFTIMES,
INCIDENTSSIMILAR,
and RECALLDETAILS
At the beginning of the incident report questions, there are
three screens to verify whether or not six or more similar
incidents meet the criteria for a series of crimes.
Screens INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES,
INCIDENTSSIMILAR, and RECALLDETAILS help
determine whether the multiple incidents meet the criteria
for reporting them as a series of crimes. If the multiple
incidents qualify as a series of crimes, then complete only
ONE set of incident report questions for the MOST
RECENT incident in the series.
At screen INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES, ask:
“Altogether, how many times did this type of incident
happen during the last 6 months?”
At screen INCIDENTSSIMILAR, ask:
“Are these incidents similar to each other in detail or
are they for different types of crimes?”
At screen RECALLDETAILS, ask:
“Can you recall enough details of each incident to
distinguish them from each other?”
If you enter the following answers to these three questions,
then the similar incidents will qualify as a series of crimes:
At INCIDENTNUMBEROFTIMES, enter:
The number 6 or a number higher than 6.
At INCIDENTSSIMILAR, enter: Precode (1),
"Similar."
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At RECALLDETAILS, enter: Precode (2), "No."
If you enter a different answer for any one of these three
screens, the instrument skips to Item INCIDENTTIME,
because the multiple incidents do not qualify as a series of
similar incidents. In this instance, you complete a separate
set of incident report questions for each of the multiple
incidents.
Details for the Most Recent
Incident
Statement at Item
INCIDENTTIME
Examples of Incidents That
Qualify as a Series of
Crimes
Once you have determined that the multiple incidents
qualify as a series of crimes, for most of the incident
questions you only ask about the MOST RECENT
INCIDENT in the series of crimes.
ALWAYS read the "lead-in" statement above the question in
Item INCIDENTTIME BEFORE asking the question. This
statement says: “The following questions refer only to
the most recent incident.” With the exception of Item
SERIESNUMTIMES through SERIESCONTACTORNOT,
do not include information about any earlier incidents in the
series when completing the incident report questions.
Listed below are two examples of reported incidents that
qualify as a series of crimes:
Example 1:
Interview date: August 2
Reference period: February 1 through August 1
Tammy reported that money was stolen from her desk at
work on seven different occasions between February and
April. She never found out who stole the money and each
time, the circumstances were so similar that she cannot
differentiate one incident from another. The incidents
stopped in April, because Tammy stopped leaving money in
her desk.
Example 2:
Interview date: March 1
Reference period: September 3 through February 28
Dennis reported that the shed in his yard was broken into
and a variety of small garden tools were stolen on six
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
different occasions between October and November. He
can’t remember enough details about each incident to
report them separately. The series of incidents ended when
the offender was caught.
Examples of Incidents that
Do NOT Qualify as a Series
of Crimes
Listed below are two examples of reported incidents that do
NOT qualify as a series of crimes:
Example 1:
Interview date: September 1
Reference period: March 1 through August 31
Bridget reported that a male co-worker kissed her against
her will on four different occasions in July. She was so upset
that she remembers the circumstances of each incident
very well.
In this situation, the crimes do NOT qualify as a series of
crimes because the respondent reported less than six
similar incidents, regardless of whether or not the
respondent remembers enough details to report each
incident separately.
Example 2:
Interview date: April 2
Reference period: October 2 through April 1
Tim reported that his ex-girlfriend threatened to shoot him
on seven different occasions between November and
January. He was so frightened that he remembers the
details of each incident clearly.
In this situation, the crimes do NOT qualify as a series of
crimes, even though there were more than six, because the
respondent remembers the details of each situation well
enough to differentiate between them to complete the
incident report questions.
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Part C, Chapter 3
Topic 3. Right to Legally Enter Home/Lodging
Definition
For the NCVS, we consider that an offender has a legal right
to enter a respondent's home or lodging when the offender:
Was living or staying with the respondent at the time of
the incident,
OR
OFFENDERLIVE
Had the right to be in the home or lodging or had
permission at the time the incident took place to be
inside the home or lodging, such as a maid from a
cleaning service or a hotel maid, a babysitter, nurse,
salesperson, meter reader, maintenance person, friend,
or relative.
When a respondent tells you at Item
LOCATION_IN_HOME that an incident happened in his/her
own home, in a detached building on his/her property, in a
vacation or second home, or in his/her hotel/motel room and
you enter a precode from (11) through (14) or a “Don’t
know” or “Refused” response, the instrument skips you to
OFFENDERLIVE next. At Item OFFENDERLIVE, you ask:
“Did the offender live there or have a right to be there,
for instance, as a guest or a repair person?”
This question is intended to determine whether or not the
offender had a legal right to enter the respondent's home or
lodging.
No Legal Right to Enter
Under the following circumstances, an offender does NOT
have a legal right to enter a respondent's home or lodging:
The offender misrepresented himself/herself as a
policeman, repairperson, and so forth, and fraudulently
gained permission to enter the respondent's home or
lodging.
The offender was let in by a child or neighbor when the
homeowners would not have allowed the offender to
enter their home.
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The offender forced his/her way into the respondent's
home or lodging as the respondent answered the door.
The offender broke a door lock or window or cut a
screen to enter the respondent's home or lodging.
Offender Not Known,
But Suspected
Examples of Having a Legal
Right to Enter Home/
Lodging
If a respondent is not certain who the offender was, ask the
respondent if the person "suspected" of being the offender:
Was living or staying with the respondent at the time of
the incident.
Had the right to be in the home or lodging or had
permission at the time that the incident took place to be
inside the home or lodging, such as a maid, babysitter,
nurse, salesperson, meter reader, maintenance person,
friend, or relative.
Listed below are two examples of an offender who has a
legal right to enter the respondent’s home/lodging:
Example 1:
Sara, who is 14 years old, reported that during a recent
slumber party one of her guests stole a ring that belonged to
her mother from the kitchen table. Another guest saw her
steal it and told Sara the next morning.
In this situation, the offender was a guest in the
respondent’s home and had permission at the time of the
incident to be inside Sara’s home.
Example 2:
Paul reported that his cell phone was stolen from the kitchen
table by an appliance repair person who was working on his
kitchen stove.
In this situation, the offender had permission at the time of
the incident to be inside Paul’s house.
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Examples of Not Having a
Legal Right to Enter Home/
Lodging
Part C, Chapter 3
Listed below are two examples of an offender who does
NOT have a legal right to enter the respondent’s
home/lodging:
Example 1:
Jack reported that someone who misrepresented himself as
a police officer entered his home, tied him up, and stole
cash and jewelry from him.
In this situation, the offender did not have a legal right to
enter Jack’s home. If Jack had known that the offender was
not a police officer, he would not have allowed him to enter
the home.
Example 2:
Tony has a restraining order against his brother, which
prohibits his brother from coming onto Tony’s property.
While Tony was out of town, his neighbor was housesitting
for him. The neighbor was not aware of the restraining order
and let the brother into Tony’s house. While the brother was
in the house, he stole Tony’s coin collection.
In this situation, the offender did not have a legal right to
enter Tony’s home.
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Topic 4. Restricted Areas/Areas Open to the Public
Definition
For the NCVS, we consider a "restricted area" one in
which:
Only certain people are allowed to enter without being
considered trespassers.
Persons found in the area OTHER THAN the
"acceptable persons" are considered trespassers.
We consider an area "open to the public" at the time of the
incident if anyone has a right to enter the place.
RESTRICTEDAREA
When you determine at Item LOCATION_GENERAL that
an incident happened in a commercial place, parking lots or
garages, at school, or in a place identified in the "Other"
category, the instrument goes to Item RESTRICTEDAREA,
which asks:
"Did the incident happen in an area restricted to certain
people or was it open to the public at the time?"
For this question, you have the option of either asking the
question or verifying the answer before entering a precode.
The answer categories include:
Precode (1) - Open to the public
Precode (2) - Restricted to certain people (or nobody
had a right to be there)
Precode (3) - Don’t know
Precode (4) - Other - Specify
Areas Open to the
Public
The following places are examples of areas USUALLY open
to the public:
Public areas in commercial establishments, such as in
department stores, convenience stores, barber shops,
restaurants, and so forth.
Public sidewalks and parks
Reporting Crime Incidents
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NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Areas Restricted to
Certain People
Part C, Chapter 3
Public buildings, such as local libraries, Social Security
offices, motor vehicle administration offices, and so
forth.
Parking lots that do not charge a fee, such as most
shopping center parking lots
Apartment yards
The following places are examples of areas USUALLY
restricted to certain people:
School buildings and school grounds
Private yards
Employee's lounges, back rooms, storage areas,
kitchens, and so forth, in commercial establishments
Private clubs, such as country clubs and swim clubs
Military bases
Public areas of commercial establishments when not
open for business
Other (Specify)
Enter Precode (4), "Other (Specify)," when a respondent's
answer at Item RESTRICTEDAREA does not fit any of the
preceding categories. After entering Precode (4), the
instrument prompts you to enter a description of the area
and the special circumstances.
Don’t know
Enter Precode (3), “Don’t know,” when a respondent is not
sure if the area was open to the public when the incident
happened. This could be the case if the respondent does
not know when the incident took place.
For example:
Susan left her jacket at the library where she had been
studying. She returned the next day to get it, but no one
knew where it was. In this case, she does not know whether
an offender stole her jacket while the library was open to the
public or after the library was closed for the night.
Reporting Crime Incidents
C3-11
Part C, Chapter 3
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Topic 5. Illegal Entry (With or Without Force)
Definition
For the NCVS, illegal entry happens when a person who
has no legal right to be on the premises enters, with or
without force, a residence or lodging that is owned or rented
by the sample household during the reference period. The
NCVS is also interested in collecting data on unsuccessful
attempts to illegally enter a sample household's residence
or lodging.
Since most illegal entries result in the theft of household
property, the NCVS is not only interested in actual or
attempted illegal entries at the sample address, but also at
any residences, vacation homes, recreation vehicles, and
so forth, that are occupied by the sample household at the
time of the incident.
Examples of Illegal Entries
Without Force
Here are two examples of incidents involving illegal entries
without force:
Example 1:
While Pat was watering his garden in the backyard, he left
the front door unlocked. As he entered his house from the
back door, he heard noises in the living room. Just as he
entered the living room, he saw someone running out the
front door. He then noticed that his cell phone was missing
from the hall table.
Example 2:
While Frank and Amy were renting a summer cottage, they
left the door unlocked and went for a walk. When they
returned, they found a stranger in the kitchen helping herself
to food from the refrigerator. The stranger said that since the
door was open, she let herself in.
Examples of Illegal Entries
With Force
Here are two examples of incidents involving illegal entries
with force:
Example 1:
John returned home from the movies and discovered that
the glass in his garage window was broken. As he entered
the garage, he found that several tools were gone and the
side door to the garage was left open.
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Example 2:
When Dave and Becky returned home from shopping, they
discovered that the porch screen was cut and all of their
outdoor furniture had been stolen.
Item SQBREAKIN
Item SQBREAKIN is the only screen question that
specifically asks about any attempted or actual illegal
entries that occurred during the 6-month reference period
and this screen question is asked only of the household
respondent.
Make sure to include illegal entries or attempted illegal
entries:
At a household respondent's previous residence if
he/she is in the process of relocating to the sample
address and still owns the previous residence during the
reference period.
At the sample address if the current household owned
the residence during the reference period, but had not
yet moved into residence at the time of the incident.
Into a garage, shed, or storage room at the sample
address if the household respondent owned or rented
the property during the reference period.
Into a hotel or motel room, vacation home, second
home, or recreation vehicle in which the respondent or
other household members were staying when the
incident took place.
Into a vacation home owned by the respondent, but
unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Even though Item SQBREAKIN is the only screen question
that specifically asks about illegal entries, you may
discover other incidents involving an illegal entry as you ask
other screen questions. Always enter incident information at
the screen question where the respondent mentions them,
including illegal entry incidents.
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Items in the Incident Report
Section
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
There are five items in the incident report section of the
NCVS instrument that are used to collect information about
illegal entriesBItems OFFENDERINSIDE, OFFENDERTRY,
OFFENDERGETIN, FORCEDENTRY, and EVIDENCE. At
the SUMMARY screen, include details (not already entered
in the incident report) about an illegal entry as you
summarize the reported incident.
Other items in the incident report section that mention illegal
entry or attempted illegal entry in their answer categories
are Items WHATHAPPEN and HAPPEN. However, these
two screens are not actually used during post data
collection processing to classify incidents as an illegal entry.
OFFENDERINSIDE
When a respondent tells you at Item
LOCATION_IN_HOME that the incident occurred in his/her
home or lodging (and the answer to OFFENDERLIVE is
“No” or “Don’t know”), then you ask the question at Item
OFFENDERINSIDE to determine whether the offender
actually entered or got inside the respondent's home or
lodging. For example, an offender may have entered a large
apartment building, but never actually entered the
respondent's apartment unit.
OFFENDERTRY
If a respondent tells you at Item OFFENDERINSIDE that an
offender did not get inside the respondent's home or lodging
or a respondent gives you a "Don't know" answer, then ask
the question at Item OFFENDERTRY to determine whether
the offender tried to get inside the home or lodging.
A "No" answer at Items OFFENDERINSIDE and
OFFENDERTRY indicates that the offender did NOT get
inside or try to get inside the respondent's home or lodging.
If OFFENDERLIVE, OFFENDERINSIDE, or
OFFENDERTRY are all answered “No,” the hard error
pop-up box ENTRY_CK appears. This edit check appears
when you entered precodes indicating that the incident
happened inside the respondent’s home or lodging, but the
offender did not have a right to be inside, nor did they get
inside or try to get inside. Therefore, the incident could not
have happened inside. Use the “Close” or “Goto” button to
navigate to the correct screen to fix the inconsistency.
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FORCEDENTRY and
EVIDENCE
Items FORCEDENTRY and EVIDENCE are used to
determine whether there was any visible evidence (and
what the evidence was) that an offender used force to
illegally enter or try to illegally enter a respondent's home or
lodging.
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Topic 6. Presence During an Incident
Definition
For the NCVS, "presence" during an incident is intended to
determine whether any sample household member at the
time of interview:
Was at the immediate scene of the crime during the
incident
AND
Was in a place that was reachable by the offender, so
that the offender could have or did attack, threaten to
attack, or steal something directly from the household
member.
Understanding whether or not a respondent was "present"
during an incident and entering the correct information at
Items HHMEMBERPRESENT and WHICHMEMBER is a
very important part of the incident report section of the
NCVS instrument. Whenever a respondent was "present"
during an incident, you will ask additional questions to
determine if the offender attacked the respondent,
attempted to attack the respondent, threatened the
respondent, or injured the respondent. Getting an accurate
and complete picture of everything that transpired during
the incident will help later to classify the incident into the
proper type of crime category during post data collection
processing.
When an Attack, Robbery,
or Threat Has Occurred
Consider the respondent or any other current household
member to be “present” if you determine that:
They were attacked or someone attempted to attack
them.
They had something taken directly from them or an
attempt was made to take something from them.
They were personally threatened with physical harm by
the offender, even when the offender delivers the threat
from the other side of a closed door.
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Do NOT include threats received by telephone, postal mail,
electronic mail, social media, or facsimile machines. Also
exclude any threats delivered indirectly from someone other
than the person who intended to physically harm the
respondent.
HHMEMBERPRESENT and
WHICHMEMBER
The question at Item HHMEMBERPRESENT asks:
"Were you or any other member of this household
present when this incident occurred?"
(Note that there is a HELP screen for this item; press F1 to
access it.) You must ask or verify this information before
entering an answer at Item HHMEMBERPRESENT. Only
verify the answer when you are ABSOLUTELY SURE of the
answer based on what the respondent has already told you
about the incident. If the only persons who were present at
the time of the incident are not household members at the
time of your interview, then enter Precode (2), "No."
The question at Item WHICHMEMBER asks:
"Which household members were present?"
This screen is designed to identify which household
members were present during the incident--the respondent
(victim) only, the respondent (victim) and other household
members, or only other household members. If you
mistakenly enter Precode (3), "Only other household
member(s), not respondent," the respondent will not have
an opportunity to provide us with any information about
possible attacks, attempted attacks, threats, or injuries
associated with the incident. (If you mistakenly enter
Precode (3) at WHICHMEMBER, be sure to correct your
answer.)
For proxy interviews, enter Precode (1) if the proxy person,
NOT the proxy respondent, was present. However, if the
proxy person and other household members (including the
proxy respondent) were present during the incident, enter
Precode (2), “Respondent and other household members.”
You may discover that a respondent was present during an
incident after entering a "No" answer at Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT. If this happens, back up to Item
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HHMEMBERPRESENT with the “Up Arrow” key and
change the "No" answer to a "Yes" answer by entering
Precode (1). Then, ask the subsequent questions as the
appropriate screens appear based on a “Yes” response at
Item HHMEMBERPRESENT.
You must complete a separate set of incident report
questions for EACH household member who is 12 years of
age or older at the time of interview and who was
personally victimized during a crime incident. This is true
even if more than one household member was victimized
during the SAME incident.
When and How to Probe for
HHMEMBERPRESENT
If you sense that a respondent does not grasp the intent of
the question at Item HHMEMBERPRESENT, then you
should probe to assist the respondent in giving an accurate
answer. Here are some probes you might want to try:
"Were you at the immediate scene of the crime?"
"Were you inside the house when the offender broke
into your basement?"
"Were you inside the house when your party guest
stole your jewelry?"
"Were you inside the house when the offender
attempted to break into your attached garage?"
"Were you and the offender both in your yard when the
bicycle was stolen from the driveway?"
A "Yes" answer to any of these probes indicates that the
respondent was present during the incident.
"Did you go outside when you saw the offender
tampering with your car parked in your driveway, or did
you watch from inside your house?"
If the respondent went outside during the incident and the
offender had not fled the scene, then the respondent was
present during the incident. Consider the respondent
present in this situation because he/she was at the
immediate scene of the crime during the incident AND was
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in a place that was reachable by the offender. Therefore, the
offender could have attacked, threatened to attack, or stolen
something directly from the respondent. However, if the
respondent watched the offender from inside the house,
then the respondent was NOT present during the incident.
If probing still does not help to confirm whether anyone in
the household was present during the incident, enter
Precode (1), "Yes," at Item HHMEMBERPRESENT. Only
enter Precode (2), "No," when you are sure that NONE
of the household members were present during the
incident.
Examples of When It Is
Correct to Enter
Precode (1), "Yes," at
HHMEMBER
PRESENT
For each of the following situations, enter Precode (1),
"Yes," at Item HHMEMBERPRESENT:
Respondent was reading in the den while the offender
broke into her attached garage and stole some tools,
even if there was no entrance leading directly from the
attached garage into the home.
Respondent was sewing in an upstairs room while the
offender broke into her enclosed porch and stole her
gas grill.
Respondent and his family were all asleep on the
second floor of their home while the offender broke in
through the basement door and stole some stereo
equipment from the basement.
While respondent was sleeping on his beach blanket,
someone stole his watch and wallet from the blanket.
While respondent was getting into her car in a parking
garage, the offender pointed a gun at her and stole her
purse.
A student punched the respondent in the stomach in the
school cafeteria.
While the respondent was on a business trip, the
offender picked his pocket and stole his wallet.
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While at a house party, an offender threatened to break
down the door and knock the respondent unconscious if
he did not unlock the door and let his girlfriend out of the
bedroom.
During a party at the respondent's home, the
respondent was in his family room while a party guest
stole money from the bedroom dresser.
Examples of When It Is
Correct to Enter
Precode (2), “No,” at
HHMEMBER
PRESENT
For each of the following situations, enter Precode (2), "No,"
at Item HHMEMBERPRESENT:
The home/apartment at a sample address was broken
into while the respondent and all other household
members were shopping at a mall.
The respondent and all other household members were
sleeping in their bedrooms when someone stole the
respondent's car from his driveway.
The respondent was at a restaurant when her leather
coat was stolen from the coatroom in the restaurant
lobby.
Respondent looked out her kitchen window and saw
someone steal her son's bicycle from the backyard.
(Even though the respondent saw the incident happen,
she was not present -- because she was inside while the
incident happened outside.)
Someone stole a rocking chair from a respondent’s
unenclosed front porch while the respondent was
baking in her kitchen.
Someone stole an air compressor from a respondent’s
detached garage while the respondent was working in
his home office.
ANYONEPRESENT
Item ANYONEPRESENT asks, "Was anyone present
during the incident besides you and the offender?
(Other than children under age 12.)" The same
guidelines on presence that you just read for Item
HHMEMBERPRESENT also apply to Item
ANYONEPRESENT.
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As you ask the questions at Items ANYONEPRESENT
through HHMEMHARMED in the incident report section,
you may discover that current household members were
either harmed, threatened with harm, robbed by force or by
threat of harm. If this happens, you need to complete a
separate set of incident report questions for each household
member who:
Is at least 12 years of age,
Was present during the incident,
Considers herself/himself to be a victim of a crime, and
Have not yet completed their NCVS interview.
Be careful not to assume that other household members
were victims of a crime just because they were present
during a crime incident.
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Topic 7. Weapons
Definition
For the NCVS, most guns and knives are always considered
weapons. However, BB guns and tear gas guns are only
considered weapons when offenders use them as clubs to
attack or threaten to attack respondents. Before any other
type of blunt or sharp object can be considered a weapon,
the offender must have used or threatened to use the object
to inflict physical harm upon a respondent.
Example of an object used as a weapon:
As Ben entered the stockroom where he worked, he
discovered an offender who cut Ben’s throat with a
screwdriver. In this incident, the screwdriver is a weapon.
Example of an object NOT used as a weapon:
An offender tried to break into a respondent’s house using a
screwdriver to break the door lock, but was unsuccessful. In
this incident, the screwdriver is NOT a weapon.
If an offender throws an object at a respondent AND the
object hits and seriously injures the respondent, then the
thrown object can be considered a weapon.
A motor vehicle can be considered a weapon if :
The respondent knows the offender and the offender
deliberately used a motor vehicle to try to run into the
respondent's vehicle or a vehicle in which the
respondent is riding.
The respondent believes that the offender deliberately
struck or tried to hit him/her with a motor vehicle while
the respondent was on foot, a bicycle, in a motor
vehicle, and so forth. The respondent's belief could be
based on words spoken by the offender or facts known
about the offender.
However, the offender's vehicle is NOT a weapon if the
respondent does not know the offender and there was
NO verbal threat of physical harm to the respondent
when:
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The offender cut in front of a vehicle driven by the
respondent.
The offender cut in front of a vehicle in which the
respondent was a passenger.
The offender and the respondent were involved in
some type of traffic accident or incidence of road
rage.
The following objects are never considered weapons:
Animals
Parts of the body (for example, hands, feet, and so forth)
Food
Small empty cans
Mace or pepper spray
Tear gas
Chloroform
Rings
Casts
Press “F1” at Item WEAPON to access a “Help” screen
which shows a list of objects that are never considered
weapons for the NCVS.
WEAPONPRESENT and
WEAPON
Item WEAPONPRESENT is used to determine whether or
not the offender had a weapon or something he/she
intended to use as a weapon during the incident. The
question at Item WEAPONPRESENT asks:
"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?"
If you get a "Yes" response, ask the question at Item
WEAPON next, so that you can identify the weapon(s) used
during the incident. The answer categories for Item
WEAPON are:
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Precode:
(1) Hand gun (pistol, revolver, etc.)
(2) Other gun (rifle, shotgun, etc.)
(3) Knife
(4) Other sharp object (scissors, ice pick, axe, etc.)
(5) Blunt object (rock, club, blackjack, etc.)
(6) Other - Specify
Since Item WEAPON allows for multiple entries, continue
asking "Anything else?" until you get a "No" response.
Remember the following points for Item WEAPON:
If an offender had a blunt or sharp object, other than a
gun or knife, and he/she did not use or threaten to use
the object to inflict physical harm upon the respondent,
the object is NOT a weapon. If no other weapon was
mentioned, go back to Item WEAPONPRESENT and
change the answer to "No" by entering Precode (2) at
Item WEAPONPRESENT.
If an offender used either a BB gun or a tear gas gun as
a club to hit or threaten to hit the respondent, enter
Precode (5), "Blunt object," at Item WEAPON.
If an offender made a deliberate attempt to hit the
respondent with a motor vehicle or to cause an accident
and physically harm the respondent in some way with a
motor vehicle (within the guidelines listed on Page
C3-22), enter Precode (6), "Other," and enter "motor
vehicle" in the "Specify" space at Item
WEAPON_SPEC.
Whenever you enter Precodes (4), (5), or (6) at Item
WEAPON, make sure to explain at the SUMMARY
screen what the object was and how the offender either
used or threatened to use the object as a weapon to
physically harm the respondent.
When a respondent tells you that an offender had a weapon
at Item WEAPONPRESENT and then the respondent
identifies one or more weapons at Item WEAPON, the
respondent should answer “Yes” in at least one of the
following items:
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HOWTRYATTACK and
HOWTHREATEN
ATTACK -- “Did the offender hit you, knock you
down, or actually attack you in any way?”
TRYATTACK --“Did the offender try to attack you?”
THREATEN --“Did the offender threaten you with
harm in any way?”
Whenever a respondent says that an offender either tried to
attack or threatened to attack him/her, ask the question at
Item HOWTRYATTACK for "tried to attack" OR the
question at Item HOWTHREATEN for "threatened to
attack." The answer categories for both items are identical
and the following categories involve the use of a weapon:
Precode:
(17) Weapon present or threatened with weapon
(18) Shot at (but missed)
(19) Attempted attack with knife/sharp weapon
(20) Attempted attack with weapon other than
gun/knife/sharp weapon
Remember these points for Items HOWTRYATTACK and
HOWTHREATEN:
Enter Precode (17) when a weapon was present during
the incident or if the offender threatened to physically
harm the respondent with the weapon. However, if the
respondent was injured by the weapon, enter a “Yes”
answer in Item ATTACK; you skip to Item
HOWATTACK.
Enter Precode (18) when an offender discharged a gun
in the direction of the respondent, but the respondent
was not hit. However, if the respondent was injured by
gun fire, enter a “Yes” answer in Item ATTACK ; you
skip to Item HOWATTACK.
If an offender attempted to attack the respondent with a
knife or another sharp object, such as scissors or an ice
pick, enter Precode (19).
If an offender attempted to attack the respondent with
an object such as a rock, club, or blackjack, enter
Precode (20).
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HOWATTACK
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
When the respondent tells you at Item ATTACK that the
offender hit, knocked down, or actually attacked him/her in
any way, you skip to Item HOWATTACK to determine how
the respondent was attacked. The following answer
categories for Item HOWATTACK involve the use of a
weapon:
Precode:
(14)
(15)
(16)
(17)
(18)
(19)
(20)
(21)
Shot
Shot at (but missed)
Hit with gun held in hand
Stabbed/cut with knife/sharp object
Attempted attack with weapon (other than gun)
held in hand
Hit by object (other than gun) held in hand
Hit by thrown object
Attempted attack with weapon other than
gun/knife/sharp weapon.
Since Item HOWATTACK allows for multiple entries,
continue asking "Anything else?" until you get a "No"
response.
Remember the following points for Item HOWATTACK:
If you discover that the respondent was not attacked
and there was no physical contact between the offender
and the respondent, go back to Item ATTACK and enter
a "No" answer by entering Precode (2) at Item
ATTACK.
If you enter Precodes (15), (18), or (21) at Item
HOWATTACK and no physical attack with contact took
place during the incident, then the respondent was not
attacked. In this situation, go back to Item ATTACK and
enter a "No" answer by entering Precode (2) at Item
ATTACK.
INJURY
If the respondent was attacked in any way during the
incident, you ask the question at Item INJURY to determine:
If the respondent sustained any injuries AND
If so, what type of injuries the respondent suffered from
the attack.
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The following two answer categories for Item INJURY relate
directly to injuries sustained from a weapon:
Precode:
(15)
Knife or stab wounds
(16)
Gun shot, bullet wounds.
Since Item INJURY allows for multiple entries, continue
asking "Anything else?" until you get a "No" response.
Remember the following points for Item INJURY:
INJURYNOTGUN and
FIRSTINJURY
Do not consider "mental or emotional suffering" to be an
injury. If only mental or emotional suffering is mentioned
by the respondent, enter Precode (11), "None."
Do not enter Precode (16) if the respondent tells you
that he/she was injured from being shot with a BB gun or
a tear gas gun. Instead, enter Precode (21), “Other Specify” and describe clearly what type of injuries were
sustained in the “Specify” space in INJURY_SPEC.
Item INJURYNOTGUN is used to determine whether any of
the injuries mentioned at Item INJURY were caused by a
weapon other than a gun or knife. You have the option of
either verifying the answer or asking the question before
marking the answer for this item.
If you enter Precode (1), "Yes," at Item INJURYNOTGUN,
ask the following question at Item FIRSTINJURY:
"Which injuries were caused by a weapon other than a
gun or knife?"
Since Precodes (15) and (16) for Item INJURY describe
injuries caused by a gun or a knife, these two precodes are
omitted from the answer categories for Item FIRST
INJURY. (Item FIRSTINJURY is not asked if only Precode
(15), only Precode (16) or only Precodes (15) and (16) are
marked in Item INJURY.)
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ACTIONSDURINGINC
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If the respondent tells you at Item PROTECTSELF or
DURINGINCIDENT that he/she did or tried to do something
about the incident while it was happening, ask the question
at Item ACTIONSDURINGINC next. Item
ACTIONSDURINGINC is used to determine what actions
the respondent took during the incident. Under the first
heading, "USED PHYSICAL FORCE TOWARD
OFFENDER," the following four categories identify actions
involving a weapon:
Precode:
(11)
(12)
(14)
(15)
Attacked offender with gun; fired gun
Attacked with other weapon
Threatened offender with gun
Threatened offender with other weapon
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Topic 8. Rape/Unwanted Sexual Contact
Definition
For the NCVS, rape is defined as forced sexual intercourse
including both psychological coercion, as well as physical
force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or
oral penetration by the offender(s). This category also
includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign
object, such as a bottle. A rape victim can be either female
or male and the rape can be heterosexual or homosexual.
The NCVS also obtains information on attempted rapes and
verbal threats of rape and sexual assault. An attempted
rape is an incident in which the offender intends to force the
victim to have sexual intercourse, but the offender does not
penetrate the victim.
Unwanted sexual contact is separate from rape or
attempted rape. Unwanted sexual contact may or may not
involve force and includes such things as grabbing and
fondling without the consent of the victim.
Rape, attempted rape, sexual assaults, and threats of rape
and sexual assault are all considered to be personal crimes
of violence.
WHATHAPPEN
Item WHATHAPPEN is used to determine what actually
happened during a reported incident when a respondent
answers "No" to all three of the following questions:
“Did the offender hit you, knock you down, or
actually attack you in any way?” (Item ATTACK)
“Did the offender try to attack you?” (Item
TRYATTACK)
“Did the offender threaten you with harm in any
way?” (Item THREATEN)
Item WHATHAPPEN allows for multiple answers. Two of
the answer categories are:
Precode (14) - Unwanted sexual contact with force
(grabbing, fondling, etc.)
Precode (15) - Unwanted sexual contact without force
(grabbing, fondling, etc.)
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These two answer categories are intended for respondents
who do not perceive that the offender attacked, tried to
attack, or threatened them in any way during the unwanted
sexual contact. Since these two categories can encompass
a broad range of sexual acts, it may not always be clear
which precode to enter. Base your decision on the
degree of force used in the incident.
Generally, if the incident involved grabbing and other acts of
force, enter Precode (14). However, if the incident involved
only touching and/or fondling with no mention of force, enter
Precode (15). When you are unsure, always go with the
respondent's perception of whether or not the offender used
force.
Probing to Identify Rape
or Attempted Rape
Each time you enter Precode (14), "Unwanted sexual
contact with force," for Item WHATHAPPEN, you must ask
the probing question at Item SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1
which asks:
"You mentioned some type of unwanted sexual contact
with force. Do you mean forced or coerced sexual
intercourse including attempts?"
If you get a "Yes" answer to this probing question, you will
skip to Item HOWATTACK next.
HOWTRYATTACK and
HOWTHREATEN
If a respondent tells you at Item TRYATTACK that the
offender tried to attack him/her, then you will ask the
question at Item HOWTRYATTACK to determine how the
offender tried to attack the respondent. If a respondent tells
you at Item THREATEN that the offender threatened
him/her with harm in any way, then you will ask the question
at Item HOWTHREATEN to determine how the offender
threatened the respondent.
Both of these questions allow for multiple answers. Two of
the answer categories that might require further clarification
are:
Precode (15) - Unwanted sexual contact with force
(grabbing, fondling, etc.)
Precode (16) - Unwanted sexual contact without force
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(grabbing, fondling, etc.)
Since these two categories can encompass a broad range
of sexual acts, it may not always be clear which precode to
enter. Base your decision on the degree of force used in
the incident.
Generally, if the incident involved grabbing and other acts of
force, enter Precode (15). However, if the incident involved
only touching and/or fondling with no mention of force, enter
Precode (16). When you are unsure, always go with the
respondent's perception of whether or not the offender used
force.
Probing to Identify Rape
or Attempted Rape
After entering Precode (15), "Unwanted sexual contact with
force (grabbing, fondling, etc.)," at Item HOWTRYATTACK
or HOWTHREATEN, the instrument shows the following
probe question SEXCONFORCEPROBE_2 that you must
ask:
"You mentioned some type of unwanted sexual contact
with force. Do you mean forced or coerced sexual
intercourse including attempts?"
If you get a "Yes" answer to this probing question, the
instrument automatically fills a Precode (1), “Yes” answer to
item ATTACK and skips to Item HOWATTACK next.
HOWATTACK
Ask the question at Item HOWATTACK to determine how
the respondent was attacked. This item allows for multiple
answers. Three of the answer categories are:
Precode (11) - Raped
Precode (12) - Tried to rape
Precode (13) - Sexual assault other than rape or
attempted rape.
If a respondent tells you that the offender either raped or
tried to rape her/him, then you need to ask one of the
following probe questions to ensure that you are entering
the correct precode:
When you enter Precode (11), "Raped," the
RAPE_CK1 probe asks:
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"You mentioned rape. Do you mean forced or coerced
sexual intercourse?"
If you get a "No" answer, also ask the following question so
you can determine what the respondent means when using
the term “rape”:
"What do you mean?"
When you enter Precode (12), "Tried to rape," the
ATTRAPE_CK1 probe asks:
"You mentioned attempted rape. Do you mean
attempted forced or coerced sexual intercourse?"
If you get a "No" answer, also ask the following question so
you can determine what the respondent means when using
the term "tried to rape":
"What do you mean?"
These probe questions are used to ensure that the
respondent's interpretation of the term "rape" is the same as
the definition used for the NCVS. After asking "What do
you mean?" for either probe question, do not ask any other
probing questions related to rape or attempted rape. Make
sure that you enter the correct precodes for Item
HOWATTACK.
PRETHREATEN
After determining how a respondent was attacked at Item
HOWATTACK, you will ask the question at Item
PRETHREATEN to determine if the offender threatened to
hurt the respondent before actually attacking her/him.
At the time of the incident and prior to the rape or attempted
rape, it is possible that the offender may have verbally
threatened to hurt the respondent in one of the ways
mentioned at Item HOWATTACK, even though none of
these precodes were entered at Item HOWATTACK. If a
"Yes" or "No" answer does not adequately cover the
respondent's answer for PRETHREATEN, enter Precode
(3), "Other - (Specify)" and enter a note explaining the
situation in the “Specify” space in PRETHREATEN_SPEC.
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INJURY
Part C, Chapter 3
When a respondent has been attacked during an incident,
you will ask the question at Item INJURY to determine what
type of physical or bodily injuries the respondent may have
received during the attack. The question at Item INJURY
asks:
"What were the injuries you suffered, if any?"
Do not consider mental or emotional suffering, such as
depression or the need for counseling after a rape, as an
injury. If the respondent did not suffer any physical injuries
from the incident, enter Precode (11), "None."
If a respondent tells you at Item INJURY that her/his injury
was the rape or attempted rape AND you did not enter the
precode for "Raped" or "Tried to rape" at Item
HOWATTACK, then ask one of the following probe
questions:
When Precode (12), "Raped," is entered at Item INJURY
and Precode (11), "Raped," is NOT entered at
Item HOWATTACK, ask the following probe question in
RAPE_CK2:
"You mentioned rape. Do you mean forced or coerced
sexual intercourse?"
If you get a "No" answer, also ask the following question so
you can determine what the respondent means when using
the term "raped":
"What do you mean?"
When Precode (13), "Attempted rape," is entered at
Item INJURY and Precode (12), "Tried to rape," is NOT
entered at Item HOWATTACK, ask the following probe
question in Item ATTRAPE_CK:
"You mentioned attempted rape. Do you mean
attempted forced or coerced sexual intercourse?"
If you get a "No" answer, also ask the following question so
you can determine what the respondent means when using
the term "attempted rape":
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"What do you mean?"
These probe questions are used to ensure that the
respondent's interpretation of the term "rape" or “attempted
rape” is the same as the definition used for the NCVS and to
distinguish between rape and other types of sexual
assaults. If your probing questions verify that the offender
did rape or tried to rape the respondent, then use the up
arrow to back up and enter the appropriate precodes at Item
HOWATTACK. If prompted to ask "What do you mean?" for
either question, do not ask any other probing questions
related to rape or attempted rape.
"Raped" Entered at Item
HOWATTACK
If a respondent said that he/she was raped at Item
HOWATTACK, always enter Precode (12), "Raped" at Item
INJURY, even if the respondent does not report
"Raped" as an injury. This is the only precode that you
would enter at Item INJURY without being told to do so by
the respondent. Once you have asked the probe questions
at Item HOWATTACK, do not ask them again at Item
INJURY.
"Tried to Rape" Entered
at Item HOWATTACK
Do NOT automatically enter Precode (13), "Attempted
rape," as an injury at Item INJURY when you entered
Precode (12), "Tried to Rape," at Item HOWATTACK. Only
enter Precode (13), "Attempted rape," at Item INJURY
when the respondent specifically mentions it as an injury
from the incident. Also, if a respondent only mentions
"Attempted rape" at Item INJURY, make sure that there
were no other injuries from the incident by asking,
"Anything else?".
"Sexual Assault Other
Than Rape or
Attempted Rape"
Entered at Item
HOWATTACK
Do NOT automatically enter Precode (14), "Sexual assault
other than rape or attempted rape," as in injury at Item
INJURY when you enter Precode (13) as the type of attack
at Item HOWATTACK. Only mark it as an injury at Item
INJURY when the respondent specifically mentions it as an
injury from the incident. Also, if a respondent only mentions
"Sexual assault other than rape or attempted rape" at Item
INJURY, make sure that there were no other injuries from
the incident by asking, "Anything else?".
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Completing the SUMMARY
Screen
Part C, Chapter 3
Since sex-related crimes are rare compared to other types
of crimes, include as many details as the respondent is
willing to provide. This is important so that we can classify
any sex-related crimes into the correct category--rape,
attempted rape, sexual assault, or unwanted sexual
contact.
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Topic 9. Theft/Attempted Theft of Cash/Property
Definition
For the NCVS, completed or attempted theft of cash and/or
property is defined differently depending on whether or not
the incident involved direct contact between a sample
household member and an offender. When there was no
direct contact between the offender and a household
member during the theft or attempted theft, then the incident
is considered a property crime. If the incident of theft or
attempted theft involved any direct contact between the
offender and a household member, such as an attack,
threat, robbery by force or threat, purse snatching or pocket
picking, the incident is considered a personal crime.
Property Crime
When an incident involves a theft or attempted theft in which
there was no direct contact between an eligible household
member and an offender, the incident is considered a
property crime.
A property crime of theft or attempted theft can fall into one
of the following categories:
Burglary,
Theft, or
Motor vehicle theft.
Complete ONLY ONE set of incident report questions for
each property crime of theft or attempted theft in which the
offender did NOT attack, attempt to attack, or threaten to
physically harm a household member.
Burglary
The property crime of burglary usually involves a theft or
attempted theft, but always involves the unlawful or forcible
entry or attempted entry of a sample address.
Example of burglary:
Harry returned home and his door was open and the lock
broken. However, nothing appeared to have been stolen.
Theft
Theft is the successful or unsuccessful attempt to take cash
and/or property from within the sample address or its
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immediate vicinity by someone who has a legal right to be in
the residence at the sample address, such as a maid, guest,
or delivery person.
Theft can also include the successful or unsuccessful
attempt to take property and/or cash from a place other than
the sample address or its immediate vicinity when the
property and/or cash belongs to one or more eligible
household members and there was no direct contact
between the offender and an eligible household member.
Example of theft:
Jenny invited two of her co-workers to spend the night at her
house. After they left the next morning, she discovered that
her watch was missing from the bathroom. She is pretty
sure that one of her co-workers stole the watch.
Example of attempted theft:
While in a movie theater, Jay threw his leather coat over the
empty seat beside him. He noticed that someone was
pulling on the coat, trying to steal it. He grabbed the coat,
and the person who was trying to take it got up and ran out
of the theater.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Motor vehicle theft is defined as stealing or unauthorized
taking of a motor vehicle that belongs to one or more eligible
household members. Motor vehicle theft also includes failed
attempts to steal or take a motor vehicle without
authorization from the owner(s).
Example of motor vehicle theft:
Brian left his car running with the keys in it to warm up on a
cold morning. When he went back outside, the car was
gone.
Example of attempted motor vehicle theft:
Diane caught her 15-year-old nephew trying to start her car
and take it out for a ride. She was able to stop him before he
left in the vehicle.
Personal Crime
A completed or attempted theft of cash and/or property is
considered to be a personal crime when:
There was direct contact between an eligible
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household member and an offender, such as a personal
attack or threat of physical harm, or
Cash, a purse or wallet was taken directly from an
eligible household member without the use of force or
threat of physical harm.
Example of theft with direct contact:
As Margaret was leaving the shopping mall and walking to
her car, a man took her purse. He knocked her to the ground
and ran away with the purse.
Purse Snatching and
Pocket Picking
Thefts from Unrecognizable
Businesses
Purse snatching and pocket picking are the successful
and/or unsuccessful attempts to take cash, a purse, or
wallet directly from an eligible household member without
the use of force or threat of physical harm.
The NCVS is interested in collecting information for
incidents involving thefts from a business when:
An eligible household member operates an
unrecognizable business from the sample address.
AND
Cash and/or property belonging to the unrecognizable
business is stolen either from the sample address or
from another location where the business is still
unrecognizable.
Example of theft from an unrecognizable business:
Frank repairs lawn mowers in his garage as a side
business, but there is no sign on the premises advertising
lawn mower repair. While Frank was away, someone broke
into his garage and stole tools and lawn mowers belonging
to the business.
The NCVS is not interested in collecting information for
incidents involving thefts from a recognizable business,
regardless of whether or not it is operated from the sample
address. In general terms, a recognizable business is one
that has a sign on the premises or some other indication to
the general public that a business is operated from the
address.
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(Also refer to Part C, Chapter 2, for a detailed explanation of
recognizable and unrecognizable businesses.)
Example of theft from a recognizable business:
Cindy runs a ceramics class and retail shop from her home
and she has a sign on the premises advertising the
business. While she was on vacation, someone broke into
her home and stole several finished ceramic pieces that
were for sale.
Thefts From Children Under
12 Years of Age
The NCVS is interested in collecting information for
incidents involving thefts from a sample household member
who is under 12 years of age ONLY when:
The thefts took place at the sample address (inside the
home or in the immediate vicinity of the home), or at a
vacation/second home or hotel/motel where the family is
staying temporarily.
AND
The child was not attacked or threatened with physical
harm during the incident.
Example of acceptable theft from a child under 12:
While interviewing the household respondent, she reported
that her 5-year-old son’s wagon was stolen from the front
yard of their home. She and her son were inside eating
lunch when the wagon was stolen.
The NCVS is NOT interested in collecting information for
incidents involving thefts from a sample household member
who is under 12 years of age when:
The theft took place at a location other than the family’s
home and its immediate vicinity or at a place other than
any lodging and immediate vicinity where the family is
staying temporarily, such as from a friend’s yard.
OR
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The child was attacked or threatened with physical harm
during the incident, regardless of where the theft took
place.
Example of unacceptable theft from a child under 12:
While interviewing the parent of a 10-year-old boy, the
parent reported that his son was injured by an older boy
while playing in the park near their home. During the
incident, the older boy stole the son’s remote control race
car.
THEFT and ATTEMPTTHEFT
Item THEFT determines whether or not something was
stolen or taken without permission that belonged to the
respondent or another household member. Item
ATTEMPTTHEFT determines whether or not an
unsuccessful attempt was made to steal or take without
permission items belonging to the respondent or another
household member.
If a respondent indicated earlier in the interview that items
were taken without permission or an unsuccessful attempt
was made to take items belonging to the respondent or
another household member, you have the option to either
ask the question or verify the answer before entering the
appropriate precode to answer Item THEFT or
ATTEMPTTHEFT.
Do not consider the cash and/or property as stolen if any of
the following conditions exist:
The items belong to a recognizable business operated
from the sample address or any other location where the
business is recognizable.
The items belong to someone who is not a sample
household member, such as the owner of a rental
home/apartment or a neighbor/friend who left the items
at the respondent's home or allowed the respondent to
borrow the items.
The items belong to the respondent and were loaned to
someone who never returned the items.
The items belong to a household member under 12
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years of age who was attacked and/or threatened with
physical harm during the incident.
The items belong jointly to a legally separated husband
and wife who are not yet divorced and the offender is
one of the spouses.
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT will identify what items the
respondent thinks that the offender was trying to steal.
Since this item allows for multiple entries, continue asking,
"Anything else?" until you get a "No" reply.
Remember the following for Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT:
For Precode:
(11) Cash
Do not enter this precode for checks, credit cards, or
coin collections. Enter Precode (14) for checks and
credit cards, and Precode (23) for coin collections.
(14)
Credit cards, checks, bank cards
In addition to the items mentioned, also enter
Precode (14) for other items which have little or no
value unless used fraudulently, such as Savings
Bonds, bank books, money orders, and traveler's
checks.
(16)
Other motor vehicle
Enter Precode (16) for any type of truck, van, sport
utility vehicle (SUV), motorcycle, or moped. Precode
(16) is NOT intended for boats, airplanes, minibikes,
or snowmobiles; instead, enter Precode (26)
"Other," and identify the type of transportation in the
"Specify" space in Item
ATTEMPTHEFTWHAT_SPEC. Also, if the motor
vehicle was owned and operated exclusively for a
recognizable business, do not enter Precode (16) at
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT.
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For Precode:
(17) Part of motor vehicle
Do not enter Precode (17) for any items stored in the
glove compartment, left on the seat, or kept in the
trunk, since they are not considered part of the motor
vehicle.
WHATWASTAKEN
(23)
Personal effects
Enter Precode (23) for items used by a specific
household member, rather than by most or all
household members. Some examples include:
watches, jewelry, personal luggage, clothing,
cameras, books, stamp or coin collections, compact
discs, and so forth.
(24)
Handgun
Enter Precode (24) for all "hand-held" guns,
regardless of how they are used. Precode (24) is not
intended for pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols, flare
guns, or tear gas guns; instead, enter Precode (26)
for these types of guns and identify the type of gun in
the "Specify" space in Item
ATTEMPTHEFTWHAT_SPEC. .
(25)
Other firearm
Enter Precode (25) for all rifles and shotguns,
regardless of how they are used, but do not enter
Precode (25) for pellet guns, BB guns, air pistols,
flare guns, or tear gas guns; instead, enter Precode
(26) for these types of guns and identify the type of
gun in the "Specify" space in Item
ATTEMPTHEFTWHAT_SPEC. .
Item WHATWASTAKEN is asked to identify what items
were taken from the respondent or other household
members during the incident. This item has 27 answer
categories from which to choose, as compared to only 17
answer categories in Item ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT for
attempted thefts. Item WHATWASTAKEN also allows for
multiple entries, so continue asking, “Anything else?” until
you get a “No” reply.
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Only include property/money that belonged to the
respondent or other household members. If the respondent
mentions that the stolen property was leased or rented by
the respondent or another household member for one
month or longer, consider the household member(s) as
the owner(s) of the stolen property for this item. If
necessary, ask the respondent how long the stolen property
has been leased or rented.
(Refer to Part B, Chapter 4, for detailed instructions
about specific answer categories in Item
WHATWASTAKEN.)
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Topic 10. Value of Stolen Property/Methods Used to Determine Value
Definition
For the NCVS, the value of stolen property should be the
respondent's best estimate of the dollar value:
Excluding any stolen cash, checks, or credit cards
AND
Excluding any portion of the dollar amount that covers
the stolen property owned by a nonhousehold member.
Respondents can use any method they choose to arrive at a
dollar value for the stolen property that belonged to sample
household members.
PROPERTYVALUE
When items other than cash/checks/credit cards were
stolen during an incident, you will ask the respondent the
following question at Item PROPERTYVALUE:
"What was the value of the PROPERTY that was taken?
Include recovered property. (Exclude any stolen
cash/checks/credit cards. If jointly owned with a
nonhousehold member(s), include only share owned
by household members.)"
As you ask this question:
Only include the dollar amount for stolen property or the
portion of the stolen property that is owned by sample
household members.
If the stolen property was owned jointly by one or more
household members and a nonhousehold member, only
include the dollar amount for the portion of the property
owned by household member(s).
Although you do not want to suggest a method for
arriving at the dollar amount, you can mention the stolen
items individually to the respondent. If the respondent
finds it easier to give you separate dollar amounts for
each stolen item, then just total the separate amounts
(you can use the F11 key to bring up an onscreen
calculator) and enter the total in PROPERTYVALUE.
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If one of the stolen items is food stamps, ask the
respondent for the "face value" of the food stamps.
Enter the value of the stolen property in whole dollars
rounding up or down as necessary.
DECIDEDVALUE
Item DECIDEDVALUE is used to determine how the
respondent arrived at the amount given for the value of the
stolen property provided at Item PROPERTYVALUE. Ask
the question exactly as it is worded on the screen:
"How did you decide the value of the property that was
taken?"
Since this screen allows for multiple entries, continue asking
"Any other way?" until you get a "No" reply. Avoid reading
the answer categories to the respondent, except as a last
resort.
Methods Used to
Decide
Precode (11), Original cost
The price paid for the item when the respondent first bought
it.
Precode (12), Replacement cost
If the stolen property has been replaced already, it would be
the price paid at that time. Otherwise, it would be the cost to
replace the stolen property at the time of interview. When
using the replacement cost, do NOT consider the original
purchase price.
Precode (13), Personal estimate of current value
Current value is not the same as the property's replacement
cost. A personal estimate of current value is the
respondent's idea of what the stolen property was worth at
the time of the incident.
Precode (14), Insurance report estimate
This is the amount that an insurance company estimates the
stolen property to be worth.
Precode (15), Police estimate
This is the amount that the police estimate the stolen
property to be worth.
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Precode (17), Other (Specify)
Use this category when the respondent gives you a definite
way in which he/she arrived at the value, but it is not one of
the categories listed in Precodes (11) through (15) of Item
DECIDEDVALUE. After entering Precode (17), always
enter what the method was in the “Specify” space in
DECIDEDVALUE_SPEC, such as "a friend's estimate,"
"appraisal from an antique dealer," or "face value" (for
stolen food stamps).
Precode (16), Don't know
By entering Precode (16), you are indicating that the
respondent does not know how he/she decided on the
amount given as the value of the stolen property at Item
PROPERTYVALUE. Always probe to get a more precise
answer before entering Precode (16) for “Don’t know.”
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Topic 11. Property Ownership
Definition
The NCVS is interested in obtaining information about
attempted or actual thefts of property or money only when
the property or money is owned by persons who are
eligible sample household members at the time of
interview. As you complete the incident report section of
the NCVS instrument for an attempted or actual theft, you
determine whether the property is owned by:
The respondent only
The respondent and other household member(s)
Other household member(s) only
Nonhousehold member(s) only
Jointly by a household member and a nonhousehold
member.
Theft Incidents From
Former Residences
You may encounter incidents where an attempted or actual
theft occurred during the reference period while the sample
household resided at an address other than the sample
address. As long as the property that the offender stole or
attempted to steal is owned by a person who is a household
member at the sample address at the time of interview, you
keep the attempted or actual theft report for the NCVS.
However, if the attempted or actual theft involved property
owned SOLELY by a person who is NOT a household
member at the sample address at the time of interview,
continue to collect information for that incident.
Theft Incidents From
a Legally Separated
Spouse
If a husband and wife are legally separated and not yet
divorced, any property that they owned jointly while married
is still considered jointly owned during their legal separation.
ATTEMPTTHEFT
OWNER and
WHOOWNEDSTOLEN
PROPERTY
When you determine at Items ATTEMPTTHEFT and
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT that a reported incident involves
an attempted theft, you ask the respondent Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER:
"Did the (property/money) the offender tried to take
belong to you personally, to someone else in the
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household, or to both you and other household
members?"
When you determine at Items THEFT and
WHATWASTAKEN that a reported incident involves an
actual theft, you will ask the respondent the following
question at Item WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY:
"Did the stolen (property/money) belong to you
personally, to someone else in the household, or to
both you and other household members?"
Both of these items are designed to determine whether the
owner is:
The respondent only
The respondent and other household member(s)
Other household member(s) only
Nonhousehold member(s) only
Other "Specify" (For example, property or money owned
jointly by a household member and a nonhousehold
member.)
Here are a few situations in which you enter Precode (5)
"Other" at Items ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER or
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY:
Owners of the property/money are the respondent and a
nonhousehold member.
OR
Nonhousehold Member
at Time of Interview
Owners of the property/money are another household
member and a nonhousehold member.
When a reported incident of theft or attempted theft involves
property belonging to a person who is NOT a sample
household member at the time of interview, the incident will
be kept for the NCVS. If you discover at
ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER or
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WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY that the property/
money belongs only to a person who is a nonhousehold
member at the time of interview, you still must finish
completing the incident report section of the instrument. By
completing the incident report section, you may discover
other facts about the incident that are within the scope of the
survey.
(See Part C, Chapter 1, Topic 8, for more information
about out-of-scope incidents.)
ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS and
OTHERSOWNED
STOLENPROPERTY
When the property/money involved in a theft or attempted
theft incident is owned by the respondent AND other sample
household members, you will identify by line number at
either Item ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS or Item
OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY which household
members other than the respondent own the property.
For an attempted theft, enter the line number(s) at
ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS. For an actual theft, enter the line
number(s) at OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY.
Consider the property to belong to the ENTIRE sample
household and enter Precode (40), "Household property" if:
The respondent tells you that the property belongs to
ALL household members
OR
The respondent tells you that the property belongs
jointly to himself/herself AND more than two other
household members.
Depending on the circumstances, it is acceptable to enter
line number(s) for the theft of personal property and also
enter Precode (40), "Household property."
The SUMMARY Screen
When property from an attempted or actual theft incident is
owned by two or more persons, you need to identify at the
SUMMARY screen which persons own which items and,
when necessary, which items are household property. For
example, if you enter Precode (2) at Item
ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER or
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY, identify by line number
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in your summary report which items belong to the
respondent and which items belong to the other household
member(s).
It is not necessary to do this when the property/money:
Belongs only to the respondent
OR
Is considered to be entirely household property.
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Topic 12. Recovered Money and/or Property
Definition
ALLPARTRECOVERED
For the NCVS, "recovered money and/or property" means:
For stolen money: Any money stolen during the
reported incident that has either been found and
returned to the respondent OR that the offender has
reimbursed to the respondent for all or part of the stolen
money.
For stolen property: All or part of the original stolen
property was returned to the respondent or is being held
as evidence for a court case.
Item ALLPARTRECOVERED is one of the questions that
you will ask the respondent when money and/or property
was stolen during a reported incident. The question at Item
ALLPARTRECOVERED asks:
"Was all or part of the stolen (money/property)
recovered, not counting anything received from
insurance?"
The information recorded at Item WHATWASTAKEN will
indicate whether you will ask about the recovery of stolen
money, property, or both at Item ALLPARTRECOVERED.
For the NCVS, we want to determine whether all, part, or
none of the stolen money and/or property was recovered.
Do Not Include as
Recovered
Under the following circumstances, do NOT consider the
stolen money and/or property to be recovered:
An insurance company replaced the stolen property or
provided money to replace the stolen property.
The offender replaced the stolen property or provided
money to replace the stolen property.
Anyone other than the offender reimbursed the
respondent for the money that was stolen, such as an
insurance company or a relative.
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For the NCVS, we are only interested in the original
property/money, not property/money that was given to the
owner as a replacement or reimbursement.
WHATRECOVERED
If a respondent tells you at Item ALLPARTRECOVERED
that only part of the stolen money and/or property was
recovered, then you determine at Item WHATRECOVERED
how much of the stolen money and/or property was
recovered.
Cash Was Recovered
When stolen cash was recovered, enter Precode (1),
"Cash," and then enter the amount in whole dollars
(rounding up or down as necessary) in the "Amount of cash
recovered" space at Item CASHRECOVERED. An
estimated dollar amount is acceptable when the respondent
is unable to give you an exact amount.
Only Property Was
Recovered
When stolen property was recovered, there are five
separate "Property" answer categories in
WHATRECOVERED:
Precode (2), "Purse"
Precode (3), "Wallet"
Precode (4), "Credit cards, checks, bank cards"
Precode (5), "Car or other motor vehicle"
Precode (6), "Property other than the above"
Based on the respondent's answer, enter precodes for all
property categories that apply. Any time a respondent
answers "Purse" or "Wallet," Item CONTAINMONEY
appears next, which asks: "Did it contain any money?"
This additional question is to ensure that we document any
stolen cash that may have been recovered. If you get a
"Yes" answer, make sure to enter the dollar amount in the
"Amount of cash recovered" space in Item
CASHRECOVERED.
Enter Precode (6), "Property other than the above" when:
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The respondent mentions recovered property not
described in any of the other four property categories at
Item WHATRECOVERED.
OR
The respondent does not know or is unsure about which
stolen property items were recovered.
Both Cash and Property
Were Recovered
RECOVEREDCASH
VALUE
When both stolen money and property were recovered:
Enter Precode (1) and then enter the amount in whole
dollars (rounding up or down as necessary) in the
"Amount of cash recovered" space, and
Enter precodes for all appropriate "property" categories
from Precodes (2) through (6) based on the
respondent's answer.
When the stolen property recovered was something other
than cash, checks, or credit cards, then you will ask the
question at Item RECOVEREDCASHVALUE to determine
the value of the recovered stolen property. The question at
Item RECOVEREDCASHVALUE asks:
"Considering any damage, what was the value of the
property after it was recovered? (Do not include
recovered cash, checks, or credit cards.)"
For Item RECOVEREDCASHVALUE:
Include the value of a recovered purse and/or wallet, but
do not include the value of recovered cash, checks, or
credit cards that may have been in the purse or wallet.
Damage to stolen property before it is recovered may
cause its value to decrease from what it was before the
theft.
Include the total whole dollar amount (rounding up or
down as necessary) for all recovered property both
damaged and undamaged (other than cash, checks,
and credit cards).
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It is acceptable to mention recovered items individually
to a respondent and allow the respondent to use any
means he/she wishes to arrive at the item's value. Then,
total the individual amounts (You can use the F11
Calculator function here if desired.) and enter the total in
the "Value of property recovered" space at Item
RECOVEREDCASHVALUE.
POLICEFOLLOWUP
Item POLICEFOLLOWUP is one of a series of questions
inquiring as to how the police responded when notified
about an incident. The question at Item
POLICEFOLLOWUP asks:
"What did the police do in following up this incident?"
This question allows you to enter more than one precode.
"Recovered property" is one of the answer categories to
identify what the police followed up on for the incident.
Before entering Precode (14), "Recovered property," make
sure that the stolen property is considered "recovered" by
the NCVS definition provided earlier in this topic.
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Topic 13. Medical Care
Definition
For the NCVS, medical care is any care or treatment that a
respondent received for physical injuries suffered during
the incident, regardless of:
Who administered the care or
Where the care was administered.
Medical care can range from something as simple as
applying an ice pack to something as complicated as major
surgery. The person administering the medical care does
not need to be anyone with medical training. In fact, it could
even be the respondent treating his/her own injuries. The
location where treatment is provided can be anywhere--at
the crime scene, at home, in an ambulance, or at a hospital.
MEDICALCARE
When a respondent tells you that he/she was injured during
the incident, you will ask the following question at Item
MEDICALCARE:
"Were you injured to the extent that you received any
medical care, including self treatment?"
Item INJURY will actually identify what type of injuries were
suffered, if any. If the respondent suffered injuries during an
incident, but did not receive any care or treatment for those
injuries, enter Precode (2) "No" at Item MEDICALCARE
and the instrument skips to Item PREGATTIMEOFINC if
you are speaking to a female respondent age 18 to 49,
otherwise the instrument continues with Item
PROTECTSELF.
A "Yes" answer at Item MEDICALCARE takes you through
Items RECEIVECAREWHERE through
CAREDAYHOSPIT, so you can determine:
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Where the respondent received medical care for his/her
injuries (Item RECEIVECAREWHERE). Item
RECEIVECAREWHERE contains seven different
answer categories identifying where medical care could
have been provided to the respondent. Since you can
enter more than one precode at Item RECEIVE
CAREWHERE, continue asking "Anywhere else?" until
you get a "No" response.
Whether the respondent stayed at the hospital
overnight, when care was administered at a hospital
(Item CAREOVERNIGHT).
How many days the respondent stayed at the hospital,
when the respondent stayed overnight at a hospital
(Item CAREDAYHOSPIT).
If you determine that medical care was not provided at a
hospital, then you will skip to Item MEDICALINSURANCE
after completing Item RECEIVECAREWHERE, so you can
inquire about medical insurance.
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Topic 14. Medical Expenses
Definition
MEDICALEXPENSES
For the NCVS, medical expenses are intended to include all
costs incurred directly as a result of treatment received for
any injuries that the respondent experienced during the
incident, regardless of who paid these costs. Consider the
following costs as medical expenses if they are related
directly to the respondent's injuries from the incident:
Services provided by doctors, surgeons, and hospitals,
Ambulance service and emergency room fees,
Physical therapist and dentist fees,
Any costs for medicine or special devices, such as
braces, wheelchairs, dentures, and so forth.
Item MEDICALEXPENSES is used to determine what the
total dollar amount was for medical expenses resulting from
the incident. The question at Item MEDICALEXPENSES
reads as follows:
"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 injury-related
expenses."
Make sure to read the statement following the question so
that the respondent understands fully what to include when
providing you with a total amount. If the respondent told you
at Item MEDICALINSURANCE that he/she was covered by
medical insurance or another type of health benefits
program at the time of the incident, make sure to read the
statement within parentheses, "(INCLUDING anything
paid by insurance)" as you ask the question at Item
MEDICALEXPENSES.
If the respondent is unable to provide an exact amount, take
the respondent's best estimate of the total dollar amount for
medical expenses. In some cases, a respondent may still be
undergoing treatment for his/her injuries at the time of
interview. If so, try to get a projected estimate for the total
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cost of medical expenses resulting from the incident. When
a respondent is unable to provide even an estimated
amount, enter “Ctrl” + “D” for "Don't know."
Enter “0” (Zero) for “No cost" at Item MEDICALEXPENSES
for instances when medical care was provided at no cost to
the respondent or his/her medical insurance.
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Topic 15. Race of Offenders
Definition: Ethnicity
Ethnicity or ethnic origin is a person’s heritage, nationality, lineage,
or country of birth of the person him/herself or of his/her ancestors.
“Ethnicity” does not have the same meaning as “race” even though
respondents may use the terms interchangeably. People who
report their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any
race.
SINGOFFETHNICITY
When a respondent tells you that the crime was committed by one
offender, you ask a series of questions in the incident report section
of the instrument to gather information about the offender. One of
these questions is Item SINGOFFETHNICITY, which asks, “Was
the offender Hispanic or Latino?” Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for
“No,” or (3) for “Don’t know.”
MULTOFFETHNICITY
When a respondent tells you that the crime was committed by more
than one offender, you also ask item MULTOFFETHNICITY, “Were
any of the offenders Hispanic or Latino?” Enter Precode (1) for
“Yes,” (2) for “No,” or (3) for “Don’t know.”
MULTOFFENDERMOST
ETHNICITY
When the respondent indicates that at least one of the offenders
was Hispanic or Latino, you ask item
MULTOFFENDERMOSTETHNICITY, “Were the offenders mostly
Hispanic, mostly non-Hispanic, or an equal number of Hispanic and
non-Hispanic?” Enter the answer as indicated by the respondent.
Definition: Race
For the NCVS, we use the following race categories at Items
SINGOFFRACE and MULTOFFENDERRACE to identify an
offender’s race – “White,” “Black or African American,” “American
Indian or Alaska Native,” “Asian” (for example, Japanese, Chinese,
Filipino, Korean, Asian Indian, Vietnamese), and “Native Hawaiian
or Other Pacific Islander.”
SINGOFFRACE
When a respondent tells you that the crime was committed by just
one offender, you ask him/her a series of questions to gather
information about the offender. One of these questions is Item
SINGOFFRACE, which asks about the offender's race. The answer
categories for this item are “White,” “Black or African American,”
“American Indian or Alaska Native,” “Asian,” and “Native Hawaiian
or Other Pacific Islander.”
Since an offender could be of more than one race, you can enter
more than one precode at Item SINGOFFRACE to identify the
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races of each offender. The answer categories for Item
SINGOFFRACE are:
Precode (1), White
Precode (2), Black or African American
Precode (3), American Indian or Alaska Native
Precode (4), Asian
Precode (5), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Precode (6), Don't know
When reading the question at Item SINGOFFRACE you will read
answer categories 1-5 as part of the question. However, do not
read category 6, “Don’t know” to the respondent.
A person's ethnic origin is NOT the same as a person's race. If
a respondent answers the offender’s race question with
“Spanish, Hispanic, Latino” or another ethnic origin, such as
“French” or “German,” enter Precode (1), “White.”
MULTOFFENDERRACE
and
MULTOFFENDERRACE
MOST
When a respondent tells you that the crime was committed by more
than one offender, you ask the respondent a series of questions in
the incident report section to gather information about these
offenders. Two of these questions are at Items
MULTOFFENDERRACE and MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST. The
question at Item MULTOFFENDERRACE asks: “What race or
races were the offenders? Were they …” Since the offenders could
be of more than one race, you can enter more than one precode at
Item MULTOFFENDERRACE to identify the races of each
offender. The answer categories for Item MULTOFFENDERRACE
are:
Precode (1), White
Precode (2), Black or African American
Precode (3), American Indian or Alaska Native
Precode (4), Asian
Precode (5), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Precode (6), Don't know
When reading the question at Item MULTOFFENDERRACE you
will read answer categories 1-5 as part of the question. However,
do not read category 6, “Don’t know” to the respondent.
A person's ethnic origin is NOT the same as a person's race. If
a respondent answers the offender’s race question with
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“Spanish, Hispanic, Latino” or another ethnic origin, such as
“French” or “German,” enter Precode (1), “White.”
The question at Item MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST asks: “What
race were most of the offenders?” When two or more precodes are
entered at Item MULTOFFENDERRACE, ask the question at Item
MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST to determine the race of MOST of
the offenders. Only enter ONE of the following precodes at Item
MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Precode (1), Mostly White
Precode (2), Mostly Black or African American
Precode (3), Mostly American Indian or Alaska Native
Precode (4), Mostly Asian
Precode (5), Mostly Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Precode (6), Equal number of each race
Precode (7), Don't know
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Topic 16. Other Victimized Household Members
Definition
For the NCVS, "Other victimized household members"
consist of sample household members who are:
Also victims in an incident reported by the household
member you are currently interviewing,
Household members at the time of interview, and
At least 12 years of age at the time of the incident.
Consider a household member to be a "victim" if the
offender did any of the following things to an eligible
household member:
Hit, knocked down, or actually attacked the household
member.
Tried to attack the household member.
Threatened to physically harm the household member.
Since it is important that we get a complete picture of each
household member's victimization, you must complete a
separate set of incident report questions for each eligible
household member at the time of interview who was
personally victimized during an incident.
PERSONSHARMED
Through HHMEMHARMED
Item PERSONSHARMED is used to determine if any
persons who were present during the incident, other than
the respondent, the offender, and any children under 12
years of age were victimized. If you get a "Yes" answer at
Item PERSONSHARMED, then, at Item
PERSONSHARMEDNUM, document the number of
victimized persons excluding the respondent, the offender,
and any children under 12 years of age.
Item HHMEMHARMED is used to determine if any of the
persons present during the incident who were victimized are
eligible household members at the time of interview and, if
so, to identify the household members by line number. The
question at Item HHMEMHARMED asks:
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Part D, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
Topic
Table of Topics
Page
1 Overview of the pCHI
D2-2
2 The pCHI and Case Management
D2-4
3 The pCHI and Households Without a Roster
D2-13
4 The pCHI and Households With a Roster
D2-32
5
D2-50
How to Code the pCHI in Specific Situations
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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Topic 1. Overview of the Person Level Contact History Instrument
(pCHI)
What are the CHI (Contact
History Instrument) and the
Person Level Contact History
Instrument (pCHI)?
The Contact History Instrument (CHI)
The CHI was developed to capture details of ALL contact attempts
made to a household. This means each time you ATTEMPT to
make contact or MAKE contact with a household you enter
information into the CHI. By completing the questions asked in the
CHI, you provide valuable information to your regional office (RO),
headquarters staff, our survey sponsors, and other FRs. The CHI
data are sent back each month, allowing the current FR to see
how easy or difficult it was to conduct the interview in previous
interview periods.
The Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
The pCHI (pronounced “pee-ki”) has been developed to record
contact history for individual respondents on person-level surveys
like the NCVS, because:
There may be varying degrees of availability and
willingness to be interviewed among different members of
the same sample household; and
Different strategies may be used for each respondent.
The pCHI allows you to record contact information individually.
Regional office managers use reports generated from the pCHI
data. These reports provide a way for your supervisor to give
feedback on your contact attempts and make suggestions for
future contacts. Headquarters staff, along with the survey
sponsor, analyzes pCHI data to help formulate better strategies
for non-contact and refusal cases.
pCHI Screen Layout
The pCHI screen is formatted into the “Information” or “Info” Pane
and the “Form” Pane, the same as the NCVS instrument. For the
pCHI, the “Info” Pane displays the instructions for what to enter on
that screen as well as the answer list. The “Form” pane contains
the area where the data is entered.
Tabs are displayed at the top left of the screen (see example
below):
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Entering the pCHI instrument
Selected Case Confirmation
Screen
Part D, Chapter 2
“pCHI” tab - contains the main screens to enter the contact
attempt information.
“Roster Information” tab - displays the household roster; can
be used to reference the household roster composition before
entering the main pCHI screens.
If you get into the NCVS instrument during a contact attempt,
pCHI appears automatically.
To access the pCHI from Case Management, highlight the
case and press F12.
The “Selected Case Confirmation Screen” dialog box appears
when entering pCHI from Case Management. Make sure you
have chosen the correct case.
If this is the correct case, click OK. If not, click cancel and choose
the correct case from your case list.
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Topic 2. The pCHI and Case Management
Contact History Tab
In Case Management, on the bottom half of your screen under
your Case List, notice the “Contact History” Tab. The Contact
History tab shows all current month contact attempt information
for whatever case you have highlighted in your case list. Note: If
you have not accessed the case or the pCHI, there will be no
information displayed on this tab yet. From left to right, the
columns are:
1. FR Code
2. The “Type” column shows whether the record displayed is for
household level (denoted by “HH”) or respondent level; if for
the respondent level, it shows the line number (L1, L2, etc.) to
which it refers.
3. “Contact Date” lists the date the contact was attempted.
4. “P/T” displays a “P” or “T” depending on whether the contact
attempt was a personal visit or a telephone attempt.
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5. “Status” shows the status of the contact attempt. The codes
are: “C” - Completed case, “P” - Partial interview, “U” - Unable
to conduct interview, or “N” - Noncontact.
At the household level, the “Status” column refers to the case
level status. The case level status does not display a “C” until
all eligible NCVS respondents have been completed or coded
as a Type Z noninterview. At the person level, the “Status”
column refers to the status of the respondent after that
contact attempt.
6. “Description” displays the entries made at the noncontact and
noninterview screens.
7. “Strategy” lists the strategies previously used, such as leaving
an advance letter, or checking with a neighbor.
8. “Reluctance” displays the concerns or reluctance expressed
in previous visits. If contact was not made during that visit,
“N/A” for “not applicable” is displayed in the Reluctance
column.
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Returning Contact History Tab
On the Case Management screen, the “Returning Contact
History” tab includes the same information as the “Contact
History” tab, with an extra column labeled “Int #” for “Interview
Number.” This tab is used for longitudinal surveys like the NCVS.
Use this tab to view pCHI records from the last enumeration.
You may use this contact history information to plan your
assignments. For example, you may determine the best days and
times to make contact and work cases that required extra effort in
previous interview periods early in your current assignment.
Snowflake
You may see a small snowflake next to some of the columns; this
means that there are multiple entries for that column.
Clicking on the snowflake brings up a dialog box that displays ALL
entries that the FR made for that column, for that particular date
and time. See example below:
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CTATEMPT
Part D, Chapter 2
CTATEMPT is the “Contact Attempt” screen. (The screen name is
located in the bottom left corner of the pCHI instrument window,
just as it is in the NCVS instrument.) Choose “Personal visit” to
record the details of a personal visit attempt. Choose “Telephone
(outgoing)” when you attempt a telephone contact. Choose
“Telephone (incoming)” when a respondent contacts you on the
telephone. Choose “Not attempting contact” when you do not
attempt contact or want to exit the pCHI.
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NOATTEMPT
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NOATTEMPT appears when you select “Not attempting contact”
in CTATEMPT. Enter the code for the appropriate category.
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SPECNOATTEMPT
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SPECNOATTEMPT appears when Precode (99), “Other –
specify” is marked in NOATTEMPT. Enter the specific “other”
activity you were doing at this screen.
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TIMEOFCT
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TIMEOFCT is the “Time of Contact” item, and appears if you
entered Precode (1), “Contact attempt”, Precode (2), “Telephone
(outgoing)”, or Precode (3), “Telephone (incoming)” in Item
CTATEMPT. This item asks if you are entering the pCHI at the
exact time that the contact attempt was made. If you are, click
“Yes,” or enter “1.” You may also enter contact information later.
This provides you flexibility to enter the contact attempt
information when it is convenient for you. (For accuracy, entering
the pCHI contact information at the time of the contact is
preferred.)
For example, if it is more convenient for you to record several
contact attempts later that night after you have returned home,
you may. Although you are recording your contact attempt later
in the day, the instrument still records the “real” time of the
contact attempt so that pCHI records are accurate.
If you enter “1,” “Yes,” and a roster exists, the instrument goes to
pCASECONTACT; if no roster exists, the instrument goes to
CASECONTACT. If you enter “2,” “No,” the instrument goes to
FR_DATE to allow you to enter the date and time of the contact
attempt manually.
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FR_DATE
Part D, Chapter 2
FR_DATE appears when you select “2,””No,” at item
TIMEOFCT. Enter the date of the contact attempt in
this item. The contact attempt date is pre-filled. If you
are entering the pCHI on the same day that the contact
attempt was made, press enter. If not, enter the date in
MM/DD/YYYY format. For example, if the contact
attempt is made on November 20, 2015, enter
11/20/2015.
The instrument then goes to FR_TIME.
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FR_TIME
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FR_TIME is the “Time of Contact” screen, where you
enter the time of day that the contact attempt was
made. It appears if an entry was made in FR_DATE.
Enter the time that the contact attempt was made, not
the current time when you are making the entry.
When entering the time of the contact attempt, enter
the hours and minutes of the contact and AM or PM. Do
not use colons when entering the hours and minutes;
the instrument does that for you. For example, if you
made contact at 11:00AM, type 1100A.
If a roster exists, the instrument goes to
pCASECONTACT; if no roster exists, the instrument
goes to CASECONTACT.
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Topic 3. The pCHI and Households Without a Roster
Household Contact History
When an NCVS household does not yet have a roster, the pCHI
takes you to the Household Section of the pCHI instrument,
which works the same way as the current CHI instrument used
for household surveys.
CASECONTACT
CASECONTACT is the pCHI “Contact Status” screen. Notice
the message “No Roster Present – Household CHI.” This
indicates that there is no roster present and the pCHI instrument
acts like the regular CHI does for a household level survey. At
this item, select whether the attempt is a contact or noncontact.
All contact attempts will fall into one of three categories:
“Contact with SAMPLE unit member;”
“Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member”; OR
“Noncontact.”
For pCHI, select “Contact with SAMPLE unit member” for
household members and persons you believe to be household
members. Select “Contact with NON-SAMPLE member” for
non-household members, such as building managers,
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babysitters, neighbors, and the like. “Contact with NON-SAMPLE
member” is considered a noncontact for the pCHI.
If this item is answered with “1 - Contact with SAMPLE unit
member,” the instrument goes to CTTYPE. A response of “2 Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member” or “3 – Noncontact”
takes the instrument to NCTPER for personal visits or to
NCTTEL for telephone call attempts.
CTTYPE
CTTYPE is the “Contact Type” screen, and appears when
CASECONTACT is answered “1 – Contact with SAMPLE unit
member.”
Notice Precode (1), “Completed case – ready to transmit.”
Since this screen appears for cases that do not have a
household roster, Precode (1) does not apply for the NCVS.
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If you have completed an interview with a household member
a roster exists, so the instrument takes a different path. If you
have a case with no roster and it is a Type A, B, or C
noninterview, select Precode (3), “Unable to conduct
interview,” not Precode (1).
Select Precode (2) – “Partial interview - follow-up required”
only if you have started an interview with a household
respondent, but the interview broke off before the household
roster was completed. (If a household roster was completed
during the interview, the instrument proceeds as discussed in
Topic 3, “The pCHI and Households With a Roster.”) The
instrument continues with NONINTER.
If you spoke with another household member but were not
able to conduct an interview with anyone, select Precode (3),
“Unable to conduct interview,” to record the noninterview
information for that respondent. The instrument goes to
NONINTER.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-15
Part D, Chapter 2
NONINTER
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item NONINTER appears when CTTYPE is answered with “2 Partial interview - follow-up required,” or “3 - Unable to conduct
interview.” Select the categories that best describe why you were
not able to conduct or complete the interview with the respondent
during THIS contact attempt.
Select Precode (4), “Language problem - specify,” if there is a
language barrier between you and the sample unit member. The
instrument goes to cLANGUAGE.
Select Precode (99), “Other – specify,” to record a situation not
covered by Precodes (1) – (6). The instrument skips to
CTOTHER.
Precodes (1)-(3), and (5), all continue with RSPNDENT. Precode
(6) is not used in the NCVS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-16
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
RSPNDENT
Part D, Chapter 2
RSPNDENT asks about respondent concerns, behaviors,
and/or reluctance. The purpose of this item is to describe
possible reluctance by the respondent. Even if this contact
attempt results in a completed case, it will be helpful for future
interview attempts with this case to know the household’s
concerns.
This item has check boxes; mark all that apply. You can click
the box or enter the number you would like to select. If you are
entering more than one number, separate them using commas.
Precodes (16) through (21) are for use in longitudinal/panel
surveys. These categories are not relevant for one-time
surveys, but are very important to longitudinal surveys like
NCVS. FRs use this information when reviewing the Returning
Contact History information to plan how they approach current
cases.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-17
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If the respondent has no concerns, select Precode (22) – “No
concerns.” For example, if the respondent has health problems
but would otherwise participate in our survey, select “No
concerns.” Another example might be if the eligible respondent
isn’t home, but other household members are helpful, select
“No concerns.”
Use Precode (23) – “Other – specify” if you cannot find a
selection from those provided that applies to this contact
attempt. Note that this question asks about reluctance for THIS
contact attempt, not on concerns that you may ever have
encountered on this case. If you select this answer category,
the instrument goes to RSPNDOTH. Otherwise, it goes to
STRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-18
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
RSPNDOTH
Part D, Chapter 2
Item RSPNDOTH appears when “99 - Other – specify” was
selected in RSPNDENT.
Enter the respondent’s “other” concerns that do not fit into any
of the categories in RSPNDENT here. The instrument goes to
STRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-19
Part D, Chapter 2
STRATEGS
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item STRATEGS asks about “Contact Strategies Attempted.” It
appears for all contact attempts.
Precode (11) – “Offered incentive” is only used in surveys that
offer monetary incentives. Do not select Precode (19), “Offered
incentive,” for the NCVS; currently, the NCVS does not offer any
monetary incentives.
Precode (12) – “CED double placement” is only used in the
Consumer Expenditures survey. Do not mark this precode for
the NCVS.
Precode (98) – “No Strategies” refers to THIS particular contact
attempt, not all previous attempts. Mark this precode if you did
not use any specific technique for this contact attempt.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-20
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part D, Chapter 2
STRATEGS is to help you keep track of all of the strategies you
have used to make contact for each contact attempt. When you
exit pCHI, a Case Management pop-up window appears, telling
you that the database has been successfully updated.
STRATOTH
STRATOTH appears when Precode (99), “Other – specify” was
marked in STRATEGS. Enter the “other” strategy; the
instrument returns to the Case Management screen.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-21
Part D, Chapter 2
cLANGUAGE
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
In cLANGUAGE, select the categories that describe the language
situation.
Marking Precode (1), “Specify language or dialect,” takes you to
LANGLIST. Otherwise, the instrument goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-22
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
LANGLIST
Part D, Chapter 2
Item LANGLIST asks you to specify the language or
dialect; it appears if Precode (1), “Specify language or
dialect,” is marked in cLANGUAGE. Enter the
appropriate precode for the respondent’s language or
dialect here. The instrument then goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-23
Part D, Chapter 2
SPECLANG
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
SPECLANG asks you to specify the language or dialect;
it appears if Precode (99), “Other – specify” is marked in
LANGLIST. Specify the respondent’s language or dialect
here. The instrument goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-24
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
CTOTHER
Part D, Chapter 2
CTOTHER appears when you mark Precode (99),
“Other-specify,” in NONINTER. Specify the reason for not
completing or not conducting the interview in this contact
attempt. The instrument then goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-25
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTPER
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTPER is the “Noncontact/Personal Visit” item. This item
appears when Precode (1), “Personal” is marked in item
CTATEMPT and Precode (2), “Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit
member,” or Precode (3), “Noncontact,” is marked in item
CASECONTACT or pCASECONTACT. Select all the
categories that describe why you were not able to make
contact.
For Precode (10) – “Completed case (Type B or C),” select this
category for all Type B and Type C cases.
For most answers to NCTPER the instrument goes to
STRATEGS, except::
Precode (99), “Other – specify” goes to NCTPEROT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-26
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTPEROT
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTPEROT appears when NCTPER was answered with
Precode (15), “Other-specify.” This item allows 80 characters.
Enter the details of this personal visit noncontact. The instrument
then proceeds to STRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-27
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTTEL
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTTEL is the “Noncontact/Telephone” item, and appears when
you select Precode (2) “Telephone (outgoing)” as the type of
contact attempt made in CTATEMPT and you have selected
Precode (2), “Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member,” or
Precode (3), “Noncontact,” at item CASECONTACT or
pCASECONTACT. Select all categories that describe why
contact could not be made.
The instrument then proceeds to STRATEGS, unless you enter
Precode (99), “Other - specify.” In that case, the instrument goes
to NCTTELOT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-28
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTTELOT
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTTELOT appears when NCTTEL was answered with Precode
(8), “Other - specify.” Enter the details of this telephone
noncontact. The instrument then proceeds to STRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-29
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 4. The pCHI and Households With a Roster
Features of the person
section
When a roster exists for the household, the instrument goes
through Items CTATEMPT, TIMEOFCT, FR_DATE, and
FR_TIME. The person section of the pCHI appears next.
This section of the pCHI allows you to enter contact information
for individual respondents within the sample household.
The pCHI receives roster information from the NCVS
instrument and cycles through each NCVS eligible person.
Update the contact history for each NCVS eligible household
member. When you have updated for each eligible member, the
pCHI sends you back to the Case Management screen.
After you complete a household member’s NCVS interview, no
further entries in pCHI are required for the household member
during that interview period.
Household roster access
You may view the roster and corresponding line numbers for
each household member at any time by clicking the “Roster
Information” tab at the top left of the screen.
Exit the roster by clicking on the “pCHI” tab or entering 1 to
continue.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-30
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pCASECONTACT
Part D, Chapter 2
pCASECONTACT is the pCHI screen that shows the entire
household roster. It shows five columns:
LNO – person’s line number and interview status:
(C) denotes a completed interview – person has
completed their NCVS interview during a previous
contact,
(I) denotes an ineligible person/ non-household
member – persons who are no longer eligible
household members or are not eligible for the NCVS
If neither (C) nor (I) is displayed, it means that this
line number is eligible for pCHI: they are NCVS
eligible and did not complete their NCVS interview
during a previous contact.
NAME – person’s name
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-31
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
AGE – person’s age
BIRTHDATE – person’s birth date
SEX – person’s sex
Enter Precode (1), “Made contact with one or more eligible
person(s),” if you made contact with one or more eligible
persons. Select Precode (1) when you made contact with
eligible persons, whether you completed their interview or only
spoke with them. The instrument then goes to
PCONTACTPER.
Enter Precode (2), “Made contact with only non-eligible
persons,” if the only people you made contact with were
ineligible persons on the roster or those whose interview is
already complete.
Enter Precode (3), “Noncontact,” if you were unable to make a
contact.
For Precodes (2) and (3), the instrument goes to NCTPER for a
personal visit contact. It goes to NCTTEL for a telephone
contact.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-32
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
PCONTACTPER
Part D, Chapter 2
PCONTACTPER is the first “person level” question in the pCHI.
This and subsequent items are formatted to show the NCVS
roster. The pCHI collects contact information for each line
number until you have entered information for each eligible
household member.
PCONTACTPER asks about each eligible individual on the
roster, “Did you make contact with (NAME) or a knowledgeable
proxy for (NAME)?”
Enter Precode (1), “Made contact with (NAME),” if you
made contact with the named household member during
this contact attempt. The instrument goes to pCTTYPE.
Enter Precode (2), “Made contact with proxy” if you made
contact with a knowledgeable proxy for the named
household member. The instrument goes to pCTTYPE.
Enter Precode (3), “Noncontact,” if you did not make
contact with the named household member. The instrument
goes to pNOCONTACT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-33
Part D, Chapter 2
pNOCONTACT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pNOCONTACT appears when Precode (3), “Noncontact,” is
marked in PCONTACTPER. Mark the appropriate precode(s)
to explain the reason(s) for the noncontact. Precodes (1) – (5)
go to pSTRATEGS.
Precode (3), “Person home but avoided contact,” is a category
added to record situations in which the respondent is at home,
but not answering the door.
Precode (99), “Other – specify,” continues to pNONCONOTH to
collect the “other” reason for personal visit noncontact.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-34
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pNONCONOTH
Part D, Chapter 2
pNONCONOTH appears when Precode (6), “Other – specify”
was marked in pNOCONTACT. Enter the “other” reason for the
noncontact. This item allows for 80 characters.
The instrument proceeds to pSTRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-35
Part D, Chapter 2
pCTTYPE
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If you make contact with a household member or eligible proxy,
pCTTYPE asks whether the contact resulted in a completed
interview, partial interview, or no interview.
Enter Precode (1), “Completed interview,” for a fully completed
interview for the respondent. The instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Enter Precode (2), “Partial interview” for a partial interview for
the respondent. A partial interview occurs when you start an
interview with a respondent or a proxy respondent, but were
unable to complete the interview. Also, select this precode
when you have completed a respondent’s NCVS interview but
were not able to complete their supplement interview during this
contact. (This is necessary so you can document subsequent
contact attempts to complete the supplement interview.) The
instrument goes to pNONINTER.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-36
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part D, Chapter 2
Enter Precode (3), “Unable to conduct interview,” if no interview
was conducted for that respondent. The instrument goes to
pNONINTER.
pNONINTER
pNONINTER asks the reasons for the noninterview for the
household member.
Notice Precode (5), “Potential Type-Z.” This category was
added in order to record respondents who you believe may
become Type Z noninterviews or have been coded as a Type Z
noninterview in the NCVS instrument.
If you select:
Precode (1), “Inconvenient time,” the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Precode (2), “Respondent is reluctant,” the instrument goes
to pRSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-37
Part D, Chapter 2
pCTOTHER
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precode (3), “Language problem – specify,” the instrument
goes to pLANGUAGE.
Precode (4), “Health problem,” the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Precode (5), “Potential Type Z,” the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Precode (99), “Other – specify,” the instrument goes to
pCTOTHER.
pCTOTHER appears when Precode (99), “Other – specify” is
selected at pNONINTER. Enter the “other” reason in the space
provided. This field allows for up to 80 characters.
The instrument then goes to pRSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-38
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pLANGUAGE
Part D, Chapter 2
pLANGUAGE appears if Precode (3), “Language problem –
specify” is selected at pNONINTER.
Record the language situation that led to the noninterview
during this contact attempt. Mark the appropriate precode.
Marking Precode (1), “Specify language or dialect,” takes you to
LANGLIST. All other responses go to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-39
Part D, Chapter 2
pLangLIST
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pLangLIST appears when Precode (1), “Specify language or
dialect,” is selected in pLANGUAGE. Mark the appropriate
precode for the language or other problem.
For Precodes (11) - (25) and (27) - (28), the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT. For Precode (26), the instrument goes to
pSPECLANG.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-40
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pSPECLANG
Part D, Chapter 2
pSPECLANG appears when Precode (26), “Other-specify” was
marked in pLangLIST. Specify the language or dialect. This
item allows 80 characters.
The instrument then goes to pRSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-41
Part D, Chapter 2
pRSPNDENT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
In pRSPNDENT, mark the respondent’s concerns, behaviors,
or reluctance during this contact attempt. Enter all that apply;
separate with commas.
Select the categories in this question in the order the
respondent mentions them. For example, a respondent may be
reluctant to complete the interview because of privacy
concerns, then say they are too busy to complete it. In this
scenario, select Precode (6) “Privacy concerns,” then Precode
(2), “Too busy.”
When selecting multiple categories in pRSPNDENT, you
cannot select Precode (98), “No concerns,” in combination with
any other category. If it is selected with other categories, error
message CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT appears.
After making all selections, if you selected Precode (99), “Other
– specify” the instrument continues with pRSPNDOTH.
Otherwise, the instrument goes to pSTRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-42
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pRSPNDOTH
Part D, Chapter 2
pRSPNDOTH appears if Precode (99), “Other – specify,” was
marked in pRSPNDENT. Enter the “other” category. This item
allows 80 characters.
After this item, the instrument goes to pSTRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-43
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If the respondent has NO concerns, select
answer category 98.
If there are other concerns, behaviors, or
reluctance during this contact attempt,
then enter all that apply, separate with
commas. Do NOT select answer category
98.
Close
CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT
Goto
CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT is a hard error check item. It
appears if Precode (98), “No concerns,” was selected in
addition to any other precode in pRSPNDENT. Click on “Goto”
to return to pRSPNDENT and correct the error to dismiss the
check item and continue.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-44
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pSTRATEGS
Part D, Chapter 2
pSTRATEGS asks about contact strategies attempted for the
respondent. It appears for all contact attempts. pSTRATEGS is
designed to help you keep track of all the strategies you have
used to make contact for each household member.
Notice Precode (11), “Offered incentive.” This refers to
monetary incentives that some surveys offer. Do not select this
precode for the NCVS. Currently, the NCVS does not offer any
monetary incentives.
Precode (12) – “CED double placement” is only used in the
Consumer Expenditures survey. Do not mark this category for
the NCVS.
Precode (98) – “No Strategies” refers to THIS particular contact
attempt, not all previous attempts. Mark this category if you did
not use any specific technique for this contact attempt.
When selecting multiple precodes in this item, you cannot
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-45
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
select Precode (98), “No Strategies” in combination with any
other precode. If you do, check item
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED appears. Return to
pSTRATEGS and correct your error to dismiss the check item
and continue.
When Precode (99), “Other-specify” is selected, the instrument
continues with pSTRATOTH. Otherwise, it goes to
pCONTACTPER for the next eligible respondent.
pSTRATOTH
pSTRATOTH appears if Precode (98), “Other – specify” was
marked in pSTRATEGS. Enter the “other” strategy. This field
allows 80 characters.
After you complete this item, the instrument goes to
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-46
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part D, Chapter 2
pCONTACTPER for the next eligible respondent so you can
enter their contact information. When you are finished entering
the contact information for each eligible household member,
you exit pCHI.
If NO contact strategies were used, select answer category 98.
If there are other contact strategies attempted during this contact attempt, then enter all
that apply, separate with commas. Do NOT select answer category 98.
Close
Goto
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED is a hard error check item,
which appears when Precode (98), “No Strategies,” is selected
in addition to any other precode in pSTRATEGS. Click on
“Goto” to return to pSTRATEGS and correct the error to dismiss
the check item and continue.
Remember...
Enter pCHI after EACH contact attempt. This is a great way for
you to keep track of your efforts with each respondent. It’s also
a quick way for you to see what days and times you have
attempted to make contact, so you can come up with strategies
to contact that respondent and get the interview.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-47
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 5. How to Code the pCHI in Specific Situations
When the Only Person
Contacted During A Contact
Attempt Has Already
Completed Their Interview
You may encounter situations in which the only person
contacted has already completed their interview.
For example: You are contacting a household to follow up
on a respondent who has not yet completed their interview.
When you call the respondent (Line 2) they are not at home,
but you speak with another respondent (Line 1) who has
already completed their NCVS interview. In this situation,
code that you did not make contact with an eligible
household member and code Line 2 as a noncontact.
At pCASECONTACT, select Precode (2), “Made contact
with only non-eligible persons” to record the fact that you
made contact with someone, but that person was not
eligible as they had already completed their interview. Code
the noncontact with Line 2 and record the applicable
contact information in the remaining pCHI items for Line 2.
When Someone Has Moved
Out of the Household and the
Case is Not a Replacement
Household
When someone has moved out of the household, but other
household members from the last enumeration still live at
the sample address, that person is considered a
nonhousehold member. If this change is discovered while
updating the household roster, the person who has moved
out is ineligible for the NCVS and therefore not eligible in
pCHI. Do not collect contact information for that person.
However, if the change in household membership is
discovered after the roster has been verified, that person is
still displayed as eligible in pCHI because they are on the
household roster in the NCVS instrument. (This can occur
when a college student is away at college, but the
household respondent considers them a household
member because they return home for holidays and
summer vacation. In this situation, document that this
person has moved out of the household in pCHI.)
For this person, code PCONTACTPER as “Noncontact,”
Precode (3). At pNOCONTACT select Precode (5), “Person
moved” to note that the person moved away from the
sample address.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-48
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Coding a Respondent As a
Type Z Noninterview
Part D, Chapter 2
In pCHI you can mark someone as a potential Type Z
noninterview to show that a person is reluctant OR as an
actual Type Z noninterview once a respondent has been
coded as a Type Z in the NCVS instrument.
To code a respondent as a Type Z or potential Type Z code
that contact was made with the respondent, as the
noncontact path in pCHI does not contain a category for
Type Z noninterviews. To code a Type Z or potential Type Z
enter Precode (1), “Made contact with (NAME)” in Item
PCONTACTPER and select Precode (3), “Unable to
conduct interview” at pCTTYPE. At pNONINTER select
Precode (5), “Potential Type Z” to document the
noninterview or potential noninterview situation. Record the
applicable contact attempt information in the remaining
pCHI screens.
Note that selecting Precode (5), “Potential Type Z” at Item
pNONINTER does not make that respondent a Type Z
noninterview in the NCVS instrument. Selecting Precode
(5), “Potential Type Z” at pNONINTER only documents the
situation, and does not code a respondent as a
noninterview. All Type Z noninterviews must be coded in
the NCVS instrument.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-49
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
CASECONTACT ............................................................................................................... D2-12
cLANGUAGE ..................................................................................................................... D2-21
CONTINUE ....................................................................................................................... D2-28
CTATEMPT ......................................................................................................................... D2-7
CTOTHER ......................................................................................................................... D2-25
CTTYPE ............................................................................................................................ D2-13
FR_DATE ............................................................................................................................ D2-9
FR_TIME ........................................................................................................................... D2-10
LANGLIST ......................................................................................................................... D2-22
MOVEDOTH ...................................................................................................................... D2-30
NCTMOVED ...................................................................................................................... D2-29
NCTPER ........................................................................................................................... D2-26
NCTPEROT ...................................................................................................................... D2-31
NCTTEL ............................................................................................................................ D2-32
NCTTELOT ....................................................................................................................... D2-33
NONINTER ....................................................................................................................... D2-15
pCASECONTACT ............................................................................................................. D2-35
pCHI and Case Management .............................................................................................. D2-3
pCHI and Households With a Roster ................................................................................. D2-34
pCHI and Households Without a Roster ............................................................................ D2-12
pCHI, Overview ................................................................................................................... D2-2
pCHI, Specific Situations ................................................................................................... D2-52
PCONATCPER ................................................................................................................. D2-36
pCTOTHER ....................................................................................................................... D2-42
pCTTYPE .......................................................................................................................... D2-40
Person Level Contact History Instrument (see pCHI), Overview .......................................... D2-2
pLANGLIST ....................................................................................................................... D2-44
pLANGUAGE .................................................................................................................... D2-43
pNOCONTACT .................................................................................................................. D2-38
pNONCONOTH ................................................................................................................. D2-39
pNONINTER ...................................................................................................................... D2-41
pRSPNDENT ..................................................................................................................... D2-46
pRSPNDOTH .................................................................................................................... D2-47
pSPECLANG ..................................................................................................................... D2-45
pSTRATEGS ..................................................................................................................... D2-49
pSTRATOTH ..................................................................................................................... D2-50
RSPNDENT ...................................................................................................................... D2-16
RSPNDOTH ...................................................................................................................... D2-18
SPECLANG ....................................................................................................................... D2-23
STRATEGS ....................................................................................................................... D2-19
STRATOTH ....................................................................................................................... D2-20
TALKEDTO ....................................................................................................................... D2-24
TIMEOFCT .......................................................................................................................... D2-8
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-50
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part C, Chapter 3
"How many of these persons are members of your
household now? Do not include yourself, the offender,
or children under 12 years of age."
Victimized Member Not
Yet Interviewed
If a household member identified at Item
HHMEMHARMED_NAMES does not mention that he/she
was personally victimized during his/her interview, remind
the respondent about the incident reported by the other
household member. There may be instances when the
respondent contradicts what the other household member
told you.
Victimized Member
Already Interviewed
At Item HHMEMHARMED_NAMES you enter the line
numbers of the household members who were personally
victimized during this incident. If you have already
interviewed a household member who was identified at Item
HHMEMHARMED_NAMES and the household member did
not mention that he/she was personally victimized in the
incident, you will not be able to complete an incident report
for that person. If you come across this situation, be sure to
document it in the “Case Level Notes.”
Victimized Person No
Longer a Household
Member
Do NOT enter a previous household member's line number
at Item HHMEMHARMED_NAMES if the person is NOT a
household member at the time of the incident.
Victimized Person Is a
Proxy Respondent
If you are conducting a proxy interview, the question and
statement at Item HHMEMHARMED_NAMES is worded
differently so that you ask about the proxy person, NOT the
proxy respondent.
Make sure to enter the proxy respondent's line number at
Item HHMEMHARMED_NAMES if the proxy respondent:
Is a household member at the time of interview
AND
Was personally victimized during the reported incident.
If you confirm that a proxy respondent was personally
victimized, make sure to document it in the “Case Level
Notes.”
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Victimized Person Is a
Noninterview
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If you have already tried and are unable to interview a
household member and another household member tells
you that this noninterviewed person was also personally
victimized during an incident, do not attempt to re-contact
the noninterviewed person about the victimization.
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Topic 17. Damage to Property During an Incident
Definition
The NCVS measures "damage to property" when the
property is:
Owned by someone who was a household member at
the time of the incident,
OR
Owned by an unrecognizable business that is operated
from the sample address,
AND
The property was damaged or vandalized during the
incident.
When to Exclude Damaged
Property
Under the following circumstances, EXCLUDE information
about damaged property for the NCVS:
The damaged property belonged to someone who was
not a sample household member at the time of the
incident and at the time of the interview.
The damaged property belonged to a recognizable
business operated by a household member.
The damaged property is commercial property that does
not belong to a household member.
Incident Report Screens
WHATHAPPEN
There are several screens in the incident report section that
are used to collect information about property damage
during a reported crime incidentBItems WHATHAPPEN,
HAPPEN, and DAMAGED through PAIDREPAIRS. At the
SUMMARY screen, include details about damaged property
as you summarize the reported incident.
Item WHATHAPPEN is used to determine what actually
happened during the incident and it allows for multiple
answers. Ask the question at Item WHATHAPPEN when
the respondent was present during the incident and
answered "No" when asked if the offender:
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Hit, knocked down, or actually attacked the respondent
in any way (Item ATTACK);
Tried to attack the respondent (Item TRYATTACK); and
Threatened to physically harm the respondent in any
way (Item THREATEN).
Two of the answer categories for Item WHATHAPPEN deal
with damage to property:
Precode (18), Damaged or destroyed property, and
Precode (19), Attempted or threatened to damage or
destroy property.
HAPPEN
Item HAPPEN is also used to determine what actually
happened during the incident and this screen allows you to
enter more than one precode. You will see Item HAPPEN
when only household members, other than the respondent,
were present during the incident.
Item HAPPEN includes two answer categories that deal
with damage to property:
Precode (16), Damaged or destroyed property, and
Precode (17), Attempted or threatened to damage or
destroy property.
DAMAGED
Item DAMAGED determines whether any property owned
by a household member at the time of the incident (other
than stolen property) was damaged during the incident.
Since Item DAMAGED excludes damage done to property
stolen during an incident, make sure to read the lead-in
statement Other than any stolen property, whenever an
incident involves stolen property. If the incident does not
involve stolen property, then the instrument does not display
the lead-in statement. If you entered Precodes (12) through
(36) in Item WHATWASTAKEN, then you should read the
lead-in statement when asking the question Item
DAMAGED.
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If a respondent appears to be confused, ask the probe
question shown below the question at Item DAMAGED to
give the respondent some examples. The probe reads: "For
example, was (a lock or window broken/clothing
damaged/damage done to a car), or something else?"
Based on the type of incident reported, decide which phrase
within the parentheses is most appropriate to read for the
probe question.
DAMAGEDREPAIRED
ESTCOSTTOREPAIR
REPLACE and
ACTCOSTREPAIR
REPLACE
When you enter Precode (1), "Yes," at Item DAMAGED,
continue with Item DAMAGEDREPAIRED to determine
whether any or all of the items that were damaged during an
incident were either repaired or replaced. A "Yes" answer
(Precode (1), “Yes, all,” or (2), “Yes, part”) is acceptable at
Item DAMAGEDREPAIRED regardless of:
Who repaired or replaced the damaged items or
What the repair or replacement cost may have been,
even if the repair or replacement was done at no charge.
If a respondent tells you that the damaged items were not
repaired or replaced, ask the question at Item
ESTCOSTTOREPAIRREPLACE to determine what it
would cost to repair or replace the damaged items.
If a respondent tells you that all or part of the damaged
items were repaired or replaced, ask the question at Item
ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE to determine what it did cost
to repair or replace the damaged items. For Items
ESTCOSTTOREPAIRREPLACE and
ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE, enter the amount in whole
dollars, rounding up or down as necessary. If a respondent
is having difficulty giving you an amount, probe to help
him/her decide on an accurate answer. It is acceptable to
enter the respondent's best estimate when an exact amount
is not readily available or remembered. Only enter Control +
D for "Don't know," when you are unable to even get an
estimated cost after probing. If the household did not incur
any cost to repair or replace the damaged property, then
enter Precode “0” (zero), "No cost."
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PAIDREPAIRS
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Item PAIDREPAIRS determines who either paid or would
pay the cost to repair or replace any items damaged during
a reported incident. When asking the question at Item
PAIDREPAIRS, make sure to use the appropriate words
based on the answers you received at Items DAMAGED
through ACTCOSTREPAIRREPLACE. Since the repair or
replacement costs could be paid by more than one person
or organization, Item PAIDREPAIRS allows you to enter
more than one precode. Continue asking "Anyone else?"
until you get a "No" answer.
When recording answers at Item PAIDREPAIRS,
remember the following points:
Precode (1) "Items will not be repaired or replaced":
Only enter Precode (1) when NONE of the damaged
property will be repaired or replaced. However, if money
was paid by insurance or another source to the respondent
for the purpose of repairing or replacing the damaged
property and the respondent decided not to use it for that
purpose, do NOT enter Precode (1). Instead, enter
Precodes (3) through (6), as appropriate. Here are a few
examples:
The victim's insurance paid to repair some furniture that
was damaged during a household theft and the victim
decided to give the damaged furniture away and use the
insurance money for some other purpose. In this
example, enter Precode (4), "Victim's (or household's)
insurance," even though the furniture was not repaired.
The respondent's neighbor gave the respondent money
to replace a lamp that the neighbor broke while arguing
and physically assaulting the respondent during a party
at the respondent's home. The respondent did not use
the money to replace the lamp. In this example, enter
Precode (5), "Offender."
Any time money is given to a respondent for the purpose of
repairing or replacing a damaged item, enter the
appropriate precodes to show who gave the money,
regardless of whether or not the money was used for that
purpose.
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Precode (3), "Landlord or landlord's insurance," and
Precode (4), "Victim's (or household's) insurance":
Any time the cost to repair or replace a damaged item is
paid for by someone other than an insurance company and
that person is later reimbursed by an insurance company,
you would enter Precode (3) and/or Precode (4) depending
on whose insurance reimbursed the person. If the
household member had to pay a deductible and the
insurance company paid the balance, enter Precode (2),
"Household member," AND Precode (4), "Victim's (or
household's) insurance."
Precode (6), "Other":
If the money to repair or replace the damaged property
came from a source not covered in Precodes (1) through
(5), enter Precode (6) and describe the type of person or
organization in the “Specify” space in Item
PAIDREPAIRS_SPEC. Some examples are: a relative,
friend, government agency, church, or community
organization.
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Topic 18. Job/Business at Time of the Incident
Definition
For the NCVS, a job or business at the time of the incident
means that the respondent:
Had a definite arrangement to work for pay or profit on a
part-time or full-time basis at the time of the incident.
Was self-employed in his/her own business/farm or
partnership at the time of the incident.
Was working without pay on a family farm or in a family
business at the time of the incident.
If a respondent meets one of the conditions stated above
and is temporarily absent from work because of an illness,
vacation, bad weather, strike, or temporary layoff, you
would still consider him/her to have a job at the time of the
incident.
Do NOT consider a respondent to have a job at the time of
the incident, if the respondent was:
Doing volunteer work without pay.
Keeping house without pay.
Receiving money from a scholarship.
JOBDURINGINCIDENT
The question at Item JOBDURINGINCIDENT can be either
asked or verified and it asks: "Did you have a job at the
time of the incident?" A "Yes" answer to this question
takes you to Item LOSTOTHERWORKTIME, if the
respondent was not injured. However, if the respondent was
injured and answers “Yes” at Item JOBDURINGINCIDENT,
continue with Screen LOSTWORKTIME. A “No” answer
takes you to Item MAJORACTIVITY.
The employment questions in the screening section of the
instrument ask about the respondent's job or business held
for at least two consecutive weeks in the 6 months before
the interview and Item JOBDURINGINCIDENT asks about
the respondent’s job or business at the time of the incident.
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Topic 19. Major Activity During Week of the Incident
Definition
For the NCVS, major activity during the week of the incident
is intended to identify the one activity at which the
respondent spent the majority of his/her time during the
week that the incident occurred. Whenever a respondent
says at Item JOBDURINGINCIDENT that he/she did not
have a job or business at the time of the incident, you ask
the question at Item MAJORACTIVITY to determine how
the respondent spent most of his/her time during the week
of the incident.
MAJORACTIVITY
When a respondent tells you at Item
JOBDURINGINCIDENT that he/she did not have a job or
business at the time of the incident, continue with the
question at Item MAJORACTIVITY to find out whether the
person was:
Precode (1), Looking for work
Precode (2), Keeping house
Precode (3), Going to school
Precode (4), Unable to work
Precode (5), Retired
Precode (6), Other - Specify
Make sure that you read the entire question, so the
respondent has a better idea of the question's purpose and
only enter ONE precode.
The question at Item MAJORACTIVITY asks:
"What was your major activity the week of the incident
-were you looking for work, keeping house, going to
school, or doing something else?"
Looking for Work
The following activities constitute "Looking for work,"
Precode (1):
Registering at an employment office,
Meeting with prospective employers,
Placing or answering job advertisements, and
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Investigating the possibility of starting a business or
professional practice.
Keeping House
Precode (2), "Keeping house," is intended for respondents
whose primary responsibility during the week of the incident
involved housework within their own home. "Keeping
house" includes the following activities:
Cooking, washing clothes, and cleaning house,
Caring for their own children, foster children, or children
of relatives, such as brothers, sisters, cousins, and so
forth,
Overseeing the care of their home, even if someone
else actually does the labor, and
Maintaining their yard and house, such as cutting the
grass, painting the house, and caring for vegetable and
flower gardens (other than on a family farm).
Consider a respondent as having a job at the time of the
incident if the respondent is paid to keep house, such as a
maid. If this happens, go back to Item
JOBDURINGINCIDENT and change the “No” answer to a
“Yes” answer.
Going to School
Precode (3), "Going to school," is intended for respondents
who spent the major part of the incident week attending any
kind of public or private school, including a trade or
vocational school. When a respondent was not at school
due to an illness or short vacation, you still enter Precode
(3), "Going to school."
However, a student's summer vacation is treated differently.
If the respondent was on summer vacation when the
incident occurred and he/she was not attending summer
school during that week, enter one of the other categories,
NOT Precode (3), "Going to school."
For example, if the household member was:
Looking for work, enter Precode (1),
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OR
"Babysitting brother and sister" or "Doing volunteer work
without pay," enter Precode (6), "Other," and enter the
activity in the "Specify" space in Item
MAJORACTIVITY_SPEC.
Unable to Work
Precode (4), "Unable to work," is intended for respondents
who are unable to do any kind of work either permanently or
for more than 6 months from the time of the incident due to a
long-term physical/mental illness or disability. This category
is NOT intended for respondents who are only ill or disabled
temporarily and will be able to do some type of work within 6
months following the incident. For a temporary illness or
disability that keeps a respondent from working, you may
need to enter Precode (6), "Other," and enter a description
of the major activity in Item MAJORACTIVITY_SPEC.
Retired
Precode (5), "Retired," is intended for respondents who
have discontinued working permanently from their jobs. If a
respondent has retired from one job, but was working at
least part of the incident week, consider the person as
having a job at the time of the incident, go back to Item
JOBDURINGINCIDENT and change the answer to “Yes.”
Other
Enter Precode (6), "Other, specify" when the respondent's
major activity during the incident week does not fit any other
category from Precodes (1) through (5) for Item
MAJORACTIVITY. Whenever you enter Precode (6), you
must enter a written description of the major activity, such
as recuperating from surgery, caring for a sick relative, and
so on in Item MAJORACTIVITY_SPEC.
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Topic 20. Incident Occurred at Work Site
Definition
For the NCVS, a work site is the area in which the
respondent usually conducts his/her day-to-day job-related
tasks for all jobs held by the respondent at the time of the
incident.
INCIDENTHAPPENAT
WORK
If you determine at Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME that the
incident happened while the respondent was working or on
duty, then you ask a series of questions about the
respondent's job and employer. Item
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK is part of this series of
questions and is asked to find out if the incident happened
at the respondent's work site. You can either verify the
answer or ask the question before entering the appropriate
precode.
Here are some situations in which you must enter Precode
(1), "Yes," at Item INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK:
Example 1:
As a taxi cab driver was driving a customer to the airport, the
customer threatened to stab him with a knife if he did not
turn over his money and watch.
Example 2:
While working at a construction site, a bricklayer was
physically attacked by a coworker.
Example 3:
An insurance agent was sexually assaulted in her office
while working late one evening. However, if this incident had
occurred while meeting with a potential client in a
restaurant, then the incident did not happen at the
respondent's work site; enter Precode (2), "No," at Item
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK.
Example 4:
A traveling salesperson was physically assaulted by a
potential customer while he was in the customer's home
trying to make a sale.
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Example 5:
An accountant who works out of her unrecognizable home
office reported that her office was broken into, vandalized,
and computer and other electronic equipment were stolen
during the incident. However, if the only items stolen
belonged to the respondent personally and not to the
unrecognizable business, enter Precode (2), "No," at Item
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK.
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Topic 21. Incidents Involving a Police Officer
Definition
Police officers can be involved in crime incidents as either
victims or offenders. The NCVS is interested in all incidents
involving police officers, regardless of whether the officers
are victims or offenders or on duty or off duty. Due to the
nature of their job, police officers present special issues for
the NCVS.
An assault, a threat of physical harm, or any other type of
NCVS crime in which a police officer has been victimized is
no less of a crime because of his/her line of work. However,
due to a police officer's job, he/she is more likely to report a
greater number of incidents than the average NCVS
respondent.
Even though a police officer in the line of duty sometimes
has the right to use necessary physical force to make an
arrest or to keep the peace, a police officer while either on or
off duty can still be an offender in a crime incident. If a
respondent claims that an offender is a police officer, do
NOT attempt to determine whether the police officer was or
was not acting in the line of duty.
Headquarters staff reviews all incident reports involving
offenders who are police officers and determines whether
each incident:
Should be kept because the police officer acted beyond
the line of duty
OR
POLICEINFORMED
Should be deleted because the police officer acted
within the line of duty.
When completing the incident report questions for an
incident in which a police officer is either the victim or the
offender, do not assume that the police department was
informed and an official report was filed.
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The question at Item POLICEINFORMED asks:
"Were the police informed or did they find out about
this incident in any way?"
Ask this question of the respondent and, if necessary, probe
by asking whether or not an official report was filed for the
incident. If a report was not filed, enter Precode (2), "No."
The SUMMARY Screen
When a police officer is reported as the offender in an
incident, Headquarters staff rely heavily on the facts that
you enter at the SUMMARY screen. Since this information
helps determine whether or not the incident falls out of
scope for the NCVS, you need to provide as many facts as
possible to answer the following questions:
Was the victim/respondent arrested?
Did the victim/respondent press charges against the
police officer?
Did the police confiscate any property? If so, was the
property returned, kept as evidence, and so forth?
Was the police officer on or off duty?
Did the police officer have a hand gun or billy club? If so,
did the police officer draw or use either the gun or billy
club?
Probe to get a complete description of the police officer's
actions AND the victim's actions during the incident without
offending the respondent.
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Topic 22. Writing Summary Reports
Definition
The Summary Report, which you enter at Item SUMMARY
is intended for you to summarize all of the pertinent facts
involving a reported crime incident. Each summary report
should be written so that anyone reading it can get a clear,
well-defined picture of how the respondent was victimized
during the reported incident.
Include in the summary report any details that you feel are
not evident from the answers in the incident report section of
the interview. This is very important because, before
sending a case for processing, editors often need more
specific details than they can get from other entries in the
NCVS interview. When this happens, they must rely on what
is written in your summary report.
As you write your summary report, be careful not to use
nonspecific or misleading words or phrases that may raise
more questions about the incident, instead of clarifying what
really happened.
For example:
When you ask if the offender threatened the respondent
with harm in any way, the respondent answers "No." Also,
the respondent tells you at Item WHATHAPPEN that her
husband was harassing her and using abusive language.
However, in the summary report, you use the phrase
"verbally threatened her." Be careful that the words and
phrases you use in summary reports help explain the
situation, instead of adding more confusion to the situation.
Key Points to Cover
Use these key words to jog your memory when writing a
summary report--who, what, where, when, and how.
Who - Using the person's line number (L1, L2, etc.) from
the household roster, identify all household members who
were involved in the incident, even if the member was a
noninterview. Include any nonhousehold members who
were involved in the incident. In the summary, identify that
they are nonhousehold members and use specific
descriptions, such as "friend," "neighbor," or "co-worker" to
show their relationship to the respondent. Avoid using
pronouns to describe persons involved in an incident.
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Reminder:
If other current household members who are at least 12
years old were also victims of a personal crime with contact,
you need to complete a separate set of incident report
questions for each of these persons who you are able to
interview.
What - Explain the type of crime and any pertinent details
related to the crime incident--purse stolen & offender
threatened to stab L1 while she was washing her hands.
Where - Explain where the crime took place--in a restaurant
restroom.
When - Explain when the incident took place--At 8:30 p.m.
on December 21.
How - Explain how the crime was executed--offender
yanked purse from L1's shoulder & ran/no injury to
L1/reported to police/property not recovered.
Weapons Used
Item WEAPONPRESENT - 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?
Item WEAPON - What was the weapon?
If a respondent tells you at Items WEAPONPRESENT and
WEAPON that an offender had a weapon other than any
type of gun, rifle, shotgun, or knife, your summary report
needs to explain if and how this object was used as a
weapon. Since guns, rifles, shotguns, and knives are
obviously weapons, it is not necessary to explain if and how
any of these weapons were used as a weapon in the
summary report.
For example:
L1 was arguing with neighbor/neighbor picked up
rock/threw it at L1 & hit L1 in head/L1 treated at hospital
emergency room & got 4 stitches for the cut.
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Thrown objects are only considered weapons if they hit and
seriously injure the respondent. BB guns and tear gas guns
are only considered weapons if they are used as clubs.
The following objects are NEVER considered weapons:
Sex-Related Crimes
Animals
Pellet guns
Chloroform
Food
Mace or pepper spray
Parts of the body
Small empty cans
Tear gas
Water balloons
Since sex-related crimes are rare compared to other types
of crimes, include as many details as the respondent is
willing to provide. This is important so that we can classify
any sex-related crimes into the correct category--rape,
attempted rape, sexual assault, or unwanted sexual
contact.
Avoid using phrases like "made sexually explicit
comments," "unwanted sexual contact," or "unwanted
sexual advances." These phrases do not provide us with
enough information to determine what actually happened.
We need to know what was actually said, what parts of the
body were touched, whether or not force was used, and so
forth.
Even though we want all the pertinent facts, do not probe
beyond the structured probes that are provided for Items
WHATHAPPEN, HOWTRYATTACK, HOWATTACK, and
INJURY. For example, the structured probe question for
Item SEXCONFORCEPROBE_1 is "Do you mean forced
or coerced sexual intercourse including attempts?"
Stolen Property
Item ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER - "Did the
(property/money) the offender tried to take belong to
you personally, to someone else in the household, or to
both you and other household members?"
Item WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY - "Did the stolen
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(property/money) belong to you personally, to
someone else in the household, or to both you and
other household members?"
Items ATTEMPTTHEFTOWNER and
WHOOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY relate to ownership of
property and/or money that an offender tried to steal or
stole. If property and/or money involved in the incident
belongs to the respondent AND other household members
OR just to other household members, make sure to
specifically identify these persons by their line numbers (L1,
L2, and so forth).
If property and/or money involved in the incident belongs to
nonhousehold members, mention that they are
nonhousehold members, along with a specific description of
their relationship to the respondent, such as co-worker,
friend, cousin, and so forth.
Item PROPERTYVALUE - "What was the value of the
PROPERTY that was taken? Include recovered
property. (Exclude any stolen cash/checks/credit
cards. If jointly owned with a nonhousehold member(s),
include only share owned by household members.)"
When completing Item PROPERTYVALUE, please note:
If stolen property is jointly owned by one or more household
members together with one or more nonhousehold
members, only include the dollar amount for the portion that
was owned by the household members.
When identifying the value of stolen property that was
owned jointly by a household member and a nonhousehold
member, show a separate dollar amount in your summary
report to differentiate between the share owned by the
household member and the share owned by the
nonhousehold member. Do not use names in your summary
report; instead, use line numbers for household members
and relationships to the respondent for nonhousehold
members.
Offender is a Police
Officer
Whenever an offender is a police officer, there are specific
facts that we need to have in your summary report. Include
as many of these facts as you can gather. Be diplomatic and
ask for the following facts in a tactful manner:
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Get a complete description of both the officer's and the
victim's actions.
Find out if the officer used or attempted to use his/her
gun or billy club.
Determine if the victim signed a complaint and, if so,
include any additional details (for example, victim was
arrested).
Ascertain whether any property was confiscated by the
police. If so, find out what was done with the confiscated
property -- whether it was returned, kept as evidence,
etc.
Commercial
Establishment
If a crime incident occurred at a business or commercial
establishment, include in your summary report as many
facts as possible to provide a complete picture of what took
place. Also, make sure to mention whether the business is
recognizable or unrecognizable.
For example:
L2 was shot in arm during clothing store robbery
(recognizable business)/Off. shot L2 with small handgun as
L2 reached under register to set off burglar alarm/L2 treated
emergency room/Store clothing & displays damaged/store
closed for 2 days/Est. $50k in stolen money, damages & lost
sales to store/Off. arrested.
Although the NCVS is not interested in the theft of property
or cash belonging to a recognizable business, we do want
this information in the summary report when it helps in
describing a situation in which:
Personal property was also stolen from a household
member.
A household member received a face-to-face threat of
physical harm, was attacked, or an attempt was made to
attack the household member.
Someone illegally entered, broke into, or attempted to
break into the sample housing unit.
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Series Crimes
Things to Avoid
Part C, Chapter 3
When writing a summary report for series of crimes, start by
providing a GENERAL description of the entire series of
incidents. For the last or most recent incident in the
series, provide a DETAILED description of the incident
following the who, what, where, when, and how format.
When writing summary reports for crime incidents, avoid:
Using very general or vague statements or any
unnecessary words or phrases. Instead, write the facts
in short, concise sentences.
Using the exact wording from the answer categories in
the instrument.
Using pronouns (she, he, him, her, they, their, and so
forth).
Using abbreviations that most editors would not
understand. Instead, access and use the abbreviations
list in the NCVS instrument by using Shift + F11 or the
F1 Help key at the SUMMARY screen.
Omitting pertinent facts that could help clarify details of
an incident.
Examples of Good
Summary Reports
Here are some examples of good summary reports:
At 10 p.m. on Aug. 4, L1's drunken ex-spouse
(nonhousehold member) was arguing & using abusive
language while in L1's home/ex-spouse refused to leave
& threatened to burn down the house if L1 didn't take
him back/police arrested ex-spouse/no injury to L1/lamp
broken valued @ $40.
At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, L1 (school teacher) had $10
stolen from desk drawer in classroom while eating lunch
in school cafeteria/police not notified/off. never
caught/$10 not returned.
At 4 p.m. on Feb. 3, L2 (apt. mgr.) was shot in the arm by
angry evicted tenant in L2's office/small hand gun
used/police notified & off. arrested/L2 hospitalized
overnight.
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At 2 a.m. on Dec. 12, off. attempted to break into L1's
home/no one present/security alarm scared off. & off.
ran away/damage to door & lock valued “ $50/police
notified/off. not found.
At 11 a.m. on May 5, L2's antique shop robbed at
gunpoint by two off./$1,500 taken from shop
register/$50 taken from L2/gold necklace & purse taken
from customer/no injuries or store damage/ police
notified/off. caught & prosecuted.
At 9 p.m. on July 10, off. threatened to rape L2 at
gunpoint/siren from passing police car scared off./L2 got
free & ran to drug store for help/L2 bruised/police
notified/off. never found.
At 5 p.m. on Aug. 4, off. forcibly grabbed L2/kissed L2
against L2's will/ran his hands up & down L2's
buttocks/L2 kneed off. in his groin & got away/no police
report/no injuries to L2.
Examples of Bad Summary
Reports
The following are examples of bad summary reports:
Unwanted sexual contact between off. and L2 with no
injuries.
Sam was threatened by his co-worker in an office
building. There were no injuries.
Rsp. sd she was shot at while walking down the
street/offenders were arrested.
Rsp. was involved in a car jacking/threatened to
shoot/not far from home/police notified.
Was on way to school/music compact discs
stolen/$75/no police.
Garage broken into/HH sleeping at time/bike stolen/ no
police/no injuries.
Lawnmower stolen from premises/hh on vacation.
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Part C, Chapter 3
Topic 23. Type of Industry and Occupation
Definition
Specific questions in the incident report section of the
instrument, ask about various aspects of a respondent’s job
at the time of the incident. The information collected about
the respondent’s employer, kind of business, and kind of
work done at the time of the incident are used to assign
industry and occupation codes that uniquely identify the
respondent’s job by type of industry and occupation.
The aggregated data from these industry and occupation
items allow users to analyze crime data by different types of
industries and occupations.
Conditions for Asking the
Industry and Occupation
Questions
The only time you ask a respondent the industry and
occupation questions is when the respondent reports that
he/she was working or on duty when the incident
happened/started. In other words, Precode (11), “Working
or on duty,” is entered at Item DOINGATINCIDENTTIME.
Screens Covering the
Industry and Occupation
Questions
The industry and occupation questions are Items
EMPLOYERTYPE through ISCURRENTJOB.
EMPLOYERTYPE
Item EMPLOYERTYPE is used to identify into which “Class
of Worker” type the respondent’s employer fits. The “Class
of Worker” categories include:
Precode (1)
Precode (2)
Precode (3)
Precode (4)
Precode (5)
INCORPORATED
A private company, business, or individual
for wages.
The Federal government.
A State, county, or local government.
Yourself (Self-employed) in your own
business, professional practice, or farm.
A private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, or
charitable organization.
Item INCORPORATED is used to determine whether the
business at which the respondent worked at the time of the
incident is incorporated. Only ask this question if you
entered Precode (1), (4), or (5) at Item EMPLOYERTYPE.
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EMPLOYERNAME
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Item EMPLOYERNAME is used to identify the name of the
respondent’s employer at the time of the incident. Since
Census Bureau coders working in the National Processing
Center need this key piece of information to assign the
correct industry code, make sure that you record this
information accurately.
Even though a respondent may be reluctant to provide the
name of his/her employer, make every effort to collect this
information without badgering the respondent. In some
cases, you may succeed by just reassuring a respondent
that the information he/she provides is held strictly
confidential.
TYPEBUSINESS
Item TYPEBUSINESS is used to determine the kind of
business or industry that is transacted by the respondent’s
employer at the time of the incident. This is another key
piece of information needed to assign the correct industry
code for a respondent’s employer.
To ensure that our coders can assign an accurate industry
code, enter a clear and specific description of the
employer’s kind of business or industry:
What is the purpose of the business?
OR
What type of products are produced by this industry?
Structured Probe
If the respondent hesitates in giving you an answer to your
initial question at Item TYPEBUSINESS, also ask the
structured probe question printed below the initial question.
This question may help the respondent to understand what
type of description we want at this screen.
Be Specific
Make sure that you avoid entering descriptions that are too
general, such as:
“It’s a mining company.”
“The business provides a repair service.”
“It’s a computer-related business.”
“It’s a retail store.”
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Here are some examples of better descriptions:
“Mines & transports coal & coal byproducts.”
“Repairs small home appliances.”
“Designs & sells computer software.”
“Operates two large hardware stores.”
Enter descriptions that are specific, but avoid using
unnecessary words that make the descriptions too long.
Keep your descriptions under 50 characters, since this is
the maximum number of characters allotted for keying this
information. This is true for each industry and occupation
item requiring a write-in entry.
BUSINESSSECTOR
Item BUSINESSSECTOR is used to identify the major type
of industry in which the respondent was working at the time
of the incident. The four options to choose from are:
Manufacturing
Retail trade
Wholesale trade
Something else
Distinguishing between these types of industries is very
important, because type of industry also plays an essential
role in assigning the correct industry code. If this question is
answered incorrectly, the coders will not be able to assign
an accurate industry code for the respondent’s employer.
Precode (1),
Manufacturing
If a respondent’s employer makes and sells its products in
large quantities or lots to other manufacturers, wholesalers,
or retailers, the respondent’s employer is probably a
manufacturing company.
Precode (2), Retail
Trade
If a respondent’s employer sells primarily to individual
consumers or users, but seldom makes products, the
respondent’s employer is probably a retail establishment.
Precode (3),
Wholesale Trade
If a respondent’s employer buys, rather than makes,
products in large quantities or lots for resale to retailers,
industrial users, or to other wholesalers, the respondent’s
employer is probably a wholesale establishment.
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Precode (4),
Something Else
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If a respondent’s employer does not manufacture or sell
products as a wholesaler or a retailer, then enter Precode
(4), “Something Else.” Examples of some employers that fit
into the “Something Else” category are:
When To Probe
Car repair shops,
Accounting firms,
Medical centers,
Trucking companies, or
Banks.
Some firms are engaged in more than one type of business
or activity. When you encounter this situation, probe to
determine the most appropriate precode to enter at Item
BUSINESSSECTOR.
If you discover that the respondent’s employer conducts
business at more than one location (for example, making
copy machines at one location and making chemicals used
by the copy machines at another location), collect data for
the location at which the respondent works.
If you discover that the respondent’s employer conducts a
variety of activities at the same location (for example, a
gasoline station that also sells groceries), probe to
determine which activity or product the respondent is most
directly involved with in his/her job. For example, if the
respondent primarily sells groceries at the gasoline station,
enter Precode (2). However, if the respondent primarily
works as a mechanic servicing motor vehicles at the
gasoline station, enter Precode (4).
OCCUPATIONDESC
Item OCCUPATIONDESC is used to determine the kind of
work or occupation the respondent had at the time of the
incident. In addition to assigning an industry code for the
respondent’s employer, the coders also assign an
occupation code for the respondent’s job based on:
The kind of work described at Item
OCCUPATIONDESC and
The respondent’s most important activities or duties
described at Item USUALJOBDUTIES.
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Make sure that you enter complete and accurate
descriptions for both of these items, so that the coders can
assign the correct occupation code.
Job Title vs. Kind of
Work
The “kind of work” descriptions that our coders need must
clearly specify the type of work the respondent does on
his/her job, and this is not necessarily the respondent’s job
title. For some occupations, the common descriptions or
general job titles that a respondent provides will not be
sufficient for the coders to assign the correct occupation
code.
Self-Employed
Persons
When a respondent is self-employed, only enter “Manager”
as his/her occupation if the person actually spends most of
the workday managing his/her business. Otherwise, we
want you to enter the kind of work the respondent spends
the majority of his/her time doing, such as plumber, hair
stylist, dentist, house painter, and so forth. In other words,
describe the respondent’s actual trade or craft, when that is
the kind of work that the respondent spends most of his/her
time doing for the business.
Avoid Entering
Department or Work
Place Titles
Avoid entering kind of work entries such as “Works in
shipping department” or “Works in the warehouse.” These
entries do not adequately describe the kind of work done by
the respondent. If the respondent inspects outgoing
products from the shipping department, enter “Inspects
products leaving shipping department.” If the respondent is
a clerk who monitors inventory in a warehouse, enter “Clerk
monitoring warehouse inventory.”
Apprentice vs.
Trainee
There is a difference between someone who is an
apprentice and someone who is a trainee. An apprentice is
under contract during his/her training period, but a trainee is
not. If a respondent tells you that he/she is in an
apprenticeship or trainee program, make sure to enter both
the person’s occupation or kind of work, along with the term
“apprentice” or “trainee.” For example, you may need to
enter “Apprentice plumber” or “Buyer trainee.”
Machinist vs. Machine
Operator vs.
Mechanic
There are major differences in the kind of work done by a
machinist, a machine operator, and a mechanic.
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Machinist: skilled craftsman who constructs metal parts,
tools, and machines through the use of blueprints, machine
and hand tools, and precise measuring instruments.
Machine operator: runs a factory machine, such as a drill
press operator.
Mechanic: inspects, services, repairs, or overhauls
machinery.
Secretary vs. “Official
Secretary”
The title secretary applies to someone who does
secretarial work in an office. The title official secretary
applies to someone who is an elected or appointed officer of
a business, union, or other organization.
Probing for Difficult to
Code Occupations
For Item OCCUPATIONDESC, avoid entering a one word
response, because it will usually be too general for our
coders to assign the correct occupation code.
For these situations, refer to the table on the next page. It
provides some difficult to code, one word occupations,
along with a suggested probe for each occupation. These
probes are written to encourage the respondent to provide a
more specific description of the kind of work he/she does on
the job.
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Occupation
Part C, Chapter 3
Suggested Probe
Assembler
What do you assemble? For example, do you assemble automobiles,
electric motors, farm equipment, sheet metal, or something else?
Clerk
What type of clerk are you? For example, do you handle accounting,
billing, filing, shipping, statistical data, sales, or something else?
Engineer
What kind of engineer are you? For example, are you a civil, electrical,
mechanical, nuclear, chemical, train, stationary, building, or some other
type of engineer?
Inspector
What type of things do you inspect? For example, do you inspect
automobiles, restaurants, houses, buildings, meats, or something else?
Manager
What type of manager are you? For example, do you manage a bakery,
garage, hotel, office, property, store, or something else?
Machinist
Do you set up AND operate machines?
Machine operator
How many machines do you operate? Also, what type of machine do
you operate primarily?
Mechanic
What type of mechanic are you? For example, do you service and
repair automobile bodies, engines, appliances, trucks, valves, or
something else?
Nurse
What type of nurse are you? For example, are you registered, licensed,
practical, vocational, a nursing aide, or some other type of nurse?
Researcher
What is your field of research?
Sales Worker
What do you sell? For example, do you sell advertising, cars, houses,
insurance, shoes, tickets, or something else?
Supervisor
Who or what do you supervise? For example, do you supervise clerical
workers, counselors, laborers, field representatives, or someone else?
Teacher
Do you teach at the preschool, elementary, high school, or college
level? Also, which subjects do you teach?
Truck Driver
What type of truck do you operate? What type of cargo do you
transport?
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USUALJOBDUTIES
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Item USUALJOBDUTIES is used to describe the usual
activities or duties a respondent performs at his/her job.
This is the second key piece of information that our coders
use to assign an occupation code. What you enter at Item
USUALJOBDUTIES is especially useful when a simple job
title does not provide enough information to code the
occupation.
Here are some examples of entries you may need to enter
at Item USUALJOBDUTIES:
Keeping account books
Selling new and used motor vehicles
Laying bricks and stone
Typing and filing letters, reports, memos, etc.
If a respondent tells you that his/her job duties are
classified, do NOT probe. In this situation, enter
“Information is classified.”
JOBMSATYPE
Item JOBMSATYPE is used to find out if the respondent
was working in a city, suburban area, rural area, or a
combination of any of these areas at the time of the incident.
This type of information helps our sponsor, the BJS, in
determining if specific areas are more prone to crime.
When a respondent worked for more than one employer at
the time of the incident, enter the precode for the area in
which he/she worked the greater number of hours. Avoid
entering Precode (4), “Combination of any of these?”,
unless a respondent insists that the area he/she worked
MOST of the time was a combination of city, suburban, and
rural.
INCIDENTHAPPEN
ATWORK
Item INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK is used to determine
whether the incident happened at the respondent’s work
site for any job held by the respondent at the time of the
incident. If you already know the answer to this question,
you can verify the answer without asking this question.
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Incident Happened at
Work Site
Consider a respondent’s work site to be the place where
his/her USUAL day-to-day activities take place. Some
examples of work sites include: office, hospital, taxi cab,
convenience store, beauty parlor, and so on.
Work Site at Sample
Address
If a respondent works out of an office or workshop in his/her
home and the incident occurred in the office or workshop,
consider the incident as happening at the respondent’s work
site. However, if the incident happened somewhere else in
the house, garage, or property OTHER THAN in the office
or workshop, then the incident did not happen at the
respondent’s work site.
Not at Usual Work Site
Do not consider the incident as happening at a respondent’s
work site if it occurred while the respondent was on the job,
but not at his/her usual work site. Some examples include
attending a meeting in another office building during
working hours or attending a business meeting out of town.
Last Resort Answer
Only enter Precode (3), “Don’t know,” when a respondent
really does not know if the incident happened at his/her
work site.
Explanation Required
Enter Precode (4), “Other,” if a respondent’s answer
requires more than just a “Yes” or “No” answer and then use
the “Specify” space at Item
INCIDENTHAPPENATWORK_SPEC to answer this
question.
WORKDAYNIGHT
Item WORKDAYNIGHT is used to find out if the respondent
worked primarily days, nights, or rotating shifts at the time of
the incident.
ISCURRENTJOB
Item ISCURRENTJOB is used to determine whether the
respondent’s job at the time of the incident is also his/her
current job at the time of the interview.
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Topic 24. Disability
Definition
Not Considered Serious
Disabling Conditions
For the NCVS, a disability can be:
A mental health condition that keeps the respondent
from participating fully in work, school, or other
activities. We are looking for mental health conditions
that are readily apparent to a potential offender and
significantly impact the respondent’s life.
An intellectual disability such as mental retardation,
Down syndrome, autism, or cerebral palsy.
Any type of brain injury that causes the respondent to
have difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making
decisions, such as a stroke, brain tumor, or any other
type of brain injury.
Any other type of serious disabling condition, such as
ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis,
muscular dystrophy, or Huntington’s disease. We are
looking for serious disabling conditions that are readily
apparent to a potential offender and significantly impact
the respondent’s life.
For the NCVS, we do not consider the following health
problems to be serious disabling conditions:
Back injuries
Hip or knee problems (such as hip or knee
replacements)
Old age
Diabetes
Asthma
Arthritis
Why Does the NCVS Ask
About Disability?
Many believe that persons who have disabilities are more
likely to be targeted for victimization because offenders see
them as being more vulnerable and, therefore, they are
seen as easy targets for crime. New legislation requires the
NCVS to collect data relating to the nature of crime against
people with disabilities. These data are used by policy
makers to develop programs that address the safety and
justice needs of people with disabilities.
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The disability questions in the NCVS interview determine:
Screens Covering the
Disability Questions
Whether the respondent has a serious health condition,
impairment, or disability.
Whether the respondent has any reason to suspect that
he/she was victimized during the current incident
because of the serious health condition, impairment, or
disability.
Which of the respondent’s health conditions,
impairments, or disabilities does he/she believe caused
the offender to target him/her for this incident.
The series of disability questions begins with an introduction
at Item DISABILITY_INTRO, which is read to prepare the
respondent for the type of questions you are about to ask
and to explain why we are asking about possible health
conditions, impairments, or disabilities. Following the
introduction, the disability questions continue with Item
HEARING and end with WHICHDISABILITYTARGET_3.
To lessen respondent burden, you do not ask the complete
series of disability questions for every incident reported by a
respondent. When you are completing the first incident
report for a household member, ask all of the disability
questions in Items HEARING through LEAVINGHOME. If
the respondent indicates that he/she has a health condition
or disability in any of those items, then the instrument
continues with Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE. You only ask
Items WHICHDISABILITYTARGET if you entered Precode
(1), “Yes” in Item VICTIMDUETODISABLE.
However, if you have already completed an incident report
for a household member who reported a health condition or
disability, subsequent incident reports for the household
member skip over the introduction and Items HEARING
through LEAVINGHOME and start with Item
VICTIMDUETODISABLE. If you get a “Yes” answer in Item
VICTIMDUETODISABLE, you also ask Items
WHICHDISABILITYTARGET, which are the last disability
questions.
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If you have already completed an incident report for a
household member who did NOT report a health condition
or disability, you skip over all of the disability questions
when completing any subsequent incident reports for the
household member and continue with the summary report
for the incident.
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Part D, Chapter 1
Chapter 1
NCVS Case Management
Table of Topics
Topic
Page
1 Getting into Case Management
D1-2
2 Telecommunications
D1-13
3 Address Book
D1-17
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Topic 1. Getting Into Case Management
Introduction
This document outlines procedures for the NCVS CAPI
Case Management System used by field representatives
and supervisory field representatives to manage the NCVS
assignments in the field.
Case Management helps you organize and manage your
assignments and is an important part of interview planning.
Case Management provides a list of all sample units in your
assignment, along with additional information such as
respondent names, telephone numbers, scheduled
appointments, etc.
Logging onto Laptop
The first screen that appears when you turn on the
computer is the standard U.S. Census “accessing a
government computer” warning.
The Entrust login box appears; type your password and
press “Enter.”
If the password is incorrect the message “(-160)
Incorrect password supplied,” is displayed. If the
password is correct, the Windows desktop appears.
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Getting into Case
Management
Part D, Chapter 1
You may enter Case Management in several different ways
from the Desktop.
Using the Mouse:
Move the mouse arrow onto the NCVS icon and
double-click the left mouse or touch pad button. (Note: a
single tap of the touch pad also works, if the mouse is
not plugged in.) OR
Move the mouse arrow onto the Start button and single
click the left mouse or touch pad button or tap the touch
pad. A menu will appear; highlight “Programs.” A
second menu will appear; highlight “NCVS,” and click
the left mouse button or touch pad button, or tap the
touch pad. OR
Using the Keyboard:
Press the Windows key on your laptop and a menu
appears. Press “P” for “Programs” and a second menu
appears. Arrow down to NCVS and press “ENTER.” A
menu appears; highlight “Programs.” A second menu
will appear, highlight “NCVS,” and click the left mouse
button or touch pad button, or tap the touch pad.
The main display appears. Notice that the screen is split
into two panes. The display has four components:
Menu Bar (see section A)
Case List Pane (see section B)
Tool Bar Icons / Function Keys (see Section C)
Details Pane (see Section D)
Menu Bar
General Information
The Menu Bar is at the top of the screen. It is labeled as
follows:
File - selections include:
Edit
View
Actions
Help
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In Windows Case Management there are some functions
that can only be accomplished through use of menus
(that is, there is no Function key assigned for that
function).
All actions that may be performed with a Function or
shortcut key may also be performed through the menus.
Accessing a Menu
To access a menu, position the cursor over the selection
on the menu bar and left click, and a drop-down menu
appears.
The selections for the menu appear. Each has an
underlined letter and any Function or shortcut keys that
perform the same action are listed to the right.
To make a selection there are two options:
Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection and press
“ENTER,” OR
Press the key for the underlined letter in the selection.
Tool Bar and
Function Keys
General Information
The tool bar contains icons (or symbols) labeled with the
function key names. The icons remind you of what the
function keys do.
You can also use your mouse or touchpad to click on
these to perform the same function as pressing the
corresponding function key.
If you have worked on other Census CAPI surveys,
notice that some function keys work the same as they
do in CASES case management. Others have been
slightly altered, and others have been given new
meanings.
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F1 - Help
Displays the Help information about the active window.
In Case Management information about various topics
such as sorting cases, adding cases, outcome codes,
etc. is provided.
F2- Interview
Opens the selected case so you can interview the
respondent.
Displays the control number, eight character case ID,
house number, house number suffix, street name, unit
designation, physical description, place, state, and ZIP
code (ZIP and ZIP + 4).
If you chose the correct case, click “OK” or press
“ENTER.”
If you chose the wrong case, click “Cancel” or highlight
“Cancel” using the “TAB” key and press “ENTER.”
F3 - Next Tab
Controls the display at the bottom half of the Case
Management screen by moving you from tab to tab.
F4 - Go Detail / Case List
Activates the Details (bottom) pane. Toggles to Case
List, to let you return to the Case List (top) pane.
F4 was chosen because it is the function key in the
instrument that “jumps.”
Use this function key when you need to edit something in
one of the tabs.
The tool bar toggles between “Go Detail” and “Case List”
depending on which pane is active.
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F5 - Reports
Displays the Case Management Report Selection dialog
box, where you choose the report(s) you want.
Select the report you would like to display with either the
mouse or arrow keys. Select “OK” and press “ENTER.”
F6 - Listing
Opens the selected case so you can work on it.
F7 - Notes
Displays the Notes field for the selected case. You may
edit your notes.
Multiple pages of notes may be entered. (Notes are no
longer limited to 15 lines.)
Case Management and the NCVS instrument use the
same application for editing notes. Notes entered in
Case Management are displayed in the survey
instrument and case level notes entered in the
instrument can be viewed in Case Management.
The notes application automatically fills in a CAPI
indicator, date, time, and your FR code, so that notes
may be tracked if a case is transferred to another FR.
Enter “F10” to exit the notes application.
Select “Yes” and press “ENTER” to save the note.
F8 - View
Activates the “Display category selection” dialog box, in
which you choose the category of cases you want to
see. This lets you look at a shorter list of cases - only
those which fall into the category you choose - or at a list
of all your cases.
Categories are:
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All
Not started
Open
Partial
Interviewed
Type A
Type B
Type C
CATI
Deleted
Missing Data
Observed
Transmitted
Received in HQ
When you select an option, the program lists only the
cases that match that criteria. The display will be just
like the main display, but with a label to identify which
set of cases you selected.
Use F8 again to select a different category.
Use Shift + F8 to return to the main Case Management
screen.
F9 - Sort
Lets you rearrange the listed cases according to your
criteria.
Select the sort you want by highlighting a category in
the left of the pop-up box and holding down the left
mouse button. You then move the mouse to the right
until an arrow appears on the right of the pop-up box.
Cases will be sorted first by the top category, then the
second category from the top, etc., and lastly by bottom
category
You may select as many columns as you like.
F10 - Exit
Exits/closes Case Management and returns to the
Windows desktop.
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F12 – Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
Opens the Person Level Contact History Instrument
also known as pCHI. See Part D, Chapter 2 for more
details.
Other Functions
Windows Case Management uses function keys in
combination with other keys on the keyboard to allow you to
perform other operations. These include:
Shift + F1 - Displays Welcome, the first help topic
Alt + F4 - Closes the active window or exits the program
Shift + F8 - Returns you to the main Case Management
screen from the Display Categories screen
Control + K - Accesses the list of shortcut keys
Control + Home - Moves you to the first case on the list
Control + End - Moves you to the last case on the list
Case List Pane
General Information
The case list pane is in the top half of the screen and
shows the list of cases you still have to complete.
Completed cases do not appear on this list.
The case list pane differs from survey to survey.
Use the vertical scroll bar area on the right hand side of
the case list to move up and down in the case list (click
on the up and down arrows that appear at the bottom
and top of the scroll bar).
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Columns
For the NCVS the following columns appear:
Control Number - PSU, segment, sample, serial number,
household number (for 2000 sample design cases) OR
survey code, PSU state and county codes, frame,
sample designation, sequence numbers 1-2, time of
interview code (for 2010 sample design cases).
* (Asterisk) - a case is flagged with an asterisk if there is
something special about it, for example, if the case has
been reassigned to you or it is a confirmed refusal. If an
asterisk appears for a case, one or more small icons will
appear in the upper right corner of each tab in the
Details pane.
Case Address - House number, house number suffix,
street name, unit designation, GQ unit designation,
non-city address, physical description. There is a space
between each field. Address is truncated to fit the
screen. If truncated, a “~” should appear in the last
space to indicate continuation. (Note: If house number,
house number suffix, and street name are blank, then
the physical description will be displayed.)
Place Name/City - City, town, or designated place where
address is located.
ZIP - ZIP code.
Appointment - This field is filled with an appointment or
the best time to contact a household. If no specific
appointment has been made with a household, this field
is filled with BESTTIME. BESTTIME is the time range
the respondent in the previous interview said was the
best time to reach them. In the first interview month, this
field is blank. Best time values are listed below:
00 - Special restriction; supervisor sets
appointment
01 - 9 am - 12 noon
02 - 11 am - 1 pm
03 - 12 noon - 4 pm
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04 - 4 pm - 7 pm
05 - 6 pm - 9 pm
06 - 9 am - 9 pm
07 - 7 pm - 9 pm
08 - 9 am - 4 pm
09 - After 5 pm
P/T - Indicates whether the case is to be completed by
personal interview (P) or by telephone (T).
Status - interview status codes. Status codes include:
O - Case has been opened
P - Partial interview completed
I - Completed interview
A - Type A noninterview
B - Type B noninterview
C - Type C noninterview
X - Bad case, missing data
R - case has been reassigned to another FR
T - Transmitted
TR - Case has been received by HQ
Telephone number – Household’s phone number.
Int # - Number of interview (1-7).
Rte - Allows you to enter the order or route in which you
plan to visit your cases. You can then sort (F9) your
cases so that they are displayed in the order you want to
work that day.
Details Pane
General Information
The details pane is the area in the bottom half of the
screen.
The information displayed in the details pane
corresponds to whichever case is highlighted in the
Case List pane.
The Details pane contains seven tabs/sections
(Assignment, HH Roster, Additional Information, Notes,
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Contacts, History, and Interview Time Preference) that
act as folders to store information about a particular
case. The selected tab will be displayed with its title
bolded.
If you are in a detail pane, the title appears in red.
The F3 key changes the tab that is displayed.
Fields with a white background may be edited. Shift + S
saves any changes you enter.
Assignment Tab
The assignment tab is the main tab and contains
information about the control number, assignment
period, interview number, household respondent name,
home addresses, GPS coordinates, GQ building ID
(where applicable), separate mailing addresses, refusal
information, languages spoken, telephone numbers,
and appointments.
HH Roster Tab
The HH Roster tab displays the household roster - line
number, name, age, birthdate, and sex of all household
members. It also identifies the household respondent.
The roster is updated when you exit a case in the
instrument.
You cannot update the roster in Case Management; you
can only view it.
Additional Information Tab
This tab provides additional information about cases that
are in group quarters.
Notes Tab
Allows you to view the notes for the case.
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For more information see Tool Bar Icons / Function
Keys, F7 - Notes.
Contacts Tab
Contains contact information for the case.
Letter History Tab
Shows a history of letters that have been sent to the
sample address.
History Tab
Contains the history of all previous interviews for the
case.
Contains a record of all the times the case has been
accessed in the current month.
Contact History Tab
Contains a record of contact history for the household
for the current interview period. (See Part D, Chapter 2
for more information.)
Returning Contact History Tab
Contains a record of contact history for the household
for past interview periods. (See Part D, Chapter 2 for
more information.)
Interview Time Preferences Tab
Displays the interview time preferences of the sample
household, if any have been collected.
Building Management Tab
Displays building management contact information from
the Building Management Contact (BMC) database.
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Topic 2. Telecommunications
Transmissions
General Information
“Transmissions” is a separate icon on your main
Windows desktop.
Entering “Transmissions”
There are three ways to enter the transmissions program
from the desktop:
Move the mouse arrow onto the Transmissions icon and
left double-click the mouse or touch pad button button.
(Note: a single tap of the touch pad also works if the
mouse is not plugged in.) OR
Move the mouse arrow onto the Start button and left
click the mouse/touch pad button once or tap the touch
pad. A menu appears. Highlight “Transmissions” and
left click the mouse/touch pad button or tap the touch
pad. OR
Press the Windows key on your laptop and a menu
appears. Press “P” for Programs and a second menu
appears. Arrow down to “Transmissions” and press
“ENTER.”
Preparing a Transmission
The main transmission screen lists all your surveys.
Before you make a transmission, separate pop-up
screens appear that remind you to:
Back up your work, and
Complete your payroll file.
For the highlighted survey, key “D” for “daily,” “F” for
“Final,” or “S” for “Special.” Note: Only key “S” if
instructed to do so by your SFR or RO staff.
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To deselect an option press “DELETE” or click on
“Deselect” on the toolbar.
Use the arrow keys to highlight other surveys for which
you also need to transmit data.
Note that the transmissions program also has menus
and function keys to help you.
F10 exits transmissions.
F11 is used to change your preset transmission time.
Transmitting
F12 is used to retransmit.
You will be asked to pick an interview period for any final
transmissions.
Choose between an immediate or a preset transmission.
Preset is the default and is displayed at the bottom of
the pop-up box.
The program then provides you with the number of cases
being transmitted.
Backing Up Your Work
Your computer backs up your work using the hard drive.
Procedures for backing up work are as follows:
Select “Backup” from the System Tools submenu.
If all your files were successfully backed up, you see the
following message in the Backup Message pop-up box:
“The Backup process completed successfully.”
If your files were not backed up successfully you see the
“unsuccessful” message in the Backup Message pop-up
box:
“The Backup process did not complete
successfully”
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If your files did not back up successfully, try to back
them up again. If your files are not backed up
successfully after two attempts, then call your regional
office for assistance.
Mail
General Information
“Read Mail” allows the user to read mail from HQ and
read the transmission activity log.
“Create Mail” allows the user to send mail to the RO
survey only.
“Sent Mail” keeps a historical log of messages sent that
you can view later, if necessary.
Getting Into Mail
There are three ways to get into the mail transmissions
program from the desktop:
Move the mouse arrow onto the Mail Transmissions icon
and left double-click the mouse or touch pad button
(Note: a single tap of the touch pad also works, if the
mouse is not plugged in.) OR
Move the mouse arrow onto the Start button and single
left click the mouse or touch pad button or tap the touch
pad. A menu will appear, highlight programs. A second
menu will appear, highlight Transmissions and click the
left mouse or touch pad button or tap the touch pad. OR
Press the Windows key on your laptop, a menu will
appear. Press “P” for “Programs” and a second menu
appears. Arrow down to Mail Transmissions and press
“ENTER.”
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Reading Mail Messages
This function displays a full screen with a list of mail
messages.
Arrow up and down to select a message, then press
“ENTER” to read it. Once in the message, use the arrow
keys to move around, then press “ESC” to exit the
message.
On exit, “Do you wish to delete this message (Y/N)?”
appears. “N” returns you to the Read Mail screen; “Y”
deletes the message and returns you to the Read Mail
screen.
Creating Mail Messages
Select the survey from the Surveys List.
The “Create Mail” screen displays.
The message “Do you wish to edit a previous
message?” displays if you have any messages that
were created and saved.
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Topic 3. Address Book
General Information
An address book application is available.
Enter information to create your own personal address
book. Fields include:
Entering Address Book
Name
Phone number(s)
Address
Notes
There are three ways to enter the address book application
from the desktop:
Move the mouse arrow onto the Address Book icon and
left double-click the mouse or touch pad button (Note: a
single tap of the touch pad also works, if the mouse is not
plugged in.) OR
Move the mouse arrow onto the Start button and single
left click the mouse or touch pad button or tap the touch
pad. A menu appears, highlight programs. A second
menu appears, highlight Address Book and left click the
mouse or touch pad button or tap the touch pad. OR
Press the Windows key on your laptop. A menu appears.
Press “P” for “Programs” and a second menu appears.
Arrow down to Address Book and press “ENTER.”
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Part D, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
Topic
Table of Topics
Page
1 Overview of the pCHI
D2-2
2 The pCHI and Case Management
D2-4
3 The pCHI and Households Without a Roster
D2-13
4 The pCHI and Households With a Roster
D2-30
5
D2-48
How to Code the pCHI in Specific Situations
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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Topic 1. Overview of the Person Level Contact History Instrument
(pCHI)
What are the CHI (Contact
History Instrument) and the
Person Level Contact History
Instrument (pCHI)?
The Contact History Instrument (CHI)
The CHI was developed to capture details of ALL contact attempts
made to a household. This means each time you ATTEMPT to
make contact or MAKE contact with a household you enter
information into the CHI. By completing the questions asked in the
CHI, you provide valuable information to your regional office (RO),
headquarters staff, our survey sponsors, and other FRs. The CHI
data are sent back each month, allowing the current FR to see
how easy or difficult it was to conduct the interview in previous
interview periods.
The Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
The pCHI (pronounced “pee-ki”) has been developed to record
contact history for individual respondents on person-level surveys
like the NCVS, because:
There may be varying degrees of availability and
willingness to be interviewed among different members of
the same sample household; and
Different strategies may be used for each respondent.
The pCHI allows you to record contact information individually.
Regional office managers use reports generated from the pCHI
data. These reports provide a way for your supervisor to give
feedback on your contact attempts and make suggestions for
future contacts. Headquarters staff, along with the survey
sponsor, analyzes pCHI data to help formulate better strategies
for non-contact and refusal cases.
pCHI Screen Layout
The pCHI screen is formatted into the “Information” or “Info” Pane
and the “Form” Pane, the same as the NCVS instrument. For the
pCHI, the “Info” Pane displays the instructions for what to enter on
that screen as well as the answer list. The “Form” pane contains
the area where the data is entered.
Tabs are displayed at the top left of the screen (see example
below):
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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Entering the pCHI instrument
Selected Case Confirmation
Screen
Part D, Chapter 2
“pCHI” tab - contains the main screens to enter the contact
attempt information.
“Roster Information” tab - displays the household roster; can
be used to reference the household roster composition before
entering the main pCHI screens.
If you get into the NCVS instrument during a contact attempt,
pCHI appears automatically.
To access the pCHI from Case Management, highlight the
case and press F12.
The “Selected Case Confirmation Screen” dialog box appears
when entering pCHI from Case Management. Make sure you
have chosen the correct case.
If this is the correct case, click OK. If not, click cancel and choose
the correct case from your case list.
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Topic 2. The pCHI and Case Management
Contact History Tab
In Case Management, on the bottom half of your screen under
your Case List, notice the “Contact History” Tab. The Contact
History tab shows all current month contact attempt information
for whatever case you have highlighted in your case list. Note: If
you have not accessed the case or the pCHI, there will be no
information displayed on this tab yet. From left to right, the
columns are:
1. FR Code
2. The “Type” column shows whether the record displayed is for
household level (denoted by “HH”) or respondent level; if for
the respondent level, it shows the line number (L1, L2, etc.) to
which it refers.
3. “Contact Date” lists the date the contact was attempted.
4. “P/T” displays a “P” or “T” depending on whether the contact
attempt was a personal visit or a telephone attempt.
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5. “Status” shows the status of the contact attempt. The codes
are: “C” - Completed case, “P” - Partial interview, “U” - Unable
to conduct interview, or “N” - Noncontact.
At the household level, the “Status” column refers to the case
level status. The case level status does not display a “C” until
all eligible NCVS respondents have been completed or coded
as a Type Z noninterview. At the person level, the “Status”
column refers to the status of the respondent after that
contact attempt.
6. “Description” displays the entries made at the noncontact and
noninterview screens.
7. “Strategy” lists the strategies previously used, such as leaving
an advance letter, or checking with a neighbor.
8. “Reluctance” displays the concerns or reluctance expressed
in previous visits. If contact was not made during that visit,
“N/A” for “not applicable” is displayed in the Reluctance
column.
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Returning Contact History Tab
On the Case Management screen, the “Returning Contact
History” tab includes the same information as the “Contact
History” tab, with an extra column labeled “Int #” for “Interview
Number.” This tab is used for longitudinal surveys like the NCVS.
Use this tab to view pCHI records from the last enumeration.
You may use this contact history information to plan your
assignments. For example, you may determine the best days and
times to make contact and work cases that required extra effort in
previous interview periods early in your current assignment.
Snowflake
You may see a small snowflake next to some of the columns; this
means that there are multiple entries for that column.
Clicking on the snowflake brings up a dialog box that displays ALL
entries that the FR made for that column, for that particular date
and time. See example below:
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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CTATEMPT
Part D, Chapter 2
CTATEMPT is the “Contact Attempt” screen. (The screen name is
located in the bottom left corner of the pCHI instrument window,
just as it is in the NCVS instrument.) Choose “Personal visit” to
record the details of a personal visit attempt. Choose “Telephone
(outgoing)” when you attempt a telephone contact. Choose
“Telephone (incoming)” when a respondent contacts you on the
telephone. Choose “Not attempting contact” when you do not
attempt contact or want to exit the pCHI.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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NOATTEMPT
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NOATTEMPT appears when you select “Not attempting contact”
in CTATEMPT. Enter the code for the appropriate category.
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SPECNOATTEMPT
Part D, Chapter 2
SPECNOATTEMPT appears when Precode (99), “Other –
specify” is marked in NOATTEMPT. Enter the specific “other”
activity you were doing at this screen.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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TIMEOFCT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
TIMEOFCT is the “Time of Contact” item, and appears if you
entered Precode (1), “Contact attempt”, Precode (2), “Telephone
(outgoing)”, or Precode (3), “Telephone (incoming)” in Item
CTATEMPT. This item asks if you are entering the pCHI at the
exact time that the contact attempt was made. If you are, click
“Yes,” or enter “1.” You may also enter contact information later.
This provides you flexibility to enter the contact attempt
information when it is convenient for you. (For accuracy, entering
the pCHI contact information at the time of the contact is
preferred.)
For example, if it is more convenient for you to record several
contact attempts later that night after you have returned home,
you may. Although you are recording your contact attempt later
in the day, the instrument still records the “real” time of the
contact attempt so that pCHI records are accurate.
If you enter “1,” “Yes,” and a roster exists, the instrument goes to
pCASECONTACT; if no roster exists, the instrument goes to
CASECONTACT. If you enter “2,” “No,” the instrument goes to
FR_DATE to allow you to enter the date and time of the contact
attempt manually.
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FR_DATE
Part D, Chapter 2
FR_DATE appears when you select “2,””No,” at item
TIMEOFCT. Enter the date of the contact attempt in
this item. The contact attempt date is pre-filled. If you
are entering the pCHI on the same day that the contact
attempt was made, press enter. If not, enter the date in
MM/DD/YYYY format. For example, if the contact
attempt is made on November 20, 2015, enter
11/20/2015.
The instrument then goes to FR_TIME.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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Part D, Chapter 2
FR_TIME
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
FR_TIME is the “Time of Contact” screen, where you
enter the time of day that the contact attempt was
made. It appears if an entry was made in FR_DATE.
Enter the time that the contact attempt was made, not
the current time when you are making the entry.
When entering the time of the contact attempt, enter
the hours and minutes of the contact and AM or PM. Do
not use colons when entering the hours and minutes;
the instrument does that for you. For example, if you
made contact at 11:00AM, type 1100A.
If a roster exists, the instrument goes to
pCASECONTACT; if no roster exists, the instrument
goes to CASECONTACT.
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Topic 3. The pCHI and Households Without a Roster
Household Contact History
When an NCVS household does not yet have a roster, the pCHI
takes you to the Household Section of the pCHI instrument,
which works the same way as the current CHI instrument used
for household surveys.
CASECONTACT
CASECONTACT is the pCHI “Contact Status” screen. Notice
the message “No Roster Present – Household CHI.” This
indicates that there is no roster present and the pCHI instrument
acts like the regular CHI does for a household level survey. At
this item, select whether the attempt is a contact or noncontact.
All contact attempts will fall into one of three categories:
“Contact with SAMPLE unit member;”
“Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member”; OR
“Noncontact.”
For pCHI, select “Contact with SAMPLE unit member” for
household members and persons you believe to be household
members. Select “Contact with NON-SAMPLE member” for
non-household members, such as building managers,
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
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babysitters, neighbors, and the like. “Contact with NON-SAMPLE
member” is considered a noncontact for the pCHI.
If this item is answered with “1 - Contact with SAMPLE unit
member,” the instrument goes to CTTYPE. A response of “2 Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member” or “3 – Noncontact”
takes the instrument to NCTPER for personal visits or to
NCTTEL for telephone call attempts.
CTTYPE
CTTYPE is the “Contact Type” screen, and appears when
CASECONTACT is answered “1 – Contact with SAMPLE unit
member.”
Notice Precode (1), “Completed case – ready to transmit.”
Since this screen appears for cases that do not have a
household roster, Precode (1) does not apply for the NCVS.
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If you have completed an interview with a household member
a roster exists, so the instrument takes a different path. If you
have a case with no roster and it is a Type A, B, or C
noninterview, select Precode (3), “Unable to conduct
interview,” not Precode (1).
Select Precode (2) – “Partial interview - follow-up required”
only if you have started an interview with a household
respondent, but the interview broke off before the household
roster was completed. (If a household roster was completed
during the interview, the instrument proceeds as discussed in
Topic 3, “The pCHI and Households With a Roster.”) The
instrument continues with NONINTER.
If you spoke with another household member but were not
able to conduct an interview with anyone, select Precode (3),
“Unable to conduct interview,” to record the noninterview
information for that respondent. The instrument goes to
NONINTER.
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NONINTER
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item NONINTER appears when CTTYPE is answered with “2 Partial interview - follow-up required,” or “3 - Unable to conduct
interview.” Select the categories that best describe why you were
not able to conduct or complete the interview with the respondent
during THIS contact attempt.
Select Precode (4), “Language problem - specify,” if there is a
language barrier between you and the sample unit member. The
instrument goes to cLANGUAGE.
Select Precode (99), “Other – specify,” to record a situation not
covered by Precodes (1) – (6). The instrument skips to
CTOTHER.
Precodes (1)-(3), and (5), all continue with RSPNDENT. Precode
(6) is not used in the NCVS.
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RSPNDENT
Part D, Chapter 2
RSPNDENT asks about respondent concerns, behaviors,
and/or reluctance. The purpose of this item is to describe
possible reluctance by the respondent. Even if this contact
attempt results in a completed case, it will be helpful for future
interview attempts with this case to know the household’s
concerns.
This item has check boxes; mark all that apply. You can click
the box or enter the number you would like to select. If you are
entering more than one number, separate them using commas.
Precodes (16) through (21) are for use in longitudinal/panel
surveys. These categories are not relevant for one-time
surveys, but are very important to longitudinal surveys like
NCVS. FRs use this information when reviewing the Returning
Contact History information to plan how they approach current
cases.
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If the respondent has no concerns, select Precode (22) – “No
concerns.” For example, if the respondent has health problems
but would otherwise participate in our survey, select “No
concerns.” Another example might be if the eligible respondent
isn’t home, but other household members are helpful, select
“No concerns.”
Use Precode (23) – “Other – specify” if you cannot find a
selection from those provided that applies to this contact
attempt. Note that this question asks about reluctance for THIS
contact attempt, not on concerns that you may ever have
encountered on this case. If you select this answer category,
the instrument goes to RSPNDOTH. Otherwise, it goes to
STRATEGS.
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RSPNDOTH
Part D, Chapter 2
Item RSPNDOTH appears when “99 - Other – specify” was
selected in RSPNDENT.
Enter the respondent’s “other” concerns that do not fit into any
of the categories in RSPNDENT here. The instrument goes to
STRATEGS.
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Part D, Chapter 2
STRATEGS
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Item STRATEGS asks about “Contact Strategies Attempted.” It
appears for all contact attempts.
Precode (11) – “Offered incentive” is only used in surveys that
offer monetary incentives. Do not select Precode (19), “Offered
incentive,” for the NCVS; currently, the NCVS does not offer any
monetary incentives.
Precode (12) – “CED double placement” is only used in the
Consumer Expenditures survey. Do not mark this precode for
the NCVS.
Precode (98) – “No Strategies” refers to THIS particular contact
attempt, not all previous attempts. Mark this precode if you did
not use any specific technique for this contact attempt.
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STRATEGS is to help you keep track of all of the strategies you
have used to make contact for each contact attempt. When you
exit pCHI, a Case Management pop-up window appears, telling
you that the database has been successfully updated.
STRATOTH
STRATOTH appears when Precode (99), “Other – specify” was
marked in STRATEGS. Enter the “other” strategy; the
instrument returns to the Case Management screen.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-21
Part D, Chapter 2
cLANGUAGE
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
In cLANGUAGE, select the categories that describe the language
situation.
Marking Precode (1), “Specify language or dialect,” takes you to
LANGLIST. Otherwise, the instrument goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-22
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
LANGLIST
Part D, Chapter 2
Item LANGLIST asks you to specify the language or
dialect; it appears if Precode (1), “Specify language or
dialect,” is marked in cLANGUAGE. Enter the
appropriate precode for the respondent’s language or
dialect here. The instrument then goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-23
Part D, Chapter 2
SPECLANG
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
SPECLANG asks you to specify the language or dialect;
it appears if Precode (99), “Other – specify” is marked in
LANGLIST. Specify the respondent’s language or dialect
here. The instrument goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-24
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
CTOTHER
Part D, Chapter 2
CTOTHER appears when you mark Precode (99),
“Other-specify,” in NONINTER. Specify the reason for not
completing or not conducting the interview in this contact
attempt. The instrument then goes to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-25
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTPER
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTPER is the “Noncontact/Personal Visit” item. This item
appears when Precode (1), “Personal” is marked in item
CTATEMPT and Precode (2), “Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit
member,” or Precode (3), “Noncontact,” is marked in item
CASECONTACT or pCASECONTACT. Select all the
categories that describe why you were not able to make
contact.
For Precode (10) – “Completed case (Type B or C),” select this
category for all Type B and Type C cases.
For most answers to NCTPER the instrument goes to
STRATEGS, except::
Precode (99), “Other – specify” goes to NCTPEROT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-26
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTPEROT
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTPEROT appears when NCTPER was answered with
Precode (15), “Other-specify.” This item allows 80 characters.
Enter the details of this personal visit noncontact. The instrument
then proceeds to STRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-27
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTTEL
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTTEL is the “Noncontact/Telephone” item, and appears when
you select Precode (2) “Telephone (outgoing)” as the type of
contact attempt made in CTATEMPT and you have selected
Precode (2), “Contact with NON-SAMPLE unit member,” or
Precode (3), “Noncontact,” at item CASECONTACT or
pCASECONTACT. Select all categories that describe why
contact could not be made.
The instrument then proceeds to STRATEGS, unless you enter
Precode (99), “Other - specify.” In that case, the instrument goes
to NCTTELOT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-28
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
NCTTELOT
Part D, Chapter 2
NCTTELOT appears when NCTTEL was answered with Precode
(8), “Other - specify.” Enter the details of this telephone
noncontact. The instrument then proceeds to STRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-29
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 4. The pCHI and Households With a Roster
Features of the person
section
When a roster exists for the household, the instrument goes
through Items CTATEMPT, TIMEOFCT, FR_DATE, and
FR_TIME. The person section of the pCHI appears next.
This section of the pCHI allows you to enter contact information
for individual respondents within the sample household.
The pCHI receives roster information from the NCVS
instrument and cycles through each NCVS eligible person.
Update the contact history for each NCVS eligible household
member. When you have updated for each eligible member, the
pCHI sends you back to the Case Management screen.
After you complete a household member’s NCVS interview, no
further entries in pCHI are required for the household member
during that interview period.
Household roster access
You may view the roster and corresponding line numbers for
each household member at any time by clicking the “Roster
Information” tab at the top left of the screen.
Exit the roster by clicking on the “pCHI” tab or entering 1 to
continue.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-30
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pCASECONTACT
Part D, Chapter 2
pCASECONTACT is the pCHI screen that shows the entire
household roster. It shows five columns:
LNO – person’s line number and interview status:
(C) denotes a completed interview – person has
completed their NCVS interview during a previous
contact,
(I) denotes an ineligible person/ non-household
member – persons who are no longer eligible
household members or are not eligible for the NCVS
If neither (C) nor (I) is displayed, it means that this
line number is eligible for pCHI: they are NCVS
eligible and did not complete their NCVS interview
during a previous contact.
NAME – person’s name
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-31
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
AGE – person’s age
BIRTHDATE – person’s birth date
SEX – person’s sex
Enter Precode (1), “Made contact with one or more eligible
person(s),” if you made contact with one or more eligible
persons. Select Precode (1) when you made contact with
eligible persons, whether you completed their interview or only
spoke with them. The instrument then goes to
PCONTACTPER.
Enter Precode (2), “Made contact with only non-eligible
persons,” if the only people you made contact with were
ineligible persons on the roster or those whose interview is
already complete.
Enter Precode (3), “Noncontact,” if you were unable to make a
contact.
For Precodes (2) and (3), the instrument goes to NCTPER for a
personal visit contact. It goes to NCTTEL for a telephone
contact.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-32
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
PCONTACTPER
Part D, Chapter 2
PCONTACTPER is the first “person level” question in the pCHI.
This and subsequent items are formatted to show the NCVS
roster. The pCHI collects contact information for each line
number until you have entered information for each eligible
household member.
PCONTACTPER asks about each eligible individual on the
roster, “Did you make contact with (NAME) or a knowledgeable
proxy for (NAME)?”
Enter Precode (1), “Made contact with (NAME),” if you
made contact with the named household member during
this contact attempt. The instrument goes to pCTTYPE.
Enter Precode (2), “Made contact with proxy” if you made
contact with a knowledgeable proxy for the named
household member. The instrument goes to pCTTYPE.
Enter Precode (3), “Noncontact,” if you did not make
contact with the named household member. The instrument
goes to pNOCONTACT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-33
Part D, Chapter 2
pNOCONTACT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pNOCONTACT appears when Precode (3), “Noncontact,” is
marked in PCONTACTPER. Mark the appropriate precode(s)
to explain the reason(s) for the noncontact. Precodes (1) – (5)
go to pSTRATEGS.
Precode (3), “Person home but avoided contact,” is a category
added to record situations in which the respondent is at home,
but not answering the door.
Precode (99), “Other – specify,” continues to pNONCONOTH to
collect the “other” reason for personal visit noncontact.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-34
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pNONCONOTH
Part D, Chapter 2
pNONCONOTH appears when Precode (6), “Other – specify”
was marked in pNOCONTACT. Enter the “other” reason for the
noncontact. This item allows for 80 characters.
The instrument proceeds to pSTRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-35
Part D, Chapter 2
pCTTYPE
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If you make contact with a household member or eligible proxy,
pCTTYPE asks whether the contact resulted in a completed
interview, partial interview, or no interview.
Enter Precode (1), “Completed interview,” for a fully completed
interview for the respondent. The instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Enter Precode (2), “Partial interview” for a partial interview for
the respondent. A partial interview occurs when you start an
interview with a respondent or a proxy respondent, but were
unable to complete the interview. Also, select this precode
when you have completed a respondent’s NCVS interview but
were not able to complete their supplement interview during this
contact. (This is necessary so you can document subsequent
contact attempts to complete the supplement interview.) The
instrument goes to pNONINTER.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-36
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part D, Chapter 2
Enter Precode (3), “Unable to conduct interview,” if no interview
was conducted for that respondent. The instrument goes to
pNONINTER.
pNONINTER
pNONINTER asks the reasons for the noninterview for the
household member.
Notice Precode (5), “Potential Type-Z.” This category was
added in order to record respondents who you believe may
become Type Z noninterviews or have been coded as a Type Z
noninterview in the NCVS instrument.
If you select:
Precode (1), “Inconvenient time,” the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Precode (2), “Respondent is reluctant,” the instrument goes
to pRSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-37
Part D, Chapter 2
pCTOTHER
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Precode (3), “Language problem – specify,” the instrument
goes to pLANGUAGE.
Precode (4), “Health problem,” the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Precode (5), “Potential Type Z,” the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT.
Precode (99), “Other – specify,” the instrument goes to
pCTOTHER.
pCTOTHER appears when Precode (99), “Other – specify” is
selected at pNONINTER. Enter the “other” reason in the space
provided. This field allows for up to 80 characters.
The instrument then goes to pRSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-38
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pLANGUAGE
Part D, Chapter 2
pLANGUAGE appears if Precode (3), “Language problem –
specify” is selected at pNONINTER.
Record the language situation that led to the noninterview
during this contact attempt. Mark the appropriate precode.
Marking Precode (1), “Specify language or dialect,” takes you to
LANGLIST. All other responses go to RSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-39
Part D, Chapter 2
pLangLIST
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pLangLIST appears when Precode (1), “Specify language or
dialect,” is selected in pLANGUAGE. Mark the appropriate
precode for the language or other problem.
For Precodes (11) - (25) and (27) - (28), the instrument goes to
pRSPNDENT. For Precode (26), the instrument goes to
pSPECLANG.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-40
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pSPECLANG
Part D, Chapter 2
pSPECLANG appears when Precode (26), “Other-specify” was
marked in pLangLIST. Specify the language or dialect. This
item allows 80 characters.
The instrument then goes to pRSPNDENT.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-41
Part D, Chapter 2
pRSPNDENT
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
In pRSPNDENT, mark the respondent’s concerns, behaviors,
or reluctance during this contact attempt. Enter all that apply;
separate with commas.
Select the categories in this question in the order the
respondent mentions them. For example, a respondent may be
reluctant to complete the interview because of privacy
concerns, then say they are too busy to complete it. In this
scenario, select Precode (6) “Privacy concerns,” then Precode
(2), “Too busy.”
When selecting multiple categories in pRSPNDENT, you
cannot select Precode (98), “No concerns,” in combination with
any other category. If it is selected with other categories, error
message CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT appears.
After making all selections, if you selected Precode (99), “Other
– specify” the instrument continues with pRSPNDOTH.
Otherwise, the instrument goes to pSTRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-42
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pRSPNDOTH
Part D, Chapter 2
pRSPNDOTH appears if Precode (99), “Other – specify,” was
marked in pRSPNDENT. Enter the “other” category. This item
allows 80 characters.
After this item, the instrument goes to pSTRATEGS.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-43
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
If the respondent has NO concerns, select
answer category 98.
If there are other concerns, behaviors, or
reluctance during this contact attempt,
then enter all that apply, separate with
commas. Do NOT select answer category
98.
Close
CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT
Goto
CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT is a hard error check item. It
appears if Precode (98), “No concerns,” was selected in
addition to any other precode in pRSPNDENT. Click on “Goto”
to return to pRSPNDENT and correct the error to dismiss the
check item and continue.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-44
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
pSTRATEGS
Part D, Chapter 2
pSTRATEGS asks about contact strategies attempted for the
respondent. It appears for all contact attempts. pSTRATEGS is
designed to help you keep track of all the strategies you have
used to make contact for each household member.
Notice Precode (11), “Offered incentive.” This refers to
monetary incentives that some surveys offer. Do not select this
precode for the NCVS. Currently, the NCVS does not offer any
monetary incentives.
Precode (12) – “CED double placement” is only used in the
Consumer Expenditures survey. Do not mark this category for
the NCVS.
Precode (98) – “No Strategies” refers to THIS particular contact
attempt, not all previous attempts. Mark this category if you did
not use any specific technique for this contact attempt.
When selecting multiple precodes in this item, you cannot
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-45
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
select Precode (98), “No Strategies” in combination with any
other precode. If you do, check item
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED appears. Return to
pSTRATEGS and correct your error to dismiss the check item
and continue.
When Precode (99), “Other-specify” is selected, the instrument
continues with pSTRATOTH. Otherwise, it goes to
pCONTACTPER for the next eligible respondent.
pSTRATOTH
pSTRATOTH appears if Precode (98), “Other – specify” was
marked in pSTRATEGS. Enter the “other” strategy. This field
allows 80 characters.
After you complete this item, the instrument goes to
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-46
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Part D, Chapter 2
pCONTACTPER for the next eligible respondent so you can
enter their contact information. When you are finished entering
the contact information for each eligible household member,
you exit pCHI.
If NO contact strategies were used, select answer category 98.
If there are other contact strategies attempted during this contact attempt, then enter all
that apply, separate with commas. Do NOT select answer category 98.
Close
Goto
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED is a hard error check item,
which appears when Precode (98), “No Strategies,” is selected
in addition to any other precode in pSTRATEGS. Click on
“Goto” to return to pSTRATEGS and correct the error to dismiss
the check item and continue.
Remember...
Enter pCHI after EACH contact attempt. This is a great way for
you to keep track of your efforts with each respondent. It’s also
a quick way for you to see what days and times you have
attempted to make contact, so you can come up with strategies
to contact that respondent and get the interview.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-47
Part D, Chapter 2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Topic 5. How to Code the pCHI in Specific Situations
When the Only Person
Contacted During A Contact
Attempt Has Already
Completed Their Interview
You may encounter situations in which the only person
contacted has already completed their interview.
For example: You are contacting a household to follow up
on a respondent who has not yet completed their interview.
When you call the respondent (Line 2) they are not at home,
but you speak with another respondent (Line 1) who has
already completed their NCVS interview. In this situation,
code that you did not make contact with an eligible
household member and code Line 2 as a noncontact.
At pCASECONTACT, select Precode (2), “Made contact
with only non-eligible persons” to record the fact that you
made contact with someone, but that person was not
eligible as they had already completed their interview. Code
the noncontact with Line 2 and record the applicable
contact information in the remaining pCHI items for Line 2.
When Someone Has Moved
Out of the Household and the
Case is Not a Replacement
Household
When someone has moved out of the household, but other
household members from the last enumeration still live at
the sample address, that person is considered a
nonhousehold member. If this change is discovered while
updating the household roster, the person who has moved
out is ineligible for the NCVS and therefore not eligible in
pCHI. Do not collect contact information for that person.
However, if the change in household membership is
discovered after the roster has been verified, that person is
still displayed as eligible in pCHI because they are on the
household roster in the NCVS instrument. (This can occur
when a college student is away at college, but the
household respondent considers them a household
member because they return home for holidays and
summer vacation. In this situation, document that this
person has moved out of the household in pCHI.)
For this person, code PCONTACTPER as “Noncontact,”
Precode (3). At pNOCONTACT select Precode (5), “Person
moved” to note that the person moved away from the
sample address.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-48
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Coding a Respondent As a
Type Z Noninterview
Part D, Chapter 2
In pCHI you can mark someone as a potential Type Z
noninterview to show that a person is reluctant OR as an
actual Type Z noninterview once a respondent has been
coded as a Type Z in the NCVS instrument.
To code a respondent as a Type Z or potential Type Z code
that contact was made with the respondent, as the
noncontact path in pCHI does not contain a category for
Type Z noninterviews. To code a Type Z or potential Type Z
enter Precode (1), “Made contact with (NAME)” in Item
PCONTACTPER and select Precode (3), “Unable to
conduct interview” at pCTTYPE. At pNONINTER select
Precode (5), “Potential Type Z” to document the
noninterview or potential noninterview situation. Record the
applicable contact attempt information in the remaining
pCHI screens.
Note that selecting Precode (5), “Potential Type Z” at Item
pNONINTER does not make that respondent a Type Z
noninterview in the NCVS instrument. Selecting Precode
(5), “Potential Type Z” at pNONINTER only documents the
situation, and does not code a respondent as a
noninterview. All Type Z noninterviews must be coded in
the NCVS instrument.
Person Level Contact History Instrument (pCHI)
D2-49
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
"Raped" Entered at Item HOWATTACK ........................................................................................ C3-34
"Sexual Assault Other Than Rape or Attempted Rape" Entered at Item HOWATTACK ................ C3-34
"Tried to Rape" Entered at Item HOWATTACK ............................................................................. C3-34
(800) Number
.................................................................................................................... A2-23
“Do not call” registry ...................................................................................................................... A2-29
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ B5-15
Acceptable Reasons for Proxy Interviews ..................................................................................... C1-18
Accepting a Non-household Member as a Proxy Respondent ....................................................... C1-21
ACCESS ....................................................................................................................................... B2-68
ACTCOSTREPAIR REPLACE ......................................................................................... B4-197, C3-67
ACTIONSDURINGINC ..................................................................................................... B4-105, C3-28
ACTIONWORSE ......................................................................................................................... B4-108
Adding Additional Incidents ................................................................................................ A3-15, A3-17
Additional Incidents ........................................................................................................................ B5-2
Address Book
.................................................................................................................... D1-17
ADRCHECK_CP ........................................................................................................................... B2-57
AGECHECK ................................................................................................................................ B2-101
AGENCYHELP .......................................................................................................................... B4-221
AGERNG .................................................................................................................................... B2-107
ALLPARTRECOVERED................................................................................................... B4-186, C3-51
ALTERNATE_1_CP .................................................................................................................... B2-35
AMOUNTCASHTAKEN .............................................................................................................. B4-173
AMOUNTHHMEM TIMELOST .................................................................................................... B4-253
AMOUNTLOSTPAY NOEMP ...................................................................................................... B4-251
AMOUNTLOSTPAY NOMED ...................................................................................................... B4-246
AMOUNTTIMELOST ................................................................................................................... B4-244
Answering Respondents' Questions .............................................................................................. A2-22
ANY_OTHERCHNG .................................................................................................................... B2-130
ANYONEPRESENT ....................................................................................................... B4-110, C3-20
ANYTHINGFURTHER ................................................................................................................ B4-224
Apprentice vs. Trainee ................................................................................................................ B4-238
APPT .............................................................................................................................................. B6-3
Areas Open to the Public .............................................................................................................. C3-10
Areas Restricted to Certain People ............................................................................................... C3-11
ARMEDFORCES
.................................................................................................................. B2-110
ARRESTMADE .......................................................................................................................... B4-220
Arrow Keys.................................................................................................................................... B1-16
ARTICLEINCAR .......................................................................................................................... B4-179
Ask or Verify Instruction ................................................................................................................ B1-15
Asking Questions as Worded ........................................................................................................ A2-31
Asking Questions in the Right Order ............................................................................................. A2-34
1
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Assembling Your Materials .............................................................................................................. A3-8
Assignment Materials for an Interview Month .................................................................................. A7-8
ATTACK
............................................................................................................................ B4-59
ATTEMPTTHEFT ITEMSINMV ................................................................................................... B4-163
ATTEMPTTHEFT OWNER .......................................................................................................... C3-47
ATTEMPTTHEFT OWNER ......................................................................................................... B4-161
ATTEMPTTHEFT
.................................................................................................................... C3-40
ATTEMPTTHEFT ........................................................................................................................ B4-156
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEM ONPERSON .......................................................................................... B4-165
ATTEMPTTHEFTITEMS ............................................................................................................. B4-166
ATTEMPTTHEFTLNS ................................................................................................................... C3-49
ATTEMPTTHEFTON PERSON................................................................................................... B4-164
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT ............................................................................................................. B4-157
ATTEMPTTHEFTWHAT ............................................................................................................... C3-41
AUTHORITIES .......................................................................................................................... B4-224
Avoiding Duplicate Reports ................................................................................................ A3-17, A3-20
Backing Up Your Work .................................................................................................................. D1-14
Basic Survey Procedures ................................................................................................................ A3-2
Before Entering a “Don’t know” answer ......................................................................................... B4-36
Before Interviewing Starts ............................................................................................................ C1-29
Being Professional, Friendly, and Sincere ..................................................................................... A2-19
Believing in Yourself and the NCVS .............................................................................................. A2-20
Best Time for Interviewing, Evenings and Weekends ...................................................................... A4-2
BESTTIME_NOSUNDAY .............................................................................................................. B3-43
Both Cash and Property Were Recovered .................................................................................... C3-53
BRTHDATEDY
.................................................................................................................. B2-103
BRTHDATEMO
.................................................................................................................. B2-103
BRTHDATEYR
.................................................................................................................. B2-103
Burglary
.................................................................................................................... C3-36
BUSINESS ...................................................................................................................................... B3-7
BUSINESSSECTOR ....................................................................................................... B4-235, C3-87
BUSINESSSIGN ............................................................................................................................. B3-7
Callback, Thank You, and Notes Screens ..................................................................................... A3-18
CAPI_INTRO_B
.................................................................................................................... B2-12
CAREDAYHOSPIT ....................................................................................................................... B4-86
CAREOVERNIGHT ....................................................................................................................... B4-86
CARMN Reports ........................................................................................................................... A4-11
Case List Pane
...................................................................................................................... D1-8
CASE NOTE EDITOR ................................................................................................................... B6-10
CASECONTACT .......................................................................................................................... D2-13
CASEID .......................................................................................................................................... B1-9
2
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Cash Was Recovered ................................................................................................................... C3-52
CASHONPERSON...................................................................................................................... B4-181
CASHRECOVERED ................................................................................................................... B4-190
Changing Household Respondents During an Interview................................................................ C1-16
Changing Household Respondents ............................................................................................... A2-11
Changing the Reference Person ................................................................................................... C1-12
Checking Case Management .......................................................................................................... A5-2
Checking New Assignments ............................................................................................................ A3-6
CHNG_BRTHDATE items ........................................................................................................... B2-127
CHNG_MARITAL ........................................................................................................................ B2-129
CHNG_NAME items .................................................................................................................... B2-125
CHNG_REL ................................................................................................................................ B2-126
CHNG_SEX ................................................................................................................................ B2-128
CHNGPH_CP ............................................................................................................................... B2-54
cLANGUAGE ............................................................................................................................... D2-22
Classifying NCVS Crimes ................................................................................................................ C2-5
Closing the Interview and "Thank You" Letters .............................................................................. A2-44
College Students
.................................................................................................................... C2-22
COLLEGEEMPLOYER ................................................................................................................. B3-42
Commercial Establishment .......................................................................................................... B4-292
Commercial Establishment ............................................................................................................ C3-82
Completing a Partial Interview ....................................................................................................... B1-22
Completing Your Assignment .......................................................................................................... A3-7
Components of a Screen................................................................................................................. B1-5
CONCERNSBEHAVIORRELUCT ................................................................................................. D2-44
Conditions for Asking the Industry and Occupation Questions ...................................................... C3-85
Conducting Efficient Interviews ....................................................................................................... A4-4
Conducting Personal Visit Interviews .............................................................................................. A3-9
Conducting Screeners or Crime Incident Report Too Fast ............................................................ A4-13
Conducting Telephone Interviews and Callbacks ............................................................................ A3-8
Confidentiality and Your Job ........................................................................................................... A2-6
Confidentiality
...................................................................................................................... A2-6
CONTACT AUTHORITIES .......................................................................................................... B4-223
CONTACTSTRATATTEMPTED ................................................................................................... D2-47
CONTAINMONEY ...................................................................................................................... B4-191
Control Card Information ............................................................................................................... A3-12
COUNTYSTATE .......................................................................................................................... B4-15
Creating a Good Impression ......................................................................................................... A2-18
Crew Member on a Sailing Vessel .................................................................................................. C1-7
CRIME_END ................................................................................................................................... B5-5
Crimes Not Measured by the NCVS ................................................................................................ C2-5
CTATEMPT .................................................................................................................................... D2-7
CTOTHER .................................................................................................................................... D2-25
CTTYPE ....................................................................................................................................... D2-14
3
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
CURRENTJOBMSATYPE ............................................................................................................. B3-43
Daily Tasks
...................................................................................................................... A3-8
Damage to Property During an Incident ........................................................................................ C3-65
DAMAGED
.................................................................................................... B4-194, C3-66
DAMAGEDREPAIRED ..................................................................................................... B4-195, C3-67
Data Collection ............................................................................................................................. C1-29
Data Products and Their Uses ........................................................................................................ A1-9
Date Is Outside of Reference Period ............................................................................................... B4-5
DAYSLOSTWORK ...................................................................................................................... B4-249
Decennial census
.................................................................................................................... A2-27
DECIDEDVALUE
....................................................................................................... B4-185, C3-45
Description of Materials .................................................................................................................. A7-2
Details Pane
.................................................................................................................... D1-10
Determining Usual Place of Residence ........................................................................................... C1-6
DIAL_CORRECT .......................................................................................................................... B2-26
DIAL_CP ....................................................................................................................................... B2-23
DIRECTENTRANCETOUNIT ........................................................................................................ B2-75
Disability
.................................................................................................................... C3-94
DISABILITY_INTRO .................................................................................................................... B4-281
Do I have to participate? ............................................................................................................... A2-28
Do you have any statistics from this survey that I can see? .......................................................... A2-27
DOINGATINCIDENT TIME ......................................................................................................... B4-226
Don’t know or refused ................................................................................................................... B1-14
Down Arrow – Forward One Item .................................................................................................. B1-19
DRESS_BATH .......................................................................................................................... B4-284
DURINGINCIDENT ..................................................................................................................... B4-103
EATING_PROBS ......................................................................................................................... B4-97
Editing/Coding Operation ............................................................................................................. C1-29
EDUCATIONATTAIN ....................................................................................................... A5-15, B2-113
Eligible Respondents ...................................................................................................................... A2-9
Emotional Toll Questions .............................................................................................................. B4-89
EMPLOYERNAME ....................................................................................................... B4-233, C3-86
EMPLOYERTYPE ....................................................................................................... B4-231, C3-85
EMPLOYERTYPECURRENT........................................................................................................ B3-41
Employment Questions ...................................................................................................... A3-15, A3-18
End – Last Item ............................................................................................................................. B1-19
ENDINCIDENT ............................................................................................................................. B3-52
Ending the Interview..................................................................................................................... A5-18
ENDPERSON ............................................................................................................................... B3-51
ENDSCREENER........................................................................................................................... B3-51
Entering Accurate Information ......................................................................................................... A4-5
4
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
ENTIREHHURE .......................................................................................................................... B2-100
Enumeration Periods ...................................................................................................................... A3-2
ESTAGE ..................................................................................................................................... B2-106
ESTCOSTREPAIR REPLACE .................................................................................................... B4-196
ESTCOSTTOREPAIRREPLACE ................................................................................................. C3-67
Evidence of Forcible Entry ............................................................................................................ B4-38
EVIDENCE
..................................................................................................... B4-38, B4-40, C3-15
Examples of Acceptable Threats ..................................................................................................... C2-7
Examples of Bad Summary Reports................................................................................. B4-295, C3-84
Examples of Good Summary Reports .............................................................................. B4-294, C3-83
Examples of Having a Legal Right to Enter Home/ Lodging ............................................................ C3-8
Examples of Illegal Entries With Force .......................................................................................... C3-12
Examples of Illegal Entries Without Force ..................................................................................... C3-12
Examples of Incidents That Do NOT Qualify as a Series of Crimes ................................................ C3-6
Examples of Incidents That Qualify as a Series of Crimes .............................................................. C3-5
Examples of Not Having a Legal Right to Enter Home/ Lodging ...................................................... C3-9
Examples of Unacceptable Threats ................................................................................................. C2-8
Exceptions to the Age Requirement .............................................................................................. A2-11
Exclude as Police ........................................................................................................................ B4-199
Exiting a Partial Interview .............................................................................................................. B1-20
Explaining "Hate Crimes or Crimes of Prejudice or Bigotry" ........................................................ B4-270
F1 – Question Help ....................................................................................................................... B1-17
F1- - Skip to End ........................................................................................................................... B1-19
F2 – NOT AVAILABLE .................................................................................................................. B1-17
F3 – NOT AVAILABLE .................................................................................................................. B1-17
F4 – Jump Menu ........................................................................................................................... B1-18
F6 – NOT AVAILABLE .................................................................................................................. B1-18
F7 – Enter Notes ........................................................................................................................... B1-18
F7 Notes
.................................................................................................................... A3-19
F8 – Return from Skip ................................................................................................................... B1-18
Families With Two or More Homes ................................................................................................. C1-6
FAQ (General Help) Screen .......................................................................................................... A2-23
FARFROMHOME.......................................................................................................................... B4-47
FARMSALES ................................................................................................................................ B2-66
FATIGUE
............................................................................................................................ B4-98
FEEL_ANGRY ............................................................................................................................ B4-93
FEEL_MISTRUST ........................................................................................................................ B4-93
FEEL_OTHER_WAY .................................................................................................................... B4-93
FEEL_SAD
............................................................................................................................ B4-93
FEEL_UNSAFE ............................................................................................................................ B4-93
FEEL_VIOLATED ......................................................................................................................... B4-93
FEEL_VULNERABLE ................................................................................................................... B4-93
FEEL_WORRIED ......................................................................................................................... B4-93
5
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Field Evaluations - Observation and Reinterview .......................................................................... A4-12
Field Representative's Information Card Booklet, NCVS-554 ........................................................ A7-2
Finding Sample Addresses ............................................................................................................. A4-2
First Enumeration Period Households ............................................................................................ A5-3
First Enumeration Period Interviews ................................................................................................ C1-3
First Person to Interview................................................................................................................ A2-10
First Through Sixth Enumeration Period ....................................................................................... A2-44
First Time in Sample ...................................................................................................................... A5-8
FIRSTINJURY ............................................................................................................................ B4-82
FIRSTINJURY
.................................................................................................................... C3-27
FIRSTTOUSEFORCE ................................................................................................................. B4-118
Five or Less Similar Incidents.......................................................................................................... C3-3
For a Multi-Unit Structure ................................................................................................... B4-36, B4-37
FORCEDENTRY
......................................................................................................... B4-38, C3-15
Foreign Citizens Temporarily Staying in the United States .............................................................. C1-7
Form 11-55, Administrative Handbook for Intermittent and Part Time Employees ........................... A4-5
Form 11-8, Listing and Coverage Manual ....................................................................................... A4-5
Form 11-922, FR Guide to Locating Sample Addresses.................................................................. A4-5
Form Pane ...................................................................................................................................... B1-6
Forms, Answer, Navigate, Options, and Help ................................................................................ B1-26
Foster Children
...................................................................................................................... C1-7
FR Memos, Self-Studies, CBTs and Refresher Training.................................................................. A4-3
FR_DATE ..................................................................................................................................... D2-11
FR_TIME ..................................................................................................................................... D2-12
Frequency of Household Moves .................................................................................................... C2-21
Function keys for NCVS ................................................................................................................ B1-30
GATEDWALLEDCOMMUNITY ..................................................................................................... B2-76
GEN_INTRO_CP
...................................................................................................................... B2-8
General Interviewing Techniques .................................................................................................. A2-30
General Survey Questions and Answers ....................................................................................... A2-26
General Survey Questions ............................................................................................................ A2-23
GETLETTER_CP .......................................................................................................................... B2-51
Getting a Good Start, Identifying Challenging Cases Early.............................................................. A4-3
Getting into Case Management ....................................................................................................... D1-2
Getting started .............................................................................................................................. B1-20
Giant Panda Reports..................................................................................................................... A4-11
Going to School
.................................................................................................................... C3-72
Guidelines for Gaining Cooperation From Respondents................................................................ A2-20
Guns and Knives ........................................................................................................................... B4-55
H_ABBREV ................................................................................................................................... B5-11
H_DAMAGED ............................................................................................................................... B5-13
H_DISABILITY .............................................................................................................................. B5-13
6
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
H_NONINT.................................................................................................................................... B5-15
H_NOTREPORTED ...................................................................................................................... B5-13
H_OMB ......................................................................................................................................... B5-14
H_POLICE_INFORMED ............................................................................................................... B5-13
H_PRESENCE .............................................................................................................................. B5-11
H_STATE ...................................................................................................................................... B5-11
H_THEFT ...................................................................................................................................... B5-12
H_WEAPON ................................................................................................................................ B5-11
H_WHYREPORTED ..................................................................................................................... B5-13
Handling Crime Incidents Involving Businesses ............................................................................ C2-13
HAPPEN
.......................................................................................................................... B4-122
HAPPEN
.................................................................................................................... C3-66
HAVE_HEADACHES ................................................................................................................... B4-99
HEARING
.......................................................................................................................... B4-282
HELLO_1_CP ............................................................................................................................... B2-24
HELLO_ALT2_CP .................................................................................................................... B2-32
Help screens ................................................................................................................................ B5-11
HELP
.......................................................................................................................... B4-108
HELP_OTH_CP
.................................................................................................................... B2-33
HHLDCOVERAGE .................................................................................................................... B2-97
HHMEMBER ................................................................................................................................. B2-87
HHMEMBERPRESENT ..................................................................................................... B4-49, C3-17
HHMEMHARMED
....................................................................................................... B4-116, C3-62
HHMEMLOSTWORK TIME ......................................................................................................... B4-252
HHNUM_VR_CP ................................................................................................................ B2-14, B2-21
HHROSTER_FNAME ................................................................................................................... B2-79
HHROSTER_LNAME .................................................................................................................... B2-79
High Number of Minutes per Case ................................................................................................ A4-12
HIGH_BLOOD_PRESS ................................................................................................................ B4-98
Historical Overview ......................................................................................................................... A1-5
Home – First Item.......................................................................................................................... B1-19
Household and Individual Respondents ........................................................................................ C1-14
Household Members Who Are Temporarily Absent ......................................................................... C1-7
Household Membership .................................................................................................................. C1-5
Household Not Interviewed in Previous Enumeration Periods ........................................................ A5-4
Household Respondent Owns/Rents a Recreation Vehicle or Vacation ........................................ B3-15
Household Respondent Refuses ................................................................................................... C2-16
HOUSEHOLD ROSTER - Who To List.......................................................................................... B2-80
HOUSEHOLDINCOME ................................................................................................................ A5-15
HOUSEHOLDINCOME ................................................................................................................. B3-45
Housing Unit Jointly Owned or Rented .......................................................................................... C1-11
Housing Unit Rented Without Cash Payment ............................................................................... C1-11
How can I get information regarding BJS/NCVS?.......................................................................... A2-27
How long will this interview really take? ......................................................................................... A2-30
7
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
How many times will I be contacted?............................................................................................. A2-27
How many times will I be interviewed? .......................................................................................... A2-28
How the NCVS Began ..................................................................................................................... A1-5
How To Use Introductory Letters ..................................................................................................... A2-3
How We Define Confidentiality ........................................................................................................ A2-6
HOW_DISTRESSING ................................................................................................................... B4-90
HOWATTACK ............................................................................................................................ B4-72
HOWATTACK
........................................................................................................ C3-26, C3-31
HOWMANYOFFENDERS ........................................................................................................... B4-138
HOWOTHERSHELP ................................................................................................................... B4-112
HOWPOLICECONTACT ............................................................................................................ B4-217
HOWTHREATEN
........................................................................................................ C3-25, C3-30
HOWTHREATEN .......................................................................................................................... B4-67
HOWTRYATTACK ........................................................................................................ C3-25, C3-30
HOWTRYATTACK ........................................................................................................................ B4-67
HSEMEMURE ............................................................................................................................... B2-88
Identifying Businesses Operated From the Sample Address ......................................................... C2-10
Identifying Ownership of Stolen Property ...................................................................................... C2-13
Identifying the Method of Interview .................................................................................................. A5-2
Illegal Entry (With or Without Force) .............................................................................................. C3-12
IMPACT_FAMILY ......................................................................................................................... B4-90
IMPACT_JOB ............................................................................................................................ B4-89
Importance of Answering Respondent Questions .......................................................................... A2-23
Importance of Completing Incident Report Items ............................................................................. B5-2
Importance of NCVS .................................................................................................................... A1-2
Importance of the Monthly FR Memorandum .................................................................................. A7-8
Improving Accuracy and Usefulness ............................................................................................... A1-5
INC_REPORTS ............................................................................................................................ B3-31
Incident Happened at Sample Address Before Owned/Rented by House ..................................... B3-15
Incident Occurred at Work Site ..................................................................................................... C3-74
INCIDENTADDRESS ...................................................................................................................... B4-3
INCIDENTAIR ............................................................................................................................ B4-15
INCIDENTCOUNTY ..................................................................................................................... B4-15
INCIDENTDATE.............................................................................................................................. B4-4
INCIDENTEVIDENCE HATE_MAKEFUN, _SYMBOLS, _POLICETARGET, _OFF .................... B4-278
INCIDENTHAPPEN ATWORK .................................................................................................... B4-241
INCIDENTHAPPEN ATWORK ...................................................................................................... C3-92
INCIDENTHAPPENAT WORK ...................................................................................................... C3-74
INCIDENTHATE TARGETREASONS: _RACE, _RELIGION, _ETHNICITY, _DIS ...................... B4-272
INCIDENTHATE TARGETRELIGION ......................................................................................... B4-275
INCIDENTHATE TARGETWHO YOUKNOW ............................................................................. B4-274
INCIDENTHATE_FELT_BELIEVED ............................................................................................ B4-280
INCIDENTHATECRIME .............................................................................................................. B4-270
8
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
INCIDENTHAVE EVIDENCEHATE ............................................................................................. B4-276
INCIDENTHAVEEVIDENCEHATE_SUGGEST .......................................................................... B4-277
INCIDENTINTRO ............................................................................................................................ B4-2
INCIDENTNUMBER OFTIMES ....................................................................................................... C3-4
INCIDENTNUMBEROF TIMES ....................................................................................................... B4-7
INCIDENTNUMTOADD................................................................................................................... B5-4
INCIDENTPLACE ......................................................................................................................... B4-13
Incidents Involving a Police Officer ............................................................................................... C3-76
Incidents Occurring on the Day of the Interview .............................................................................. A3-4
Incidents Outside of Reference Period ...................................................................................A3-4, C1-4
Incidents, Minor ............................................................................................................................... B5-2
INCIDENTSSIMILAR ...........................................................................................................B4-10, C3-4
INCIDENTSTATE ......................................................................................................................... B4-14
INCIDENTTIME ...................................................................................................................B4-12, C3-5
INCIDENTTOADD WHY ................................................................................................................. B5-5
INCIDENTTOADD........................................................................................................................... B5-4
INCORPORATED
........................................................................................................ B4-233,C3-85
INDIAN RESERVATIONHU .......................................................................................................... B2-65
Individual Respondent Refusals .................................................................................................... A3-20
INFORM_HHR .............................................................................................................................. B3-44
Information Pane ............................................................................................................................. B1-5
INJACTION
.......................................................................................................................... B4-106
INJACTIONHELP ........................................................................................................................ B4-107
INJURY
............................................................................................. B4-78, C3-26, C3-33
INJURYNOTGUN
......................................................................................................... B4-82, C3-27
Inmates and Patients in Institutional Group Quarters .................................................................... C1-10
INSIDEOROUT ............................................................................................................................ B4-46
Instructions for Coding Telephone Interviews ................................................................................ A5-10
Interpreters and Signers .................................................................................................................. A2-9
Interpreting a Respondent's Answer .............................................................................................. C2-19
Interview Period
...................................................................................................................... A3-5
Interview Scheme
...................................................................................................................... A3-4
Interviewing Assignments................................................................................................................ A4-2
Interviewing in Private ..................................................................................................................... A2-7
Interviewing Individual Respondents ............................................................................................. A3-15
Interviewing Pattern ...................................................................................................................... A1-8
Interviewing
...................................................................................................................... A4-2
INTERVIEWSTATUS .................................................................................................................... B2-38
INTPROXYSTATUS...................................................................................................................... B2-48
INTRO_PARTIAL_CP ........................................................................................................ B2-16, B2-29
INTRO_REC_CP ............................................................................................................... B2-17, B2-30
INTRO_UNDUP
...........................................................................................................B5-7, C1-25
Introducing Yourself – The Respondent’s First Impression ............................................................. A4-4
Introducing Yourself and the Survey..................................................................................... A2-4, B1-20
9
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
INTROFORNEWRESPONDENT .................................................................................................. B2-50
Invalid Entries ............................................................................................................................... B1-14
Is a "Don't Know" Entry Acceptable? ............................................................................................. C2-19
Is this survey authorized by law? ................................................................................................... A2-31
ISCURRENTJOB
.................................................................................................................... C3-93
ISCURRENTJOB ........................................................................................................................ B4-243
Item or Screen Name ...................................................................................................................... B1-9
Item Specific Questions................................................................................................................. A2-23
Items in the Incident Report Section .............................................................................................. C3-14
ITEMSTAKEN .......................................................................................................................... B4-183
Job/Business at Time of the Incident ............................................................................................. C3-70
JOBDESCRIPTION....................................................................................................................... B3-35
JOBDESCRIPTIONSPEC ............................................................................................................ B3-40
JOBDURINGINCIDENT .............................................................................................................. B4-228
JOBDURINGINCIDENT ................................................................................................................ C3-70
JOBDURINGREF PERIOD ........................................................................................................... B3-33
JOBLAST2WEEKS ....................................................................................................................... B3-34
JOBLASTWEEK ........................................................................................................................... B3-32
JOBMSATYPE ............................................................................................................... B4-240, C3-92
Keeping Accurate Records.............................................................................................................. A4-5
Keeping Callbacks to a Minimum .................................................................................................... A4-4
Keeping House
.................................................................................................................... C3-72
Keeping Proxy Interviews to a Minimum ........................................................................................ C1-22
Key Points to Cover .................................................................................................................... B4-288
Keys to a Successful Introduction ................................................................................................. A2-18
KIND_HELP_PHYPROBS .......................................................................................................... B4-101
KNOWLEARN OFFENDERS ...................................................................................................... B4-119
KNOWOFFENDERS ................................................................................................................... B4-126
LANG_SPEC ............................................................................................................................... B3-50
LANGLIST .................................................................................................................................... D2-23
LANGUAGE PROBLEM_CP ........................................................................................................... B6-6
LANGUAGE PROBLEM_SPEC_CP ............................................................................................... B6-6
LAWENFORCEJOB ..................................................................................................................... B3-39
LEARN_CONCENTRATE .......................................................................................................... B4-283
Learning About the NCVS Instrument ............................................................................................. B1-2
LEARNOFFENDERS .................................................................................................................. B4-120
Leaving on Good Terms ................................................................................................................ A2-44
LEAVING_HOME ....................................................................................................................... B4-285
Length of Time in Sample ............................................................................................................... A3-2
Letters in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese .....................................................................A7-5
Listening Skills ............................................................................................................................. A5-19
10
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Listening to the Respondent .......................................................................................................... A2-35
Listing GQ Segments ...................................................................................................................... A4-7
Listing Unit Segments ..................................................................................................................... A4-6
Listing ............................................................................................................................................. A4-6
LOCATION_COMMERCE ............................................................................................................. B4-27
LOCATION_GENERAL ................................................................................................................. B4-17
LOCATION_IN_HOME.................................................................................................................. B4-19
LOCATION_NEAR_HOME ........................................................................................................... B4-23
LOCATION_OPENAREA .............................................................................................................. B4-32
LOCATION_OTHER_HOME ......................................................................................................... B4-25
LOCATION_PARKING .................................................................................................................. B4-29
LOCATION_SCHOOL ................................................................................................................... B4-31
LOCATION_SPEC ....................................................................................................................... B4-33
Logging onto Laptop ...................................................................................................................... D1-2
Looking for Work
.................................................................................................................... C3-71
LOSTOTHERWORK TIME .......................................................................................................... B4-247
LOSTPAYNOEMPINS ................................................................................................................ B4-250
LOSTPAYNOMEDINS ................................................................................................................ B4-245
LOSTWORKTIME ....................................................................................................................... B4-243
Low Response Rate .................................................................................................................... A4-12
Machinist vs. Machine ................................................................................................................ B4-238
Mail
.................................................................................................................... D1-15
MAILINGSAME_CP .................................................................................................................... B2-57
Maintaining Respondent Rapport .................................................................................................... A2-1
Major Activity During Week of the Incident .................................................................................... C3-71
MAJORACTIVITY
.................................................................................................................... C3-71
MAJORACTIVITY ....................................................................................................................... B4-229
MARITAL .................................................................................................................................... B2-108
Marking All Answers That Apply .................................................................................................... A2-34
Materials Kept Month to Month ....................................................................................................... A7-7
Materials Needed Each Interview Month ......................................................................................... A7-7
Materials Supplied Monthly ............................................................................................................ A7-8
Medical Care
.................................................................................................................... C3-55
Medical Expenses
.................................................................................................................... C3-57
MEDICALCARE ............................................................................................................................ B4-83
MEDICALCARE
.................................................................................................................... C3-55
MEDICALEXPENSES ................................................................................................................... B4-88
MEDICALEXPENSES ................................................................................................................... C3-57
MEDICALINSURANCE ................................................................................................................. B4-87
MEDICALJOB .............................................................................................................................. B3-37
Meeting Expected Standards .......................................................................................................... A4-5
MEMBERCHANGES ..................................................................................................................... B2-94
11
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Members of the Armed Forces ........................................................................................................ C1-8
MENTALHEALTHJOB .................................................................................................................. B3-37
Menu Bar
...................................................................................................................... D1-3
Methods of Making Entries ............................................................................................................ B1-12
Minimizing Type As and Type Zs .................................................................................................. A4-10
Monthly Instructions ...................................................................................................................... A3-6
Monthly Tasks
...................................................................................................................... A3-6
Months/Years Living at Address .................................................................................................... C2-18
Motor Vehicle Theft .................................................................................................................... C3-37
Motor Vehicles
................................................................................................................. B4-55
Mouse or Keyboard ....................................................................................................................... B1-16
Moved Into Sample Address During Reference Period ................................................................. B3-15
MOVED_CP .................................................................................................................................. B2-53
Multiple Entry Questions ............................................................................................................... B1-12
MULTOFFENDERDRINKDRUG ................................................................................................ B4-150
MULTOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG ........................................................................................... B4-151
MULTOFFENDERGANG ........................................................................................................... B4-149
MULTOFFENDERGENDER ....................................................................................................... B4-145
MULTOFFENDERHOWWELL .................................................................................................... B4-140
MULTOFFENDERKNEW ........................................................................................................... B4-138
MULTOFFENDERMOSTETHNICITY ........................................................................................... C3-59
MULTOFFENDERMOSTGENDER ............................................................................................ B4-145
MULTOFFENDEROLD .............................................................................................................. B4-146
MULTOFFENDERONLYTIME .................................................................................................... B4-152
MULTOFFENDERRACE ................................................................................................. B4-148, C3-60
MULTOFFENDERRACEMOST ....................................................................................... B4-149, C3-60
MULTOFFENDERRECOG ......................................................................................................... B4-139
MULTOFFENDERRELATION .................................................................................................... B4-142
MULTOFFENDERSIGHT ........................................................................................................... B4-141
MULTOFFENDERYOUNG ......................................................................................................... B4-146
MULTOFFETHNICITY .................................................................................................... B4-147, C3-59
MULTOFFMOSTETHNICITY ..................................................................................................... B4-147
MUSCLE_TENSION .................................................................................................................... B4-98
NAMECHECK ............................................................................................................................... B2-89
Navigation and Using Function Keys ............................................................................................. B1-16
NCTPER ...................................................................................................................................... D2-26
NCTPEROT ................................................................................................................................. D2-27
NCTTEL ....................................................................................................................................... D2-28
NCTTELOT .................................................................................................................................. D2-29
NCVS At a Glance .................................................................................................................... A2-25
NCVS At a Glance, NCVS-550.1................................................................................................... A7-4
NCVS Authorization and Introduction .............................................................................................. A2-2
NCVS Authorization ...................................................................................................................... A2-2
12
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
NCVS Crime Categories and Types ................................................................................................ C2-3
NCVS Fact Sheet, NCVS-110 ...................................................................................................... A7-4
NCVS Introductory Letters, NCVS-572(L) and NCVS-573(L) ......................................................... A7-5
NCVS Question ............................................................................................................................... B1-9
NCVS Sample Population and Size ................................................................................................ A1-7
NCVS sample ............................................................................................................................... C1-29
NCVS Thank You Letters, NCVS-593(L) and NCVS-594(L) ........................................................... A7-5
NCVS vs. Police Reports ................................................................................................................ A1-4
NEW_NUMBER_CP ..................................................................................................................... B2-24
NEWADD items ............................................................................................................................ B2-55
NEWHHR_CP
.................................................................................................................... B2-31
NEWMAIL items ............................................................................................................................ B2-59
NEWREFPER ............................................................................................................................... B2-92
NEXTPERSON .................................................................................................................. B2-37, B3-52
No crimes here, so go ask somebody else. ................................................................................... A2-26
No Legal Right to Enter ................................................................................................................... C3-7
No One Home
...................................................................................................................... A2-6
No Telephone Available ................................................................................................................. A5-4
NO_CRIMES ................................................................................................................................. B3-31
NOATTEMPT .................................................................................................................................. D2-8
Nonhousehold Member at Time of Interview ................................................................................. C3-48
Nonhousehold Member Proxy Respondent .................................................................................... A2-6
NONINTER .................................................................................................................................. D2-16
Noninterview Categories ................................................................................................................. A6-2
Noninterviews
...................................................................................................................... A3-1
Noninterviews, Minimizing ............................................................................................................... A6-4
Not Included for the NCVS .............................................................................................................. C2-7
NOTES Screen
.................................................................................................................... A3-18
Noting Distinctions ...................................................................................................................... B4-205
NOTREPORT IMPORTANT ........................................................................................................ B4-206
NOTREPORTEDPOLICE............................................................................................................ B4-204
NUMBERFIREARMS .................................................................................................................. B4-180
NUMBERHANDGUNS ................................................................................................................ B4-180
NUMBEROFUNITS ....................................................................................................................... B2-73
Objects That Are Never Weapons ................................................................................................. B4-56
Objects Used as Weapons ............................................................................................................ B4-55
Observations ................................................................................................................................. A4-12
OCCUPATIONDESC ....................................................................................................... B4-237, C3-88
Occupied Without Payment of Cash Rent ..................................................................................... B2-61
Offender Is a Police Officer ............................................................................................ B4-200, B4-292
Offender is a Police Officer ........................................................................................................... C3-81
Offender Not Known, But Suspected ............................................................................................... C3-8
OFFENDERGETIN ....................................................................................................................... B4-42
13
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
OFFENDERINSIDE ......................................................................................................... B4-36, C3-14
OFFENDERLIVE
...................................................................................................................... C3-7
OFFENDERTRY
............................................................................................. B4-34, B4-37, C3-14
ONEORMORE OFFENDERS ..................................................................................................... B4-125
Only Property Was Recovered ...................................................................................................... C3-52
Operator vs. Mechanic ................................................................................................................ B4-238
Organizing Your Work Schedule ..................................................................................................... A3-6
OSINCNOT NEEDED ................................................................................................................... C1-28
Other Survey Changes .................................................................................................................... A1-6
Other Victimized Household Members .......................................................................................... C3-62
OTHER_PHYSICAL ..................................................................................................................... B4-99
OTHERONPERSON ................................................................................................................... B4-182
OTHERSACTIONS WORSE ....................................................................................................... B4-113
OTHERSACTIONS ..................................................................................................................... B4-111
OTHERSOWNED STOLENPROPERTY ....................................................................................... C3-49
OTHERSOWNEDSTOLENPROPERTY ..................................................................................... B4-176
OTHR_NAME_FIRST_CP ............................................................................................................ B2-34
OTHR_NAME_LAST_CP .............................................................................................................. B2-34
OTHWORSE .......................................................................................................................... B4-113
Outcome Codes ............................................................................................................................ B1-24
Out-of-Scope Incident ................................................................................................................... C1-28
Outside Reference Period ............................................................................................................. C1-28
Overview of NCVS Process .......................................................................................................... C1-29
Overview of the Front Section ......................................................................................................... B2-2
Overview of the Middle Section ....................................................................................................... B3-2
Owned or Being Bought by You or Someone in Your Household .................................................. B2-61
Ownership of Motor Vehicles ........................................................................................................ C2-16
Pacing the Interview ...................................................................................................................... A2-30
Page Up/Page Down Keys ............................................................................................................ B1-16
PAIDREPAIRS ............................................................................................................... B4-198, C3-68
Partial Interviews and Callbacks.................................................................................................... B1-20
PARTSCHOOLBLDG .................................................................................................................... B4-44
pCASECONTACT ........................................................................................................................ D2-31
pCHI and Case Management ......................................................................................................... D2-4
pCHI and Households With a Roster ............................................................................................ D2-30
pCHI and Households Without a Roster ....................................................................................... D2-13
pCHI and Returning pCHI, Utilizing ................................................................................................. A4-3
pCHI, Overview .............................................................................................................................. D2-2
pCHI, Specific Situations .............................................................................................................. D2-48
PCONATCPER ............................................................................................................................ D2-33
pCTOTHER .................................................................................................................................. D2-38
pCTTYPE ..................................................................................................................................... D2-36
14
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Performance Ratings ...................................................................................................................... A4-8
Performance Standards or Data Quality Indicators (DQIs) ............................................................ A4-10
Performance Standards .................................................................................................................. A4-8
PERMISSIONGIVEN .................................................................................................................. B4-176
PERSAPPT ..................................................................................................................................... B6-5
Person Level Contact History Instrument (see pCHI), Overview ..................................................... D2-2
Personal Crime
.......................................................................................................... C2-3, C3-37
Personal Crimes vs. Property Crimes.............................................................................................. C2-4
Personal Visit Interviews ........................................................................................................ A2-7, A5-3
Personal Visit Interviews, Procedures for ..................................................................................... C1-33
Persons in Vacation Homes, Tourist Cabins, and Trailers ............................................................... C1-9
Persons With Concurrent Residences ............................................................................................. C1-9
Persons Working Overseas ............................................................................................................. C1-9
PERSONSHARMED ....................................................................................................... B4-114, C3-62
PERSONSHARMEDNUM ........................................................................................................... B4-115
PERSTATUSPROXY .................................................................................................................... B2-39
PERSTATUSREFUSED................................................................................................................ B2-49
Phone Interviews, Procedures for ................................................................................................ C1-32
PHYSICAL_LIMIT ...................................................................................................................... B4-284
PICKPROXYRESP ....................................................................................................................... B2-47
pLANGLIST .................................................................................................................................. D2-40
pLANGUAGE ............................................................................................................................... D2-39
Planning Your Daily Schedule ......................................................................................................... A3-8
Planning Your Travel Route ............................................................................................................ A4-4
pNOCONTACT ............................................................................................................................ D2-34
pNONCONOTH ............................................................................................................................ D2-35
pNONINTER ................................................................................................................................ D2-37
POLICEACTION ......................................................................................................................... B4-213
POLICEARRIVE ......................................................................................................................... B4-211
POLICECONTACT...................................................................................................................... B4-215
POLICEFINDOUT ....................................................................................................................... B4-202
POLICEFOLLOWUP ....................................................................................................... B4-218, C3-54
POLICEINFORMED ....................................................................................................... B4-199, C3-76
POLICEINTOUCH....................................................................................................................... B4-216
PREGATTIMEOFINC .................................................................................................................. B4-102
Preparing to Interview ..................................................................................................................... A3-6
Presence During an Incident ......................................................................................................... C3-16
PRESENTFORSQS ...................................................................................................................... B3-30
PRETHREATEN
......................................................................................................... B4-77, C3-32
Primary Purpose
...................................................................................................................... A1-2
Primary Sampling Units ................................................................................................................... A1-7
Private, Interviewing in .................................................................................................................... A2-7
PRO_HELP_SOUGHT ................................................................................................................. B4-96
Probing for Item NOTREPORTED POLICE................................................................................. B4-204
15
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Probing for Item REASONREPORT ............................................................................................ B4-208
Probing to Identify Rape or Attempted Rape ..................................................................... C3-30, C3-31
Problems Conducting a Proxy Interview ........................................................................................ C1-23
Procedures for Conducting Proxy Interviews ................................................................................. A2-16
Processing the Data ..................................................................................................................... C1-31
Production Standards...................................................................................................................... A4-9
Property Crime
.................................................................................................................... C3-36
Property Crimes
...................................................................................................................... C2-3
Property Ownership .................................................................................................................... C3-47
PROPERTYVALUE ....................................................................................................... B4-184, C3-44
Protecting Confidentiality .............................................................................................................. C1-22
Protecting the Rights of Household Members ............................................................................... A2-15
PROTECTSELF .......................................................................................................................... B4-103
Proxy Interviews for Household Respondents ............................................................................... C1-19
Proxy Interviews, Acceptable Reasons ......................................................................................... C1-18
Proxy Respondents Who Are Not Household Members ................................................................ A2-14
PROXYAGEERROR ..................................................................................................................... B2-41
PROXYDATERETURN ................................................................................................................. B2-42
PROXYHELP ................................................................................................................................ B3-30
PROXYREASON .......................................................................................................................... B2-39
PROXYREASONSPEC ................................................................................................................. B2-41
pRSPNDENT ............................................................................................................................... D2-42
pRSPNDOTH ............................................................................................................................... D2-43
PRSWLT_CONTAINMONEY ..................................................................................................... B4-173
pSPECLANG ............................................................................................................................... D2-41
pSTRATEGS ................................................................................................................................ D2-45
pSTRATOTH ................................................................................................................................ D2-46
PUBLICHOUSING ........................................................................................................................ B2-63
PUBLICHOUSINGMGRVERIFY ................................................................................................... B2-64
Purpose and Sponsor ..................................................................................................................... A1-2
Purpose of Function Keys in the NCVS Instrument ....................................................................... B1-17
Purpose
...................................................................................................................... C1-2
Purse Snatching and Pocket Picking ............................................................................................. C3-38
Qualifications for Using the Personal Visit Method .......................................................................... A5-3
Qualifications for Using the Telephone Method ............................................................................... A5-8
Quality Interviews
...................................................................................................................... A4-9
Race of Offenders
.................................................................................................................... C3-59
RACE .............................................................................................................................. A5-15, B2-121
Rape/Unwanted Sexual Contact ................................................................................................... C3-29
Reading the Entire Question ......................................................................................................... A2-32
REASONREPORT
............................................................................................................... B4-207
16
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Reassuring Respondents ................................................................................................................ A2-7
Reassuring Respondents .............................................................................................................. B3-48
RECALLDETAILS
...........................................................................................................B4-11, C3-4
RECEIVECAREWHERE ............................................................................................................... B4-84
Recognizable Business ................................................................................................................... B3-7
Recognizable/Unrecognizable Businesses ..................................................................................... C2-9
RECOVERED CASHVALUE ............................................................................................ B4-191, C3-53
RECOVERED INSURANCE ....................................................................................................... B4-193
Recovered Money and/or Property ............................................................................................... C3-51
Recovering from Program Errors ................................................................................................... B1-23
REFCBBREAK_CP ......................................................................................................................... B6-3
Reference Period
...................................................................................................................... C1-3
Reference Periods ...................................................................................................................... A3-2
Reference Person
.................................................................................................................... C1-11
REFPERSTILLLIVE ...................................................................................................................... B2-91
Refused After Starting Interview ......................................................................................... A3-19, A3-20
Refused at the INTROFORNEW RESPONDENT Screen ............................................................. A3-20
Reinterview
.................................................................................................................... A4-13
RELATIONSHIP ............................................................................................................................ B2-85
Releasing the Data ....................................................................................................................... C1-31
Rented for Cash ............................................................................................................................ B2-61
Replacement Households .................................................................................................. A3-12, C1-32
Replacement households, coding ................................................................................................ C1-33
REPORTIMPORTANT ................................................................................................................ B4-210
Reporting Crime Incidents .................................................................................................. A3-14, A3-17
Reports ......................................................................................................................................... A4-11
RESPINTERVIEWLANG .............................................................................................................. B3-49
RESPONDENTPHONENUMBER ................................................................................................ B3-48
RESPONDENTPHONETYPE ...................................................................................................... B3-49
RESPONDENTSSCHOOL ............................................................................................................ B4-44
Response Rates
...................................................................................................................... A4-9
RESTRICTED AREA .................................................................................................................... B4-45
Restricted Areas/Areas Open to the Public ................................................................................... C3-10
RESTRICTEDACCESS................................................................................................................. B2-77
RESTRICTEDAREA .................................................................................................................... C3-10
RETAILSALESJOB ...................................................................................................................... B3-39
Retired
.................................................................................................................... C3-73
RETURNBYCLOSEOUT ............................................................................................................... B2-45
RETURNCAR .......................................................................................................................... B4-178
RETURNING CONTACT HISTORY TAB ........................................................................................ D2-6
Right to Legally Enter Home/Lodging .............................................................................................. C3-7
ROSCO Reports ........................................................................................................................... A4-11
ROSTERREVIEW
.................................................................................................................. B2-122
RSPNDENT ................................................................................................................................. D2-17
17
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
RSPNDOTH ................................................................................................................................. D2-19
RTNUM_CP .................................................................................................................................. B2-28
Rules for Household Respondents ................................................................................................ A2-10
Rules for Individual Respondents .................................................................................................. A2-12
Rules for Interpreters and Signers ................................................................................................. A2-17
Rules for Proxy Respondents ........................................................................................................ A2-12
SAMETHINGEACHTIME ............................................................................................................ B4-264
Sample Design
...................................................................................................................... A1-7
Sample Unit Selection ..................................................................................................................... A1-8
Screen Content ............................................................................................................................... B1-9
Screen Layout ................................................................................................................................. B1-5
SCREEN QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................... B3-9
Screening for Crime Incidents ............................................................................................ A3-13, A3-16
Screens Without Questions ............................................................................................................. B1-9
Second Through Seventh Enumeration Period Interviews ............................................................... C1-3
Secondary Purpose ...................................................................................................................... A1-2
Secretary vs. “Official Secretary” ................................................................................................. B4-238
SEEK_HELP_PHYPROBS ......................................................................................................... B4-100
SEEK_POR_HELP ....................................................................................................................... B4-95
SEEOFFENDER ........................................................................................................................... B4-54
Selecting a Household Respondent ............................................................................................. A5-14
Selection of Questions and Screen Content .................................................................................... B1-8
Selection of Questions .................................................................................................................... B1-8
Sending "Thank You" Letters .......................................................................................................... A3-9
Series Crimes
.................................................................................................................... C3-83
Series of Crimes
...................................................................................................................... C3-3
SERIESCONTACT ORNOT ........................................................................................................ B4-266
SERIESLOCATION..................................................................................................................... B4-260
SERIESNUMTIMES .................................................................................................................... B4-255
SERIESOFFENDER RELATION................................................................................................. B4-261
SERIESOFFENDER ................................................................................................................... B4-260
SERIESWHICHMONTH Q1-Q4 .................................................................................................. B4-257
Seventh Enumeration Period ........................................................................................................ A2-49
SEX ........................................................................................................................................... B2-85
Sex-Related Crimes .................................................................................................................... C3-80
Sex-Related Crimes .................................................................................................................... B4-290
SHIFT F1 – Display Household Roster.......................................................................................... B1-17
SHIFT F2 – Frequently Asked Questions ...................................................................................... B1-17
SHIFT F5 – Spanish Version ......................................................................................................... B1-18
SHIFT F7 – View Notes ................................................................................................................ B1-18
SHOW_CP_ROSTER .......................................................................................................... B2-6, B2-20
SHOW_INFO_CP ............................................................................................................... B2-7, B2-20
18
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
SIGNCOMPLAINT ...................................................................................................................... B4-219
Single Entry Questions .................................................................................................................. B1-12
SINGOFFENDER GENDER ....................................................................................................... B4-133
SINGOFFENDERAGE ................................................................................................................ B4-133
SINGOFFENDERDRINKDRUG ................................................................................................. B4-135
SINGOFFENDERDRINKORDRUG ............................................................................................. B4-136
SINGOFFENDERGANG ............................................................................................................. B4-135
SINGOFFENDERHOWWELL ..................................................................................................... B4-128
SINGOFFENDERKNEW ............................................................................................................. B4-126
SINGOFFENDERONLYTIME...................................................................................................... B4-137
SINGOFFENDERRECOG........................................................................................................... B4-127
SINGOFFENDERRELATION ..................................................................................................... B4-130
SINGOFFENDERSIGHT ............................................................................................................. B4-129
SINGOFFETHNICITY .................................................................................................................. C3-59
SINGOFFETHNICITY ................................................................................................................. B4-134
SINGOFFRACE ........................................................................................................................... C3-59
SINGOFFRACE .......................................................................................................................... B4-134
SNOWFLAKE ................................................................................................................................. D2-6
Soft and Hard Edits ....................................................................................................................... B1-14
SP_ORIGIN ................................................................................................................................. A5-15
SP_ORIGIN ................................................................................................................................ B2-119
Special Situations for Item HOUSEHOLDINCOME ....................................................................... B3-47
Special Situations Requiring Personal Visit Interviews ................................................................... A5-5
Special Situations
.................................................................................................................... C1-11
Special Situations
.................................................................................................................... C2-11
Specific Household Procedures .................................................................................................... A3-10
SPECLANG ................................................................................................................................. D2-24
SPECNOATTEMPT ........................................................................................................................ D2-9
SQATTACKHOW .......................................................................................................................... B3-22
SQATTACKKNOWNOFF .............................................................................................................. B3-23
SQATTACKWHERE ..................................................................................................................... B3-21
SQBREAKIN
......................................................................................................... B3-14, C3-13
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT ............................................................................................... B3-26
SQCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREATTIMES .................................................................................... B3-27
SQCALLPOLICECRIME ............................................................................................................... B3-25
SQCALLPOLICESPEC ................................................................................................................. B3-26
SQMVTHEFT ..................................................................................................................... B3-19, C2-16
SQNOCALLPOLICE CRIME ......................................................................................................... B3-28
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT TIMES .............................................................................. B3-29
SQNOCALLPOLICEATTACKTHREAT ......................................................................................... B3-29
SQNOCALLPOLICESPEC ............................................................................................................ B3-28
SQSEXUAL................................................................................................................................... B3-24
SQTHEFT ..................................................................................................................................... B3-13
SQTOTALVEHICLES ......................................................................................................... B3-16, C2-16
19
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
START_CP (Telephone Interview) ................................................................................................ B2-18
START_CP ............................................................................................................................ B2-3, B2-5
Starting Off on the Right Foot ........................................................................................................ A2-18
Starting the Interview .................................................................................................................. A5-10
Starting With the Household Respondent ...................................................................................... A3-10
Statistics
.................................................................................................................... A2-30
Staying Neutral and Objective ............................................................................................ A2-19, A2-40
Stolen Property .......................................................................................................................... B4-290
Stolen Property
.................................................................................................................... C3-80
STRATEGS .................................................................................................................................. D2-20
STRATOTH .................................................................................................................................. D2-21
Student Nurses
...................................................................................................................... C1-9
STUDENTHOUSING .................................................................................................................... B2-62
Students
...................................................................................................................... C1-8
SUMMARY
.......................................................................................................................... B4-287
SUMMARY Screen ................................................................................. C3-40, C3-45, C3-49, C3-77
SUREOFINFO .......................................................................................................................... B4-120
Survey doesn't seem to be working, crimes still occur. .................................................................. A2-27
Survey Sponsor
...................................................................................................................... A1-3
Tabs ........................................................................................................................................... B1-16
TEACHING JOB ........................................................................................................................... B3-38
Telecommunications .................................................................................................................... D1-13
TELEPH .......................................................................................................................................... B6-4
Telephone Interview Not Acceptable .............................................................................................. A5-5
Telephone Interviewing Skills ....................................................................................................... A5-17
Telephone Interviews ...................................................................................................................... A2-7
Telephone Techniques ................................................................................................................. A5-20
TELEPHTYPE................................................................................................................................. B6-4
TELLPOLICEHATE CRIME ........................................................................................................ B4-280
TENURE ....................................................................................................................................... B2-60
THANKCB_CP ................................................................................................................................ B6-5
THANKYOU_CP ............................................................................................................................. B6-7
THANKYOU_INDIV......................................................................................................................... B6-5
THEFT ......................................................................................................................................... C3-40
Theft Incidents From a Legally Separated Spouse ........................................................................ C3-47
Theft Incidents From Former Residences ..................................................................................... C3-47
THEFT
.......................................................................................................................... B4-153
Theft
.................................................................................................................... C3-36
Theft/Attempted Theft of Cash/Property ........................................................................................ C3-36
Thefts From Children Under 12 Years of Age................................................................................ C3-39
Thefts From Unrecognizable Businesses ...................................................................................... C3-38
Things to Avoid .......................................................................................................................... B4-293
20
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
THREATEN
............................................................................................................................ B4-61
Threats
...................................................................................................................... C2-7
Thrown Objects ............................................................................................................................ B4-56
Time, date, and respondent information .......................................................................................... B1-9
TIMEATADDRESS PROBE ............................................................................................................ B3-5
TIMEATADDRESS .......................................................................................................................... B3-3
TIMEOFCT ................................................................................................................................... D2-10
TIMEPOLICEARRIVE ............................................................................................................... B4-212
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS .............................................................................................................. B3-6
TIMESMOVEDIN5YEARS ............................................................................................................ C2-21
Timing of Interviews ..................................................................................................................... A5-10
Titles and Form Numbers ............................................................................................................... A7-2
Tool Bar and Function Keys ............................................................................................................ D1-4
Tool Bar ........................................................................................................................................ B1-26
TOOLATE_CP .............................................................................................................................. B2-36
Transmissions
.................................................................................................................... D1-13
Transmitting Completed Work ......................................................................................................... A3-9
TRANSPORTJOB ........................................................................................................................ B3-40
TRBL_SLEEPING ........................................................................................................................ B4-97
TROUBLEONGOING .................................................................................................................. B4-265
TRYATTACK ............................................................................................................................ B4-60
Two-Level Screen Interaction .......................................................................................................... B1-7
Type A Noninterviews .................................................................................................................... A5-9
Type A Noninterviews ............................................................................................................ A6-2, A6-9
Type A Rates
...................................................................................................................... A4-9
Type B Noninterviews .......................................................................................................... A6-3, A6-16
Type C Noninterviews .......................................................................................................... A6-3, A6-21
Type of Industry and Occupation................................................................................................... C3-85
TYPE TRANSPORTATION ......................................................................................................... B4-255
Type Z Noninterviews ................................................................................................ A5-9, A6-4, A6-25
Type Z Rates
...................................................................................................................... A4-9
TYPEBUSINESS
.................................................................................................................... C3-86
TYPEBUSINESS......................................................................................................................... B4-234
TYPEOFAGENCY....................................................................................................................... B4-222
TYPEOFHOUSINGUNIT ............................................................................................................... B2-69
Types of Entries ............................................................................................................................ B1-12
Types of NCVS Data Products ........................................................................................................ A1-9
Types of NCVS Respondents.......................................................................................................... A2-9
Types of Respondent Questions ................................................................................................... A2-23
Unable to Work
.................................................................................................................... C3-73
Unacceptable Reasons for Proxy Interviews ................................................................................. C1-20
Unacceptable Signs of a Recognizable Business .......................................................................... C2-11
21
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Understanding "Gender" ............................................................................................................. B4-273
Understanding "Race" ................................................................................................................. B4-272
Understanding “Sexual Orientation” ............................................................................................ B4-273
Understanding NCVS Concepts ...................................................................................................... A4-5
UNDUP_CURINC
...........................................................................................................B5-9, C1-25
UNDUP_DONE
......................................................................................................... B5-10, C1-27
UNDUP_OLDINC
......................................................................................................... B5-10, C1-26
Unduplicating/Bounding Interviews ............................................................................................... C1-24
Unduplication items ........................................................................................................................ B5-7
Unduplication Section of the NCVS Instrument ............................................................................. C1-24
Unrecognizable business ......................................................................................................B3-8, C2-9
Unwanted Sexual Contact .................................................................................................. B4-63, B4-68
Up Arrow – Back One Item............................................................................................................ B1-19
UPSET_STOMACH ..................................................................................................................... B4-97
Using "Thank You" Letters ............................................................................................................ A2-48
Using an Interpreter ...................................................................................................................... A2-6
Using the Information Card Booklet and F1 Key ........................................................................... A5-15
USUALJOBDUTIES ....................................................................................................... B4-240, C3-92
UTS Reports ................................................................................................................................. A4-11
Valid OMB Control Number and Expiration Date ............................................................................ A7-6
Value of Stolen Property/Methods Used to Determine Value ........................................................ C3-44
VER_PHONE1,2,3 ......................................................................................................................... B6-9
VER_PHONETYPE1,2,3 .............................................................................................................. B6-10
VER_TELEPHONE ACCEPTABLE ................................................................................................. B6-8
VERADD_CP ................................................................................................................................ B2-52
VERIFY ........................................................................................................................................... B6-8
VERIFYHHM ................................................................................................................................. B2-45
Verifying a Series of Crimes ............................................................................................................ C3-4
Verifying That You Have Reached the Correct Address ................................................................ A3-11
Verifying the Accuracy of Your Contact ........................................................................................ A5-13
VERIFYMAILING_CP ................................................................................................................... B2-58
VERIFYMEMURE ......................................................................................................................... B2-46
VFYAGE ..................................................................................................................................... B2-104
Victim Is a Police Officer ............................................................................................................. B4-199
VICTIMDUETODISABLE ............................................................................................................ B4-285
VISION
.......................................................................................................................... B4-283
Wasting Taxpayers' Money ........................................................................................................... A2-25
WEAPON
............................................................................................................................ B4-57
WEAPON
.................................................................................................................... C3-23
WEAPONPRESENT .................................................................................................................... C3-23
WEAPONPRESENT ..................................................................................................................... B4-55
22
NCVS-550 (CAPI) (10/2014)
Index
Weapons Used ............................................................................................................... B4-289, C3-79
Weapons
.................................................................................................................... C3-22
What else does your agency do? .................................................................................................. A2-30
What information do you get from this survey? .............................................................................. A2-26
What is this survey all about? ........................................................................................................ A2-26
What kind of results are released from this survey? ...................................................................... A2-26
WHATFIX .................................................................................................................................... B2-123
WHATHAPPEN
............................................................................................. B4-62, C3-29, C3-65
WHATRECOVERED ........................................................................................................ B4-188, C3-52
WHATWASTAKEN .......................................................................................................... B4-168, C3-42
When an Attack, Robbery, or Threat Has Occurred ...................................................................... C3-16
When Can a Reference Person Be Under 18 Years of Age? ........................................................ C1-12
When Not to Accept a Proxy Interview .......................................................................................... A2-13
When Not to Use a Nonhousehold Member .................................................................................. A2-15
When to Accept a Proxy Interview ................................................................................................. A2-12
When to Probe
.................................................................................................................... C2-18
When You Are Still Unsure About Household Membership ........................................................... C1-10
Which Vehicles Do You Exclude? ................................................................................................. C2-17
Which Vehicles Do You Include? .................................................................................................. C2-17
WHICH_LANG ............................................................................................................................. B3-50
WHICHLINEREFUSEDFOR ......................................................................................................... B2-48
WHICHMEMBER
.................................................................................................................... C3-17
WHICHMEMBER .......................................................................................................................... B4-53
Who Are Considered the Police? ................................................................................................ B4-199
Who Qualifies as a Household Respondent? ................................................................................ C1-14
Who Qualifies as a Proxy Respondent? ........................................................................................ C1-21
Who Uses the NCVS Data and Why ............................................................................................. A1-10
Who uses this information? What good is it? ................................................................................. A2-24
WHOOWNEDSTOLEN PROPERTY ............................................................................... B4-174, C3-47
WHOTOCALL_CP (Telephone Interview) ............................................................................ B2-7, B2-22
WHOTOCHNG ............................................................................................................................ B2-123
Why can't you get this information from police records? ................................................................ A2-29
Why can't you just mail me a questionnaire? ................................................................................. A2-28
Why not ask the police about crimes? ................................................................................ A2-24, A2-26
Why so many questions when I told you "No crimes?" ................................................................. A2-26
Why Was I Selected for This Survey? ........................................................................................... A2-27
Why We Use Introductory Letters.................................................................................................... A2-2
WORKDAYNIGHT ....................................................................................................... B4-242, C3-93
WORSE
.......................................................................................................................... B4-109
Wrapping Up the NCVS Interview ................................................................................................... B6-2
Writing a Summary Report ..................................................................................... A3-14, A3-17, C3-78
Your responsibilities ...................................................................................................................... C1-2
23
NCVS 570
(August 2007)
National Crime
Victimization Survey
Regional Office Manual
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 person names or codes
referenced in the exhibits or illustrations are not
meant to refer to any actual persons, especially
any current or former Census Bureau employees.
Also, any map feature names or codes are not
meant to refer to actual states, counties, places,
streets, addresses or other map features.
NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
National Crime Victimization Survey
Regional Office Manual
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction to the National Crime Victimization Survey
Topic 1 -
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Topic 2 Description of the National Crime Victimization Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purpose of the National Crime Victimization Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Legal Basis for the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Confidentiality Provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Privacy Act of 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sponsorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Uses of the Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Users of the Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Survey Sample Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Sample Population and Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Primary Sampling Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tabulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1-3
1-3
1-3
1-3
1-4
1-4
1-4
1-4
1-5
1-5
1-6
1-6
Topic 3 Overview of Major Survey Operations in the Regional Office . . . . . . . . . . . .
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assignment Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interviewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Budget and Cost Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1-7
1-7
1-7
1-7
1-8
1-8
1-8
1-9
Chapter 2 - Activities of the Survey Cycle
Topic 1 Using the NCVS Activities Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calendar Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technologies Management Office (TMO) Loads ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interviewing and Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Goal Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Releasing NCVS Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RO Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2-4
2-4
2-4
2-5
Topic 2 Advance Preparations and Making Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Advance Preparations for Each Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
1990 Sample Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Read the NCVS Office Memorandum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Prepare for Monthly Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Add New FRs to the ROSCO Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Unit Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Permit Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Area Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
GQ Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Provide FRs Segment Folders for the Current Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Prepare Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Letter Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mail Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Setting/Adjusting Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Zip Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Apply Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Adjusting Assignments – Print the Workload Summary Report (CAPI 3) . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Print the FR List of Assigned Cases Report (CAPI 35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Enter Transmittal Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Mail FR Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Check Segments for Additional Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Release Assignments to the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Transmit FR Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Monitor Assignment Pick Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Topic 3 Daily Routine: Monitoring and Check-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Monitoring Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Check-In Completed Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cases Not Checked-In Report (CAPI 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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2-12
2-12
2-12
2-13
2-13
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August 2007
Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
QC Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RE Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supplemental QC Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Procedures to Identify PSUs for FRs Working ALMI TOI . . . . . . . .
2-14
2-14
2-14
2-14
2-14
Topic 4 Resolving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laptop and Transmission Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Difficult Respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2-17
2-17
2-17
2-18
2-18
Topic 5 End of the Survey Cycle Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
End of Month Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closing Out the Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reviewing/Charging Type A Noninterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reviewing Converted Type A Noninterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Populating FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing End of Month Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FRs Running Laptop Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reviewing Reassigned Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assessing Temporary Reassignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning Up an Interview Period from Four Months Ago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2-19
2-19
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-22
Topic 6 Regional Office/Headquarters Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headquarters Liaisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operations Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
US Postal Service Address for HQ (LCSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Federal Express Address for HQ (LCSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HQ EMail Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On the Census Bureau Intranet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2-23
2-23
2-23
2-34
2-23
2-24
2-24
2-24
Appendix 2A - Accessing the RO ALMI TOI Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25
Chapter 3 - Forms, Materials and Memoranda
Topic 1 Forms and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
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August 2007
Topic 2 NCVS Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Types of Numbered Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Office Memoranda Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Field Representative Memoranda Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Reinterview Memoranda Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disposition of Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbered Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unnumbered Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-7
Topic 3 Disposition of Forms and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Forms and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCS-510 Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3-8
3-8
3-8
3-8
Chapter 4 - Introduction to the Database
Topic 1 The Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Relational Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tables and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rows and Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Binary Large Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charts of Database Tables and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4-2
4-2
4-2
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-4
4-4
4-4
4-4
Topic 2 Accessing ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Accessing ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Topic 3 ROSCO Title, Menu, and Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Information Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How-to Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ROSCO Title Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ROSCO Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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4-8
4-8
4-8
4-9
4-9
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August 2007
The File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Operations Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ROSCO Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard Icons Always Displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Icons – Toolbar Icons Displayed on SOME Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4-10
4-10
4-11
4-11
4-11
4-12
Topic 4 ROSCO Queries, Filters, and Sorts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Retrieving and Viewing Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Query vs. Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Query Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Columns Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operators Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Values Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining a Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Query Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining a Query Using the Query Expression Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Verify Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Count Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hints for Complex Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Filter Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to Define a Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sorting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to Define a Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4-14
4-14
4-14
4-14
4-14
4-15
4-15
4-15
4-16
4-17
4-17
4-17
4-17
4-19
4-19
4-20
4-20
Topic 5 Using the SQL Select Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List All Columns and All Rows in One Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Specific Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Column Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Specific Rows – The WHERE Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Search Conditions - The AND Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alternate Search Conditions - The OR Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Negative Search Conditions < !=> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A List of Values – The IN Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matching Character Patterns – The LIKE Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The DISTINCT Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ordering Rows – The ORDER BY Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The COUNT Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Subqueries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Tables in One Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The JOIN Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4-22
4-22
4-24
4-25
4-25
4-25
4-26
4-26
4-27
4-28
4-29
4-29
4-30
4-31
4-34
4-35
4-35
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Appendix 4A - ROSCO Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List of Table Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
– CURRENT SURVEYS – . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADDRESS_HISTORY & ADDRESS_INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BOOST_BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE_ACTIVITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CMFILE_IN, SUPV_REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_ADDRESS_HISTORY & CM_ADDRESS_INFO_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_CASE_IN & CM_CASE_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_CONTACTS_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_HH_ROSTER_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_INTERVIEWING_CASE_IN & CM_INTERVIEWING_CASE_OUT .
CONTACTS & RESTING_CONTACTS_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONVERTED_TYPE_A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DELIVER_TO_MCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_INTVPERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_LEAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_X_PSU (ALMI TOI Table) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HH_ROSTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTERVIEW_PERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LETTER_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LETTER_LANGUAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAIL_MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAIL_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NOTES (BLOb) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PAL_INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PLACE_ZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REASSIGNMENT_REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RECYCLE_LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RELOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REPORT_FILE_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTING_ADDRESS_HISTORY & RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO . . . . . .
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4-37
4-37
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-39
4-40
4-40
4-40
4-40
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-42
4-42
4-42
4-42
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-45
4-45
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August 2007
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTING_BOOST_BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTING_INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RO_CODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SEGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SERVER_JOB / OLD_SERVER_JOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SCHEDULED_JOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STUDY_INTVPERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TRANS_GOAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
USER_JOB_STATUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WORKLOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
– REINTERVIEW TABLES – . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SUPP_QC_FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FALSIFICATION_NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CMFILE_IN, RI_SUPV_REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_ADDRESS_INFO_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_CASE_IN & RI_CM_CASE_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_CONTACTS_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_REINTERVIEW_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_INTERVIEWING_IN & RI_CM_REINTERVIEWING_OUT . . . .
RI_WORKLOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4-45
4-45
4-45
4-45
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-47
4-48
4-48
4-48
4-48
4-48
4-49
4-49
4-49
4-50
4-50
Appendix 4B - ROSCO Field Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51
Scheduled Job Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outcome Code/Action Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Action Code Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4-84
4-85
4-86
4-87
Chapter 5 - Training and Observations
Topic 1 NCVS Training and Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Topic 2 Adding New Staff to the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Edit FR Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
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August 2007
Edit FR’s Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Team Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print FR Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print FR Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-3
5-3
5-3
5-4
Topic 3 Training NCVS Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clerks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Field Representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-5
5-5
5-5
5-6
Topic 4 Purpose and Types of Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purpose of Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Initial Observation (–1, and –2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Needs (SN) Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Performance Review (GPR) Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-7
5-7
5-7
5-7
5-8
Topic 5 Observer’s Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11-62, OJT and Observation Self-Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11-62A, OJT and Observation Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS 524, NCVS Induction Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reporting Observed Cases in GUI Case Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-9
5-9
5-9
5-9
5-9
Topic 6 Advance Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Materials Provided for Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preparation of Form 11-62A, On-the-Job Training and Observation Report . . . . . . .
5-11
5-11
5-11
5-12
Topic 7 Selecting FRs for Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Initial Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N–1, Initial Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N–2, Initial Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Performance Review (GPR) Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Single Survey (S)FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multi-Survey (S)FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Needs (SN) Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Needs(SN) Observation Fulfills GPR Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Schedule FRs and SFRs for GPR Observation Once Each Fiscal Year . . . . .
5-13
5-13
5-13
5-13
5-13
5-14
5-14
5-14
5-14
5-15
5-16
5-16
Topic 8 Selecting Observers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
General Qualifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
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Previous Observation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Topic 9 Timing of Special Needs Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arranging the Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Low Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Low Response Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Reasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-18
5-18
5-18
5-18
5-18
Topic 10 Length of Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number of Observed Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Length of –1 Initial Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Length of N–2 Initial Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Performance Review and Special Needs Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-19
5-19
5-19
5-19
5-20
5-20
Topic 11 FR Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notify by Electronic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notify by Memorandum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Observer Contacts FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-21
5-21
5-21
5-21
Topic 12 Feedback to the FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Provide Timely Feedback to the FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Appendix 5A, Notification of Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Chapter 6 - Assignment Activities
Topic 1 Field Representative Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Edit FR Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Edit FR’s Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Other Uses of the Edit Survey Data Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Delete an FR From the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Undelete an FR From the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Mark an FR On Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Adding FR Codes in the Telecom Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Editing FR Survey Data for Team Leaders (SFRs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Edit Team Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Deleting a Team Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Designating a Temporary Team Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Print FR Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
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Print FR Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Surveys Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FRs On Leave Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Designate an FR on Leave for the Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6-12
6-13
6-13
6-14
Topic 2 Sample Control Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sample Control Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View/Edit Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add to View/Edit Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mail Merge (Customized Respondent Letters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Letter Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Letter Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generating Source Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generate the Source File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Letter Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting up the Merge Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Merge Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
<> Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From the “Generate Data Source File” Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tracking Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Respondent Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Segments with Additional Units – Identify Segments with Additional Units . . . . . . .
Segments with Additional Units – Check Folder for Identified Segments . . . . . . . . .
Key Additional Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking for New PSUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View Historical Resting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Resting Information Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address Information Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Case History Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notes Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sample Count Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Identical Segment Folder Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Respondent Letters Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6-15
6-15
6-15
6-15
6-18
6-18
6-20
6-20
6-22
6-22
6-23
6-24
6-28
6-29
6-30
6-30
6-30
6-30
6-31
6-32
6-32
6-33
6-33
6-34
6-35
6-35
6-36
6-37
6-37
6-38
6-39
Topic 3 Using Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display By PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6-40
6-40
6-40
6-40
6-41
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Conventions for the Edit Assignment Parameters Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Steps to Assign an FR to Entire PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Steps to Assign FRs to Portions of a PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Remove an FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Change an FR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Change One FR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Delete a Row for a Lower Level Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Apply Parameters to Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6-41
6-42
6-42
6-43
6-43
6-43
6-44
6-45
6-45
Topic 4 Adjusting Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Assigning the Unassigned Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Adjusting the Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Make/Adjust Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Topic 5 Releasing the Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Set Assignment Start and Due Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
To Set Assignment Start and Due Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
To Set the Same Start and Due Date for All FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Check Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Release and Transmit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-53
Chapter 7 - Monitoring Progress
Topic 1 Transmission and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Encrypting, Decrypting, Zipping, and Unzipping Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Create and Send Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Create a New Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Send a Previous Mail Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Make Transmissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
View In Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
View Out Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
View Job Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Topic 2 Check-In Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Description of Check-In Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Team Leader Status Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
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Daily Laptop Report (CAPI 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Control Numbers Assigned But Not On Laptop Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Daily Receipt Report (CAPI 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Cases Not Checked Report (CAPI 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Segment Folders Not Checked In Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Topic 3 Check-In/Status Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Supervisory Review: General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Supervisory Review: Non Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
The Address Information Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
The Customized Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
The View More Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Reassigning a Noninterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Accepting a Noninterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Eliminating a Noninterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Changing a Noninterview Outcome Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Supervisory Review: Duplicates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Accept or Eliminate a Duplicate Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Supervisory Review: Failed Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
At First, No Action is Required for Failed Edit Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
When Failed Edit Cases Require a Remedy Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Supervisory Review: Extra Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Inserting an Extra Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Deleting an Extra Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
View/Reassign Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Reassigning a Case on the View/Reassign Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Run Check-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Check-Out/Check-In Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Assigning and Checking-out Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Checking-in Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Requesting Keystroke Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Appendix 7A - Schedule of Automatic Transmissions by RO* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Appendix 7B - Schedule of Automatic Check-ins by RO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Appendix 7C - Variables in the Customizable Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
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Chapter 8 - Noninterviews
Topic 1 Types of Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Introduction to Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Type A Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Type A - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Type B Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Type B Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Type B - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Type C Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Type C Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Type C - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Topic 2 Office Control of Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Control the Number of Type A Noninterviews in Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
No One Home (NOH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Temporarily Absent (TA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Refusals (Ref) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Type A - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Discuss Refusals and Offer The Following Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Send Refusal Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Provide Other Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14
Confirmed Refusals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Charging Duplicate and Confirmed Refusals or Congressional Refusals . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Other Occupied - specify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Topic 3 Procedures for Type B Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
The Only Type B in Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
Topic 4 Procedures for Type C Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
All Type Cs Stop in Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Reinstating Type Cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Topic 5 Procedures for Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Minimizing Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-20
Procedures for Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
Designating household members as Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
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Denial of Access to Multi-Unit Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23
Topic 7 Using ROSCO to Print Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Create the Letter File in .RTF Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Summary of ROSCO Merge Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
Set Up the Letter in ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Print Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Sample Letter Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
Appendix 8A - Letter to Respondents who Refuse to Cooperate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Appendix 8B - Letter to Manager of a Multi-Unit Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Appendix 8C - Title 13 - Confidentiality Citations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
Chapter 9 - End of the Survey Cycle Operations
Topic 1 -
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Topic 2 Reviewing Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Review/Charge Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Review Converted Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Topic 3 Resolving Missing Cases/Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Check-In Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
FRs Make Final Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Resolve Missing Cases Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Cases Not Checked-In And Not In Supv Review Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Cases Not Checked In But In Supv Review Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Cases Not in MCS Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Cases Pending MCS Processing Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Spawned Cases on Laptop Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Potentially Dangerous Cases Not Submitted to DAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Closeout Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
The Closeout Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Closeout Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Reopening for Late Arriving Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
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Topic 4 Closeout/Clean-Up Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Description of Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Report - Converted Cases by FR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Report - Final Status (CAPI 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Report - Final Outcome Code (CAPI 8) – RO Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Report - Final Outcome Code (CAPI 8) – FR Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Type A, and Z Report (CAPI 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Type C Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Topic 5 Populating the FR Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Populate the FR Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Topic 6 Clean Up the Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Clean Up Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Clean Up Instrument on Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Topic 7 Clean Up the Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Clean Up Monthly Cases on Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Clean Up Monthly Instrument on Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Chapter 10 - Reinterview
Topic 1 Overview of NCVS Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Purpose of NCVS Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Timing of NCVS Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Topic 2 Sample Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Types of CAPI Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
The QC Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Reinterview Sample Person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
The Supplemental QC Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
The Focused Reinterview Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Reinterview Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Topic 3 -
Supervisor’s Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
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Topic 4 Reinterview Assignment Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Before SFRs Can Receive RI Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Make Reinterview Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Release Reinterview Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Reassign a Reinterview Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
When Reinterview Cases Become Unassigned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Reinterview Assignment Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Topic 5 Focused and Supplemental Quality Control Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Procedure for Activating Inactive Supplemental QC Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Procedure for Selecting Supplemental QC FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Topic 6 Monitoring Reinterview Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Transmissions and Utilities for Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Reinterview Check-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Reinterview Progress Reports in ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Reinterview Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
View/Reassign Reinterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Flagging Observed Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Topic 7 Suspected Falsification, Follow-Up, and Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Falsification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Reinterview Discrepancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Quality Control Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Falsification Suspected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Follow up in Current Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Complete Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Send Yellow Cover Page to Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Focused Reinterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Complete the Remainder of Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Additional Requirements for Follow-up of Suspected Falsification . . . . . . . . 10-26
Contact Subject Matter Branch at Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Do Not Take Any Administrative Action until Notified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Falsification Not Suspected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Detailed Instructions for Completion of the Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Frequently Asked Questions for Completion of Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Reasons for Not Filling out a Form 11-63, Field Representative Data Falsification
Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
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Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Minor Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Serious Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Topic 8 Reinterview Outcome Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Reinterview vs. Interview Outcome Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Assignment of Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Topic 9 Reinterview Closeout Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Resolve Missing Reinterview Cases Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Reinterview Close Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Appendix 10A - Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes . . . . . . . . 10-35
Chapter 11 - Performance of the NCVS Staff
Topic 1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Responsibility for Employee Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Measuring FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Topic 2. Monitoring Monthly Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Performance Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
FR Performance Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Monitoring FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Form 11-39, Summary of FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Response and Production Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Transmission Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Observation Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Reinterview Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Topic 3. Generating the 11-39, Summary of FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Populate the FR Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Update the FR Data in SPAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Load the Performance Data in SPAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Key Hours and Miles Into SPAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Modify Performance Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Print the 11-39s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Topic 4. Conducting Performance Appraisal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
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The Performance Appraisal System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Supervisory Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Unsatisfactory Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-10
Topic 5. Evaluating Clerical Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-11
Appendix 11A Performance Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13
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Chapter 1. Introduction to the NCVS Survey
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
Overview
1-2
2.
Description of The National
Crime Victimization Survey
1-3
3.
Overview of Major Operations
in the Regional Office
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Topic 1. Overview
Overview
This chapter introduces the integrated data
collection system for the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS).
Field Representatives (FRs) collect NCVS data
with a laptop computer. They are assigned to a
regional office and work out of their homes.
Interviews are conducted in person or by
telephone.
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Topic 2. Description of the National Crime Victimization
Survey
Purpose of the National
Crime Victimization
Survey
The National Crime Victimization Survey obtains
detailed information on the extent to which
persons have been victims of certain types of
crime. The survey focuses on selected crimes that
are of major concern to the general public. Since
this survey asks about all such victimizations, it
reflects crimes that are reported to the police as
well as those that are not reported. It is also the
only current source of detailed information on the
characteristics of both the victim and the crime.
Legal Basis for the
Survey
All data for the NCVS are collected under the
authority of Title 42, United States Code, Section
3732.
Confidentiality
Provision
All information collected as part of this survey is
held in strictest confidence under Title 13 of the
United States Code and is seen only by sworn
employees or agents of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Any information from the survey that is disclosed
or released to others will be handled in such a
manner that individuals cannot be identified.
Unauthorized disclosure of individual information
by a sworn Census Bureau employee is punishable
by a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up
to five years, or both.
The confidentiality statement on the NCVS
questionnaire reads:
“We are conducting this survey under the
authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section
8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all
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information about you and your household strictly
confidential. We may use this information only
for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42, Section
3732, United States Code, authorizes the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to
collect information using this survey. Title 42,
Sections 3789g and 3735 United States Code, also
requires us to keep all information about you and
your household strictly confidential.”
Privacy Act of 1974
The provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 require
that Federal Agencies provide individuals with the
following information when collecting personal
information:
1.
Authority: Title 13, USC, Section 182
2.
Compliance: Voluntary
3.
Penalty for not participating: None
Sponsorship
The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Justice sponsors the NCVS. The
Bureau of the Census acts as the collecting agency
for the NCVS. The Bureau of Justice Statistics
tabulates the information, analyzes the data, and
publishes the findings.
Uses of the Survey Data
The information obtained by the NCVS improves
the effectiveness of the law enforcement, judicial,
and correctional agencies throughout the country
by providing a more complete and up-to-date
picture of the extent of crime in the United States.
Users of the Survey
Data
In addition to the Department of Justice, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) routinely
distributes information from the NCVS to state
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and regional planners, colleges and universities,
commercial and industrial groups, citizen groups,
professional associations, and Federal, state, city,
and local police, courts, correctional agencies, and
legislative bodies.
Survey Sample Design
The NCVS collects data from approximately
10,000 sample units monthly. The samples are
identified by the letter “J” and a two-digit number.
Each sample consists of 6 rotations. Sample units
in a particular sample-rotation will be interviewed
once every 6 months. Each rotation is further
divided into 6 panels or months. Thus, one-sixth
of the rotation will be interviewed each month
during a 6 month period.
NCVS Sample
Population and Size
Any noninstitutionalized person who is 12 years of
age or older and lives in the United States is
eligible for the NCVS. Every 6 months,
approximately 60,000 housing units and other
living quarters such as college dormitories and
religious group dwellings, are sampled. This
means that 60,000 households every 6 months or
10,000 sample households every month are
interviewed seven times every 6 months for 3
years.
Persons who are not included in the scope of this
survey include:
o
Crew members of merchant vessels,
o
Armed Forces personnel living in military
barracks,
o
Institutionalized persons, such as
correctional facility inmates.
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Primary Sampling
Units
The households to be interviewed for the NCVS
are selected by scientific sampling methods from
specific sampling areas across the United States.
We refer to these sampling areas as Primary
Sampling Units (PSUs).
Tabulations
The findings from the NCVS are tabulated. The
data are published by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. Copies of
the publications are made available to the regional
offices for distribution to other interested persons.
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Topic 3. Overview of Major Operations in the Regional
Office
Training
The survey supervisor trains field representatives
and office clerks.
Initial training consists of a self-study, 4 days of
classroom training, and on-the-job training during
the first two assignments. Additional training
consists of periodic home study exercises and
group classroom training sessions.
Training also involves teaching clerks the office
procedures. This consists of on-the-job training
for various office activities, including use of the
ROSCO application (see Chapter 4). Clerks also
complete all self-studies and classroom training
given to the field representative staff.
Assignment Operations
Prior to, or during FR training, assignment
operations take place. Assignment operations
include entering/updating FR data, preparing
respondent letters, assigning cases, and releasing
assignments to the field.
Interviewing
Interviewing consists of gaining the household’s
cooperation and then asking questions of all
household members age 12 or older in each
selected household. Knowledgeable household
members who meet the proxy requirements may
serve as proxy respondents for other household
members.
You will conduct personal visit (PV) interviews
for Time-in-Sample (TIS) 1 cases. Maximize
telephone interviews for TIS 2-7 cases. Personal
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visit interviews for TIS 2-7 cases only if needed to
get the interview.
Observation
Each month the NCVS Supervisor must review the
performance of the FR staff and the initial training
requirements to select FRs and SFRs for
observation.
The main objective of the observation is to help
the FR improve his or her interviewing skills.
While there is no specific number of interviews to
observe, the NCVS Supervisor must ensure that
the observation provides enough varying
situations to accurately evaluate the FR’s
performance.
Reinterview
Reinterview is the systematic review of a FR’s, or
a SFR’s work to determine the quality of coverage
and to detect possible falsification. Reinterview is
usually completed within two weeks of the
original interview. The program supervisor is
responsible for ensuring reinterview is completed
in a timely fashion.
Reinterview involves re-contacting the sample
household and re-asking survey questions.
Results from the reinterview are then compared to
the original interview and discrepancies are noted
and discussed with FRs.
Cases of suspected falsification are reported on
form 11-163.
Closeout
Closeout is performed on the last business day of
every month. Review your NCVS activities
calendar for the exact monthly closeout dates.
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Budget and Cost
Review
August 2007
At the conclusion of every month and quarter, cost
reports are reviewed and analyzed to ensure that
the costs of field and office operations are within
the budget allocations. The regional office reports
budget variances every quarter.
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Chapter 2. Activities of the Survey Cycle
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
See Page
1.
Using the NCVS
Activities Calendar
2-2
2.
Advance Preparations and
Making Assignments
2-6
3.
Daily Routine:
Monitoring and Check-in
2-15
4.
Resolving Problems
2-20
5.
End of the Survey Cycle
Operations
2-23
6.
Regional Office/HQ
Communication
2-27
Appendix 2A Accessing
the RO ALMI TOI
Review
2-30
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Topic 1 - Using the NCVS Activities Calendar
Overview
HQ sends a monthly activities calendar for the
NCVS. Many of the tasks are for RO office staff,
but some activities will alert you when to expect
reports or shipments. The tasks are color coded by
responsibility: HQ, RO, and FR/Supervisory Field
Representative (SFR).
Documents containing office procedures and FR
instructions, are posted on the Field Directorate
Website each month.
Calendar Activities
While all activities on the calendar are important,
there are some activities that are vital to the
success of the NCVS. These milestone include:
Technologies
Management
Office (TMO)
loads ROSCO
At the beginning of the month, TMO will load the
ROSCO database with the cases for the next
month. Once ROSCO has been loaded, you can
begin to make your assignments.
Interviewing and
Listing
FRs begin interviewing on the 1st of the month.
For the 1990 design cases in unit and permit
segments, FRs verify/list at the time of interview.
For area and GQ segments, FRs list several
months before interview. Some segments may be
updated at the time of interview if the segment
folder is assigned at the same time.
For detailed listing and sampling instructions for
the 2000 design cases review the following Listing
and Coverage Manuals:
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Goal Dates
August 2007
1.
Form 11-8, Volume 1 - Current Surveys
Listing and Coverage Manual and,
2.
NCVS-256L Listing & Sampling Supplement
for NCVS Regional Office Manual.
HQ has established dates by which each RO
should have a certain percentage of their cases
completed (i.e., RO transmission goals).
Completed cases include complete interviews,
Type As, Type Bs, and Type Cs. This is how the
rates are calculated;
1. The first, second, and third goals are the 7th,
14th, and 21st calendar days of the month.
2. The percentage rate assumes 5% per day for
the first and second goal. The third goal is always
90%.
3. If the 7th or 14th fall on a Friday, Saturday,
or Sunday, then the goal date moves to the
following Monday, with an upward adjustment to
the percentage rate goal, assuming 5% per day.
4. If a national holiday preceeds the 7th or 14th,
then make a downward adjustment of 5% to the
percentage goal, for the goal that is first affected
by the holiday.
5. If a national holiday preceeds the 21st, then
move the goal date to the next available nonFriday office workday, but do not adjust the 90%
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goal.
6. If the 7th, 14th, or the adjusted goal date
from #3 above, fall on a national holiday, then the
goal date moves to the next available non-Friday
office workday, with a upward adjust for the
additional days and a downward adjustment for
the holiday, assuming 5% per day.
7. If the 21st falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday
or a national holiday, then the goal date moves to
the next available office workday, with no
adjustment to the 90% goal.
Releasing NCVS
Assignments
On the last week of the month the RO staff can
release the FR assignments for the next month.
FR Closeout
FRs closeout the day before the RO closeout.
RO Closeout
RO closeout is scheduled at 12:00 noon local time
on the last weekday of the interview month.
On the day following RO closeout, HQ staff
prepares and sends out a report with the
preliminary final response rate and closeout date
and time.
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Reinterview
August 2007
Reinterview continues for 2 weeks after office
closeout. Reinterview cases should be transmitted
on a daily basis. For further information about
reinterview, refer to the reinterview chapter in this
manual.
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Topic 2 - Advance Preparations and Making Assignments
Advance Preparations
for Each Month
Each month, there are a variety activities to
complete before NCVS interviewing week begins.
These preparation activities are explained below.
For more detail, see Chapters 5 and 6 of this
manual.
1990 Sample Only
For complete 2000 design listing instructions refer
to the NCVS-256L Listing and Sampling
Supplement for NCVS RO Manual.
Read the NCVS Office
Memorandum
The memo, along with any attachments, is posted
on the intranet each month.
Prepare for Monthly
Observations
Plan which FRs and SFRs need to be observed
during the month and who will conduct the
observation. See Topic 4, Purpose and Types of
Observations, and Topic 5, Observer’s
Instructions, in Chapter 5, Training and
Observations, of this manual for details on initial,
special needs, and General Performance Review
(GPR) observations.
Add New FRs to the
ROSCO Database
If new FRs need to be trained on NCVS, make
sure to add them to the FR and FR_Survey tables
in ROSCO. Also, add new FRs to the ROSCO
assignment parameters table before you apply the
assignment parameters.
See Chapter 5, Training and Observations,
Topic 2, Adding New Staff to the Database, for
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detailed instructions on updating the database in
ROSCO.
Segment Folders
Form BC-1669, Segment Folder, is a resealable
plastic bag that contains a label sheet with the
Survey, RO, PSU, Segment, ZIP Code, Frame,
Place/MCD, and County. Segment folders are
used for unit and permit segments.
For NCVS the segment folders are by PSU and
segment.
Unit Segments
Unit segments have a segment folder only if the
segment has an 11-12, Multi-Unit Listing Aid
(MULA). Unit segment folders may also have an
11-3, Unit Permit Listing Sheet, and locator
materials.
Permit Segments
All permit segments have a segment folder with an
11-3, Unit Permit Listing Sheet.
Area Segments
Area segments do not have segment folders. FRs
use the Automated Listing and Mapping
Instrument (ALMI) to locate sample addresses.
ALMI contains listing of sample cases and map
spots that show the location of each sample
address.
GQ Segments
GQ Segments do not have segment folders. FRs
use the Group Quarters Automated Instruction for
Listing (GAIL) to locate addresses. GAIL
contains listings of GQ sample units and a map
with map spots that show the location, and GQ
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sample designations on a paper listing.
Provide FRs
Segment Folders for
the Current Month
Prepare Respondent
Letters
Provide the FRs segment folders for all unit and
permit segments to be interviewed during the
current month.
Respondent letters will be stuffed into envelopes
at NPC in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and sent in bulk
to the RO. The RO will need to print respondent
letter labels and affix them to the respondent
letters. The RO staff will review the mailing
labels for insufficient addresses to ensure that a
letter is not sent to those households.
Letter Labels
From the ROSCO menu, select Operations/
Sample Control / Print Respondent Labels. Select
the correct Label Type and print the labels.
Mail Letters
The RO or FR mails the respondent letter as
appropriate.
Mail letters to units that have deliverable mailing
addresses. Do not send letters to units in rural
areas unless the RFD route number, box number,
town, state, and ZIP codes are known.
Setting/Adjusting
Assignment Parameters
PSU
Assignment Parameters are set based on how the
program supervisor assigns NCVS cases. The
main parameter choices are PSU, Place, and ZIP
Code.
If the workload in a PSU is the size of one
assignment, assign the entire PSU to one FR.
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Place
If the workload in a PSU is more than one
assignment, assign the PSU workload to FRs by
place or groups of places.
ZIP Code
If the workload in a place is too large for an
individual FR, assign the place workload to FRs
by ZIP Code.
Segment
Do not use segment as a NCVS assignment
parameter.
Apply Assignment
Parameters
Apply assignment parameters and adjust the
assignments once you are allowed to make
assignments for the next interview period.
Adjusting Assignments –
Print the Workload
Summary Report
(CAPI 3)
After applying the assignment parameters, print
the Workload Summary Report (CAPI 3). The
CAPI 3 displays assigned cases by either
PSU/Segment/ Place, FRs Without Work, or PSU.
Use this report to make sure FR assignments are
evenly balanced and assignment areas are kept
compact to minimize FR travel. Keep the ratio of
personal visit cases to telephone cases reasonable.
Use ROSCO to adjust the assignments. Print the
Workload Summary Report again after making
adjustments.
Print the FR List of
Assigned Cases
(CAPI 35)
The FR List of Assigned Cases (CAPI 35)
contains Title 13 data, as well as, Personally
Identifiable Information (PII). Send this report
ONLY to SFRs. DO NOT sent CAPI 35s to the
FRs.
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Refer to the CAPI 35s along with the workload
summaries (CAPI 3s) when making assignments.
Enter Transmittal Goals
Before you release assignments, you can enter up
to six FR transmittal goal dates and percentage for
each interview period. Note: you are required to
meet the RO transmittal goals set by HQ.
Mail FR Assignments
Ship the following materials to the FRs and SFRs:
9
CAPI-35s - To SFRs ONLY;
9
Segment folders (if appropriate);
9
Addressed letters if not mailed by the RO;
9
Non-addressed advance letters, flashcard
booklets, pamphlets, stamps, etc.;
9
Any supplies requested by the (S)FR;
9
Copies of the monthly FR memo sent to the
RO from HQ; and
The FRs should receive these materials BEFORE
they receive their transmitted assignments.
Check Segments for
Additional Units
Before you can release assignments, check to see
if any segments have been flagged for potential
additional units. To do this, go into Operations/
Sample Control Operation/ Segments with
Additional Units/ or Identify Segments with
Additional Units, or Check Folder for Identified
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Units. You are required to click the “Done Button
(” on the Check Folder screen before you can
release assignments. For detailed information on
these activities, refer to Chapter 6, Assignment
Activities, of this manual.
Release Assignments to
the Field
After adjusting to the FR assignments, release the
assignments to the field. Select the Release
Assignments to Field option on the Assignment
Operations sub-menu of the Operations menu.
Once assignments are released to the field, they no
longer display in the Assignment Operations.
Changes can be made through the View/Reassign
Cases activity under the Sample Control
Operations sub-menu.
Do NOT release assignments until ALL
assignments are correct. Once assignments are
released to the field by all 12 ROs, a process
creates the files for reinterview.
Transmit FR
Assignments
After releasing FR assignments, make a
transmission to release assignments to the
telecommunications server. FRs are responsible
for “picking up” their assignments with a
transmission.
Monitor Assignment
Pick Up
View the OUT Directory to monitor the FRs
picking up assignments. Before the interview
period begins go into ROSCO, Operations/
Transmissions and Utilities. Contact FRs whose
assignments are not yet picked up.
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Topic 3 - Daily Routine: Monitoring and Check-in
Overview
This topic provides an overview of the daily
activities performed by the RO staff during the
NCVS interview period. During this time, your
primary duties include monitoring the progress of
your FRs and (S)FRs and checking in completed
work.
Monitoring Progress
FRs are expected to transmit completed work and
hours and miles data to HQ every night of
interview week. Each morning, the RO staff
should print and review the Check-In Reports.
These reports include:
9
9
9
9
Daily Receipt Report (CAPI-1)
Team Leader Status Report
Daily Laptop Report
Cases Not Checked In Report
We discuss more details about generating these
reports in Chapter 7, Monitoring Progress, of this
manual. Use the Check-In Reports option to
monitor the progress and cost of your interviewing
staff so they will complete NCVS interviewing on
time, within budget, and with an acceptable
response rate.
Check-In Completed
Work
Every morning, check the IN Directory to verify
that early morning check-ins were successful.
These early morning check-ins run at 5:30 a.m. for
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Eastern Time Zone ROs, and at 6:30 a.m. for
non-Eastern Time Zone ROs. You will also need
to process cases in Supervisory Review and
review paperwork and mail messages submitted to
the RO from the FRs and SFRs.
Supervisory Review
Cases in Supervisory Review are not checked in
by ROSCO (i.e., are not counted towards your
number of completed cases), but are held for you
to review and decide whether the case should be
accepted, reassigned, or eliminated. Cases that
come into Supervisory Review include:
9
9
9
9
9
Noninterviews (All Type A and C cases, and
Type B - Other cases)
Duplicate Cases
Extra Units
Failed Cases
Partials
You should process the cases in Supervisory
Review each day. For more information about
using the Supervisory Review activity, see
Chapter 7 of this manual.
Progress
Cases Not Checked-
It is the survey supervisor’s responsibility to
ensure that the interviewing staff is making
adequate progress and that the RO is on track for
meeting the 35%, 70%, 90%, and 100%
transmittals goals and closeout date listed on the
NCVS monthly activities’ calendar.
Print the Case Not Checked-In Report (CAPI 4)
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In Report (CAPI 4)
toward the end of the interview month. As the
interview period comes to a close, this report also
allows you to monitor the uncompleted work of
individual FRs. It is sorted by FR code, control
number, and interview period for each FR.
Reinterview
The monthly reinterview file is created after
regular assignments are released.
QC Reinterview
Two-thirds of the reinterview cases are in Quality
Control (QC) reinterview. Every month, QC cases
are selected for a different set of FRs. Each FR
will be selected for QC reinterview two or three
times in the 15-month QC selection cycle.
RE Reinterview
One third of the reinterview cases are in Response
Error (RE) reinterview. RE cases are selected
from the entire workload and used to measure
response error between answers in the original
interview and the reinterview.
Supplemental QC
Reinterview
Supplemental QC reinterview provides RO staff
the opportunity to select additional cases for QC
reinterview. If an FR is selected before
assignments are released, DSMD selects the
supplement QC cases. After interviewing begins,
RO staff can select supplemental QC cases.
Registering S/FRs for
ALMI TOI Map Updates
S/FRs use ALMI TOI maps on their laptops to
locate sample addresses.
ALMI TOI - Automated Listing and Mapping
Instrument that is used at the Time of Interview.
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You must register S/FRs for the Census map
updates on the “Send TOI Files” under FR
Operations in ROSCO.
Register S/FRs for the PSUs (counties) where they
work on the “Send TOI Files” screen as follows:
1.
Click the “Insert” button to add an FR, select
a PSU from the drop-down list, and click the
“Send Now” box. Repeat this for each PSU
the FR works in.
2.
For FRs already in table, if “Latest Version”
is later than “Latest Date Sent”, click the
“Send Now” box.
3.
To click the “Send Now” box for more than
one PSU and/or S/FR, highlight the lines and
click the “Send Now” icon (hockey puck) on
the tool bar.
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4.
Click the “Save” button to save changes.
5.
Click the “Send TOI” button to send TOI
files to the FRs whose “Send Now” boxes are
checked.
ROSCO puts the TOI files (one per PSU per S/FR)
on the server for the S/FRs to pick the next time
they transmit. The TOI file (s) will merge with the
dataset(s) whenever the FR opens the map.
See Appendix 2A RO ALMI TOI Review on
desktop PCs.
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Topic 4 -
August 2007
Resolving Problems
Overview
In addition to monitoring the progress of your FRs
and reassigning cases for follow-up, resolve
problems with as little delay as possible to the
interviewing cycle. Problems you resolve during
the course of the interview period may include
laptop and transmission problems, ROSCO
problems, and difficult respondents.
Laptop and Transmission
Problems
During initial training, instruct FRs to first discuss
laptop problems with their Team Leader. If their
Team Leader is not available they can call the RO.
If an FR calls you with a laptop problem, you can
refer them to one of the two following documents:
9
11-903a, Getting Started – Administrative:
Classroom Workbook
“Computer Troubleshooting Guide”
9
11-7(WIN), Windows Laptop Users Guide
Useful sections include: Chapter 7,
Transmissions, Chapter 11, Password
Recovery, Chapter 12, Software Problems,
and Chapter 13, Hardware Problems
If you are unable to resolve the laptop problem
using these documents, contact your RO IT
Specialist.
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August 2007
If you are still unable to resolve the problem,
submit a Remedy ticket to the Technical
Assistance Center (TAC). Your RO IT Specialist
can show you how to use the Remedy software.
Notify the HQ NCVS liaison of urgent problems.
When submitting a Remedy Ticket or calling the
HQ liaisons with an FR laptop problem, send the
FR’s name, FR code, telephone number, and best
time to call. Also include the screen name where
the problem is occurring and any error messages
that were displayed.
ROSCO Problems
If you experience problems with ROSCO, check
your NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization
Survey Regional Office Manual and/or the
ROSCO Help screens. If you are unable to resolve
your problem and still need assistance, contact
your RO IT Specialist, or submit a Remedy ticket
to get assistance from TAC. If you still cannot
resolve the problem, call your NCVS HQ liaisons.
When you submit a Remedy ticket or call a HQ
liaison to report a problem, be sure to include the
screen name where the problem occurred and any
error message that is displayed.
Difficult Respondents
FRs and SFRs may contact you for help in dealing
with difficult respondents. Follow your RO’s
policies for following up with difficult
respondents.
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Topic 5 End of Month
Operations
August 2007
End of the Survey Cycle Operations
RO staff completes several end-of-month activities
before printing out the final monthly survey
reports. Details for end of survey operations are
covered in Chapter 9, End of the Survey Cycle
Operations. End-of-month operations include:
9
9
9
9
9
9
Closing Out the Survey on Time
Reviewing/Charging Type As
Reviewing Converted Type As
Populating the FR Performance Table
Printing End of Month Reports
FRs Running Laptop Cleanup
RO staff also prepare for the upcoming interview
period by:
9
9
9
Reviewing Reassigned Cases
Assessing Temporary Reassignments
Editing Assignment Parameters
Finally, RO staff cleans up an Interview Period
from four months ago.
Closing Out the
Interview Period
Use the two Resolve Missing Cases screens when
closing out the interview period.
9
Cases Not Checked In and Not in
Supervisory Review displays cases that
need to be transmitted in.
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9
August 2007
Cases Not Checked In But In Supervisory
Review displays cases that are in
Supervisory Review. You must go to the
regular Supervisory Review screens to
resolve these cases.
The other two screens display cases that are
already checked in. When all cases are checked
in, the close out “Hand” is activated. Clicking the
“Hand” creates a closeout file for the RO.
Reviewing/Charging
Type A Noninterview
Cases
The Review/Charge Type A screen permits you to
charge the Type A to a different FR code or
change the Outcome code to a different Type A.
This task may have been completed while
accepting the Type A case in Supervisory Review.
Reviewing Converted
Type A Noninterview
Cases
The Review Converted Type As screen permits
you to review Type A cases that were reassigned
to different FRs in Supervisory Review and then
were converted to different (non-Type A) outcome
codes.
Even though the cases was converted to different
outcome codes, the screen allows you to charge
the Type As to any FR including A01, as
appropriate.
Populating FR
Performance
The Populate FR Performance saves historical FR
data for the current month. Make sure to complete
any Type A adjustments from reviewing Type As
before populating FR performance. The current
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August 2007
month’s reinterview must also be closed out
before you can run this process.
Printing End of Month
Reports
Print the following end of month reports:
9
9
9
9
CAPI 6, Type A, Z Report
CAPI 7, Final Status Report
CAPI 8, Final Outcome Summary
Type Cs and Extras
FRs Running Laptop
Cleanup
In the future we may need to impose a maximum
number of interview cycles that can be stored on
FR laptops by having them run “Cleanup Cases
and Instrument” on their laptops. If we need to
implement this at a later time we will let you
know.
Reviewing Reassigned
Cases
The Review Reassigned Cases screen permits you
to review the cases that were reassigned in the
current month and assign the cases to the original
FR or the “reassigned” FR in future months.
Assessing Temporary
Reassignments
The Temporary Reassignments screen permits you
to assign cases to a different FR for particular
future interview periods. This different FR takes
assignment priority over the FR in the assignment
parameter table.
Editing Assignment
Parameters
Edit the assignment parameter table to
accommodate cases that were unassigned after you
applied the parameters this month. Make these
changes before applying the assignment
parameters to the sample next month.
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Cleaning Up an
Interview Period from
Four Months Ago
August 2007
When a new interview period loads, the oldest one
must be cleaned up (removed).
Four interview periods are usually available in
ROSCO since interview periods cannot be
removed until 90 days after the completion of
Reinterview.
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Topic 6 - Regional Office/Headquarters Communication
Headquarters Liaisons
RO staff can call or send survey-related questions
via electronic mail to HQ liaisons in the Labor and
Crime Surveys (LCSB) at - FLD Labor and Crime
Surveys@census.gov
HQ liaisons answer routine questions directly, and
obtain answers for more detailed questions from
Demographic Surveys Division (DSD) or
Demographic Statistical Methods Division
(DSMD) staff.
Technical Assistance
Center (TAC) Support
Submit a ticket in the Remedy Action Request
System to send ROSCO or laptop questions to the
Technical Assistance Center (TAC) staff . If you
call TAC support staff directly, TAC will
complete and submit a ticket for your call.
Periodically, TAC staff sends e-mail messages
announcing the release of the production
instruments, or current problems/resolutions that
are affecting the field staff.
Operations Logs
Periodically, LCSB HQ staff e-mail an NCVS
Operations (Ops) Log with survey-related
information – from reminders and notices to things
that require clarification or immediate attention.
US Postal Service
US Census Bureau
Rm. 5H130C
4600 Silver Hill Rd
Washington, DC 20233
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CVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Federal Express
HQ E-mail Information
August 2007
US Census Bureau
Rm. 5H130C
4600 Silver Hill Rd
Suitland, MD 20746
fld.labor.and.crime.surveys@census.gov
E-mail share account used by the HQ NCVS
liaison staff.
fld.all.regional.offices@census.gov
E-mail list that includes the generic RO account
for all 12 ROs.
Caution: Be careful when you select the option to
“Reply to All” or “Reply to All with History”
when responding to a message that was sent to
group E-mail addresses. If you don’t change the
address to FLD Labor and Crime Surveys, your
reply will be sent to all accounts on the group list.
On the Census Bureau
Intranet:
FLD LCSB intranet address is accessible under the
Current Surveys tab from the Field Directorate
homepage.
Current Surveys : LCSB Document Library :
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
This site contains memos, cost reports, training
materials, manuals, etc.
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APPENDIX 2A - ACCESSING THE RO ALMI TOI REVIEW
The ALMI TOI Review feature allows RO staff to
review the automated maps the FRs use locate
sample addresses at Time of Interview. The two
desktop applications needed to conduct an ALMI
TOI Review are:
•
ROSCO
•
ALMI Standalone
Note: ALMI TOI is Read Only. The RO staff and FRs
cannot update ALMI maps at Time of Interview.
In ROSCO, click Operations > FR Operations >
Send TOI File.
Creating the Cmage
(.cmg) File in ROSCO
Step 1. Highlight the FR code and PSU line.
Then click the TOI Review button to create a .cmg
file for that PSU (county).
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August 2007
A ROSCO message will indicate that you are
about to request TOI data. Click OK to continue.
Another ROSCO message will indicate that the
.cmg file is ready for review. This means the .cmg
file for the PSU (county) has been saved on the
C:drive on your PC. Minimize or exit ROSCO.
The .cmg files are stored at C:\ROSCO\TOIFiles.
Cmage Filename
Deciphered
The .cmg file has a rather long name 880882005220051123011756.cmg.
88088 - PSU (Psuedo State and County codes)
20052 - version of the dataset (county map)
200511 - TOI date version
23011756 - the cmage number
Once a .cmg file is created for a PSU, it can be used to
review other blocks in the (PSU).
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Log Onto the ALMI
Standalone
August 2007
Step 2. Click on the ALMI Standalone button on
your desktop PC and click the Log On button.
Log in at the bottom of the Confidentiality
Agreement screen.
•
The User name is prefilled with “ALMI
Standalone User”.
•
Enter the password and click OK.
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CVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
The Settings Window
August 2007
Step 3. In the “Settings” window:
•
Section 1 - Set Mode to “RO Review:
Original Listing”
•
Section 2 - This section is filled when the
dataset and .cmg county files are loaded.
•
Section 3 - Set “Non-NHIS or NHIS”, as
appropriate.
Note: If your screen displays an almost blank window with
a F6 ALMI button in the bottom left corner, click File >
Settings on the top menu bar to get to the “Settings”
window.
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Loading the Data Sets
from the CD/DVD Drive
August 2007
Each PSU (county) is a separate dataset file on the
CD/DVD.
Here is an example of a filename:
ALMI_88008_20051
88008 - PSU (Pseudo State and County codes)
20051 - dataset version
Step 4. Place the Data Set disk in the CD/DVD
drive, click the “Import” button in section 2. Then
on the “Import” screen:
•
Click the drop-down button in the “Look in”
field, and select the “D”drive.
•
Highlight the correct dataset (county) file
from the list on the “Import” window, and
click Open. The data set will load.
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CVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Loading the Cmage File
from the C:drive.
August 2007
Step 5. After the data set file loads, the “Select
MAGE...” screen displays. On “Select MAGE”:
•
Click the down arrow at “Files of type” and
se
le
ct
CM
A
G
E
fil
es
fr
om the drop-down list.
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CVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Select the C:drive from the drop-down list next to
“Look in”.
•
Selec
t the
Rosc
o
folder
from the C:Drive, then TOIFiles from the Rosco
folder.
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CVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
•
August 2007
Highlight the correct file from the list on the
“Select MAGE” window and click Open.
The .cmg file will load.
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August 2007
The Settings screen will reappear with the State
and County now displaying in item 2.
After verifying Non-NHIS or NHIS in item 3,
click the OK button.
Step 6. The mostly blank screen displays with the
F6 ALMI button in the bottom left corner. Click
the F6 ALMI button.
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August 2007
Step 8. The ALMI Standalone Window now will
display. Select:
•
“Block” from the Map Type drop-down list.
•
Tract from the Tract drop-down list.
•
Block from the Block drop-down list.
•
Click the Open Map button.
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August 2007
The map for block 1000 displays on the screen.
The ALMI map screen displays:
•
A MAP VIEW of the shaded block (pink on
the screen) with a list of addresses directly
below the map in the ADDRESS VIEW.
•
The View Bar on the left has the navigation
features used for Time of Interview.
•
Many of the other toolbar features are not
active for Time of Interview (TOI).
Note: Block 1000 above has no housing units.
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CVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
The View Bar
The Tools Bar
August 2007
The View Bar has the zoom, pan and size buttons
that allow you to adjust the ALMI TOI map view.
A few of these buttons include:
•
Rect - Click Rect and draw a rectangle
around an area to enlarge it.
•
Pan - Click the Pan arrows to resposition the
map in eight different directions.
•
Spot - Click on Spot to zoom in and center a
selected map spot.
•
Zoom In and Out buttons
•
Buttons to increase or decrease the size of
map text or map spots.
The Tools Bar has:
•
Find - to locate map features
•
Ruler - to measure distances
•
Clear - to eliminate highlighted feature or
ruler markings
•
Check boxes for switching features ON and
OFF
For more details on how to use the ALMI TOI
maps, see the 11-826 Self-Study and 11-826a,
Quick Reference Guide.
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Other Ways to Open
ALMI TOI Maps
August 2007
To open block maps in a different way, make
different choices at the ALMI Standalone screen.
•
Select “Open Map in ALMI” from the Map
Type drop-down list.
A list of available tracts and blocks will display.
•
From the list, select the tract and block, then
click the Load Block Map button.
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August 2007
The map will display on your screen.
To Select Another
Tract and Block Map
To select another tract and block from the same
dataset (county), click the top-right “X” to close
the ALMI map.
To select another tract and block from a different
dataset (county), go back to the “Settings” screen
and load the different dataset (county).
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NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
June 2006
Chapter 3. Forms, Materials, and Memoranda
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
Page
1.
Forms and Materials
3-2
2.
NCVS Memoranda
3-6
3.
Disposition of Forms and
Reports
3-8
3-1
Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
June 2006
Topic 1. Forms and Materials
Overview
This chapter lists the forms and materials used for
NCVS. Refer to the appropriate chapter
containing information on field operations for an
explanation of each of these forms.
3-2
Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Form
No.
11-3
11-8
11-12(WIN)
11-35
11-36
11-38
11-38A
11-38A(SP)
11-39
11-49A
11-55
11-55 RO
11-62
11-62A
11-62(NCVS)
11-107
11-142
Supply
Contact
Title
June 2006
Supply
Request
Method
Unit/Permit Listing Sheet (1990)
J'ville
AICS
Listing and Coverage Manual: A Survival
Guide for the Field Representative
J'ville
AICS
Winfred Payroll Training Guide
FLD-Adm
AICS
FR Assignment and Control
Computer Generated
INTER-Field COMMunication
(INTER-COMM)
J'ville
AICS
Request for Appointment
J'ville
AICS
Request for Appt. (Door Hanger)
J’'ville
AICS
Request for Appt. (Door Hanger-Span.)
J'ville
AICS
Summary of NCVS FR and SFR Performance Computer generated
Notification of Observation
Computer generated
Administrative Handbook for Int. and P/T
Schedule A Employees
FLD-Adm
AICS
RO Admin. Handbook
FLD-Adm
AICS
On the Job Training and Observation Self Study J'ville
AICS
On the Job Training and Observation Report
J'ville
AICS
NCVS Appendix
J'ville
AICS
Report of Field Division Training
Computer Generated
Workload Report
HQ
LCSB
3-3
Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Form
No.
Supply
Contact
Title
11-230
11-800
11-801
11-802
Transmittal for Segment Materials
Initial Training Self-Study on Unit Segments
Initial Training Self-Study on Area Segments
Initial Training Self-Study on
Permit Segments
11-803
Initial Training Self-Study on Group Quarters
BC-20
Field Division Training Manual
BC-27
Time and Cost Distribution Report for
Part-Time/Intermittent Personnel
BC-27A
Field Employee's Travel Expenses
BC-27B
Field Employee's Communication
BC-27C
Field Employee's Worksheet for Recording
Number of Local Calls
BC-1669(NCVS) Segment Folder
BC-1718(ADP) 1990/2000 Sample Redesign Incomplete
Address Locator Actions
NCVS-110
Fact Sheet
NCVS-521(E)
NCVS CAPI Blaise Self-Study for Experienced
NCVS FRs
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
June 2006
Supply
Request
Method
AICS
AICS
AICS
AICS
AICS
Tel/cc:Mail
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
AICS
AICS
AICS
FLD-Adm
J'ville
AICS
AICS
Prefilled by J'ville
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
3-4
Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Form
No.
Title
NCVS CAPI Blaise Training Guide for
Experienced NCVS FRs
NCVS-522.1(E) NCVS CAPI Blaise Training classroom
Workbook
NCVS-524
Induction Guide
June 2006
Supply
Contact
Supply
Request
Method
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
J'ville
AICS
AICS
J'ville
AICS
NCVS-522(E)
(an updated CAPI version forthcoming)
NCVS-546
Reinterviewer’s Manual (1997)
(an updated CAPI version forthcoming)
NCVS-547
Reinterviewer’s Self-Study (1997)
(an updated CAPI version forthcoming)
NCVS-550
NCVS-551-large
NCVS-551-small
NCVS-554
NCVS-554)X)
NCVS-570
NCVS-572(L)
Interviewing Manual For FRs (7\2006)
NCVS Rotation Chart 17 x 22
NCVS Rotation Chart 8-1/2 x 11
Information Card Booklet
Information Card Booklet (Spanish)
Office Manual
Respondent Letter - Incoming Households
(each RO has an RO-specific NCVS-572(L)
NCVS-572(L)CHIN/M
Respondent Letter (Modern Chinese)
NCVS-572(L)CHIN/T
Respondent Letter (Traditional Chinese)
NCVS-572(L)KOR
Respondent Letter (Korean)
NCVS-572(L)SP Respondent Letter (Spanish)
NCVS-572(L)VIET Respondent Letter (Vietnamese)
NCVS-573(L)
Respondent Letter - Returning Households
NCVS-573(L)SP Respondent Letter (Spanish)
NCVS-593(L)
NCVS-593(L)SP
NCVS-594(L)
NCVS-594(L)SP
Thank You Letter - Continuing Households
Thank You Letter (Spanish)
Thank You Letter - Outgoing Households
Thank You Letter (Spanish)
J'ville
AICS
J’ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
LCSB Tel/cc:Mail
LCSB
Automatic
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
LCSB
J'ville
AICS
AICS
AICS
Automatic
AICS
LCSB
J'ville
LCSB
J'ville
Automatic
AICS
Automatic
AICS
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Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
June 2006
Topic 2. NCVS Memoranda
Types of Numbered
Memoranda
There are three NCVS Memoranda which are sent
to the Regional Offices on a monthly basis. They
are the Office, Field Representative, and
Reinterview Memoranda described below.
NCVS Office
Memoranda Series
NCVS Office Memoranda contain instructions to
program supervisors and office staff for
interviewing explanations of new or revised
materials and procedures. This series is numbered
in order by calendar year.
NCVS Field
Representative
Memoranda Series
NCVS Field Representative Memoranda contain
FR and SFR instructions and other NCVS subjects
of concern to FRs and SFRs who work on NCVS.
This series is numbered in order by calendar year.
NCVS Reinterview
Memoranda Series
NCVS Reinterview Memoranda contains
instructions for office staff of current, new or
revised information. This is numbered in order by
the calendar year.
Disposition of
Memoranda
Disposition of Memoranda vary according to the
type of memoranda as described below:
Library File
Maintain a library file of all numbered and
unnumbered NCVS memoranda for 1 year after
the year to which the file pertains. For example,
discard library files for 2004 in January 2006.
Numbered
Memoranda
Discard extra copies of numbered memoranda
(other than the Library File) 3 months after the
year of issue. For example, discard memoranda
prefixed "05" during March 2006. LCSB will
inform you if a memorandum should be retained
longer.
3-6
Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Unnumbered
Memoranda
June 2006
Discard unnumbered memoranda (other than the
Library File) after the instructions have been
completed or noted.
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Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
June 2006
Topic 3. Disposition of Forms and Reports
Manuals
Discard all superseded manuals or manual pages
immediately upon receiving the revised pages.
Forms and Reports
Discard blank copies of forms and reports when
they are replaced by a revised version (unless
instructed otherwise).
NCS-510 Segment
Folders
Retain NCS-510 segment folders and cover cards
for segments in which no new samples will be
selected or added (e.g., "inactive" segments, with
their maps and listing sheets) in an "inactive" file
until you are notified of their disposition.
3-8
Forms, Materials and Memoranda
NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
July 2007
Chapter 4. Introduction to the Database
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
The Database
4-2
2.
Accessing ROSCO
4-6
3.
ROSCO Title, Menu, and Toolbars
4-8
4.
ROSCO Queries, Filters and Sorts
4-15
5.
Using the SQL Select Command
4-26
Appendix 4A -
ROSCO Tables and Fields
for the NCVS (sorted by
table name)
Appendix 4B -
Descriptions of the Fields
4-57
in the NCVS ROSCO
Database Tables (sorted by
field name)
4-1
4-43
NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Topic 1 -
July 2007
The Database
Overview
This chapter provides an introduction to the NCVS
database with its tables and fields. ROSCO
software is programmed to display NCVS
information from the database on the screen or in
printed reports. You can also query the database
tables directly using Structured Query Language
(SQL) – pronounced “see-quill.”
SQL is an ANSI standard computer language for
accessing and manipulating databases.
The Relational Database
A relational database is a collection of data items
organized in tables from which data can be
accessed or reassembled in different ways without
having to reorganize the original database tables.
Tables and Columns
The tables (which are sometimes called relations)
are objects that contain one or more data
categories in columns. In the database design
phase, each table is established based on its own
set of unique characteristics. Then, relationships
between the tables are determined. This form of
data management is more efficient than using flat
file structures.
For example, some of the major current survey
tables and data columns are:
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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
July 2007
9
FR Table A names, address, and telephone
numbers of the FR staff for all surveys
9
FR Survey Table A survey-specific data
such as Team Leader and survey start and
due dates
9
Address Info A sample case street address,
place, State, and ZIP Code
9
Interview Period A RO Team milestones
such as released assignments, closeout, and
when historical data is saved
9
Workload A data for each sample case such
as control number, FR code, interview
number, outcome code, MAFID, and over
100 other columns.
Rows and Records
Rows contain the detail level of the table. For
example, the FR and FR survey tables contain one
row for each FR. The Address Info and Workload
tables include one row for each sample case. One
row for each RO team is included in the Interview
Period table.
Fields
The data is stored in fields.
4-3
Introduction to the Database
NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Data Types
Text
July 2007
There are various data types available in the
databases: Character, Number, Date, etc. The
survey databases typically use data types:
Called CHAR or VARCHAR2, text is used for
names, addresses, etc. The maximum number of
characters that can be stored in a text field should
specified as part of the table definition. The width
of each text column has been defined by HQ
developers.
CHAR data type columns have a fixed length,
while VARCHAR2 data type columns have a
defined maximum length but the actual length
depends upon the data stored in the column.
Date
The default date format is DD-MM-YYYY
(e.g., 20-10-2005).
Number
Columns defined as numbers can only store one or
more numerical digits.
Binary Large
Object
Binary Large Object (BLOB) data types are used
to store “files” associated with a “thing.” For
instance, with the introduction of GUI Case
Management, notes are now stored in a file. This
file is stored in the database in a BLOB field.
Charts of Database
Tables and Columns
Appendix 4A, ROSCO Tables and Fields for
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NCVS, displays the table names and a list of
columns (field names) in each table.
This information is included in this manual to
provide RO staff with the table and column names
required for the SQL statements. ROs use the
button/activity in ROSCO to execute
SELECT statements (i.e., no delete, update, or
insert statements).
Not all field names are intended for use by each
survey. For example, some tables (and reports)
have fields related to CATI. Not all surveys
conduct CATI interviewing, but for continuity
across surveys, the database tables include the
columns referring to CATI. If the survey does not
use CATI these columns will be empty.
Appendix 4B, Descriptions of the Fields in the
NCVS ROSCO Database Tables, lists
columns/field names in alphabetical order.
Included in this chart is a brief description of the
data stored in the column. When appropriate, the
description provides a definition of any coding
used.
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Accessing ROSCO
Overview
The ORACLE database can be accessed via the
button/activity in ROSCO. Most of the
RO staff access the database using the ROSCO
menus to query, sort, filter, and view more.
However, RO staff can also use SQL to execute
their own SELECT statements.
If the RO needs certain information or information
in a particular format that is not available through
ROSCO menu selections, use the
button/activity to extract the data and specify the
desired format via the button.
Accessing ROSCO
Some menu selections display screens which are
used to enter, edit, display, and delete information
in the database.
To access the database, use the following steps to
login to ROSCO:
Step 1.
From the Start button, go to Surveys,
then ROSCO.
Step 2.
After the initial ROSCO splash screen
disappears, select “NCVS” on the
Survey Selection Dialog Box. Your
RO should already be selected/
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displayed. If not, contact your RO IT
Specialist.
Step 3.
In the next dialog box, select the
team(s) whose information you wish
to access if your survey uses teams.
Step 4.
Select the correct interview period on
the Interview Period Dialog Box.
The main screen of the ROSCO application is
displayed. Once connected, you are able to make
menu selections to display entry/edit screens, to
create reports, and perform survey management
tasks.
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ROSCO Title, Menu, and Toolbars
Overview
A menu-driven system is established as the basis
for interaction with the database. From the pulldown menus, the RO staff clicks a menu selection
to initiate a desired activity.
Help Screens
Help screens are provided for every function,
dialog box, and icon in ROSCO. The Help
Contents are organized by operations (for
example, Assignment Operations, FR Operations,
Reports, etc.). When necessary, a function has a
general information help screen and a specific
how-to help screen. For example, the icons that
appear on most screens in ROSCO are explained
in the help screen “Standard Icons in ROSCO.”
General Information Help Screens
The general information help screen for each
function contains:
9
the menu path for the function;
9
the purpose of the screen;
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the procedural steps you must have
completed before you can perform this
function;
9
the procedural steps that follow this
function;
9
rules and conventions for the screen;
9
additional functionality available on the
screen;
9
definitions of the fields on the screen; and
9
a list that references related topics and icons
on the screen.
How-to Help Screens
The how-to help screens contain:
9
the menu path for the function;
9
the purpose of the screen;
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step-by-step instructions for performing the
function;
9
help information for dialog boxes; and
9
a list that references related topics and icons
on the screen.
The ROSCO Title Bar
The title bar at the top of the window displays the
title of the application (ROSCO) and information
regarding the survey (NCVS), RO Team (if
applicable), and Interview Period(s) currently in
use.
The ROSCO Menu Bar
ROSCO uses a menu-driven system to access its
features. From the various menus available, the
RO staff click options to initiate the desired
activity.
The ROSCO menu bar contains the titles of the
pull-down menus. The menu bar changes
depending upon which part of ROSCO you are
using. The menu consists of three main items:
File, Operations, and Help.
The File Menu
The File menu consists of the following tasks
(which also appear as icons on the toolbar):
9
Log-in Survey
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The Operations
Menu
9
Select Interview Period
9
Select RO Team (if applicable)
9
Exit
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Most tasks in ROSCO are performed via the
Operations Menu which consist of the following
main options:
9
Reports
9
FR Operations
9
ROSCO Survey Overview
9
ROSCO Respondent Address Search
9
Sample Control
9
Assignment Operation
9
Check-in/Status
9
Transmissions and Utilities
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The Help Menu
The ROSCO Toolbar
9
Reinterview
9
Closeout/Cleanup
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The Help menu consists of the following:
9
Help Contents
9
About [ROSCO]
The toolbar displays the icons available for the
screen that is currently displayed. The top row of
icons on the toolbar is the same throughout the
system. The bottom row of icons changes
depending upon the screen displayed.
Standard Icons
Always Displayed
The following table highlights the standard icons
on the top row of the toolbar that are always
displayed and their functions:
Standard Toolbar Icons Always Displayed
Login
Displays the Login Dialog Box which allows you to
select a different survey, i.e., log out of current survey
and log in to different survey.
Period
Displays the Interview Period Dialog Box where you
can specify which group(s) of cases you want to work
with.
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Standard Toolbar Icons Always Displayed
RO Team
Displays the RO Team Dialog Box which allows you to
specify which RO team(s) to work with.
Reports
Displays the Reports Selection menu from which you
can select a report to view.
Mail
Displays the Mail Activity screen which allows you to
create a new mail message or open a previously saved
mail message.
SQL
Displays the Interactive SQL Dialog Box which allows
you to create and execute SQL (SELECT) statements.
Help Topics
Displays the online help for the system.
Exit
Logs you out of ROSCO.
SQL Spy
For use by HQ designers and troubleshooters.
Other Icons –
Toolbar Icons
Displayed on
SOME Screens
The following table highlights the icons on the
bottom row of the toolbar that are displayed based
upon the screen you are on and their functions:
Toolbar Icons Displayed on SOME Screens
Save
Saves changes you have made to the database.
Print
Sends the current table or report to print.
View More
Displays view more screen (tabs) pertaining to the
case.
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Insert
On most screens, allows the user to insert a new row
into a table.
First
Displays the first page, record, etc.
Prior
Displays the prior page, record, etc.
Next
Displays the next page, record, etc.
Last
Displays the last page, record, etc.
Query
Displays the option selection list or the “Build a Query”
pop-up screen.
Sort
Allows the user to display the data in a particular order.
Filter
Allows the user to display a subset of the data.
Close
Allows the user to close the ROSCO operation in use.
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ROSCO Queries, Filters, and Sorts
Retrieving and Viewing
Information
You must retrieve information from the database
whenever existing data needs to be viewed or
updated. The process of retrieving information
from the database is called executing a query or
filter, or querying or filtering the database.
Query vs. Filter
The query and filter options, on the surface, seem
basically like the same function. However, the
difference is the universe used:
The Query Dialog Box
9
A query is executed against a database.
9
A filter is executed against the data already
returned by a query.
Although there are a variety of ways to initiate a
query (using the query icon in the toolbar,
choosing a query from an option selection list,
etc.), most queries function the same way using
the Query Dialog Box. The Query pop-up screen
has two sections – Query Expression and Build
Query With. You may either type your query
directly into the Query Expression section or use
the Build Query With function by selecting fields
below each of the three tabs – Columns,
Operators, and Values.
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Columns Tab
The Columns tab lists all the fields or variables
you can use to query your data. Double-click on
one of these fields to add it to your query. The
field you select affects the values that appear on
the Values tab.
Operators Tab
The Operators tab contains the mathematical
expressions and comparison terms you can use to
apply constraints to your expressions. For
example, double-click on the equals [=] sign to
display the data that matches the single value you
select.
Values Tab
The items on the Values tab vary depending on
the column selected under the Columns tab. If you
select FR Code on the Columns tab, then the
Values tab displays all valid FR codes for your
survey, RO Team, and Interview Period(s) shown
in your ROSCO Title bar.
Defining a Query
The following pages list the steps to enter a query
using the tabs in the Build Query With section of
the Query Dialog Box:
Step 1.
From the Columns tab, double-click
the field you want to add to your
query.
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Click on the Operators tab and
double-click the appropriate operator.
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Step 3.
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Click on the Values tab and doubleclick the appropriate value or values.
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Multiple Query
Expressions
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Step 4.
Click the Verify button to see if your
search expression in the Query
Expression panel is valid.
Step 5.
Click on OK.
To define multiple query expressions:
Step 1.
Follow steps 1 through 3 above.
Step 2.
Click the Operators tab and choose
either AND or the word OR.
Step 3.
Repeat steps 1 through 3 to build the
additional query.
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For example, if you wanted to bring up cases for
FR Z99 that were in PSU 91910, you would create
the following query expression:
fr_code=’Z98’ and psu=’91910'
Defining a Query
Using the Query
Expression
Section
Rather than using each of the tabs in the Build
Query With section, you can also directly type
your query into the Query Expression section.
However, ROSCO only accepts queries that use
the proper format (single quotes around values,
correct column names), so you may need to use the
Build Query With section several times in order to
learn the proper formatting for your desired query.
The Verify Button
You may click on the Verify button to check
whether your query has been entered properly.
You will then see a message window telling you
that your query is valid or not valid.
The Count Button
Using the Count button after creating your query
will give you a count of cases or lines of data that
meet your query criteria.
Hints for Complex
Expressions
Here are some hints for using more complex query
expressions:
1.
To query using a “not equal to” operator,
select the less than (<) and greater than (>)
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signs from the Operators tab and remove
any spaces between them. For example:
outcome_code <> ‘200'
2.
To use an “in” or “not in” operator, whether
you use the Values tab or type in your
values directly, you must type in
parentheses and commas as needed. For
example: outcome_code in (‘218', ‘219')
3.
To use the “like” operator, you must also
use a wildcard in the value entry to match
character patterns. The underscore (_) is the
wildcard for one character position, and the
percent sign (%) is the wildcard for any
string of zero or more characters. For
example: fr_code like ‘A1_’ returns all FR
codes that have A1 followed by one other
character; fr_code like ‘A%’ returns all FR
codes that begin with A.
4.
When keying a NCVS control number into
query, use the following space (see
underscores below for spacing):
919106101__J24_01_100
The two spaces after the segment number
“6101__" are for a one or two letter segment
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suffix. The single space after the sample
“J24_" is for a sample suffix (used only in
Alaska). The single space after the serial
number”01_” is for an extra or additional
unit letter.
The Filter Dialog
Box
The filter function allows you to change the
queried data by specifying an expression to view
only a subset of data. For example, after you
query the database for all unassigned cases, you
can filter by a specific city (Place) and view only
the unassigned cases in that PLACE.
To display the Filter Dialog Box, click on the
Filter icon in your toolbar or select Filter from the
View menu. The Filter Dialog Box operates in the
same manner as the Query Dialog Box – you can
use either the Filter Expression section to type in
your filter directly, or you can use the Build Filter
With section and select fields under the Columns,
Operators, and Values tabs.
How to Define a
Filter
To define a filter:
Step 1.
Click on the Filter icon.
Step 2.
From the Columns tab, double-click
on the field you want to filter by.
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Step 3.
Click on the Operators tab and
double-click on the appropriate
operator.
Step 4.
Click on the Values tab and doubleclick on the desired value(s).
Step 5.
Click the Verify button to see if your
filter expression is valid.
Step 6.
Click on OK.
Note that you may also directly type your filter
expression using the Filter Expression section.
Define multiple filter expressions and complex
filter functions in the same way as described for
queries previously in this topic.
Sorting Data
How to Define a
Sort
The Sort function allows you to view data in a
particular order. You may access the Sort Dialog
Box by either clicking on the Sort icon, or by
selecting Sort from the View menu.
To define a sort:
Step 1.
Click on the Sort icon or select Sort
from the View menu.
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Step 2.
Drag the fields you want to sort the
data by from the Columns Available
for Sorting panel to the Sort Columns
panel. The first data field you drag
will be the primary sort. The second
data field will be the secondary sort,
etc.
Step 3.
The default sort is ascending order.
This is shown by a check mark in the
box under Ascending. To change the
order to descending, click the box to
make the check mark disappear.
Step 4.
Click on OK.
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Topic 5 -
Overview
July 2007
Using the SQL Select Command
Rather than use the Query, Sort, or Filter options
in ROSCO, RO staff may choose to construct SQL
commands. Select Interactive SQL from the
Transmissions and Utilities operation or click on
the SQL icon to access SQL.
For the examples of SQL statements in this
section, two tables – FR_LEAVE and
CASE_HISTORY (listed below) – will be used.
These tables are similar to tables in the Census
Bureau's survey databases. The column names
within the tables are actual column names from the
NCVS Database.
NOTE: SQL commands are not case sensitive.
SQL commands may be made in either upper or
lower case letters. However, when querying on
specific values of a column, the values are case
sensitive (i.e., must match exactly what’s in the
database).
If you’re unsure, you can use the UPPER or
LOWER string functions on both the column and
the value to force a match. For example, in the
following example,
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UPPER(fr_code) = UPPER(‘a01')
The database converts everything to upper case
before doing the match.
Table
FR_LEAVE
Column
Size
FR_CODE
3
INTERVIEW_PERIOD
8
STATE_DATE
END_DATE
CASE_HISTORY CONTROL_NUMBER
INTERVIEW_PERIOD
24
8
INTERVIEW_NUMBER 2
FR_CODE
3
INTERVIEWER_CODE
4
CAPI_OUTCOME
3
REPLACEMENT_HH
1
Retrieving data from the database is the most
common SQL operation. A database retrieval is
called a query. To issue a query in SQL, RO staff
enter a SELECT command. The basic select
command contains multiple (one required, the
other one optional) parts called clauses:
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SELECT some data (column name/names)
FROM a table or some tables (table name/names)
WHERE a certain condition is met
ORDER BY a certain condition
In the above example, the SELECT and FROM
statements are required clauses. Everything else is
optional.
After keying in the Select statement, click on the
Execute icon to execute the query. After running
a SQL query, click on the Edit icon to edit the
query.
List All Columns and All
Rows in One Table
In this example the name of every column of the
FR_LEAVE table is included in the SELECT
clause:
SELECT FR_CODE, INTERVIEW_PERIOD
START_DATE, END_DATE
FROM FR_LEAVE
Click the Execute icon to execute.
Another method to select all the columns of a table
is to use an asterisk (*) in place of the list of
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column names. The following select statement
yields the same results as the earlier command.
SELECT *
FROM FR_LEAVE
Again, click the Execute icon to launch the query.
Selecting Specific
Columns
If only some of the columns of a table are needed,
list only the columns desired:
SELECT CONTROL_NUMBER, FR_CODE,
CAPI_OUTCOME
FROM
CASE_HISTORY
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
Controlling
Column Sequence
The results of a query, whether displayed on the
screen or printed, is itself a spreadsheet made up
of columns and rows. The order in which column
names are listed in the SELECT clause controls
the left-to-right sequence of the result table.
When SELECT * is used, the left-to-right
sequence is determined by the order in which
columns were defined when the table was created.
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Selecting Specific Rows
– The WHERE Clause
July 2007
When specific rows are desired from a table, a
WHERE clause is added to the SELECT
command. The following example would retrieve
only those rows WHERE the FR_CODE column
was equal to Z99:
select
CONTROL_NUMBER,
OUTCOME_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
where
FR_CODE = 'Z99'
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This displays the requested columns for all rows
that have an FR Code equal to Z99 that are in the
CASE_HISTORY table. Note the use of single
quotes on the value Z99 and the case used for the
value.
Multiple Search
Conditions - The
AND Connector
Sometimes you may need to further restrict the
records retrieved by a query. The AND connector
in the WHERE clause will limit retrieval to those
records which meet both components of the search
condition.
select
CONTROL_NUMBER,
INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
REPLACEMENT_HH
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from
CASE_HISTORY
where
FR_CODE = 'Z99'
and
CAPI_OUTCOME = '201'
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This displays a list of the requested columns for all
rows that have an FR Code equal to Z99 with a
201 CAPI outcome that exist in the
CASE_HISTORY table.
Alternate Search
Conditions - The
OR Connector
The OR connector is used to select rows that meet
any of several search conditions.
select
CAPI_OUTCOME
from
CASE_HISTORY
where
INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘03'
or
INTERVIEWER_CODE = ‘Z99'
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This displays the selected columns for all the rows
in the CASE_HISTORY table with an interview
number equal to 03 or an interviewer code equal to
Z99.
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Negative Search
Conditions < !=>
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You may wish to retrieve only those rows which
do not contain certain values. Use the exclamation
point with the <=> sign . This
combination means not equal to.
The example below retrieves all rows with a CAPI
outcome of ‘201' except those rows with an
FR_CODE equal to Z99.
select
CONTROL_NUMBER,
INTERVIEWER_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
where
CAPI_OUTCOME = ‘201'
and
FR_CODE != 'Z99'
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
You can combine AND, OR, and != in the same
query to connect as many search conditions as
necessary to retrieve the desired rows.
The use of parentheses to combine AND, OR, and
!= statements is acceptable. For example:
where
CAPI_OUTCOME = ‘201' and
(FR_CODE = 'Z99' or
REPLACEMENT_HH = '1')
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This WHERE clause returns the requested
columns for rows with a CAPI outcome code of
201 and either an FR_CODE equal to Z99 or
coded with a 1 in the replacement household field.
A List of Values –
The IN Operator
The IN operator allows RO staff to select rows
that contain a value that matches one of the values
in a list of values. (Note this is just a shortcut to
using the OR condition.) For example:
select
CONTROL_NUMBER
from
CASE_HISTORY
where
INTERVIEW_NUMBER IN ('04',
'05', ‘06')
The Control number assigned to all rows in
CASE_HISTORY that are Interview Numbers 04,
05, or 06 is returned.
Note the WHERE clause could also be written as:
where
INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘04' or
INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘05' or
INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘06'
Matching
Character Patterns
Rows may be selected if a column value matches a
pattern of characters specified. Wildcard
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– The LIKE
Operator
July 2007
characters are used with the LIKE operator. The
underscore character <_> is the wildcard for one
character position, the percent sign <%> is the
wildcard for any string of zero or more characters.
The following example returns control numbers
with 2 as the second character of their code no
matter how many characters follow the 2.
select
CONTROL_NUMBER
from
CASE_HISTORY
where
CONTROL_NUMBER like '_2%'
IN and LIKE comparison operators can be
preceded with the word NOT and connected with
AND and OR to form as complex a WHERE
clause as required to retrieve the desired rows.
The DISTINCT
Command
When no WHERE clause is included in a query,
ORACLE returns all values in the requested
column.
select
FR_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
Assume that 100 cases are equally divided among
5 FRs. In the query above, there would be one
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column with 100 rows of FR codes displayed, one
for each row in the CASE_HISTORY table.
However, there would be many duplicate values
since each FR code is present in 20 different rows.
Duplicate values can be eliminated by specifying
DISTINCT in the SELECT clause.
The following query requests all the different
(DISTINCT) values for FR code in the
CASE_HISTORY table and will return 5 values.
Ordering Rows – The
ORDER BY Clause
select
distinct FR_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
You can control the order in which retrieved rows
are displayed by adding an ORDER BY clause to
the end of a SELECT command.
select
CONTROL_NUMBER, FR_CODE,
CAPI_OUTCOME,
INTERVIEWER_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
order by
FR_CODE, INTERVIEWER_CODE,
CAPI_OUTCOME,
CONTROL_NUMBER
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This select statement returns the requested
columns in order of the FR code, then the
Interviewer code, then the CAPI outcome code,
and finally the control number.
The COUNT Function
All table columns likely to be queried by RO users
are VARCHAR2 (text) datatype. It is not
meaningful to add phone numbers together.
Arithmetic operators (e.g.: "*") and some of the
comparison operators (e.g.: "<", ">=", etc.), and
almost all of the group functions (e.g.: SUM,
AVG, etc.) will not be used.
There is, however, one group function that may be
used quite often - the COUNT function.
In its simplest usage, COUNT reports the number
of rows in a table:
select count(*)
from CASE_HISTORY
gives results in this fashion:
COUNT(*)
------------100
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The number returned represents the number
of cases in the CASE_HISTORY table.
When used with a GROUP BY clause, COUNT
becomes a useful tool to "tally" the number of
rows that fit a particular group.
The groups of interest are specified in the
SELECT clause and must also be included in the
GROUP BY clause. Here are two examples, one
with a single grouping and another with two
groupings.
select count(*), FR_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
group by FR_CODE
And results could look like:
COUNT(*) FR_CODE
------------- -------------15
Z96
25
Z97
10
Z98
50
Z99
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The data returned represents the number of rows
cases in CASE_HISTORY for each unique FR
Code.
select
count(*), CAPI_OUTCOME,
FR_CODE
from
CASE_HISTORY
group by REPLACEMENT_HH,
FR_CODE
Results could look like the following:
COUNT(*)
------------15
12
14
10
16
09
25
22
25
25
CAPI_OUTCOME
---------------------201
202
203
204
205
FR_CODE
-------------Z97
Z98
Z99
Z97
Z98
Z99
Z96
Z99
Z97
Z98
The GROUP BY clause in this example tells the
database to group together similar CAPI outcomes
first and then, within each CAPI outcome, to
group together similar FR code values.
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Subqueries
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A WHERE clause of one query may itself contain
another query, called a subquery. ORACLE
processes the subquery and uses the results in the
main query. Subqueries are enclosed in
parentheses.
In the following example, assume that there are 25
rows in the CASE_HISTORY table – 15 FRs with
a case in INTERVIEW NUMBER 5 and 10
without a case in INTERVIEW NUMBER 05.
The DISTINCT operator then uses those values to
return the INTERVIEW PERIOD for the FRs with
a case in INTERVIEW NUMBER 05.
SELECT interview_period
FROM fr_leave
WHERE fr_code in
(SELECT DISTINCT FR_CODE
from CASE_HISTORY
where INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘05')
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This statement produces the
INTERVIEW_PERIOD of all FRs that have a
record with an INTERVIEW_NUMBER equal to
05 assigned to them in the CASE_HISTORY
table.
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Multiple Tables in One
Query
The JOIN
Command
In the preceding examples, only one table
(FR_CODE or CASE_HISTORY) has been
queried. The JOIN feature lets you select data
from two or more tables and combine the selected
data in a single result display.
A join occurs whenever multiple tables are listed
in the FROM clause of the SELECT statement. A
WHERE clause determines how the rows of the
tables are combined by naming the columns that
must match.
The columns used in the WHERE clause need not
have the same name. If the column names are
identical, they must be prefaced with the table
name. For example: CASE_HISTORY.
CAPI_OUTCOME is the full, formal name for the
CAPI_OUTCOME column in the
CASE_HISTORY table.
Many users choose to use the formal name for all
column references in the command whenever two
or more tables are being queried. This helps them
remember to include the proper table names in the
FROM clause.
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In the example below, we wish to display four
columns from the CASE_HISTORY table and the
INTERVIEW_PERIOD column from the
FR_LEAVE table. The WHERE clause names the
columns, one from each table, that must match.
select
FR_LEAVE.INTERVIEW_
PERIOD, CASE_HISTORY.
CONTROL_NUMBER,
CASE_HISTORY.
INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
CASE_HISTORY.FR_CODE,
CASE_HISTORY.CAPI_OUT
COME
from
FR_LEAVE,
CASE_HISTORY
where
CASE_HISTORY.
INTERVIEW_PERIOD =
FR_LEAVE.INTERVIEW_
PERIOD;
An "alias" for the table name may be defined.
This can save a substantial number of keystrokes.
In the example below, note the definition of the
aliases in the second line and the use of the aliases
with all column names.
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select
F.INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
C.CONTROL_NUMBER,
C.INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
C.FR_CODE,
C.CAPI_OUTCOME
from
FR_LEAVE F,
CASE_HISTORY C
WHERE
C.FR_CODE = F.FR_CODE;
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Appendix 4A - ROSCO Tables and Fields for NCVS
(sorted by table name)
List of Table Names
Primary keys that link the tables are denoted in bold.
– REGULAR NCVS –
REASSIGNMENT_REVIEW
ADDRESS_HISTORY
RELOAD
ADDRESS_INFO
REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
REPORT_FILE_OUT
BOOST_BLOCK
RESTING_ADDRESS_HISTORY
CASE_ACTIVITY
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
CASE_HISTORY
RESTING_BOOST_BLOCK
CMFILE_IN
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
CONTACTS
RESTING_CONTACT_HISTORY
CONVERTED_TYPE_A
RESTING_INFO
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP
RESTING_NOTES
DELIVER_TO_MCS
RO_CODE
FR
RO_TEAM
FR_HISTORY
SEGMENT
FR_INTVPERIOD
SEQUENCE_NO
FR_LEAVE
SERVER_JOB/OLD_SERVER_JOB
FR_SURVEY
SCHEDULED_JOB
INSTRUMENT
STRATUM
INTERVIEW_PERIOD
STUDIES
LANGUAGE_CODE
STUDY_INTVPERIOD
LETTER_HISTORY
SUPERVISOR_REVIEW
LETTER_LANGUAGE
SUPPLEMENTAL_OUTCOME
LETTER_TYPE
SURVEY
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MAIL_MESSAGES
SYSTEM_IN_LIST
MAIL_OUT
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
NEW_SPAWN
TEAM_LEADER_TABLE
NOTES
TEMPORARY_LOB
OLD_CONTROL_NUMBER
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
OUTCOME_CODE
TRANS_GOAL
PAL_INFO
USER_JOB_STATUS
PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT
WORKLOAD
PLACE_ZIP
PSU
– NCVS REINTERVIEW --
PSU_GROUP_TABLE
FALSIFICATION_NOTES
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_WORKLOAD
SUPP_QC_FR
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– REGULAR NCVS –
ADDRESS_HISTORY
Ah_id
Date_changed
Street_name
Addr2
Zip
Control_number
House_number
Unit_designation
Place
Zip4
Interview_period
House_number_sfx
Addr1
State
Physical_description
Address_seq
ADDRESS_INFO
Control_number
House_number
Unit_designation
Place
Zip4
Interview_period
House_number_sfx
Addr1
State
Physical_description
Address_type
Street_name
Addr2
Zip
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
Ap_Id
Psu
Zip
Segment
Typea_fr
Psu_level
Tract
Bpo_id
Pv_fr
Place
Block
Regular_fr
Phone_fr
CAPI_NOTES
Control_number
Int_or_reint
Interview_period
Version
Notes1 - 15
CATI_NOTES
Control_number
Interview_period
Notes1 - 15
CASE_ACTIVITY
Ca_Id
Action_code
Date_xmit_to_fr
Date_mcs_ack
Control_number
Fr_code
Date_case_completed
In_supv_review
Interview_period
Checked_in
Date_received
Outcome_code
Seq_nbr
Date_assigned
Date_checked_in
Reload_version
Case_activity_date
Date_recv_by_fr
Date_deliv_to_mcs
Xmit_status
Case_activity_code
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CASE_HISTORY
Control_number
Interview_number
Interview_period
Fr_code
Capi_outcome
Replacement_hh
Interviewer_code
Cati_outcome
Last_update
CMFILE_IN, CMFILE_OUT, SUPV_REVIEW
Control_number
Phone_number_2
Cati_ok
Sheet_number
Interview_period
Phone_ext_2
Never_cati
Year_built
Study_name
Phone_interview_ok
Supplemental_outcome
Ahs_frame
Caseid
Notes_flag
Status
G_flag_1
Arcnum
Notes_changed
Trans_status
Screener
Reassigned
Pnotes1–15
Date_recv_by_fr
Structure_type
Original_outcome
Contact1_type
Date_case_completed
Sp_unit
Original_action
Contact1_name
Observed
Hu_type
Collection_mode
Contact1_title
House_number
Incentive
County_name
Contact1_phone_exp
House_number_sfx
Cati_outcome
How_to_interview
Contact1_phone
Street_name
Cati_recycle
Interview_number
Contact1_phone_ext
Unit_designation
Tnotes1-15
Previous_fr
Contact1_addr1
Physical_description
Design
Previous_fr_name
Contact1_addr2
Place
Segment_type
Previous_outcome
Contact1_place
State
Gq_register_method
Listing_id
Contact1_state
Zip
Permit_issuing
Survey_id
Contact1_zip
Zip4
Transition_assignment
G_ind_1-5
Contact1_zip4
Mailflag
Urban_rural
Action_code
Contact2_type
Mhouse_number
Within_psu_stratum
Address_changed
Contact2_name
Mhouse_number_sfx
G_flag_2–3
Best_time
Contact2_title
Mstreet_name
Free_fields
Best_time_specified
Contact2_phone_exp
Munit_designation
Fr_code
Callback_notes
Contact2_phone
Mplace
Confirmed_refusal
Contact2_phone_ext
Mstate
Also in cmfile_in and
Supv_review tables:
G_resp_name
Contact2_addr1
Mzip
Supv_review_type
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How_interviewed
Contact2_addr2
Mzip4
Supv_review_category
Type_z_base
Contact2_place
Address_size
Supv_review_action
Nbr_type_z
Contact2_state
Gq_flag
Date_received
No_Sunday
Contact2_zip
Gq_name
Notes_version
Outcome_code
Contact2_zip4
Gq_code
Reload_version
Phone_exp_1
Relist_add
Incomplete_address
Study_outcome
Phone_number_1
New_extra
Line_number
Study_action
Phone_ext_1
New_unit
Mobile_home
Failed_reason
Phone_exp_2
New_unit_trans
Multi_unit
Date_supv_review_action
CONTACTS
Control_number
Contact_type
Contact_addr1
Contact_city
Contact_phone
Interview_period
Contact_name
Contact_addr2
Contact_state
Contact_phone_ext
Int_or_reint
Contact_title
Contact_zip
Contact_phone_exp
Contact_zip4
Contact_phone_type
Contact_id
CONVERTED_TYPE_A
Control_number
Interview_period
Fr_code
Outcome_code
CPCAPCS_TEMP
Asgt_month
Sample_no
Mis
Received_date
Orig_fr
Asgt_year
Segment_no
Ro_code
Grpldr_old_psu
PSU
Fips_county_code
Serial_no
Cati_outcome
Typea_fr
Fips_state_code
Serial_suffix
Confirmed_refusal
Reassignment_code
CPCAPFR_TEMP
Asgt_month
Fr_code
Ro_code
Pickup_date
Grpldr
Asgt_year
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP
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Control_number
Interview_period
July 2007
Fr_code
DELIVER_TO_MCS
Control_number
Date_created
Study_name
Date_deliv_to_mcs
Interview_period
Reload_version
Caseid
Locked
FR
Fr_code
Address
L_name
Parcel_state
Alt_phonenum
Name
City
F_name
Parcel_zip
M_initial
Stat
State
M_name
Alt_phone_no
Parcel_zip4
Lister
Zip
Ssn
Phone_no
Ssn_short
Sfr
Zip4
Parcel_address
Active_inactive
Birthdate
Phonenum
Eod_date
Parcel_city
End_date
FR_INTVPERIOD
Fr_code
Ro_team
Interview_period
Assg_start_date
Trans_goal_1
Trans_goal_4
Assg_due_date
Trans_goal_2
Trans_goal_5
Supplemental_qc
Trans_goal_3
Last_trans_date
FR_LEAVE
Fr_code
Start_date
Interview_period
End_date
FR_NOTES
Fr_code
Notes
FR_SURVEY
Fr_code
Sfr_code
Db_cnt
Eop_date
Team_leader_code
Survey
Start_date
Inp_cnt
Fr_survey_flag1
Ro_use
Psu1
Due_date
Hours
Ri_group
Active_inactive
Psu2
Trans_date
Miles
Ro_reint
End_date
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Psu3
Recv_date
Ri_ready_position
Fr_survey_flag2
Stat
Kit_date
Ro_team
Employee_type
July 2007
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
Ro_code
Psu
Serial
Survey
Ident_segment
Sample
Segment
Segment_type
Ident_sample
Tie_flag
INTERVIEW_PERIOD
Interview_Period
Cls_file_sent
Date_segment_folders_checked
Ro_team
Ri_cls_file_sent
Laptop_cleanup
Release_to_field
Ri_closeout_files_sent
Date_laptop_cleanup
Survey_data_loaded
Date_released_to_field
Confirmed_refusal_sent
Ro_closeout
Date_ro_closeout
Ri_release_to_field
Mcs_closeout
Date_ro_ri_closeout
Date_ri_released_to_field
Ri_ro_closeout
Date_fp_saved
Date_lc_fr_correction
Ri_mcs_closeout
Date_ro_cleanup
Date_lc_results
Cati_cases_sent
Date_fp_loaded
Ri_files_sent
Segment_folders_checked
LETTER_HISTORY
Control_number
Fr_code
Letter_type
Date_sent
Letter_delivered
Interview_period
LETTER_LANGUAGE
Letter_type
Language
Filename
MAIL_MESSAGES
Mail_mesages
Message_date
Message_subject
Message_text
Keep_or_delete
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MAIL_OUT
Fr_code
Message_id
PAL_INFO
Control_number
Interview_period
Bpo_id
Bpo_name
Keyed_remarks
Pal_seq_number
Pal_line_number
Permit_year_month
Day_of_issue
Pal_origin_code
Permit_number
Unit_in_structure
PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT
Control_number
Fr_code
Old_control_number
PLACE_ZIP
Psu
Place
Zip
PMN_NOTES (CAPI Control notes) - Obsolete
Control_number
Notes
PSU
Psu
Stratum
Psu_group
Ro_team
REASSIGNMENT_REVIEW
Control_number
Interview_period
RECYCLE_LIMIT
Survey
Limit_numbe
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RELOAD
Control_number
Reload_version
Interview_period
Study_name
Caseid
Archive_name
Transfer_flag
REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS
Rr_Id
Interview_period
Control_number
Reassigned_by
Reassigned_to
Date_received
Reassigned_from
Reassignment_reason
Reassigned
REPORT_FILE_OUT
Report_name
Team_leader_code
Line_number
Line_text
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
Control_number
House_number
Unit_designation
Place
Zip4
Interview_period
House_number_sfx
Addr1
State
Physical_description
Address_type
Street_name
Addr2
Zip
In_care_of
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
Control_number
Interview_number
Fr_code
Outcome_code
Cati_outcome
Notes_version
Interview_period
RESTING_INFO
Control_number
G_resp_name
Address_changed
Workload_id
Interview_period
Phone_number_1
Fr_code
Best_time
Phone_number_2
Outcome_code
Mail_flag
RESTING_NOTES
Control_number
Interview_period
Int_or_reint
Version
Notes1-15
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RO_CODE
Ro_code
SEGMENT
Interview_period
Fr_code
List_now
Transition_assignment
Psu
Date_checked_out
New_segment_folder
Within_psu_stratum
Sample
Date_checked_in
Old_design_psu
Permit_issuing
Segment
Design
Old_design_segment
Urban_rural
Segment_type
Check_folder_flag
Folder_checked
SEQUENCE_NO
Table_name
Column_name
Next_id
SERVER_JOB / OLD_SERVER_JOB
Job_id
Job_name
Parameters
Status
Survey
Time_started
Max_running_time
Ro_code
Time_completed
Auto_abort_code
Time_requested
Priority
Comments
SCHEDULED_JOB
Survey
Job_name
Minute
Date_last_scheduled
Ro_code
Hour
Enabled
Parameters
STUDIES
Survey
Int_or_reint
Study_number
Cases_version
Release_to_field
Study_name
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STUDY_INTVPERIOD
Study_name
Cleaned_up
Interview_period
Inst_cleaned_up
SURVEY
Survey
Recordnum
SYSTEM_IN_LIST
Userid
Class_name
Stringlist
Numberlist
Datetimelist
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
Fr_code
G_label
G_counts_1-17
Date_created
Team_leader_code
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
Control_number
Interview_period
Fr_code
TRANS_GOAL
Interview_period
Goal_id
Goal_date
Goal_percent
USER_JOB_STATUS
Job_id
Survey
Time_requested
Comments
Ro_code
Status
Seen_by_user
Job_name
Time_completed
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WORKLOAD
Workload_id
In_supv_review
Xmit_status
Serial
Control_number
Interview_number
G_ind_1-5
Serial_sfx
Interview_period
Listing_id
G_resp_name
Sheet_number
Psu
Load_date
G_flag_1–5
Year_built
Tract
G_short_1–5
Cati_outcome
Block
Nbr_type_z
No_Sunday
G_varchar_1–5
Cati_recycle
Action_code
Notes_changed
G_varchar_long
Date_recycle_recv
Address_changed
Notes_version
G_int_1–5
Previous_cati_outcome
Best_time
Observed
G_number_1-3
Cati_eligible
Best_time_specified
Original_fr
G_timestamp_1-5
Cati_eligible_psu
Callback_notes
Original_outcome
Address_size
Cati_ok
Caseid
Original_action
Census_id
Cati_possible
Checked_in
Outcome_code
Do_code
Cati_selected Ever_cati
Collection_mode
Phone_interview_ok
Fips_state_code
Never_cati
Confirmed_refusal
Phone_exp_1
Gq_code
Previous_recycle
County_name
Phone_number_1
Gq_flag
Recycle_requested
Date_assigned
Phone_ext_1
Gq_name
Returning_cati
Date_recv_by_fr
Phone_exp_2
Gq_register_method
Why_not_cati
Date_xmit_to_fr
Phone_number_2
Incomplete_address
Supplemental_fr
Date_case_completed
Phone_ext_2
Line_number
Supplemental_outcome
Date_checked_in
Previous_fr
Mobile_home
G_other_name
Date_deliv_to_mcs
Previous_outcome
Multi_unit
Phone_type_1
Date_mcs_ack
In_reinterview
Nbr_or_ltr
Phone_type_2
Date_received
Reload_version
New_extra
Incentive
Date_last_modified
Ro_team
New_unit
Incoming_flag
Fr_code
State_of_case
Relist_add
Map_spot
How_to_interview
Study_name
Sample
Maf_Id
How_interviewed
Type_z_base
Segment
Mail_flag
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– NCVS REINTERVIEW TABLES –
FALSIFICATION_NOTES
Control_number
Interview_period
Fnotes1 – 5
RI_CMFILE_IN, RI_CMFILE_OUT, RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Control_number
House_number
Contact1_phone_exp
Notes_flag
Interview_period
Contact1_phone
Notes_changed
Caseid
House_number_sfx
Street_name
Contact1_phone_ext
Rnotes1-15
Study_name
Unit_designation
Contact1_addr1
Orig_notes_flag
Arcnum
Physical_description
Contact1_addr2
Pnotes1-15
Outcome_code
Place
Contact1_place
Free_fields
Action_code
State
Contact1_state
Fr_code
Qc_outcome
Zip
Contact1_zip
Reinterview_type
Zip4
Contact1_zip4
Also in RI_cmfile_in
Status
Gq_name
Contact2_type
Trans_status
G_resp_name
Contact2_name
And RI_supv_review
Tables:
Date_recv_by_fr
Phone_exp_1
Contact2_title
Supv_review_type
Date_case_completed
Phone_number_1
Contact2_phone_exp
Supv_review_category
Reassigned
Phone_ext_1
Contact2_phone
Supv_review_action
Original_fr
Best_time
Contact2_phone_ext
Date_received
Original_outcome
Best_time_specified
Contact2_addr1
Notes_version
Original_action
Callback_notes
Contact2_addr2
Reload_version
Interview_fr
No_Sunday
Contact2_place
Study_outcome
Interview_fr_name
Contact1_type
Contact2_state
Study_action
Interview_outcome
Contact1_name
Contact2_zip
Failed_reason
Interview_number
Contact1_title
Contact2_zip4
Date_supv_review_action
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RI_WORKLOAD
Workload_id
Date_xmit_to_fr
Input_received
Reinterview_type
Control_number
Date_case_completed
Load_date
Reload_version
Interview_period
Date_checked_in
No_Sunday
Ro_team
Action_code
Date_deliv_to_mcs
Notes_changed
Study_name
Active
Date_mcs_ack
Notes_version
Xmit_status
Best_time
Date_received
Original_fr
False_followup
Best_time_specified
Fr_code
Original_outcome
Gq_name
Caseid
G_resp_name
Original_action
Phone_Type_1
Checked_in
In_supv_review
Outcome_code
G_other_name
Collection_mode
Ineligible
Phone_exp_1
Phone_exp_2
Confirmed_refusal
Interview_fr
Phone_number_1
Phone_number_2
Date_assigned
Interview_number
Phone_ext_1
Phone_ext_2
Date_recv_by_fr
Interview_outcome
Qc_outcome
Phone_type_2
SUPP_QC_FR
Fr_code
Interview_period
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Appendix 4B - Descriptions of the Fields in the NCVS ROSCO
Database Tables (sorted by field name)
FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Action_code
CASE_ACTIVITY
Indicates status of case and its next destination.
Some common codes:
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD
Active_inactive
FR, FR_SURVEY
Addr1
ADDRESS_HISTORY
Addr2
ADDRESS_INFO
FR
Address_changed
CMFILE_IN
10
20
30 40 To sponsor
11
21
31 41 To Supv Review
12
22
32 42 Allow re-entry then to sponsor
13
23
33 43 Allow re-entry then to
15
C
Xmit
25
35 45 Never transmit
Indicates if case is in any type of reinterview,
including: Quality Control (QC), Response Error
(RE), QC CATI recycle and QC supplemental.
Indicates an FR’s working status: A – active,
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
Address
B
SupvRev
SUPV_REVIEW
Active
201 A
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_INFO
I – inactive, S – separated.
The 1 st and 2 nd line in the old-style 2-line address
format. The new-style address format has separate
house #, house # suffix, street name, and unit
designation fields.
House number, street name, and unit designation,
or P.O. Box line in FR addresses.
Indicates that an FR changed part of an address at
any previous interview.
0=No, 1=Yes.
SUPV_REVIEW
Address_seq
W ORKLOAD
ADDRESS_HISTORY
Address_type
ADDRESS_INFO
Ah_Id
Ahs_frame
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
ADDRESS_HISTORY
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
Address change sequence number unique for each
address.
Indicates address type: S=sample, M=mailing, or
R=reinterview.
Case Id in Address History table.
01-09=American Housing Survey frames – field
not used by other surveys.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
Alt_phone_no
SUPV_REVIEW
FR
Alt_phonenum
Ap_Id
Archive_name
Arcnum
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
RELOAD
CMFILE_IN
July 2007
DESCRIPTION
Used to store FR secondary phone numbers –
Alt_phonenum is used by NCVS.
Case Id used in Assignment Parms table.
Name of archive where case is stored.
Sequence number in archive file where case is
stored.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Assgn_due_date
SUPV_REVIEW
FR_INTVPERIOD
Target date for the start and end of interviewing
set in Assignment Ops > Set Start and Due Dates
and printed on the CAPI-35, FR Assignment List.
A code that automatically aborts a job on the
server.
Assgn_start_date
Auto_abort_code
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Best_time
SERVER_JOB
CMFILE_IN,
The best time to call respondent chosen from a list
of categories at the end of the interview and
printed on the CAPI-35, FR Assignment List, for
the next interview period.
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Best_time
_specified
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
1=AM
4=4P-7P
7=7-9P
2=11A-1P
5=6P-9P
8=9A-4P
3=12P-4P
6=9P-9P
9=5P-9P
Best time to call respondent keyed at the end of the
interview and printed on the CAPI-35, FR
Assignment List for the next interview period.
This “spelled-out” entry is often more specific than
the Best Time categories.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Birthdate
Block
W ORKLOAD
FR
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
FR birth date.
**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
Bpo_id
ASSIGNM ENT_PARM S
DESCRIPTION
cases in a block to a single FR.
Identification code (6-digit) assigned to each
permit office by MCD that puts the offices in
alphabetic sort within state. Permit frame only.
Place or area name for territory covered by the
permit office. Permit frame only.
Case Id used in the Case Activity table.
PAL_INFO
Bpo_name
PAL_INFO
Ca_Id
CASE_ACTIVITY
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_IN
Callback_notes
July 2007
Notes recorded by FR on laptop that specifies
when to call a respondent back to complete the
interview for the current interview period. These
notes appear in laptop case management on the
Full (F3) screen.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
Capi_outcome
W ORKLOAD
CASE_HISTORY
Laptop code stored in the Case History file.
Case_activity
CMFILE_OUT
CASE_ACTIVITY
1 - Reassigned from W orkload
CMFILE_OUT
2 - Reassigned from Sup Rev
_code
3 - Checked-in from FR different than assigned FR
The activity record of a case in
ROSCO.
4 - Accepted duplicate
5 - Accepted from FR different than assigned FR
6 - Eliminated from Supervisory Review
7 - Resolved with prior version
8 - Reassigned Mover
9 - Type A - Charged to different FR
10 - Deleted From Supervisory Review
Case_activity
CASE_ACTIVITY
_date
Caseid
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_IN
11 - Remote Reassignment
Date ROSCO case activity occurred.
The 8-digit Id beginning with 00000001 that is
assigned to each case every month. The caseid
changes each month due to incoming and outgoing
rotations.
CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
RELOAD
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FIELD NAME
July 2007
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
RI_CMFILE_IN
W hen an extra or additional unit is created, the
new unit is assigned the parent’s caseid with a
letter prefix:
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
A0000123=additional (A, B, C… )
RI_W ORKLOAD
Z0000123=extra (Z, X, Y)
SUPV_REVIEW
Category
W ORKLOAD
N/A
Cati_cases_sent
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Cati_eligible
Cati_ok
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
Classification in a field description usually blank.
Query: “Select * from ‘field name’ to view.
Flag set when assignments are released indicating
selected cases are sent to CATI: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Segment CATI eligible in CATI eligible PSU.
Indicates if case should be considered for CATI
interviewing based on input from the FR during
most recent interview:
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Cati_outcome
0=No, 1=Yes.
W ORKLOAD
CASE_HISTORY
Outcome code from CATI interview.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
.
CPCAPCS_TEM P
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
SUPV_REVIEW
Cati_possible
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
Yes, if:
1=Interview # not 1 or 5, Never CATI=N, AND
This flag is set for each case
by DSM D in the monthly PIN
file based on meeting the
parameters in this box à
2=Ever CATI=Y and CATI Outcome 01-05
OR
3=Ever CATI=N, Phone # is not blank,
Phone OK=Y, Vacation (g_flag_2)=N,
0=No, 1=Yes.
MAR HIS (g_flag_1)=N, Previous Outcome in
Cati_recycle
(201,203,204,205) and Previous Recycle=N
Case recycled from CATI: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
July 2007
DESCRIPTION
SUPV_REVIEW
Cati_selected
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
Yes, if:
1 - CATI Eligible=Y, CATI Possible=Y,
0=No, 1=Yes, 2=Temp Yes
and CATI ok=Y
If 1 or 2, case displays on the
ROSCO Selected Cases screen
and will go to CATI unless it
is Removed.
Census_Id
W ORKLOAD
Check_folder_flag
SEGMENT
Checked_in
This flag is set in ROSCO
Sample Control > Segments
with Additional Units.
CASE_ACTIVITY
OR
2=Ever CATI=Y, Interview # not 1or 5,
Phone OK=Y and Vacation (g_flag_2)=N
One can set this flag on the CATI Selection tab in
View/Edit Sample.
An id assigned to each housing unit in the 1990
Census, unique within District Office.
Indicates there are more units than expected for a
unit frame listing. This flag alerts RO staff to
check the segment folder and listing sheets for
possible additional units to add to sample control
before releasing assignments.
Indicates an FR has sent the case in and it is
checked into ROSCO. Cases in Supervisory
Review are not checked in until they are Accepted.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
City
Cleaned_up
W ORKLOAD
FR
STUDY_INTVPERIOD
Cls_file_sent
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Code
N/A – An entry in a field of
any table.
Collection_mode
CMFILE_IN
Select * from ‘fieldname’
Indicates case collection mode:
CMFILE_OUT
0=CAPI
RI_W ORKLOAD
1=CATI
SUPV_REVIEW
5=Listing
The city (place) part in the FRs mailing address.
Flag indicating that the Study was removed from
ROSCO. For example, NCVS_FS02 the February
NCVS Study (instrument).
Indicates that the month’s closeout file was sent
from ROSCO to MCS (M aster Control). This
occurs when RO staff clicks the “activated” close
out hand on the Resolve Missing Cases screen.
For example, control #s, names, addresses, dates,
categories, 0=No, 1=Yes, etc. Codes are often
described in the field description queries:
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
Column_name
W ORKLOAD
SEQUENCE_NO
Confirmed_refusal
CMFILE_IN
DESCRIPTION
Name of column in table that stores sequence
numbers for mail messages and jobs.
Set when accepting Refusals in Supv Review >
Non Interview tab. Once set, field cannot be reset.
CMFILE_OUT
0=Not a confirmed refusal
CPCAPCS_TEM P
1=Confirmed Refusal
RI_W ORKLOAD
2=Congressional Refusal
SUPV_REVIEW
Confirmed_refusal
W ORKLOAD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
_sent
Contact1
CMFILE_IN
Contact2
CMFILE_OUT
July 2007
3=Potential Congressional Refusal
?????
Contact 1 is for Type B and C case contact
persons. Contact 2 is for mover case contact
persons. Surveys that do not have Type B or C
contact persons may use both contact fields for
movers.
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
FRs view contact data in laptop case management
on the F3 (Full) > M-View More screen.
Contact_add1
CONTACTS
First two lines in contact address
Contact_add2
Contact_city
Contact_Id
CONTACTS
CONTACTS
The city part of the contact address.
Identifier indicating Contact 1 or Contact 2.
Contact_id = 1 – for contact on the 1 st line
Contact_name
CONTACTS
Contact_phone
CONTACTS
Contact_id = 2 – for contact data on the 2 nd line
The name of the person who provided information
at the sample unit.
The contact person’s phone number, extension and
(.exp) expansion if Area Codes are expanded to 4
digits.
Contact_phone_exp
Contact_phone_ext
Contact_state
Contact_title
Contact_type
CONTACTS
CONTACTS
CONTACTS
The State of the contact address.
The contact person’s title.
1=B/C Contact
4=Vacant Contact (AHS only)
2=Household Contact
5=CAUS Contact
3=Proxy Respondent
6=GQ Contact
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Contact_zip
CONTACTS
Contact_zip4
Control_number
The contact person’s address ZIP Code and
ZIP+4.
ADDRESS_HISTORY
PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT
ADDRESS_INFO
PMN_NOTES
CAPI_NOTES
REASSIGNM ENT_REVIEW
CASE_ACTIVITY
RELOAD
CASE_HISTORY
REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS
CATI_NOTES
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN,
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_INFO
CONTACTS
RESTING_NOTES
CONVERTED_TYPE_A
RI_CMFILE_IN
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP
RI_CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
FALSIFICATION_NOTES
RI_W ORKLOAD
LETTER_HISTORY
SUPV_REVIEW
PAL_INFO
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
Unlike the case_id
that changes with
each interview
period, the control
number for a case
never changes.
Below are examples
of a NCVS control
number.
W ORKLOAD
NCVS - 91910 1699B J22 01 100 - regular case
91910-PSU, 1699B-Segment+suffix, J22-sample, 01-Serial No., 100-Original HH
The PSU is a combination of state and county codes – 91-State, 910-County.
Segment - 1 st digit = panel(1-6), 2 nd digit = rotation(1-6), 3 rd & 4 th digits - segment type
Segment Type - Permit (01-49), GQ (55-59), Area (60-69), Unit (70-99)
Note: Parts of the Ctl # can have a suffix: Segment – 1 or 2 letters, Sample – 1 letter, Serial No. – 1 letter
Replacement Households - the last three digits increase by 100 with each replacement household
W hen an extra or additional unit is created for a case, the Ctl # for the new case is the same as the parent
case with a suffix added to the Serial No. Extra suffix=Z, Y, X Additional suffix=A, B, C…
County_name
CMFILE_IN
Proper name of a principal sub-division of a state.
Also includes county equivalents – parishes in LA,
CMFILE_OUT
Independent Cities, etc.
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Date_assigned
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date the case is assigned or reassigned in
ROSCO.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_case
_completed
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date the case is completed on the laptop.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Date_changed
Date_checked_in
W ORKLOAD
ADDRESS_HISTORY
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date an address is edited/changed in ROSCO.
The date a case or segment folder is checked into
ROSCO as a completed case.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
SEGMENT
Date_checked_out
Date_created
W ORKLOAD
SEGM ENT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
Date_deliv_to_mcs
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date a segment folder is checked out to an FR.
The date the report is generated.
The date a case is delivered from ROSCO to MCS
(Master Control).
CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_fp_loaded
Date_fp_saved
Date_laptop
W ORKLOAD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
The date FR performance data is loaded.
The date FR performance data is saved.
The laptop cleanup date.
_cleanup
Date_last_modified
Date_last_scheduled
W ORKLOAD
SCHEDULED_JOB
The last modified date.
The date of the last time a scheduled job was run.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Date_lc_fr
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
_correction
Date_lc_results
Date_mcs_ack
The date that listing check FR corrections are
checked in.
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date that listing check results are checked in.
The date MCS (Master Control) acknowledges
receipt of a case and sends the FR a file that puts
the “R” (for received) in the laptop Stat column.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_received
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date this case is received back from an FR and
is processed by the check-in program.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
If a case is checked in when it is received, the Date
Received and the Date Checked In are the same.
REMOTE
_REASSIGNMENTS
RI_CMFILE_IN
If a case goes to supervisory review, the Date
Received is the date the case is put into supv
review, and the Date Checked In is the date the
case is Accepted from supv review.
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_recv_by_fr
SUPV_REVIEW ,
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date the FR picks up a case on the laptop.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Date_recycle_recv
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
Date_released
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
_to_field
Date_ri_released
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
The date the input (DAT and ARC) files for a case
recycle from CATI.
The date that FR assignments are released – Xmit
status = R (for ready to transmit).
The date that reinterview assignments are released.
_to_field
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Date_ro_cleanup
Date_ro_closeout
Date_ri_ro_closeout
Date_sent
Date_supv_review
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
LETTER_HISTORY
CMFILE_IN
The date that RO cleanup is run.
The date that RO closeout is run.
The date that reinterview closeout is run.
The date a respondent letter is sent.
The date RO staff accepts, reassigns or eliminates
a case from ROSCO Supervisory Review.
_action
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Date_xmit_to_fr
SUPV_REVIEW
CASE_ACTIVITY
The date the assignment files which included this
case were transmitted to the FR.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
Day_of_issue
Design
W ORKLOAD
PAL_INFO
CMFILE_IN
Date the building permit was issued.
A case’s sample design (90, 00).
CMFILE_OUT
SEGMENT
Display
SUPV_REVIEW
N/A.
Do_code
W ORKLOAD
In 1990, District
Offices (Dos) were
changed to LCOs..
The 1 st two-digits are the RO
code – 21=Bos, 22=NY, etc.
Due_date
Effdate
Employee_type
FR_SURVEY
N/A.
FR_SURVEY
Enabled
SCHEDULED_JOB
W hat a coded table entry will display on ROSCO
screens and reports. For example, 0=No, 1=Yes.
The 4-digit code assigned to 2000 Local Census
Offices. An LCO was a temporary data collection
center that collected decennial census data for an
area. Old construction only.
The assignment due date (pre-ROSCO).
Date a field description becomes effective.
The employee type assigned to each person in the
FR Survey table=F=FR, S=SFR, T=Team Leader,
M=RO M gt, C=Clerk, P=Pseudo FR.
Flag indicating if a scheduled job is enabled:
0=No, job will not run until it is enabled
End_date
1=Yes, job will run at next scheduled time
The last date the FR is on leave. For ROSCO
surveys, the end date is stored in the FR Leave
table.
FR
FR_LEAVE
Eod_date
FR_SURVEY
FR
The date the FR entered on duty
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Eop_date
FR_SURVEY
Ever_cati
W ORKLOAD
The date the FR started working on survey or
program. EOP=entered on program
Indicates if case was ever assigned to CATI:
Expdate
F_name
Failed_reason
0=No, 1=Yes, CATI in at least one prior
interview.
Date a field description expires.
The FR’s first name.
In Supervisory Review (Failed Cases tab), the
reason a case does not check in.
N/A.
FR
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
False_followup
SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
Filename
Fips_county_code
Fips_state_code
LETTER_LANGUAGE
CPCAPCS_TEMP
CPCAPCS_TEM P
Fnotes1-5
W ORKLOAD
FALSFICATION_NOTES
Folder_checked
SEGMENT
Fr_code
CONVERTED_TYPE_A
CASE_ACTIVITY
CPCAPFR_TEM P
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP
CASE_HISTORY
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
1=M issing data
3=Invalid action code
2=Study/CM mismatch
4=Not in workload
Used in reinterview to flag a case for falsification
followup: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Filename assigned to a respondent letter.
A 3-digit code identifying a county.
A 2-digit code identifying a State.
FIPS=Federal Information Processing Standards
Five fields used to store reinterview falsification
notes sent in by SFRs.
Stores a flag indicating if a segment folder was
checked: 0=No, 1=Yes.
RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
FR
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
FR_INTVPERIOD
FR_LEAVE
RI_W ORKLOAD
SEGMENT
FR_NOTES
SUPP_QC_FR
FR_SURVEY
LETTER_HISTORY
SUPV_REVIEW
MAIL_OUT
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
PERMANENT
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
W ORKLOAD
_REASSIGNMENT
3-character code (1- letter, 2-digits) identifying
FRs. FR codes for SFRs and office staff usually
begin with the letter A. The Regional Director‘s
code is usually A01.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
Fr_survey_flag1
FR_SURVEY
Fr_survey_flag2
G_count_1-17
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
July 2007
DESCRIPTION
Fields in the SFR’s Team Status Report.
1 - # in Assignment
Still on Laptop
The report has a line for each
FR on the team. This includes
the FR code, the 2-digit month
code (g_label) and the data for
the following fields:
2-Not started, 3-Open, 4-Partial, 5-As, 6-Other
In Supervisory Review (ROSCO)
7-Type As, 8-Other
Checked In (to ROSCO)
9-Interviews, 10-Partials, 11-As, 12-Other,
13-LMR (late mail returns) not in NCVS
14-In CATI, 15-Recycles, 16-PVs (personal visit),
G_flag_1-5
CM FILE_IN (flag1,2,3)
17-Tels (telephone)
Five flags that handle variable data:
CM FILE_OUT (flag1,2,3)
G_flag_1=March Hispanic Over Sample flag
SUPV_REVIEW (flag1,2,3)
G_flag_2=Vacation flag
W ORKLOAD
G_flag_3=I/O referral flag (Industry/Occupation)
G_flag_4=SCHIP (B sample) flag
G_ind_1-5
G_flag_5=Not used by NCVS
Five variable indicators.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
G_int_1-5
G_label
G_number_1-3
G_other_name
G_resp_name
SUPV_REVIEW
G_ind_1=Rotation flag, matches the 1 st digit of
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD,
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN,
a segment number.
Five variable integer indicators.
2-digit month in the Team Status Report table.
Three generic number fields.
Other generic name field.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
SUPV_REVIEW
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Respondent name for a case.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
G_short_1-5
G_timestamp_1-5
G_varchar_1-5
Goal_date
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
TRANS_GOAL
Goal_Id
Goal_percent
Gq_code
TRANS_GOAL
TRANS_GOAL
CMFILE_IN
Five short generic fields.
Five generic timestamp fields.
Five generic variable character fields.
Transmission date goal entered in ROSCO - Close
Out / Cleanup > Enter Transmittal Goals.
The Id used in the Trans Goal table.
Goal percents keyed into the Trans Goal table.
Code assigned to a group quarters.
CMFILE_OUT
11-8, Listing & Coverage Manual, Appendix F
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
Indicates if case is at a GQ: 0=No, 1=Yes.
GQ_flag
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Gq_name
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
The name of a group quarters. Area and GQ
frames only.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
Gq_register
_method
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
Grpldr
Grpldr_old_psu
Hour
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CPCAPFR_TEMP
CPCAPCS_TEMP
SCHEDULED_JOB
Hours
House_number
FR_SURVEY
ADDRESS
House_number
_sfx
Indicates if GQ was listed using the register
method. Area and GQ frames only.
0=Register method not used
1=Register method used
FR code of Group Leader.
FR code of Group Leader in old PSU.
Hour part of the time (hour and minute) a
scheduled job will start on the server.
Obsolete field used to store hours before FRED.
The number associated with a housing unit that
uniquely identifies a structure on a street.
_HISTORY
ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN
House number suffix=An alphabetic or fractional
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FIELD NAME
July 2007
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
CMFILE_OUT
addition to the end of the house number to form a
new house number.
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
How_interviewed
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
Indicates how the FR reported they collected the
data (or most of the data) during the most recent
interview:
CMFILE_OUT
How_to_interview
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
1=Telephone, 2=Personal Visit
Indicates how to interview a case for the current
month:
CMFILE_OUT
Hu_type
1=Telephone, 2=Personal Visit
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
Housing unit type – not used by NCVS.
CMFILE_OUT
--------------HU=Housing Units-------------------
SUPV_REVIEW
01=house, apartment or flat
02=mobile home, no permanent room added
03=mobile home, one or more perm. rooms added
04=in non-transient hotel, motel, etc.
05=permanent in transient hotel, motel
06=in rooming house
07=boat or recreational vehicle
08=tent, cave, or railroad car
09=something other than 01-08 above
---------non-HU – not Housing Units ------------10=rooming or boarding house
11=students quarters in college dormitory
12=unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer or tent
13=unit (not perm.) in transient hotel, motel, etc.
Ident_sample
Ident_segment
14=something other than 10-13 above
Sample of identical segment.
Identical segment number.
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
In_care_of
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
In_reinterview
W ORKLOAD
The recipient of household mail if different than
the household respondent (g_resp_name).
Indicates a case is or was in reinterview:
In_supv_review
RI_W ORKLOAD
Incentive
CMFILE_IN
0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates a case is or was in ROSCO Supervisory
Review: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates whether a respondent will receive a
monetary incentive to participate in CE or SIPP.
CMFILE_OUT
Incoming_flag
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
Incomplete_address
CMFILE_IN
CE: A-Z (type undefined)
SIPP: 0=No, 1=Yes
Indicates a case is in an incoming rotation:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates that the basic street address is
incomplete: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_OUT
Ineligible
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD
Input_received
RI_W ORKLOAD
Inst_cleaned_up
Int_or_reint
STUDIES
CAPI_NOTES
Indicates case was screened out of reinterview and
removed from the ri_workload table. Flag is set
for observed and Type A cases: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if a reinterview case’s input file was
received. An RI case cannot be assigned until the
input file is received: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if instrument was cleaned up.
Indicates if notes are for regular NCVS or
reinterview: I=Interview, R=Reinterview
CONTACTS
Interview_fr
RESTING_NOTES
RI_CMFILE_IN
CAPI FR who completed a regular case that is in
the reinterview workload.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Interview_fr_name
RI_W ORKLOAD
RI_CMFILE_IN
Name of the CAPI FR who did the regular case
that is in the reinterview workload.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Interview_number
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_CMFILE_IN
Identifies the position of the current interview
within a complete sequence of scheduled
interviews for the sample designation.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
CASE_HISTORY
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
CMFILE_IN
RI_W ORKLOAD
NCVS/SCHIP: 01-08
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CEQ: 01-05
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_CASE_
HISTORY
July 2007
SIPP: 01-13
NCVS: 01-07
TPOPS: 01-04
AHS-MS: 96, 98, 02 all even years hereafter
Interview_outcome
AHS-N: 97, 99, 01 all odd years hereafter
The outcome_code from the regular interview that
is in the reinterview workload..
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
ADDRESS_HISTORY
REASSIGNM ENT_REVIEW
ADDRESS_INFO
RELOAD
CAPI_NOTES
REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS
CASE_ACTIVITY
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
CASE_HISTORY
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
CATI_NOTES
RESTING_INFO
CMFILE_IN
RESTING_NOTES
Jan 2004=200401
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
Feb 2004=200402
CONTACTS
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Mar 2004=200403
CONVERTED_TYPE_A
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP
RI_W ORKLOAD
DELIVER_TO_MCS
SEGMENT
FALSIFICATION_NOTES
FR_INTVPERIOD
STUDIES
Interview
_period
For NCVS, a 6-digit
code that identifies
the year and month.
For monthly
surveys:
For M IS-9 a 3 is
added as the 1 st digit
of the month
SUPP_QC_FR
FR_LEAVE
Feb 2004=200432
INTERVIEW_PERIOD
Apr 2004=200334
LETTER_HISTORY
SUPV_REVIEW
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
TRANS_GOAL
PAL_INFO
Interviewer_code
W ORKLOAD
The CATI interviewer codes used by Tel. Centers.
CASE_HISTORY
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Job_id
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Id for jobs that run on the server.
July 2007
SERVER_JOB
Job_name
USER_JOB_STATUS
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Name of job that runs on the server. Common
jobs run by the RO staff include:
SERVER_JOB
SCHEDULED_JOB
Checkin=to check in completed work
USER_JOB_STATUS
Frassign=a ROSOCO transmission that puts FR
Keep_or_delete
files out on the server
Keep flag for ROSCO mail messages to FRs.
MAIL_MESSAGES
0=Don’t keep (store) message,
Keyed_remarks
PAL_INFO
Kit_date
L_name
Laptop_cleanup
FR_SURVEY
FR
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Last_trans_date
Last_update
Letter_delivered
Letter_type
FR_INTVPERIOD
CASE_HISTORY
LETTER_HISTORY
LETTER_HISTORY
1=Keep (store) message.
Remarks keyed by PAL FRs that display in
Sample Control > View/Edit Sample > PAL tab
Date kit was installed (no longer used).
The FR’s last name.
The flag indicating an interview period is cleaned
up off the laptop:
0=No, 1=Yes.
The date of the FR’s last transmission.
Is this used for NCVS. It’s empty.???
Letter delivery indicator: 0=No, 1=Yes.
1=1 st month refusal
LETTER_LANGUAGE
2=5 th month refusal
3=8 th month refusal
4=Other refusal
5 - NOH (no one home with FR name
6=NOH (no one home) w/o FR name
7=Thank you
8=Next Month 1st month refusal
9=Next Month other refusal
10=Next Month 5th month refusal
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Limit
RECYCLE_LIM IT
Line_number
CMFILE_IN
Limit on the number of cases an RO can recycle
from ROSCO’s Request a Recycle from CATI
screen.
The line number on the listing sheet where a unit
was listed in Area and GQ segments.
CMFILE_OUT
REPORT_FILE_OUT**
** Team Leader Report (TAL) report line number.
SUPV_REVIEW
Line_text
W ORKLOAD
REPORT_FILE_OUT
List_now
SEGMENT
Lister
Listing_Id
FR
CMFILE_IN
Data line in the Team Leader Report (TAL)
including: FR, Caseid, Control number, Interview
Period, P/T, Outcome code, Stat, Prev FR, Suppl
Stat, Date Received and Place name.
Flag indicating if listing is required at time of
interview. Used in Severe W eather segments not
listed before time of interview: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if FR is a qualified lister: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Listing identifier.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Load_date
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD
For regular NCVS – The date the case’s DAT and
ARC files are loaded into the database. Field is
blank when only the PIN file is loaded.
W ORKLOAD
Locked
DELIVER_TO_MCS
M_initial
M_name
Maf_Id
FR
FR
W ORKLOAD
Mailflag
RESTING_INFO
For NCVS Reinterview=The date the case’s PIN
file is loaded into the database. The date changes
when the INPUT (DAT & ARC) file is received.
Indicates MCS (Master Control) is locked for a
case: 0=No, 1=Yes.
The FR middle initial.
The FR middle name.
The unique identifier for a record on the MAF
(Census 2000 Master Address File) for all surveys
but NHIS. Blank for additional and extra units.
For NHIS, a sequential # assigned by DSMD.
Determines address printed for respondent letter
labels. Set with radio buttons on Address Info tab
in View/Edit Sample: 1=Sampling address,
W ORKLOAD
2=Mailing address, 3=No good address (no label
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Map_spot
Max_running_time
W ORKLOAD
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Mcs_closeout
SERVER_JOB
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
prints).
The case’s map spot identifier – (2000 sample).
A maximum amount of time a job is allowed to run
on the server.
Message_date
M essage_id
Message_subject
Message_text
Mhouse_number
MAIL_MESSAGES
MAIL_OUT
MAIL_M ESSAGES
MAIL_M ESSAGES
CMFILE_IN
Mhouse_number
CMFILE_OUT
_sfx
Miles
Minute
SUPV_REVIEW
FR_SURVEY
SCHEDULED_JOB
Mis
CPCAPCS_TEMP
Mobile_home
CMFILE_IN
Flag indicating MCS (Master Control) is closed
out for an interview period.
The date an e-mail message is created.
E-mail message identifier code.
Subject used in an e-mail message.
The text of an e-mail message.
The house number and suffix collected as part of
the mailing address at time of interview, if
different from sample house number and suffix.
Field used to store FR miles before FRED.
Minute part of the time (hour and minute) a
scheduled job will start on the server.
Month in sample (same as interview number in
other tables).
Indicates if case is a mobile home: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Mplace
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
The place collected as part of the mailing address
at time of interview, if different from the sample
place.
CMFILE_OUT
Mstate
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
The State collected as part of the mailing address
at time of interview, if different from the sample
State.
CMFILE_OUT
Mstreet_name
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
The street name collected as part of the mailing
address at time of interview, if different from the
sample street name.
CMFILE_OUT
Multi_unit
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
Flag indicating if a case is in a multi-unit building:
0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Munit_designation
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
The unit designation collected as part of the
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FIELD NAME
Mzip
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
CMFILE_OUT
mailing address at time of interview, if different
from the sample unit designation.
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
The ZIP Code and ZIP+4 collected as part of the
mailing address at time of interview, if different
from the sample ZIP Code and ZIP+4.
CMFILE_OUT
Mzip4
Name
Nbr_or_ltr
Nbr_type_z
July 2007
SUPV_REVIEW
FR
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
FR’s last and first name.
All either N or blank in W kld ????
Number of individuals at a sample unit that are
non-interviews (not used for NCVS).
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Never_cati
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
Permanent flag prohibiting CATI selection set on
the View/Adjust CATI, View/Adjust CATI
Available and Select Temp CATI screens. One
can also set and reset this flag on the CATI
Selection Info tab in View/Edit Sample.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
0=OK to consider household for CATI
New_extra
1=never consider household for CATI
Flag indicating an extra unit was added for this
case during the current interview period:
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
0=No, 1=Yes.
SUPV_REVIEW
New_segment
W ORKLOAD
SEGMENT
_folder
New_unit
CMFILE_IN
Flag indicating if the segment folder is new for this
interview period: 0=No, 1=Yes.
A newly identified sample unit that is added to the
HQ database at the end of the interview period.
Both the new and parent units are flagged.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
E=extra added with coverage questions
A=additional added with F4 key
New_unit_trans
The parent flag prohibits
adding more units to the
parent case in future months.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
P=parent
S=spawn (not used by NCVS)
Flag indicating a new unit was transferred to
another RO. 0=Not transferred, 1=Transferred.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
Next_id
SUPV_REVIEW
SEQUENCE_NO
No_Sunday
CMFILE_IN
July 2007
DESCRIPTION
Id generated internally that assigns the next highest
number to mail messages.
Flag set by FR at end of interview indicating if
Sunday interview is OK:
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
0=No
Sunday interviewing is OK
1=Yes
No Sunday interviewing
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Note the double negative (No Sunday-No)
indicates Sunday calls are OK.
RI_W ORKLOAD
Notes
SUPV_REVIEW
FR_NOTES
FR notes from the 15 lines at the end of the
instrument.
PMN_NOTES
Notes_changed
Aren’t PMN notes obsolete????
Flag indicating if Notes have been changed outside
of the instrument: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Does this mean changed in ROSCO???
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Notes_flag
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
Flag indicating if there are Notes: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Notes_version
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
The notes version number.
RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Notes1-15
CAPI_NOTES
Up to 15 lines of notes that are entered at the end
of the interview by CAPI FRs or CATI
Interviewers.
CATI_NOTES
Numberlist
Observed
RESTING_NOTES
SYSTEM_IN_LIST
CMFILE_IN
Counter
Flag set in SFR Functions on FR’s laptop
indicating the case was observed by a SFR or
supervisor during the interview period:
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
0=No, 1=Yes, case is screened out of reinterview.
Old_control
W ORKLOAD
PERMANENT
Control number from a previous sample design.
_number
Old_design_psu
Old_design_segment
Orig_fr
Orig_notes_flag
_REASSIGNMENT
SEGMENT
SEGMENT
CPCAPCS_TEMP
RI_CMFILE_IN
PSU number in previous sample design.
Segment number in previous sample design.
Original FR code.
Flag indicating status of FR notes: O=original
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Original_action
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
Action code of original case.
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Original_fr
W ORKLOAD
RI_CMFILE_IN
FR code of the original FR.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Original_outcome
CMFILE_IN
Outcome code of an original case.
July 2007
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Outcome_code
.
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY
RI_CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW RI_W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
CONVERTED
W ORKLOAD
_TYPE_A
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
Pal_line_number
RESTING_INFO
PAL_INFO
Pal_origin_code
PAL_INFO
Code that describes the status of a CAPI interview
case.
Line no. from the Permit Address List (PAL)
listing instrument for a specific permit address.
Code assigned to a Permit Address List (PAL) to
indicate the source of its data. Permit frame only.
O=old (1990) design PAL
Pal_seq_number
PAL_INFO
Parameters
OLD_SERVER_JOB
N=new (2000) design PAL
An id code assigned to each Permit Address List
(PAL) created by DSM D used to control listing
assignments. Permit frame only.
The parameters of a scheduled job. For example,
SCHEDULED_JOB
Parcel_address
SERVER_JOB
FR
Parcel_city
Parcel_state
Parcel_zip
FR
FR
FR
“200403” “A, B, C”=Job runs for this Interview
period and these RO team(s).
The FR’s house number, street name, apt. no., or
P.O.Box where the RO can send a non-USPS
shipment (i.e. Fed Express, UPS).
The place (city) in the FR’s parcel address.
The State in the FR’s parcel address.
The ZIP Code (and Zip+4) for the FR’s parcel
address.
Parcel_zip4
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Permanent_limit
Permit_issuing
July 2007
The limit on the number of cases the RO can put
into CATI as permanent cases. (See Update
CATI Limits Screen.)
Indicates the case is in a permit-issuing block (Old
construction only).
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
SEGMENT
Permit_number
SUPV_REVIEW
PAL_INFO
Permit_year_month
PAL_INFO
Phone_interview_ok
CMFILE_IN
Number that uniquely identifies a permit issued
within a building permit office. Permit frame only.
The year and month (YYYYMM) the permit
issuing authority issued the permit. Permit frame
only.
Indicates whether or not the respondent has agreed
to future interviews by telephone:
CMFILE_OUT
0=No, 1=Yes.
SUPV_REVIEW
Phone_fr
W ORKLOAD
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
Phone_no
FR
Phonenum
Phone_number_1
CMFILE_IN
Phone_number_1
CMFILE_OUT
_ext
Phone_number_1
_exp
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Phone_number_2
RI_W ORKLOAD
_exp
Phone_type_1
Phone_type_2
Case’s 2 nd phone number, extension(.ext) and
expansion(.exp)
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Phone_number_2
Case’s primary phone no, extension(.ext) and
expansion(.exp)
RESTING_INFO
Phone_number_2
_ext
FR assigned telephone cases in parameter, if
different from the regular FR.
Used to store FR primary phone numbers –
Phonenum used by NCVS, Phone_no is not used.
Expansion is a place hold for when Area Codes are
expanded to 4 digits.
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
1=Home
5=Public pay phone
2=W ork
6=Toll free
3=Cellular or digital
7=Other
4=Beeper, pager, answering service
8=FAX
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Physical_description
ADDRESS _HISTORY
RI_CMFILE_IN
ADDRESS_INFO
Description of a housing unit and/or its location.
May also include rural routes and postal box
numbers.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
SUPV_REVIEW
Place
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
PLACE_ZIP
RI_SUPV_REVIE
W
ADDRESS_HISTORY
The place (city, town) in the address.
ADDRESS_INFO
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**
**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a place to a single FR.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
SUPV_REVIEW
Previous_cati
W ORKLOAD
_outcome
Previous_fr
The CATI outcome from last time the case was
completed in CATI.
CMFILE_IN
The previous FR who completed the case.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Previous_fr_name
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
FR name the last time the case was completed by
an FR.
CMFILE_OUT
Previous_outcome
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
Outcome code the last time the case was
completed by an FR.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Previous_recycle
Priority
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Previous CATI recycle. 0=No, 1=Yes.
A job’s priority on the server.
Psu
SERVER_JOB
ASSIGNM ENT_PARM S
PSU=Primary Sampling Unit
PSU
CPCAPCS_TEM P
SEGMENT
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
W ORKLOAD
PLACE_ZIP
Usually the FIPS state and county codes
combined, 2 and 3 digits respectively, except in
New England.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Psu_Group
PSU
Psu_level
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
Psu1, Psu2, Psu3
FR_SURVEY
Pv_fr
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
Qc_outcome
RI_CMFILE_IN
PSUs grouped for reporting purposes (not
currently used by NCVS, TPOPS only).
Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a PSU to a single FR.
The 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd PSUs an FR works in
(obsolete)=ROSCO uses assignment_parms.
FR assigned personal visit cases in parameter, if
different from the regular FR.
Outcome codes set by the reinterview instrument
at the end of a reinterview.
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Click here for a list
of QC Outcomes.
Reassigned
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Called Disposition Codes by DSMD.
RI_W ORKLOAD
REMOTE
Flag set when case is reassigned to another FR
from View/Reassign or Supv Review. It also
allows a case previously worked on to be opened
at the front of the instrument.
_REASSIGNMENTS
RI_CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Reassigned_by
SUPV_REVIEW
REMOTE
Reassigned_from
Records the FR codes by whom the case was
reassigned, from whom it was reassigned, and to
whom it was reassigned.
_REASSIGNMENTS
Reassigned_to
Reassignment
CPCAPCS_TEMP
_code
Reassignment
These are number codes that probably mean
something. Get explanation from TMO.?????
REMOTE
1 - Type A - Refusal Followup
_reason
_REASSIGNMENTS
2 - Other Type A Followup
(NOH, TA, Other)
3 - Emergency (illness, death in family)
4 - Assignment too large for FR
5 - Prod. reasons (segment closer to another FR)
6 - Misclassification of Noninterview
7 - Other
Received_date
Recordnum
8 -Type A Followup - Charge orig FR with A
Date FR received a case.
The record number for a table that contains the
CPCAPCS_TEMP
SURVEY
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FIELD NAME
July 2007
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Recv_date
FR_SURVEY
Recycle
W ORKLOAD
survey abbreviation. The record number is usually
1.
Date cases received (obsolete in ROSCO which
uses Date_received).
Indicates if a CATI recycle was requested:
_requested
Regular_fr
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
0=No, 1=Yes.
The FR assigned all cases in parameter, if
Reinterview_type
RI_CMFILE_IN
Type A FR, PV FR and Phone FR are blank.
01 - Response Error assigned to CATI
RI_CMFILE_OUT
02 - Response Error assigned to CAPI
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
03 - Quality Control CATI Recycles
RI_W ORKLOAD
04 - Quality Control CAPI
05 - Quality Control CAPI Supplemental
Type 05 cases are included in
the QC response rates.
RO selects FR before releasing
assignments)
06 - Quality Control CAPI Inactive
Type 06 cases are not included
in the QC response rates.
Release_to_field
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Relist_add
CMFILE_IN
releasing assignments)
Indicates monthly assignments were released:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if case was created from relisting a
segment:
CMFILE_OUT
0=No, 1=Yes.
SUPV_REVIEW
Reload_version
Indicates version if
data needs to be
reloaded.
Replacement_hh
Supplemental (RO chooses cases after
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY
RI_CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
DELIVER_TO_MCS
SUPV_REVIEW
RELOAD
CASE_HISTORY
W ORKLOAD
The last three digits of the control number indicate
CMFILE_OUT
100 - original household
200 - replacement household
300 - 2 nd replacement household, etc
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Report_name
Returning_cati
REPORT_FILE_OUT
W ORKLOAD
For NCVS=TALIST=Team Assignment List.
Indicates if case was in CATI the previous
interview period:
Ri_closeout_files
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
_sent
Ri_cls_file_sent
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Ri_files_sent
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Ri_group
FR_SURVEY
Rr_id
REMOTE
Ri_mcs_closeout
_REASSIGNMENTS
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Ri_ready_position
FR_SURVEY
Ri_release_to_field
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Ri_ro_closeout
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Ri_notes1-15
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIE
W
Ro_closeout
RI_CMFILE_OUT
Ro_code
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if reinterview closeout file was sent to
mcs (M ASTER CONTROL): 0=No, 1=Yes.
How is this different from the previous
field=ri_closeout_files_sent ?????
Indicates if cases selected for reinterview were
sent to mcs (Master Control), occurs after
assignments are released:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Group each FR is assigned to for reinterview
selections made by HQ-DSMD staff.
Case Id in remote reassignments table.
Indicates when reinterview is closed out in mcs
(Master Control): 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if FR is ready for reinterview (was set by
RO staff after FR’s 1 st month, but now preset to 1
for all codes for ROSCO): 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates that reinterview assignments are
released: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates RO has closed out reinterview:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Reinterview notes (up to 15 lines) from the end of
the reinterview.
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
Indicates RO has closed out interview_period – set
when RO “hits activated hand”: 0=No, 1=Yes.
2-digit regional office code:
OLD_SERVER_JOB
RO_CODE
21=Boston, 22=New York, 23=Philadelphia,
SERVER_JOB
24=Detroit, 25=Chicago, 26=Kansas City,
SCHEDULED_JOB
27=Seattle, 28=Charlotte, 29=Atlanta,
USER_JOB_STATUS
30=Dallas, 31=Denver, 32=Los Angeles
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
RO letter
N/A
1 st letter in names of files to and from FRs:
A=Boston, B=NY, C=Philadelphia, D=Detroit,
E=Chicago, F=KC, G=Seattle, H=Charlotte,
Ro_reint
FR_SURVEY
Ro_team
FR_INTVPERIOD
I=Atlanta, J=Dallas, K=Denver, L=LA.
Flag set when RO staff selects an FR for reinterview: 0=No, 1=Yes. Not used by all surveys.
Letter code for RO teams set in FR_survey table
for each FR:
FR_SURVEY
A,B,C=Boston, Denver; E, W =Dallas
INTERVIEW_PERIOD
A,B=All Other ROs
PSU
Teams are used for reporting purposes. Other
groups (PSU group, stratum) not currently used.
RI_W ORKLOAD
Ro_use
Sample
W ORKLOAD
FR_SURVEY
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
Place for a ROSCO note about an individual FR.
Sample
Survey
Suffix
SEGMENT
A77=A97
CPS
A, B or blank
W ORKLOAD
J23=J29
NCVS
A, B or blank
Y05=Y16
NHIS
A-D or blank
B77=B97
SCHIP
A, B or blank
The sample designation for a
case. Usually a letter and 2
digits, the field can have an
alpha suffix to associate the
sample with a measure. The
suffix is used in Alaska area
frames for CPS, SCHIP,
NCVS, and in NHIS area
frames.
Screener
S04=S17
SIPP
F04, 05, 08 10-13
AHS-M S
F03, 06 , 09, 20-23, 25 AHS-N
Q33-A46, X11-X20
CEQ
D31-D43, E10-E20
CED
R03
RENT
Flag used by some surveys to screen cases=Not
used by NCVS.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
Seen_by_user
Surveys below do not use an alpha suffix.
SUPV_REVIEW
USER_JOB_STATUS
Flag indicating if a user has highlighted a job on
the View Job Status screen and clicked the Seen
button: 0=Not Seen, 1-Seen
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Segment (NCVS)
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**
A 4-digit number that identifies a section of a PSU
that is in sample. Part of the control no.
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
1 st digit=Panel(1-6)
SEGMENT
2 nd digit=Rotation(1-6):
W ORKLOAD
Segment_folders
**Obsolete assignment
parameter setting used to
assign all cases in a segment to
a single FR.
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
07-49
91910 1601 J22 01 100
GQ
55-59
91910 2559 J22 02 100
GQ
60-69
91910 3269 J22 01 100
Permit 70-99
91910 4199 J22 01 100
CPCAPCS_TEM P
Indicates if the segments folders are checked. RO
staff sets this flag by clicking the “Happy Face”
before releasing assignments.
Type of Segment
CMFILE_IN
1=Area (from listings or update block)
CMFILE_OUT
2=Unit (from maf (Master Address File)
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
3=GQ-group quarters (from listings or
_checked
Segment_type
Permit
SEGMENT
update block)
SUPV_REVIEW
4=Permit (new construction from Permit
Address Listings
Seq_nbr
CASE_ACTIVITY
Serial
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
5=Address (not used in NCVS)
Sequence number used to keep track of case
actions (see case activity codes).
Serial no.=the last two digits in the control #
Usually: NCVS=01-15 for all frames
W ORKLOAD
SCHIP=31-45 Unit and Area frames only
Identification code assigned
sequentially to the units within
a basic sample designation.
Serial_no
Serial_sfx
CPCAPCS_TEMP
W ORKLOAD
If added in case mgt (F4), the
additional unit is assigned a
suffix of A, B, C, etc.
March HispanicOver sample:
NCVS=51-65 for all frames
SCHIP=81-95 Unit and Area frames only
Serial number used in this special table.
An extra unit is assigned a control # identical to
the parent with a suffix added to the serial number.
For example, 01A, or 03X.
If added with instrument coverage questions, the
extra unit is assigned a suffix is X, Y, or Z.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Sfr
FR
Indicates if person is an SFR, etc.
0=FR
Sfr_code
Sheet_number
8=Pseudo FR
1=SFR or Supervisor
9 - Clerk
Field supervisor (SFR) assigned to each FR.
FR_SURVEY
SFR=Senior Field Representative or Supervisory
Field Representative.
The page and line number the case came from on
the listing sheet.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Sp_unit
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
Indicates if case is a special place: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_OUT
Ssn
Ssn_short
Start_date
SUPV_REVIEW
FR
FR
FR_LEAVE**
Stat
FR_SURVEY
FR
State
FR_SURVEY
FR
ADDRESS_HISTO
RY
ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
State_of_case
The FR’s Social Security No.
The last 4-digits of the FR’s SSN.
The date an FR can start interviewing.
**The date the FR goes on leave.
Obsolete field used for FR status. NCVS uses
Active_Inactive for FR status.
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
The 2-character US Postal Service abbreviations
for the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
States are in sample, mailing or FR addresses.
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
State of case used by some surveys.
10=Unreleased
50=Accepted Transfer
20=Released
60=Transfer Out
30=Transfer In
75=Inactive
Status
RI_CMFILE_IN
40=LM R (late mail return)
Is this the status from the instrument????
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
I=Interview
CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
O=Open
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Status
SUPV_REVIEW
OLD_SERVER_JOB
A=Type A… etc.
The status of a job on the server.
SERVER_JOB
E=Error
USER_JOB_STATUS
F=Failed
July 2007
I= Incomplete
Stratum
PSU
Street_name
CMFILE_IN
S=Successful
Strata grouped for reporting purposes (not
currently used by NCVS).
The street name in a sample address.
CMFILE_OUT
ADDRESS_HISTORY
ADDRESS_INFO
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
Srtinglist
Structure_type
SUPV_REVIEW
SYSTEM _IN_LIST
CMFILE_IN
FRs collect structure type during the 1 st interview:
CMFILE_OUT
1=1 HU building (detached)
SUPV_REVIEW
2=1 HU building (attached)
3=2+ HU building
4=mobile home (1 HU)
5=mobile home (2+ HU)
Study_action
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN
01
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
02
SUPV_REVIEW
30
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Study_name
CMFILE_IN
The 3-character survey acronym and 4-character
study name assigned to the monthly NCVS
instrument by Master Control.
CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
NCVS_FS01=January
RELOAD
NCVS_FS02=February
RI_CMFILE_IN
NCVS_LM02=February M IS-9
RI_CMFILE_OUT
The study name for reinterview, NCVSQFU0,
doesn’t change.
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Study_outcome
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Supplemental_fr
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
Supplemental
CMFILE_IN
FR who completed the supplement if different
from FR who completed the regular interview.
1=Supp Complete for at least 1 HHM eligible
CMFILE_OUT
2=Type A-at least 1 HHM eligible, supp skipped
_outcome
after 1 st question
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
3=Other Non interview at least 1 HHM eligible
respondent refused at introduction
4= Ineligible - no one in HH elig for supp
Supplemental_qc
FR_INTVPERIOD
Supv_review
CMFILE_IN
5=Eligibility Unknown - labor for incomplete
Flag indicates if FR has been selected from
supplemental QC reinterview=is this working????
RO action choice for case in Supv Review:
RI_CMFILE_IN
A=accept
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
E=eliminate
SUPV_REVIEW
R=reassign
_action
D=?????
Supv_review
_category
I=?????
Identifies what Supv Review screen the case
appears on.
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
D=Duplicate
SUPV_REVIEW
F=Failed
July 2007
N=Noninterview
Supv_review_type
CMFILE_IN
X=Extra
Identifies Supv Review type:
RI_CMFILE_IN
A=Type A
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
B=Type B
SUPV_REVIEW
C=Type C
D=Duplicate
I=Interview
Survey
FR_SURVEY
P=Partial
The survey abbreviation:
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
AHS-M=American Housing Survey=M etro
RECYCLE_LIM IT
AHS-N=American Housing Survey=Ntl
OLD_SERVER_JOB
CED=Consumer Expenditure=Diary
SERVER_JOB
CEQ=Consumer Expenditure=Quarterly
SCHEDULED_JOB
NCVS=Current Population Survey
STUDIES
NHIS=National Health Interview Survey
SURVEY
NCVS=National Crime & Victimization Survey
USER_JOB_STATUS
RENT=Rent & Property Tax Survey
SIPP=Survey of Income & Program
Participation
SCHIP=State Children’s Health Insurance
Program
TPOPS=Telephone Point of Purchase Survey
Survey code
N/A=Not in tables separately,
but usually the 1 st two digits of
control numbers.
CAUS=Community Address Updating System
See survey names in above section.
01=NCVS
05=CEQ
09=TPOPS
02=NCVS
06=AHS-N
10=RENT
03=SIPP
07=AHS-M
11=SCHIP
04=CE
08=NHIS
99=CAUS
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Survey_data_loaded
Survey_id
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
CMFILE_IN
Indicates the interview period is loaded:
Last 4 characters of Study name.
CMFILE_OUT
FS01=January
Table_column
SUPV_REVIEW
SEQUENCE_NO
Team_leader_code
FR_SURVEY
FS02=February
FS03=March
Names of tables for which sequence numbers are
stored: Mail_messages, User_job_status.
Team Leader (SFR) 3-digit code used to generate
team reports (same as FR code for SFRs).
REPORT_FILE_OUT
Temporary_limit
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
???????
Tie_flag
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
Time_completed
OLD_SERVER_JOB
The limit on the number of cases the RO can put
into CATI as temporary cases. (See Update CATI
Limits Screen.)
Indicates identical segments came into sample the
same month.
Date and time a job is completed on the server.
For example: 04/04/2003 12:15:20
SERVER_JOB
Time_requested
USER_JOB_STATUS
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Date and time a job is requested on the server. For
example: 04/04/2003 12:15:00
SERVER_JOB
Time_started
USER_JOB_STATUS
OLD_SERVER_JOB
Date and time a job is started on the server. For
example: 04/04/2003 12:15:17
SERVER_JOB
Tnotes1-15
USER_JOB_STATUS
CMFILE_IN
Up to 15 lines of the CATI notes for a case. CATI
notes, that CATI interviewers key at the end of the
interview, are stored in Notes1-15 of the ROSCO
CATI Notes table. These notes are renamed to
keep them separate from CAPI notes as they
transfer between ROSCO and the FR laptops or
Telephone Centers.
A group of blocks for census data collection.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Tract
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**
W ORKLOAD
Trans_date
FR_SURVEY
Trans_goal1-5
FR_INTVPERIOD
LM02=February M IS-9
**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a tract to a single FR.
The date of the FR’s last transmission. How is this
different from Last_trans_date in the
FR_Intvperiod table????
Up to 5 transmission goals set in ROSCO=Close
Out / Cleanup > Enter Transmittal Goals).
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
Trans_status
CMFILE_IN
July 2007
DESCRIPTION
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
Transfer_flag
RELOAD
Indicates if a case is transferred to another RO:
0=Not Transferred, 1=Transferred.
Transition
_assignment
Used by surveys that transfer cases.
Identifies a case that is to be interviewed for
training purposes only: 0=No, 1=Yes.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
SEGMENT
Type_z_base
SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN
The base rate used to compute a type Z rate for the
survey.
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Typea_fr
W ORKLOAD
ASSIGNM ENT_PARM S
Unit_designation
CPCAPCS_TEM P
ADDRESS_HISTORY
FR assigned Type A cases in parameter, if
different from the regular FR.
The type of unit, such as an apartment, trailer, and
the number or character designation that uniquely
identifies it.
ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
Group Quarters (GQ) units are room #s, bed #s,
resident’s name, or some other designation.
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Unit_in_structure
SUPV_REVIEW
PAL_INFO
Urban_rural
CMFILE_IN
Sequence number of a unit in a multi-unit
structure.
Land code used by instrument to select certain
questions:
CMFILE_OUT
1-Urban, 2-Rural.
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
July 2007
DESCRIPTION
SEGMENT
Userid
Version
SUPV_REVIEW
SYSTEM _IN_LIST
CAPI_NOTES
The version of CAPI notes.
RESTING_NOTES
W hy_not_cati
I’m getting numbers from 0=8 in one RO table.
How does the version number get changed????
The reason the FR answered No to CATI OK.
W ORKLOAD
0=CATI Ok
1=No telephone/telephone no.
2= Hard of hearing
3= Language problem (not Spanish)
4= Requested personal visit
W ithin_psu_stratum
SEGMENT
5= Other-specified in notes
A code used to identify a within-PSU stratum. A
stratum is made up of units (unit frame) or
combined blocks (area frame) with similar
characteristics. Not used by NCVS.
SUPV_REVIEW
RESTING_INFO
Case identifier in the W orkload table.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
W orkload_id
RI_W ORKLOAD
Xmit_status
Year_built
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY
Indicates the transmission status of a case:
CMFILE_OUT
Blank=Not ready to transmit
RI_W ORKLOAD
R=Ready to Transmit
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
SUPV_REVIEW
T=Transmitted
Indicates if unit was built before or after April 1,
2000 (Census Day). Collected in permit issuing
areas to avoid a housing unit have more than 1
chance of being selected for sample.
W ORKLOAD
A=unit built After 04/01/2000
CMFILE_OUT
.
B=unit built Before 04/01/2000
Permit issuing blocks in Area
frames only
N=Not required for non-structures (boats, mobile
homes, etc. and structures where more than 50% of
the space is for commercial use).
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FIELD NAME
TABLE NAME(S)
DESCRIPTION
Zip, Zip4
ADDRESS_HISTORY
ZIP=A code assigned to each postal delivery area
in the US to expedite the sorting and delivery of
mail.
ADDRESS_INFO
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**
CMFILE_IN
ZIP+4=The last 4 digits of a 9-digit ZIP.
Generally identifies one side of the street segment
or an entire or similar dead end street.
CMFILE_OUT
FR
PLACE_ZIP
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN,
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a ZIP to a single FR.
ZIP=Zone Improvement Plan
SUPV_REVIEW
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ACTION CODE TABLE
Code
00
Description
Case/listing not started
Code
10
Description
Comp.Interview/listing; to sponsor
01
Case opened; insuff data; stays on laptop
21
Type A; to sup rev
02
Sufficient partial; followup; stays on laptop
31
Type B; to sup rev
04
Sufficient partial; no followup; to sponsor
41
Type C; to sup rev
CODE DESCRIPTIONS
It is helpful to have descriptions of the codes used in a field. You can display code descriptions
for many ROSCO fields by creating a query of the field using the * as a wild card (see below).
Select * from case_activity_code
Code Display
Effdate
01
Reassigned from W orkload
01/01/1960
02
Reassigned from Supervisory Review
01/01/1960
03
Checked-in from FR different than assigned FR
01/01/1960
04
Accepted duplicate
01/01/1960
05
Accepted from FR different than assigned FR
01/01/1960
06
Eliminated from Supervisory Review
01/01/1960
07
Resolved with prior version
01/01/1960
08
Reassigned Mover
01/01/1960
09
Type A - Charged to different FR
01/01/1960
10
Deleted From Supervisory Review
01/01/1960
11
Remote Reassignment
01/01/1960
Expdate
Category
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REINTERVIEW DISPOSITION, OUTCOME and ACTION CODES
SF=Suspected Falsification
NSF=Not Suspected Falsification
SF
NSF
Outcome
n/a
n/a
200
n/a
n/a
All cases expect 200, 201, and 202 go to RI SupvReview
Description
SF
NSF
Outcome
Description
Unopened, Completed and Opened (only) Cases=Action Code 00 and 10
New case, not started (00).
n/a
n/a
202
Accessed case, no interview
or insufficient partial (00).
201
Original interview/ nonint.
verified as correct (10).
Type A Noninterviews=All Action Code 21
105
003
214
067
013
214
068
069
086
014
015
033
216
217
218
Unable to compl., bad phone
#
Unable to locate
No one home (NOH)
087
034
213
Language problem
n/a
035
218
Respondent can’t remember
089
036
215
Insufficient partial
090
037
219
Other Type A
Temporarily absent (TA)
Refused (Ref)
Type B Noninterviews=All Action Code 31
071
017
226
Vacant, regular or seasonal
077
023
228
Unfit, to be demolished
073
019
227
091
038
224
074
020
230
Vacant, storage of HH
furniture
092
039
225
Entire HH under/over age
limit
094
041
233
075
021
231
076
022
234
Convt to temp.
business/storage
Temp. occup. by URE
persons
Other Type B
Unoccupied tent/trailer site
HH institutionalized/temp
inelig
Type C Noninterviews=All Action Code 41
078
024
240
Demolished
n/a
029
249
Sample adjustment
079
025
241
House or trailer moved
083
030
250
Deceased
080
026
243
084
031
251
M oved out of country
081
027
245
Convt to perm.
business/storage
095
042
248
Other Type C
Condemned
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REINTERVIEW DISPOSITION, OUTCOME and ACTION CODES
SF=Suspected Falsification
NSF=Not Suspected Falsification
SF
NSF
Outcome
All cases expect 200, 201, and 202 go to RI SupvReview
Description
SF
NSF
Outcome
Description
Type D Noninterviews=All Action Code 51
085
032
360
HH replaced by new HH since original interview
Misclassified Cases=All Action Code 11
Originally Should have been
Originally Should have been
096
043
301
B
Interview or A
101
048
301
C
B
097
044
301
C
Interview or A
102
049
301
C
D
099
046
301
B
C
103
058
301
100
047
301
B
D
Other misclassification,
specify in notes
064
007
301
Use of ineligible proxy in
original when proxy is
allowed
065
008
301
066
012
301
Other discrepancy, no
suspected falsification
055
312
RDT-Needs PV/not
authorized
Discrepancy Cases=All Action Code 11
061
009
301
Incorrect household roster
062
005
301
Not all questions asked in
original interview
063
006
301
Use of proxy in original when
self-response is required.
W rong unit/person visited in
original interview
RO / HQ Discretion Cases=All Action Code 21
n/a
052
311
RDP-Hard to interview
original case
n/a
n/a
056
312
RDT-M ore than 50 miles
HDT-Unresolved laptop or
from nearest FR or no phone
ROSCO problem
n/a
057
312
n/a
054 312
RDT-Original intv. observed
RDT-Other RO discretion
but not flagged by SFR
RDP=RO Discretion Permanent; RDT=RO Discretion Temporary; HDT=HQ Discretion Temporary
n/a
053
312
Unique Codes for NCVS RE Cases=All Action Code 11
n/a
018
301
Other misclassification,
specify in notes
060
n/a
301
Suspected falsification of a
completed original interview
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SCHEDULED JOB TABLE
*Times listed are Eastern Standard Time
Job Name
Checkin
Time Scheduled*
5:30 and 10:00 am, and 2:00 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
6:30 and 11:00 am, and 3:00 pm
CG, KC, DA,
Description
Checks in work from the IN directory to
W orkload or Supervisory Review.
RO: Check In Status > Run Check In.
7:30 and 12:00 am, and 4:00 pm DN
Copyin
8:30 am, 1:00 and 5:00 pm SE, LA
All ROs
AM 5:20, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Deliver_to_mcs
PM 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
6:30 and 9:00 am BO, NY, PL, DT,
CL, AT
Copies files on the View In screen from the
bottom to the top window. Also runs when
anyone launches a Check In.
Delivers completed work from ROSCO to
MCS (Master Control).
7:30 and 9:00 am CG, KC, DA,
Frassign
9:00 am DN, SE, LA
6:30 and 10:30 am, and 2:30 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
7:30 and 11:30 am, and 3:30 pm
CG, KC, DA,
RO: Cannot run this job.
RO: Transmissions and Utilities > M ake
Transmissions. A Transmit button is also on
the View/Reassign, Supv Review and
Resolve Missing Cases screens.
8:30 and 12:30 am, and 4:30 pm DN
9:30 am, 1:30 and 5:30 pm SE, LA
Laprpts
Puts assigned cases marked “Ready
to Transmit” into the OUT directory.
6:20 and 10:20 am, and 2:20 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
7:20 and 11:20 am, and 3:20 pm CG,
KC, DA
8:20 am, 12:20 and 4:20 pm DN
Mcs_receiver
9:20 am, 1:20 and 5:20 pm SEA, LA
7:45 am, 12:00noon All ROs
1:30 pm, 6:00 pm
All ROs
Creates and transmits the Team Assignment
List and Team Status Report twice daily.
RO: To create an up-to-the-minute TAL and
TSR for all Team Leaders, check the Team
Leader Reports box on the ROSCO
Transmission screen before transmitting.
MCS distributes regular and reinterview files
to ROSCO using scif_loads and
ri_scif_loads.
RO: Cannot run this job.
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Ri_checkin
6:00 and 10:00 am, and 3:00 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
7:00 and 11:00 am, and 4:00 pm
CG, KC, DA
July 2007
Checks in work from the RI IN directory to
RI Wkld or RI Supv Rev.
RO: Reinterview > Run RI Check In.
8:00 and 12:00 am, and 5:00 pm DN,
Ri_frassign
9:00 and 1:00 am, and 6:00 pm SE,
LA
9:00 am and 4:00 pm BO, NY, PL,
DT, CL, AT
10:00 am and 5:00 pm CG, KC, DA
11:00 and 6:00 pm DN
RO: Transmissions and Utilities > M ake
Transmissions (check the RI box). A
Transmit button is also on the RI View/
Reassign & RI Supv Review screens.
12:00 and 7:00 pm SEA, LA
Xcell_fr_file
Puts assigned cases marked “Ready
to Transmit” into the RI OUT
directory.
Every hour on the hour between
5:00 am and 11:00 pm.
CB User
Copies additions and deletions from the FR
and FR_Survey tables to FTP.
Copies the latest FTP (config.p) file to
PROCESS (config.p) file. W hen this occurs,
added FRs gain access and deleted FRs lose
access to the server.
11:15 am, 3:15 pm, 7:15 pm
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NCVS Outcome Code/Action Codes as displayed in Laptop Case Management:
Description
NCVS CAPI
Outcome Codes
CAPI Action
Codes
New Case - Not yet started/Checked-In
200
00
Completed Interview
201
10
Sufficient partial - no more follow-up needed
203
03
Sufficient partial - follow-up needed
204
02
Type A - Duplicate
211
21
Type A - Language Problems
213
21
Type A - No One Home
216
21
Type A - Temporarily Absent
217
21
Type A - Refused
218
21
Type A - Other occupied
219
21
Type B - Vacant - regular
226
31
Type B - Vacant - storage of HH furniture
227
31
Type B - Temporarily occupied by persons with usual
residence elsewhere (URE)
225
31
Type B - Unfit or to be demolished
228
31
Type B - Under construction, not ready
229
31
Type B - Converted to temporary business or storage
230
31
(no Type Z’s)
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Type B - Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or
tent
231
31
Type B - Permit granted, construction not started
232
31
Type B - Other
233
31
Type C - Demolished
240
41
Type C - House or trailer moved
241
41
Type C - Outside segment
242
41
Type C - Converted to permanent business or storage
243
41
Type C - Merged
244
41
Type C - Condemned
245
41
Type C - Built after April 1, 2000
246
41
Type C - Unused line of listing sheet
247
41
Type C - Other
248
41
Type C - Removed in subsampling
256
41
Type C - Unit already had a chance of selection
257
41
Type C - Case spawned in error
290
41
Deleted - reassigned to another FR
580
76
Bad case - missing data
581
75
Bad case - missing instrument
582
75
Salvaged case
583
77
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JOB NAME DESCRIPTION
Change FR Code
Checkin
Copyin and Copyin_sh
Create_mail
Create_reinterview_files
Create_RI_closeout_files
Deliver_cls
Deliver_to_mcs
FRassign
Completed cases (201) and most Type Bs are checked in
and outcome code displays in ROSCO. Other cases go to
Supervisory Review:
•
Noninterviews - Type As (216-219) , & Type B,
Others (233) Accept to check in. Other possible
actions - Reassign or Eliminate.
•
Duplicates - Accept to check in. Eliminate to delete.
•
Failed Cases - ROSCO sends a file to the laptop that
causes the case to retransmit. If the case fails check
in again, it will display in Supv Review (Failed
Cases) twice, and so forth. Notify TAC if
retransmitted cases fail to check in.
•
Extra Units - Cases added by FRs at Time of
Interview. Accept to check in. Eliminate to delete.
•
Partials - Sufficient partial cases (203s and 205s) are
missing person or supplement data. Accept to check
in. Other possible action - Reassign or Eliminate.
Copies FR files from the CAPI Server (In Directory) to
ROCSO - moves files from the bottom to the top of the
ROSCO View In screen. Runs at the top of the hour or
anytime a ROSCO Checkin is requested.
Creates ROSCO mail files for FRs.
Process that creates the monthly reinterview .pin files once
regular assignments are released.
Creates the CloseOut file for reinterview.
Delivers the monthly CloseOut file to Master Control.
Delivers files of checked in cases to Master Control.
A regular ROSCO transmission that takes cases with a Xmit
Status of “Ready to Transmit” (released or reassigned cases)
and puts them on the telecom server. Once on the server,
the Xmit Status of these cases changes to “Transmitted”.
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JOB NAME DESCRIPTION
FRphone
Laprpts
MCS_acknowledge
MCS_receiver
Populate_FR_perf_data
Process_cls
Process_rea_files
RI_checkin
RI_Frassign
RI_scif_load
Scif_load
TAList
Xcell_fr_file
Creates a team phone list for Team Leaders.
Creates the Team Status Report and Team Assignment List
and puts them on the telecom server daily.
Creates files sent to FRs acknowledging receipt of checked
in work. Once received, the laptop displays a “R” for the
received case.
Processes files between Master Control and ROSCO - scif,
ri_scif and other files.
Saves FR history data
The closeout process that runs after you “Hit the Hand” icon
during regular closeout.
Processes remote reassignment requests once an hour and
puts reassigned cases out on the server at the top of the
hour.
Checks in reinterview cases
A reinterview ROSCO transmission
Loads the reinterview input files after 1:30pm daily (DC
time) from the 1st Monday of CPS week through the day
after regular CloseOut.
Loads the regular CPS montly workloads on the Friday after
the previous month’s closeout.
Job that creates the Team Assignment List (TAL) for Team
Leaders
Copies additions to and deletions from the FR_Survey
tables at the top of every hour.
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Chapter 5. Training and Observations
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
NCVS Training and Observations
5-2
2.
Adding New Staff to the Database
5-3
3.
Training NCVS Staff
5-5
4.
Purpose and Types of
Observations
5-7
5.
Observer’s Instructions
5-9
6.
Advance Briefing
5-11
7.
Selecting FRs for Observation
5-13
8.
Selecting Observers
5-17
9.
Timing of Special Needs
Observation
5-18
10.
Length of Observation
5-19
11.
FR Notification
5-21
12.
Feedback to the FR
5-22
Appendix 5A -
Notification of
Observation
5-23
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Topic 1 Overview
June 2006
NCVS Training and Observations
The NCVS training program encompasses a
variety of methods. New FRs receive training on
generic survey concepts and procedures, as well as
survey-specific topics via self-studies and
classroom training.
The NCVS observation program provides a
uniform method for assessing the FR’s attitude
toward the job and evaluating his/her capability to
apply NCVS concepts and procedures during
actual work situations. The observation provides
the opportunity to teach the FR interviewing skills
in an on-the-job environment, concepts not
covered during self-study and classroom training,
and practical hands-on success tips that the
observer personally uses. Observation also reveals
information about respondents in a particular area
and the geographic conditions where the FR
works.
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Topic 2 -
June 2006
Adding New Staff to the Database
Overview
Information on FRs working on NCVS in your RO
is necessary for making assignments in ROSCO.
FR data need to be entered and updated on an
ongoing basis. The information keyed into the FR
Operations screens is stored in the FR_Survey and
FR tables.
Edit FR Data
Select the Edit FR Data activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. In
this activity you can add or delete an FR or change
FR codes. This activity manages the information
on all FRs employed at the RO.
Edit FR’s Survey Data
Select the Edit FR’s Survey Data activity from
the Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu.
This activity allows you to add or delete FRs and
edit certain information about the FR at the
survey-level (i.e., for NCVS only). The FR must
be added in this activity before any NCVS cases
can be assigned to him/her.
Edit Team Leaders
Select the Edit Team Leaders activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. This
activity enables you to insert new Assigned Team
Leaders, delete Assigned Team Leaders, and edit
current team leaders and provide substitutes for
the Assigned Team Leaders.
Print FR Labels
Select the Print FR Labels activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. In
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this activity you can select the information you
would like to appear on the FR labels, such as:
9
9
9
FR Code
Address Type (parcel/mailing)
Phone
You can also choose the type and size of label to
produce.
Print FR Roster
Select the Print FR Roster activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. In
this activity you can choose to print any and all
information about all FRs assigned to a specific
survey. This information includes information
such as:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
FR Code
Team Leader
PSU
Other Surveys Worked
FR Name
Parcel Address
Street Address
Phone
EOD
Second Phone
RO Use
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Topic 3 Supervisors
June 2006
Training NCVS Staff
The NCVS Supervisor must be proficient in the
survey subject-matter as well as all CAPI aspects
of the survey. In addition, the NCVS Supervisor
must complete the entire initial FR training,
including self-study assignments and classroom
training, prior to administering the training to
others. Further, he or she must also review all
office operations and procedures.
The NCVS Supervisor also must be
knowledgeable about:
9
9
9
9
Clerks
Office operations as outlined in this manual
Laptop and Modem Troubleshooting
The BC-20, Training the Trainer
The 11-55RO, Administrative Handbook for
Regional Office Schedule A Employees
The NCVS clerk has a wide variety of duties on
NCVS, including:
9
9
9
9
9
preparing correspondence
operating ROSCO
preparing assignments
reinterview
monitoring the flow of completed work into
HQ
The clerk must also be able to provide survey
concept support to Field Representatives (FRs) in
the field, using the FR manual as a guide.
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Additionally, the clerk must be able to provide
technical support to FRs and be familiar with the
Remedy software package to send technical
problem referrals to HQ.
The clerk must complete all initial NCVS selfstudy materials and attend the classroom training
session. In addition, the clerk must be trained on
laptop and modem troubleshooting.
The program supervisor must orient new clerks to
the Regional Office’s organization and procedures
and provide computer-based training in such areas
as: electronic mail applications, spreadsheet, and
word processing applications.
Field Representatives
Field Representatives complete classroom training
and/or self-studies in a manner that is determined
by their experience.
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Topic 4 -
June 2006
Purpose and Types of Observations
Purpose of Observations
The main objective of an observation is to help the
FR perform his/her primary activity –
interviewing. Observations provide important
feedback to the FR on his/her strengths and
weaknesses in various interview or noninterview
situations.
The NCVS observation not only provides a
uniform method for evaluating the FR’s ability to
apply the NCVS concepts and procedures during
actual work situations, but also provides an
excellent means for assessing the new FR’s
attitude toward the job. In addition, the observer
can provide the FR training in weak or problem
areas.
Initial Observations
(N–1, and N–2)
Initial observations are an extension of the
classroom training and provide on-the-job training
for FRs new to NCVS. Even experienced FRs
need to be observed when they work on NCVS for
the first time.
The timing for each of these observations is:
Special Needs (SN)
Observation
9
N–1 During 1st Interviewing Assignment
9
N–2, During 2nd Interviewing Assignment
The Special Needs Observation is conducted when
an FR’s performance indicates a possible need for
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additional training on any phase of the job (for
example, refusal conversion techniques, problems
meeting deadlines, care of the laptop equipment,
listing procedures, telephone interviewing). The
results of the previous observation may dictate that
the FR must be observed during his/her next
assignment by the NCVS supervisor or program
coordinator.
General Performance
Review (GPR)
Observation
The purpose of the General Performance Review
(GPR) or “systematic” observation is to reinforce
good interviewing practices and to correct any
incorrect procedures the FR may have developed
over time.
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Topic 5 -
June 2006
Observer’s Instructions
11-62, OJT and
Observation Self-Study
Form 11-62, On-the-Job Training and Observation
Self-Study, provides general instructions for
conducting Initial and Special Needs
Observations. Review this guide prior to
conducting the observation.
11-62A, OJT and
Observation Report
In addition to the 11-62 Form 11-62A, On-the-Job
Training and Observation Report, is used for the
observer to evaluate and comment on the
performance of the (S)FR being observed. (See
Topic 6, Advance Briefing, for details.)
NCVS 524, NCVS
Induction Guide
The NCVS 524, NCVS Induction Guide, provides
useful information on Initial, Special Needs, and
GPR Observations. (An updated CAPI version is
currently being developed.)
Reporting Observed
Cases in GUI Case
Management
In order to flag observed cases to make them
ineligible for reinterview, the observer must
perform the following steps in Case Management
on the FR’s laptop before the FR transmits the
observed cases:
9
Click on the F8-View icon.
9
Select All.
9
Highlight the observed case(s).
9
Click on the Actions menu, and select
‘Mark as Observed.’
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Enter the SFR password (i.e., the same password
the SFR uses to access the SFR Functions
application).
Note: An error message is displayed if the cases
have already been transmitted, and you will not be
able to mark the case(s) as observed to prevent
them from falling into the reinterview sample.
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Topic 6 -
June 2006
Advance Briefing
General
For Initial and Special Needs Observations, the
NCVS Supervisor should brief the observer on any
apparent problems, particularly if the supervisor
noticed during training that the FR was having
difficulty using the laptop or performing
transmissions. For Special Needs (SN)
Observations, the supervisor should note the
problem(s) which warranted a SN observation.
Observer briefings may be in writing, by
telephone, through email messages, or in person.
Materials Provided for
Observations
Provide the observer with the following materials:
9
11-62, On-the-Job Training and Observation
Self-Study;
9
11-62A, On-the-Job Training and
Observation Report;
9
Copy of the FR’s current CAPI-35, FR
Assignment List (so observer can prepare
for the observation and make notes about
observed cases) (optional);
9
FR Notification of Observation (copy of
mail message to FR);
9
Summary of FR Performance Reports,
CARMN Reports, etc.;
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Preparation of Form
11-62A, On-the-Job
Training and
Observation Report
June 2006
9
Previous Observation Reports
(Form 11-62A);
9
Specific instructions from the NCVS
Supervisor (optional);
9
Notes/Reports from the administrative or
payroll section about administrative or
payroll problems (optional); and
Prepare an On-the-Job Training and Observation
Report for each scheduled observation.
Fill items 1-10 and 12 on page 1 of Form 11-62A.
Note in item 10 any reference notes for special
attention. The observer will complete the Date
and Time Observed in item 11. For item 12, if the
FR has not worked three months, note any
applicable performance information available.
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Topic 7 -
June 2006
Selecting FRs for Observation
General
Each month, the NCVS Supervisor must review
the performance of the FR staff and the initial
training requirements to select FRs and SFRs for
observation.
Initial Observations
All FRs new to NCVS are required to be observed
during the first day(s) of their assignment. This is
an Initial Observation. Priority should be given to
scheduling new FRs for their N–1, and N–2 initial
observations.
N–1, Initial
Observation
Schedule a one or two day N–1 observation during
the FR’s NCVS assignment. It is up to the RO’s
discretion as to whether the N–1 observation lasts
one or two days. Refer to the NCVS 524, NCVS
Induction Guide, for specific instructions on how
to conduct the N –1 observation. An updated
CAPI version is being developed.
N–2, Initial
Observation
Schedule a 1½ day N–2 observation during the
FR’s second NCVS assignment. The ½ day is
specifically set aside for training on listing
procedures. If the FR is experienced, the NCVS
supervisor may decide to omit the ½ day listing
procedures portion of the N–2 observation. Refer
to the NCVS 524, NCVS Induction Guide, for
specific instructions on how to conduct the N–2
observation. An updated CAPI version is being
developed.
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General Performance
Review (GPR)
Observations
The frequency in which an (S)FR is observed and
the content of the observation depends on the
number of surveys the (S)FR works.
Single Survey
(S)FRs
An (S)FR who works only one current survey
should be observed once every other year. This
observation should consist of observing the (S)FR
conduct interviews and give feedback on his/her
performance.
Multi-Survey
(S)FRs
An (S)FR who works multiple current surveys
should be observed once every year. This
observation should consist of observing the (S)FR
conduct interviews on one specific survey and
giving feedback on his/her program performance
on that specific survey. In addition, the
observation should consist of a review of the
(S)FR’s program performance on the other surveys
worked based on feedback from the supervisory
staff of the other surveys.
For example, if an (S)FR works on CPS and the
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS),
he/she should be observed on NCVS the first year
and then CPS the next year (or vice versa). In the
first year, the observer observes the (S)FR conduct
NCVS interviews and gives feedback on the
(S)FR’s performance on NCVS. During that same
observation, the observer discusses the (S)FR’s
program performance on CPS based on feedback
from the CPS supervisor staff.
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Additional
Guidelines
June 2006
As much as possible, RO management must ensure
that observations are equally distributed by survey
so that no one survey is charged the costs of all the
staff observed in one year. Use your RO-specific
planning goals for managing the GPR Observation
program.
New NCVS FRs should receive their GPR
observation 3-5 months after their initial
observation. After allowing for initial
observations, the selection of the remaining FRs
should be based primarily on need. Other factors
to consider are the length of time since the last
observation and clustering observations for the
most efficient use of time and travel.
Special Needs (SN)
Observations
Consider scheduling a special needs observation
for any FR who has:
9
A low response rate;
9
Hours per case or miles per case which
exceed the production rate standards for the
RO;
9
Repeated problems locating addresses;
9
A need for help or training on any aspect of
the job;
9
Received a “Does Not Meet” rating on the
last observation; or
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9
June 2006
Requested help on any part of his/her
assignment.
Note: An FR who was rated a “Does Not Meet”
on his/her last progress review or evaluation must
be observed or retrained during his/her next
assignment.
Special Needs(SN)
Observation Fulfills
GPR Requirements
Schedule FRs and
SFRs for GPR
Observation Once
Each Fiscal Year
The SN observation fulfills the GPR requirement
for the fiscal year. Although it is not required, it is
suggested that FRs who received an SN or N –2
observation be scheduled for their next GPR
observation within six months of the next fiscal
year.
Excluding N–1 and N–2 observations, FRs must
be observed (GPR) at least once each fiscal
year. For FRs used occasionally, the survey
supervisor should determine the type of
observation necessary based on the FRs previous
NCVS experience and performance.
Schedule SFRs for observation once each fiscal
year, if possible. However, at an absolute
minimum, each SFR must be observed at least
once every two fiscal years. If at all possible,
schedule these observations during months when
the SFR has a full (or substitute) assignment.
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Topic 8 -
June 2006
Selecting Observers
General Qualifications
The observer must be a member of the RO
management or supervisory staff, or an NCVS
SFR or Team Leader, or the NCVS lead clerk.
The observer must be qualified to train the FR on
the aspect(s) of the job that necessitated the
observation. The observer must complete the
NCVS home-study before conducting any
observations.
Previous Observation
Results
Attempt to counter any of the FR’s weak areas
with the proven abilities of the observer. The
NCVS Supervisor should analyze any previous
observation reports, noting any changes in the
performance of the observed FR, before making
the final selection of the observer. An effective
and well-documented observation report will
hopefully result in improved post observation FR
performance.
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Topic 9 -
June 2006
Timing of Special Needs Observation
Arranging the
Observation
When arranging the date and time for a Special
Needs Observation, remember that timing is
dependent on the reason for the observation.
Low Production
Schedule the observation at the beginning of the
NCVS interview period so the observer can help
the FR plan an efficient itinerary and determine
whether he/she is keeping an accurate record of
his/her time on the laptop. In addition, stress to
the FR the importance of transmitting payroll data
daily.
Low Response Rate
Schedule the observation at the beginning of the
NCVS interview period so the observer can advise
and help with noninterviews and show the FR how
to reduce Type A’s. Instruct the FR to keep Type
A’s for the observer’s review.
Other Reasons
Schedule the observation at an appropriate time so
the observer can take the most effective preventive
or remedial action. For example, if the FR has
frequent problems with not being able to locate an
address or a map spot on the Automated Listing
and Mapping Instrument (ALMI) Time of
Interview (TOI), the observer should provide
examples of similar situations and suggestions to
help the FR locate the address (such as call the RO
to research or help search publicly available
databases).
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Topic 10 -
June 2006
Length of Observation
General
The main objective of the observation is to help
the FR improve his/her interviewing skills.
Each month, the NCVS Supervisor must review
the performance of the FR staff and the initial
training requirements to select FRs and SFRs for
observation.
Number of Observed
Interviews
There is no specific minimum number of
interviews to be observed for each type of
observation. It is the responsibility of the NCVS
Supervisor to ensure that the number of observed
interviews adequately provides enough varying
situations to accurately rate the FR’s performance
during the observation. Each observation day
should cover six hours or more.
Length of N–1 Initial
Observations
The observer needs to spend two days with the FR
depending on his/her needs and experience. For
new FRs and non-CAPI experienced FRs new to
NCVS, two days of observation is recommended.
A one-day observation is recommended for all
CAPI-experienced FRs new to NCVS, unless the
supervisor feels a second day is necessary. A
minimum of six hours of working time constitutes
a day of observation.
When it is not possible to observe for a minimum
of six hours per day due to situations beyond their
control, the observer should include an
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explanation in the observation report to justify the
situation.
Length of N–2 Initial
Observation
However, most N–2 observations will be 1 to 1½
day observations. Schedule the N–2 observation
for two days if the N–1 observation showed
significant problems. If the FR was trained on
“listing” for other surveys, the N–2 observation
can be one day. If it is not possible to observe for
a minimum of six hours, the observer should
include an explanation in the observation report to
justify the situation.
General Performance
Review and Special
Needs Observations
The observer should spend six hours or more with
the FR in most cases. When this is not possible,
the observer should include an explanation on the
observation report to justify the situation.
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Topic 11 -
June 2006
FR Notification
Notify by Electronic
Mail
Notify both the observer and the FR of the
observation via sending a mail message in
ROSCO. Keep a copy of the mail message for
your own use in the RO.
Notify by Memorandum
Alternatively, you have the option of notifying
FRs by means of a more formal memorandum.
Review the text of the memorandum in
Appendix 5A, Notification of Observation, for
compliance to Regional Office policy. If
necessary, change the memorandum text.
Observer Contacts FR
The observer is responsible for contacting the FR
to make arrangements for the observation.
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Topic 12 -
June 2006
Feedback to the FR
Provide Timely
Feedback to the FR
After evaluating the observation results, provide
the FR with timely feedback. Follow the steps
below:
9
Send a copy of the FR’s Summary of
Performance (for the month following the
observation) to the FR.
9
Discuss the observation and subsequent
Summary of Performance with the observer.
Review the FRs strengths and weaknesses.
9
Then discuss the observation and
subsequent Summary of Performance with
the FR. Include strengths and weaknesses,
as well as praise and encouragement, as
appropriate.
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Appendix 5A, Notification of Observation
NOTIFICATION OF OBSERVATION
Date
MEMORANDUM FOR
Field Representatives and Observers Listed Below
From:
Regional Director’s Name
Regional Director
Subject:
NCVS Observation Schedule for Month Year
This memorandum is to inform you of the NCVS observations planned for Month Year. We
conduct observations in an effort to provide ongoing training for all Field Representatives (FRs),
evaluate survey procedures and policies, and evaluate staff. This is an additional method for
supervisors to keep in touch with the staff and share information about the survey, interviewing
procedures, and items of particular interest to the FR.
Listed below are the FRs and observers scheduled for NCVS. The observers should contact
the FR well in advance for specific arrangements. Final arrangements are to be made by
the observer. FRs must be prepared to work a minimum of six hours with their observer.
Each FR should have his/her laptop computer, NCVS FR Manual, up-to-date payroll entries on
the laptop, and assignment materials available for review by the observer. FRs should be
prepared to conduct interviews, conduct a backup and data transmission. The preferred site for
the data transmission is the FR’s home.
If you have any questions regarding this observation schedule or your observer has not contacted
you two working days prior to the scheduled observation, please call the NCVS supervisor,
(name), at (telephone number).
Type
Date
PSU
Field Representative
MM/DD/YYYY
PSU
FR Name
Observer
Observer Name
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June 2006
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Monitoring Progress
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August 2007
Chapter 6. Assignment Activities
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
Field Representative Operations
6-2
2.
Sample Control Operations
6-16
3.
Using Assignment Parameters
6-39
4.
Adjusting Assignments
6-45
5.
Releasing Assignments
6-49
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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Topic 1 -
August 2007
Field Representative Operations
Overview
As FRs, SFRs, Team Leaders, Clerks, or
Supervisors are added to your RO’s NCVS staff,
their basic information will need to be added to the
ROSCO database. This involves adding their
information to the database as a whole (using the
Edit FR Data activity), activating them for NCVS
in ROSCO (using the Edit FR’s Survey Data
activity), and when necessary, designating them as
a Team Leader (using the Edit FR Survey screen).
Edit FR Data
Using the Edit FR Data activity sets up a basic
profile for the new staff member in the ROSCO
database. This step must be completed before you
can designate them as a member of your NCVS
staff. To create a new profile:
1.
Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit FR Data.
2.
Check the list of FRs in the FR Primary
Data section at the top of the Edit FR Data
screen. If the staff member you wish to add
is already listed on the Edit FR Data screen
(i.e., they already work on another survey
for which a profile was created in ROSCO),
you do not need to proceed any further on
this screen. You may go directly to the Edit
FR Survey screen to activate the individual
on NCVS.
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Edit FR’s Survey Data
August 2007
3.
If the staff member you wish to add is not
already listed on the Edit FR Data screen,
click on the Insert FR button.
4.
You should now see a blank line at the top
of the list of FRs. Enter the information for
your new employee in all of the fields on
this line and in the FR Secondary Data
section at the bottom of the screen. Make
sure that the spelling of the FR’s name
matches the spelling EXACTLY when
setting up the profile for the FR. You can
designate the employee type as an FR, SFR
or Supervisor, Pseudo FR (Z99, for
example), or Clerk. See the Edit FR Data
screen on the next page.
5.
After you finish entering the information,
click the Save button on the toolbar.
Using the Edit FR’s Survey Data activity allows
you to activate an employee on NCVS who is
listed on the Edit FR Data screen. Only after
completing this operation will the FR be able to
transmit to pick up the latest NCVS software on
his/her laptop. To activate a new employee on
NCVS:
1.
Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit FR’s Survey
Data.
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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
2.
3.
4.
August 2007
Click on the Insert FR icon on the Edit FR
Survey Data screen.
Find the employee’s name on the FR List
dialog box, click on it to highlight it, and
then click on OK.
Add the information to the FR Survey
Dialog Window. Required entries include:
•
Entered On Program
•
Employee Type
•
Team Leader (if survey uses TLs)
•
RO Team (if survey uses RO teams)
Use the check boxes to activate the field
labels. When finished, click OK.
Note: Fill the Team Leader field to get this FR’s
data into the team leader reports.
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5.
Other Uses of the
Edit Survey Data
Screen
August 2007
Your new employee should now appear on
the FR Survey Data list. Click the Save
icon to finish activating this employee on
NCVS.
You may also perform the following tasks using
the Edit FR Survey Data screen:
Delete an FR From the Survey: Highlight the
FR you wish to remove from NCVS then click on
the Delete FRs icon on the toolbar. You are
instructed to make an entry in the “End Date for
Current Survey” field in the FR Survey End Date
Selection Dialog Box. Click the Save icon to save
your changes.
Undelete an FR From the Survey: If you went
through the steps to delete an FR but have not yet
saved your changes, you may use the Restore
icon on the toolbar to undelete the FR.
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August 2007
Mark an FR On Leave: If you would like to
designate an FR as being on leave during certain
dates in an interview period, you can do so using
the Leave Data icon on the toolbar. Use the Insert
icon on the FR Leave Window to create a new
entry, and enter the interview period that the FR
will be on leave and the dates on leave. You will
not be able to assign work to that FR during the
dates designated in the interview period.
Adding FR Codes in the
Telecom Registry
You can begin to assign work in ROSCO to new
FR codes as soon as they are added on the Edit
Survey Data screen. However, you cannot prepare
a laptop for the new FRs until they are in the
telecom registry.
The registration process occurs automatically, as
follows:
9
At the top of every daytime hour, a
temporary file is created from all FR survey
tables that include any changes made to the
tables – FR code adds and changes. This
table will NOT include deleted FR codes.
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Editing FR Survey Data
for Team Leaders (SFRs)
Edit Team Leaders
August 2007
9
Several times a day the CB User job copies
the latest temporary file into the telecom
registry. The registry contains data that
allows FRs and SFRs to transmit for MAIL,
WINFRED (payroll) and their surveys.
9
Once an FR code is in the telecom registry,
RO staff can prepare laptops for the new
FRs.
9
If a person is deleted from the NCVS Edit
Survey Data screen, they are taken off the
telecom registry for NCVS, and can no
longer make a transmission for NCVS work.
Team Leaders (SFRs) are added to FR Survey
Data the same as regular FRs with the following
exceptions:
9
SFRs usually get assigned a FR code that
begins with the letter A.
9
SFRs are assigned an Employee Type of
“Team Leader or SFR”.
9
Once in the telecom registry, SFRs will be
eligible for SFR Functions and reinterview
functions.
Using the Edit Team Leaders activity allows you
to designate staff members as NCVS Team
Leaders, delete Team Leaders from NCVS, and
designate temporary Team Leaders. You must
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August 2007
complete these steps to add a Team Leader before
you can assign FRs to his/her team in the Edit FR
Survey Data screen.
To designate someone as an NCVS Team Leader:
1.
Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations submenu, and Edit Team
Leaders.
2.
Click on the Insert icon.
3.
Select the appropriate individual from the
FR List dialog box, click on his/her name,
and click on OK. (Note: An individual is
only displayed on the FR List screen if they
are designated as a Team Leader or SFR on
the Edit FR Survey Data screen.)
4.
The new Team Leader’s name should now
appear on your Edit Team Leader screen.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
Note: You do not need to enter information under
the columns for “Current Team leader Code,”
“Effective Date,” and “Expiration Date.” These
columns are only required when you are
designating a temporary Team Leader, which is
described later in this topic.
Deleting a Team
Leader
Perform the following steps to remove a Team
Leader from ROSCO:
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Designating a Temporary
Team Leader
August 2007
1.
Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit Team
Leaders.
2.
Select the appropriate individual from the
list of Team Leaders and click on his/her
name.
3.
Click on the Delete icon.
4.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
5.
Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit FR’s Survey
Data.
6.
Select the appropriate individual from the
list and click on his/her name.
7.
If the Team Leader was converted to a
regular FR, change the entry in the
“Employee Type” field. If the Team Leader
no longer works on the survey, click on the
Delete FR icon.
8.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
To designate a Team Leader to temporarily cover
another Team Leader’s team:
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August 2007
1.
Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations submenu, and Edit Team
Leaders.
2.
Select from the list of Team Leaders the
individual whose team will be covered by
the temporary Team Leader and click on
his/her name.
3.
In the “Current Team Leader Code” column,
select the temporary Team Leader’s code
from the drop-down list.
4.
Click on the “Effective Date” field and enter
the date that the (temporary) Current Team
Leader’s assignment will take effect.
5.
Click on the “Expiration Date” field, and
enter the date that the (temporary) Current
Team Leader’s assignment will end.
6.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
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Print FR Labels
August 2007
To print FR labels, open the FR Labels screen by
going to the Operations menu, FR Operations submenu, and selecting the Print FR Labels activity.
At the “Option Selection List: Print FR Labels”
dialog box, select either Query or All.
Upon making this selection, the FR Labels pop-up
box is displayed where you specify the
information you would like to appear on the label.
The items from which you may select are:
9
FR Code,
9
Address Type (Parcel Address or Mailing
Address), and
9
Phone.
Once the information that you want on the label is
specified, the Label Format Selection pop-up is
displayed to allow you to select how you would
like the labels to be formatted (One label per FR
(default), or one page of labels per FR (you
specify a number of labels per page)).
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August 2007
Once you select the label format, the FR Labels
screen showing the labels to be printed is
displayed.
To give you a better idea of exactly how large the
labels will be, you can turn on horizontal and
vertical rulers. To view the ruler, click the Ruler
checkbox at the top of the FR Labels screen.
To produce labels in a specific order, click on the
Sort icon.
Print FR Roster
To print the FR roster, open the FR Roster screen
by going to the Operations menu, FR Operations
sub-menu, and selecting the Print FR Roster
activity. A box containing the Available Fields for
Print is displayed. The available fields are:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
FR Code
RO Team (if used)
Team Leader
PSU
Other Surveys Worked
Name (FR name)
Parcel Address (Mailing address)
Street Address (Physical address)
Phone
EOD (Date FR began working at the RO)
Second Phone
RO Use (Special notes about the FR, e.g.,
speaks Spanish)
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August 2007
Use the Add, Add All, Remove and Remove All
buttons to move options between the “Available”
and “Selected” fields. After selecting all items to
include on the roster, click OK. The roster will be
displayed on the screen. Click the Print icon to
begin the print job.
ROSCO Surveys
Overview
The ROSCO Surveys Overview activity can be
found on the Operations menu, directly below the
FR Operations sub-menu. The purpose of this
activity is to display workload information for all
surveys that an (S)FR is currently working on.
You have the option of selecting one or more
(S)FRs from a list, and information displays for
those (S)FRs selected.
FRs On Leave Report
The FRs on Leave Report displays all FRs entered
into the system as being on leave for a specified
period of time. This report is populated by using
the Leave Data icon in the Edit FR’s Survey Data
activity. The information appearing on this report
is:
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9
9
9
9
Designate an FR on
Leave for the Interview
Period
August 2007
FR Code,
FR Name,
Start Date (when the FR’s leave begins),
and
End Date (when the FR has reported he or
she would return from leave).
To prevent cases from being assigned to FRs who
are ill, on vacation, or unavailable for an
assignment for some other reason, flag the FR as
being on leave for the interview period as follows:
9
9
9
9
9
Select Edit FR’s Survey Data
Select the FR scheduled for leave
Click on the Leave Data icon
If there are no previous leave records for the
FR, click OK in the ROSCO Message box.
Click the insert icon and enter the Survey
Period the FR will be on leave. Enter the
Survey Period in the format shown below:
Format:
Example:
9
yyyy/mm
2004/08
Click Save to save the changes
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Topic 2 Sample Control
Operations
August 2007
Sample Control Operations
ROSCO’s Sample Control operations allows you
to work with some assignment information before
you begin the process of making assignments.
The primary Sample Control activities and reports
include:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
View/Edit Sample
Customized Respondent Letters (mail merge)
Edit Letter Language
Edit Letter Types
Print Respondent Letters
Tracking Respondent Letters
Print Respondent Labels
Segments with Additional Units
Key Additional Units
Edit PSU
View Historical Resting Data
Sample Count Reports
Identical Segment Folder Report
Respondent Letters Tracking Repor
View/Edit Sample
After the assignment file for the month is loaded,
you can view the cases in your monthly workload
by using the View/Edit Sample option under the
Operations/Sample Control.
Add to View/Edit
Sample
Everything stored in ROSCO about a case can be
accessed through the View/Edit Sample screens.
When you click on the View/Edit Sample menu
pick, a pop-up Options Selection List displays:
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August 2007
9
View/Edit
9
Query - for querying up a single case or
group of cases
9
Incoming cases
9
Incomplete Address - for all cases with an
incomplete address
9
Address Changed - for all cases that have
had address changes
View/Edit displays one case at a time. If you
selected an option that brings up more than one
case, move between the selected cases using the
First, Prior, Next or Last buttons. You can also
use the “Go to Case” button to view a list of all the
cases selected.
The View/Edit Sample screen has the following
tabs for each case:
Tab
Editable Fields
Basic Info
Respondent name, phone
number(s), Best Time to Call
Sample
Control
Info
Year built, mobile home, GQ type
and name
Address
Info
Address label flag, sample and
mailing address label control
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Current
Survey
Info
No editable fields
Status Info
No editable fields
PAL Info
No editable fields
Generic
Fields
No editable fields
August 2007
Clicking the View More button to display the
following additional tabs:
9
Notes - If RO staff adds notes to this tab
before releasing assignments, the notes go
to the Field Representative.
9
Contacts - Contact name and other
information for Type B and C cases
9
Case History - Interview period; FR code
and outcome code or CATI outcome code
9
Letter History - Interview number, letter
type, date sent and letter delivered
9
Case Activity - Current case status and
previous case activity within ROSCO for
the current month. Case Activity can
include:
•
•
Reassigned from Workload
Reassigned from Sup Rev
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•
Checked-in from an FR different than
the assigned FR
Accepted duplicate
Accepted from an FR that is different
from the assigned FR
Eliminated from Sup Rev
Resolved with prior version
Reassigned Mover (not used by
NCVS)
Type A - Charged to different FR
Deleted from Sup Rev
Remote reassignment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
9
August 2007
Address History - Current and previous
address data
The View More button is accessible from the
Make Adjust Assignment screens, the Supervisory
Review screens and the View/Reassign screens.
Mail Merge (Customized
Respondent Letters)
Edit Letter
Language
In addition to 1st month letters, you can customize
letters for respondents with a Mail Merge feature
that uses merge-tagged letters and ROSCO data.
ROSCO allows users to designate which rich text
format (.RTF) file to use for the various types of
respondent letters (refusal, NOH, etc.) to use for
the cases selected. The user specifies:
9
9
9
Type of letter
Language used in the letter
The file to use for the type of letter.
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August 2007
The user can also modify the:
9
9
9
Type of letter,
Language, and/or
The file to use for the type of letter.
The user can also remove (delete) letters no longer
used. However, a request must be sent to the
TMO Technical Assistance Center to add or delete
from the list of languages.
ROSCO merges information from the database
into the text of the letter such as:
9
9
Respondent name and address
FR name and telephone number
You are also given the option of entering
additional information such as:
9
9
Supervisor name
Office telephone number
If you choose, ROSCO can also keep a record of:
9
9
Cases for which letters were generated
Letters generated for each case
Since ROSCO’s Edit and Print Respondent Letters
activity is most useful for avoiding noninterviews,
you can find detailed use instructions in Chapter 8
of this manual.
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August 2007
Edit Letter Types
The Edit Letter Types activity allows you to view
the different types of letters available for the
Survey and the Regional Office. However, a
request must be sent to the TMO Technical
Assistance Center to add or delete from the list of
letter types.
Print Respondent
Letters
The Print Respondent Letters activity allows the
user to print a letter for 1-to-many Control
Numbers, with the option to merge data from the
database into the letter. The “Merge” feature
requires specific <> in the body of the
letter (see Tags: below), placed in
positions where database data should replace the
tags. This activity allows the user to indicate that
the system should place a record in the Letter
Tracking activity when generating letters.
For this activity, ROSCO displays all Control
Numbers for the Survey and Regional Office,
matching the RO Team(s) and Interview Period(s)
for the current ROSCO session (e.g., specified
during login), and the condition entered by the
user in the Query pop-up window.
CPS staff may find this feature useful in
generating mailing labels for refusal letters and
other letters sent from the RO.
Following are the steps to follow to create and
print respondent labels:
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August 2007
9
Click on Operations ! Sample ! Print
Respondent Labels.
9
From the Option Selection window:
•
Select ‘All’ to generate labels for all
cases in sample that month, or
•
Select ‘Query’ to select specific cases
or a group of cases.
The respondent labels are created with:
9
9
9
9
9
Control Number
FR Code
Interview Period
Respondent Name (uses Current Resident if
name field is blank)
Respondent Address
If there is a mailing address in ROSCO for the
case, it is used on the label, otherwise the sample
address is used.
9
The format of the labels can be changed by
clicking on the field for label type and
selecting a different format.
9
Use the ‘Sort’ or ‘Filter’ buttons to:
•
Change the order in which the names
are displayed, or to
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•
9
Generating Source
Files
August 2007
Change which names are displayed,
respectively.
Click on the Print icon to print the labels.
Use the below path to get to “Generate
Respondent Letters Source File”.
This activity is similar to “Print Respondent
Letters” except that instead of respondent letters
being printed directly from Rosco, an output text
file containing respondent data is created.
The user can then use either WordPerfect or
Microsoft Word to generate respondent letters
using the text file as the data source.
Generate the
Source File
The “Generate Respondent Letters Source File”
activity window opens with the query selection
window (just like “Print Respondent Letters”).
Enter a query criterion and select ‘Ok’. A screen
similar to the following one will appear.
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Selecting
Letter Type
1.
August 2007
Select a “Type of Letter” from the drop
down box. This is required because the user
can elect to save a history of the respondent
letters sent in the Letter_History table. (See
the “Tracking Respondent
Letters”activity.)
2. Click on the control numbers to select (and
highlight) the cases for which you want to
print respondent letters. You can modify
the ‘Name’ under ‘Respondent Information’
if you wish. This change will appear on the
letter, however, the corresponding record in
the Workload table will not be updated with
this correction.
3. Click on the ‘Merge’ menu icon. The
following screen appears.
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Setting Up
the Merge
Tags
August 2007
This “Generate Data Source File” response
window prompts the user for additional
information.
The “Merge Tags (Source = User)” allows the user
to enter information, not contained in Rosco,
which will be the same for all letters derived from
this merge activity. The different merge tag fields
can be left blank. If data is entered it is printed on
letters as is.
Click on the check box for “Print labels for the
cases in this data source file?” if you want print
respondent labels for all the cases selected in this
merge activity.
Click on “Keep a history of the cases in this data
source file?” if you want to keep a record of the
cases for which respondent letters were generated
during this particular merge activity. The records
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August 2007
will be stored to the Letter_History table. (See the
“Tracking Respondent Letters”activity.)
Enter a name for the text file that will contain the
respondent data (Data source file name) by either
clicking on ‘File…’ or typing the full path name of
the file in the input field below the ‘File…’ button.
Clicking on ‘File…’ opens the Windows Save File
dialog window.
Navigate to the folder in which you would like to
save the file. Type in the file name and click on
‘Save’. Note that the file is given an extension of
‘.txt’ by default.
The user is returned to the previous screen and the
‘Data source file name’ input field is populated
with the name of the text file.
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August 2007
Click on ‘Generate File’ to proceed. If the file
name chosen already exists, the user will receive a
warning message and can either enter a new file
name or overwrite the existing file.
Click on ‘Generate File’ to generate the text file.
A message will inform the user that the data
source text file has been successfully generated.
If the user had elected to keep a record of the cases
selected for respondent letters then a message will
alert the user that the Letter_History file was
successfully updated.
If the user had elected to print respondent labels
for the cases in this merge activity, the “Print
Respondent Labels” will automatically open with
labels for the cases selected.
Click on the ‘Print’ menu icon to print the labels.
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August 2007
Close the label window to return to the “Generate
Respondent Letters Source File” window.
Repeat the steps above to produce a text file for a
new set of cases and letter type.
Sample of data source text file created.
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Table of Merge
Tags
Tag
<>
August 2007
The table below lists the merge tags used by
“Generate Respondent Letters Source File”. The
text file contains data for all the merge tags. The
user decides which tags to place on the letters.
Source
Format
<>
<>
<>
<>
Capitalize first letter in both f_name and l_name,
with the rest of each value in lowercase, and
insert a space between the values.
sysdate
Month dd, yyyy. Ex. March 12, 2004.
address_info
First line of address as it appears in the table.
address_info
Second line of address as it appears in the table.
address_info
Third line of address as it appears in the table.
address_info
Fourth line of address as it appears in the table (if
used by the particular address format).
address_info
First line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
address_info
Second line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
address_info
Third line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
address_info
Fourth line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized (if used by the particular address
format).
workload.g_resp_n If null, print ‘Current Resident’. Print as it
ame
appears in the table.
workload.g_resp_n If null, print ‘Current Resident’. Print with the
ame
first letter of each part of the name capitalized
workload.control_ Formatted using the control number format.
number
phonenum from
substr(phonenum,1,3) substr(phonenum,5,8)
FR
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
<>
Prompt
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
f_name, l_name
from FR
Exactly as entered.
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Tags
August 2007
Letters must be typed and saved as .RTF files.
This can be done from any widely used word
processing application, such as Corel Word
Perfect or Microsoft Word. The tag name
should be enclosed in double less than and
greater than signs, as indicated below, and
should be placed in the desired position in the
letter where you would like the
database/prompt data to appear. For example:
Please call your local field representative,
<>, collect at <>,
and they will make every effort to arrange an
interview at your convenience.
Result when printed:
Please call your local field representative,
Jane Doe, collect at (991) 555-3333, and she
will make every effort to arrange an interview
at your convenience.
Note that the “address” tags result in multiple
lines printed in the letter. Therefore, it is
highly recommended that the “address” tags
display on a line all by itself, and it should
only be placed in the far left position of that
line.
Also note that the names supplied when
prompted by the application are displayed as-
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typed in the printed letter (i.e., the application
does not not reformat).
From the
Database
From
“Generate
Data Source
File”
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
(1st letter capital letters)
(All capital letters)
(All capital letters)
(1st letter capital letters)
(1st letter capital letters)
(as typed in Window)
(as typed in Window)
(as typed in Window)
(as typed in Window)
Tracking Respondent
Letters
The Tracking Respondent Letters activity
allows the user to track which letters were
sent to cases in their workload. The Print
Respondent Letter activity can automatically
insert records into this screen. In addition, the
user can add records to this screen for cases
that had letters sent/generated outside of
ROSCO. The user can also run the
Respondent Letters Tracking Report to view
this information in a printable format.
Print Respondent Labels
Upon entering the Print Respondent Labels
activity, the Option Selection List: Print
Respondent Labels dialog box displays the
following choices:
9
Query
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August 2007
9
9
1st Month Labels
5th Month Labels
9
9
Hispanic Oversample Labels
All Labels
The respondent labels are displayed in the
manner in which they will appear when you
print them.
You can turn on horizontal and vertical rulers
to get a better idea of the size of the labels.
To view the ruler:
9
Segments with Additional
Units – Identify Segments
with Additional Units
Click the Ruler checkbox at the top of
the Respondent Labels screen.
The Identify Segments with Additional Units
activity can only be performed for a single
interview period, and will display all PSUSegment-Sample-Segment Type combinations
that are in sample for that interview period
that do not have their segment folders checked
for possible additional units. At the Identify
Segments with Additional Units window, you
can flag any segments that you feel need
additional units keyed. To do this, highlight a
row and select the Flag Segment icon to flag
the segment folder. Once you save your
changes, any segments flagged on this screen
will no longer appear on this screen, but on
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August 2007
the Check Folder for Identified Segments
screen.
Segments with Additional
Units – Check Folder for
Identified Segments
This activity displays the segments which
need the segment folder checked for possible
additional units. Segment folders that were
flagged on the Identify Segments with
Additional Units screen will be displayed
here. To indicate that a segment folder has
been checked, select the checkbox to insert a
checkmark in the ‘Check Folder’ field for the
appropriate PSU-Segment-Sample-Segment
Type combination. When all rows appearing
on this screen have a checkmark appearing
and you select the Save icon, the Done icon
will become activated.
Note: You must accomplish the task of
inserting a checkmark for all segments
appearing on this screen and selecting the
Done icon before you are able to release
assignments to the field.
Key Additional Units
The Key Additional Units screen contains the
segments that were inserted with a checkmark
in the Check Folders for Identified Segments
activity. These segments may or may not
need additional units keyed. This activity is
where you will be able to add any units that
need to be keyed. On the Key Additional
Units screen, highlight a row that needs
additional units keyed and select the Edit
Sample icon. The Edit/Add Sample Lines
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window is displayed showing the units
already reported within that segment, referred
to as the parent cases. Highlight a row and
select the Add icon. A row is inserted below
the selected row with a Serial Suffix added to
the control number. You can make changes to
House #, Suffix, Street Name, Unit
Designation (the default field for the curser),
Place, State, or Zip. The changes you make
for this case are now displayed in View More,
on the Address History tab under Current
Address Data.
Note: The keying of additional units is not
required by ROSCO before you are able to
release assignments to the field, but it is
highly recommended that you key them
prior to releasing assignments.
Edit PSU
Checking for New
PSUs
You should use the Edit PSU screen to insert
new PSUs and delete old PSUs. You can also
designate the stratum of the PSU by selecting
the Edit Stratum icon and entering the name
you would like the stratum displayed under
and its meaning. If more than one PSU falls
in a single (S)FR’s assignment area, you can
give each of these PSUs the same code and
specify the group name you would like it to
display under by selecting the Edit Group
icon.
Problems result if new PSUs are automatically
added to ROSCO when the assignments are
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loaded. To avoid this, each month you must
check the status of the ROSCO scif_load
program when the assignments for a new
interview period are loaded, before you begin
making the assignments. You do this in
ROSCO by clicking on the Operations menu,
then selecting the Transmissions and Utilities
sub-menu, then View Job Status. Once the
View Job Status screen comes up, you can
filter on job_name = ‘scif_load’. Select the
newest scif_load job entry, and click on the
‘Comments’ button. A pop up screen is
displayed giving more information about the
status of the job. If the comments for your
scif_load job say, “NOTICE: New PSU(s),
PLEASE UPDATE,” then you need to go to
the Edit PSU activity and insert the new
PSUs.
View Historical Resting
Data
The View Historical Resting Data screen
allows you to view data collected in previous
interview periods for a sample case. This
screen is only available for longitudinal
surveys where the same sample returns for
interview multiple times.
In ROSCO go to Operations, Sample Control,
and before the View Historical Resting Data
screen is displayed, the Query dialog box
appears for you to specify the case(s) you
would like to view. Based on the criteria
entered in your query, the following tabs are
displayed:
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9
9
9
Resting Information
Tab
Resting Information
Address Information
Case History
CAPI Notes
This tab contains the following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Address
Information Tab
August 2007
Control Number
Interview Period
Respondent Name
Phone Number 1
Phone 2
Address Changed
FR Code
Outcome Code
This tab contains two separate areas – Current
Address Data and Previous Address Data.
The Current Address Data area contains the
following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Control Number
Interview Period
Address Type
House Number
House Number Suffix
Street Name
Unit Designation
Place
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9
9
9
August 2007
State
Zip Code
Physical Description
The Previous Address Data area contains the
following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Date Changed
House Number
House Number Suffix
Street Name
Unit Designation
Place
State
Zip
Zip4
The Previous Address Data area only displays
data if a survey follows movers and has a
returning sample.
Case History Tab
This tab contains the following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
Control Number
Interview Period
Interview Number
FR Code
Outcome Code
CATI Outcome
Data that appears on this tab is relevant to the
last time each case was in sample.
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CAPI Notes Tab
August 2007
Click on the Notes Tab to display for the case.
You can also access Notes by clicking on the
View More button at the following screens:
•
•
•
•
•
Sample Count Reports
View/Edit Sample under Sample
Control
Make/Adjust Assignments under
Assignment Operations
View/Reassign Cases under Checkin/Status
Supervisory Review under Check-in
Status
Resolve Missing Cases under
Closeout/Cleanup
Sample Count reports can be a useful tool to
see an overview of your workload for the
month before you make assignments. These
reports provide counts of sample cases by
various combinations of PSU, Tract, ZIP, and
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Place. Follow these steps to produce the
Sample Count reports:
Identical Segment Folder
Report
1.
Click on the Operations menu, Reports
sub-menu, or the Reports icon on the
toolbar.
2.
Double click on Sample Control.
3.
Double click on Sample Counts.
4.
Select from the options for the type of
Sample Counts Report, and double click
on the option you would like.
5.
Use the ‘Sort’ and ‘Filter’ buttons to
change the order of the report rows or to
adjust what information appears on the
report, respectively. (See Chapter 4 for
information on sorts and filters.)
6.
Click on the Print icon to print your
report.
The Identical Segment Folder Reports displays
first-time listings for NCVS that are identical
to an existing or first-time listing in another
sample and/or survey.
For NCVS, the information listed is:
9
9
Sample
PSU
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9
9
9
August 2007
Segment
Serial
Segment Type
The information listed where the identical
segment occurs is:
9
9
9
Survey
Sample
Segment
A “T” in the ‘Tie Flag’ field indicates that the
segment is in sample for the first time for both
samples and/or surveys.
Respondent Letters
Tracking
This report displays the letters sent by control
number for the selected interview period(s).
This report gets populated from the Tracking
Respondent Letters activity. The information
displayed on the Respondent Letters Tracking
Report is:
9
9
9
9
Control Number
FR Code
Date Sent
Type of Letter
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Topic 3 -
August 2007
Using Assignment Parameters
Overview
The assignment parameters are a set of rules that
you set for the ROSCO database to use when it
makes a “first draft” of your monthly assignments.
For example, you can tell ROSCO to assign all
cases in one PSU to a certain FR, while for cases
in another PSU, you can designate one FR for all
cases in one set of tracts, and a different FR for all
cases in another set of tracts. From
Operation/Assignment Operation you first need to
use the Edit Assignment Parameters activity to
define what rules ROSCO should follow in
making assignments. Then choose the Apply
Parameters to Sample activity to have ROSCO go
through all of the new cases for the month and use
your rules to assign FRs.
Defining Assignment
Parameters
Before you can use parameters in making
assignments, you must use the Edit Assignment
Parameters activity to define which FR should be
assigned cases in each geographic area. You
access this activity by clicking on the Operations
menu, Assignment Operations sub-menu, and
selecting Edit Assignment Parameters. You will
then be asked to choose either ‘Display By PSU’
or ‘Display All.’
Display By PSU
Only one PSU is displayed on the screen with the
“Display by PSU” option. You may move
between PSUs using either of the following
methods:
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9
Use the Select PSU drop-down window to
highlight the PSU you want.
9
Use the Next, Prior, First, and Last icons to
move between the PSU pages (which are in
ascending numeric order).
Display All
This option displays a continuous listing of all
records. The Select PSU drop-down window
highlights the desired PSU, and the Next, Prior,
First, and Last icons move you between pages.
Conventions for
the Edit
Assignment
Parameters Screen
Keep in mind the following conventions when
using the Edit Assignment Parameters screen:
9
The first record listed for each PSU is the
PSU-level record. You cannot add any
geographical information to this record,
although you can assign the entire PSU to
one FR using this record. You must insert a
new row to split the PSU into lower levels
of geography.
9
A PSU can be split using Place, ZIP, Tract,
or Block. If you split the PSU by Block,
you must also enter Tract information for
that PSU.
9
There are columns that allow you to assign a
Regular FR, Type A FR, Personal Visit
(PV) FR, and Phone FR for each geographic
level.
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Steps to Assign an
FR to Entire PSU
Steps to Assign
FRs to Portions of
a PSU
August 2007
Following are the steps to assign one FR to
receive all cases in an entire PSU:
1.
On the Edit Assignment Parameters screen,
select the desired PSU-level record by
clicking on it.
2.
Click on the “Regular FR” field.
3.
Select the appropriate FR.
4.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
Following are the steps to split a PSU into lower
geographic levels and assign FRs to those portions
of the PSU:
1.
On the Edit Assignment Parameters screen,
select the desired PSU-level record by
clicking on it.
2.
Click on the Insert icon to insert a new row
for each lower geographic level you wish to
specify.
3.
In each new row, click in the column for the
level of geography you wish to specify
(Place, ZIP, Tract, or Block).
4.
Key in the information for that column, or
use the drop-down data options.
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Edit Assignment
Parameters
To Remove an FR
To Change an FR
Code
August 2007
5.
For each lower level geography, click on the
“Regular FR” column and either key in the
proper FR code, or select it from the dropdown list.
6.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
As you discover ways to make your assignment
parameters more efficient, and as you experience
turnover in your interviewing staff, you will need
to make modifications to your assignment
parameters.
To remove an FR from your assignment
parameters, follow these steps on the Edit
Assignment Parameters screen:
1.
Select the row for the PSU or lower level
geography from which you want to remove
the FR.
2.
Click on the “FR” field, highlighting the FR
code.
3.
Press the backspace or delete key to remove
the FR code, thus leaving the “FR” field
empty.
4.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
To change an FR code in your assignment
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parameters, follow these steps on the Edit
Assignment Parameters screen:
To Change One
FR Code
1.
Select the row that contains the FR code you
would like to change.
2.
Click on the “FR” field, highlighting the FR
code.
3.
Press the backspace or delete key to remove
the FR code, and enter the new FR code, or
select it from the drop-down list.
4.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
To replace all current existing assignment
parameters for a given FR with an alternative FR
(for example: Z95 resigned, and you hired Z98 to
replace him/her), follow these steps on the Edit
Assignment Parameters screen:
1.
Click on the Change FR icon in the toolbar.
2.
The Change FR dialog box appears.
3.
Under the “Please select the OLD FR”
section, scroll down and select the FR you
want to replace.
4.
Under the “Please select the NEW FR”
section, scroll and select the code of the
replacement FR, and click OK.
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To Delete a Row
for a Lower Level
Geography
August 2007
5.
Click “Yes” on the pop-up window to
confirm.
6.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
If you decide that you no longer need to use a
certain lower level geography in your assignment
parameters, you may remove it using the following
steps on the Edit Assignment Parameters screen:
1.
Highlight the lower level geography you
wish to delete.
2.
Click the Delete icon in the toolbar, or
select Delete from the Options menu.
3.
Click “Yes” from the pop-up window to
confirm.
4.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
Note: You cannot delete the PSU-level record.
Apply Parameters to
Sample
After you have finished creating and modifying
your assignment parameters, and after the
assignment file for the month has been loaded, you
can apply your parameters to the sample. In this
operation, ROSCO assigns all cases that fit a
defined assignment parameter to the FR you
specified. Complete the following steps to apply
the parameters to the sample:
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1.
Click on the Operations menu, Assignment
Operations sub-menu, and Apply
Parameters to Sample activity.
2.
A screen will popup to confirm your action
and ask “Do you which to continue?”, say
yes.
3.
Check the box on the Apply Parameters to
Sample window if you have previous FR
codes, and click OK.
4.
It will take a moment for the operation to
finish then a pop-up window will appear
telling you assignment operations have been
completed with the number of cases left
unassigned.
5.
Click OK to confirm the message and return
to the main window.
Next, you will need to assign the unassigned cases
(those that did not meet any of the criteria listed in
the assignment parameters), and make any
adjustments to the assignments. (See Topic 3 of
this chapter for more information.)
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Topic 4 Overview
August 2007
Adjusting Assignments
One of the most important jobs of the NCVS
Supervisor is deciding how to assign the cases in
your workload to the FR staff, taking into
consideration their different abilities and
availability. After you have applied the
assignment parameters to make initial
assignments, you will need to assign any
unassigned cases, and fine-tune the assignments
made by the parameters to account for the various
workloads and the geography of the current
month’s assignment.
After you have finish adjusting the assignments,
you will need to release the assignments to the
field (See Topic 5 of this chapter).
Assigning the
Unassigned Cases
To see what cases were left unassigned after
applying the assignment parameters, run a
CAPI-5, Unassigned Cases Report, using the
following steps:
1.
Click on the Operations/ Reports, or select
the Reports icon on the toolbar.
2.
On the Report Selections window, click on
Assignments, and then click on Unassigned
Cases Report (CAPI-5).
A listing of all cases currently unassigned is
displayed. To display these cases in the database:
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1.
Click on Operations, Assignment,
Make/Adjust Assignments.
2.
On the Option Selection List, choose
‘Unassigned Cases (All)’ to see all of your
unassigned cases, or ‘Unassigned Cases
(Query)’ to select a subset of your
unassigned cases.
You can then assign these cases displayed on the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen. We’ll discuss
this topic in more detail now.
Adjusting the
Assignments
To see an overview of your assignments so far,
print a Workload Summary Report (CAPI 3):
1.
Click on the Operations/ Report, or select
the Report icon on the toolbar.
2.
On the Report Selections window, click on
Assignments, and then click on Workload
Summary Report (CAPI 3).
3.
Select your preferred type of report: By
PSU, Segment, Place; FRs Without Work;
By PSU.
Although the format of these reports varies
somewhat, you can refer to each of them to get an
idea of the number of cases assigned to each FR,
and where those cases are located. You may then
go into the database to adjust the assignments and
reassign cases using the following steps:
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August 2007
1.
Click on the Operations/Assignment/
Make/Adjust Assignments.
2.
Select ‘Adjust Assignments (Query)’ on the
Option Selection List.
You can then assign the cases displayed on the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen. You may need
to go through several rounds of adjusting
assignments and printing and reviewing Workload
Summary Reports to get your assignments ready
for release to the field.
Make/Adjust
Assignments
The Make/Adjust Assignments screen is where
you can assign or reassign cases. This screen has
three sections: “Cases to Assign,” “Address
Information,” and “Customizable Field.”
The “Cases to Assign” section lists some basic
information about the cases that are being
reviewed, such as the FR assigned the case, the
control number, the place, and the ZIP code.
The “Address Information” section displays the
basic address data for the case highlighted in the
“Cases to Assign” section.
The “Customizable Fields” section contains
additional data for each case being reviewed. You
can customize which columns appear by clicking
the ‘Custom’ button, selecting the desired
variables, and clicking OK. If you would like the
current customized version of the section to
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August 2007
remain as your default each time you use this
screen, click on the ‘Store’ button.
If you need to see more information about a case
(like notes), click the View More button.
To assign or reassign cases on the Make/Adjust
Assignments screen:
1.
In the “Cases to Assign” section, highlight
the row or rows you want to assign to a
specific FR.
2.
Click the Assign icon in the toolbar or select
Assign Cases from the Options menu.
3.
Select the FR you want to assign the case to
from the FR Search Dialog Box, and click
OK.
4.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
Note: You can only reassign cases using the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen BEFORE
assignments are released. After the assignments
are released, you must use the View/Reassign
Cases screen to reassign cases. (See Chapter 7 for
more information about this in Topic 3 CheckIn/Status Operations, under View/Reassign Cases
screen.)
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Topic 5 -
August 2007
Releasing Assignments
Overview
After you finalize your assignments and the
instrument for the interview period is released, you
must complete certain steps before your field staff
can transmit to pick up their assignments. First,
you must set start and due dates for each FR.
Second, you must release and transmit the
assignments to the field.
Set Assignment Start and
Due Dates
After you assign all of your cases and FR
workloads are balanced as desired, you need to set
start and due dates for the assignments. These
start and due dates appear on the CAPI 35, FR List
of Assigned Cases Report you generate for each
FR.
To access the Start and Due Date Assignment
activity, click on the Operations menu,
Assignment Operations sub-menu, and select the
Set Assignment Start and Due Dates activity. On
this screen, you can either set individual start and
due dates for each FR or set the same start and due
dates for all FRs.
To Set Assignment
Start and Due
Dates
To set individual start and due dates for FRs, from
the Start and Due Date Assignment screen:
1.
Use the scroll bar or First, Prior, Next, and
Last icons to locate the FR whose start and
due dates you are entering.
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To Set the Same
Start and Due Date
for All FRs
Check Segment Folders
August 2007
2.
Click in the “Start Date” field and key in the
appropriate date (format MM/DD/YYYY).
3.
Click in the “Due Date” field and key in the
appropriate date (format MM/DD/YYYY).
4.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
To set the same start and due dates for all FRs,
from the Start and Due Date Assignment screen:
1.
Click the Assign All icon on the toolbar.
2.
In the dialog box displayed, click in the
“Enter Start Date” field and key in the
appropriate date (format MM/DD/YYYY).
3.
Click in the “Enter Due Date” field and key
in the appropriate date (format
MM/DD/YYYY).
4.
Click OK.
5.
These dates should now be entered for all
FRs on the Start and Due Date Assignment
screen.
6.
Click the Save icon to save your changes.
Every month, RO staff check unit and permit
segments listed on the Check Folders for
Identified Segments screen to determine if they
need to add sample cases.
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9
Review segment folders and add units from
the Key Additional Units screen, if
necessary.
9
Return to the CFIS screen and click the
check boxes next to the segments. Also
click the check boxes for segments that did
not need adds.
Once all check boxes on the CFIS screen are
checked, select Save to activate the Done button.
Double click the Done (Happy Face) button to set
the check folder flag. Until this is done, you
cannot release assignments.
Release and Transmit
When you are ready for the assignments to be
picked up by FRs after the instrument for the
interview period is released, the last operations to
complete are releasing and transmitting the
assignments. To release and transmit assignments:
1.
Click on Operations, Assignment, and
Release Assignments to Field activity.
2.
On the Release Assignments to the Field
screen, click on the row that has the
interview period you wish to release.
3.
Click the Release icon, or select Release
from the Options menu.
4.
The Release Exceptions dialog box is
displayed. This screen allows you to
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August 2007
uncheck the box under the “Release to
Field” column when you do not want to
release the assignment yet for one or more
FRs. When you have finished customizing
this list, click OK.
5.
The Release to the Field Checklist box is
displayed, which reminds you to select any
FRs for Supplemental QC Reinterview
before releasing assignments. (See
Chapter 10 for more information on
reinterview.) Check the empty box when
you are ready to proceed, and click OK.
6.
Click the Save icon on the Release
Assignments to the Field screen. You will
then see a checkmark under the “Released”
column for the interview period you
selected.
7.
Click the Transmit icon in the toolbar, or
select Transmit from the Options menu.
8.
Click OK on the Transmit Assignments
dialog box.
9.
If the transmission was successful, you will
see a pop-up window with the message,
“Assignment file creation has been
requested.” If you do not receive this
message, try to transmit again.
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10.
August 2007
You can check the Out directory to verify
that the files are ready to be picked up. (See
Chapter 7 for information on viewing the
Out directory.)
Note: Once assignments are released, cases move
from the Assignment screen to the
View/Reassign cases screen. See
View/Reassign Cases section in Chapter 7,
Monitoring Progress, Topic 3, CheckIn/Status Operations.
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Chapter 7. Monitoring Progress
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
7sd-1
1.
Transmissions and Utilities
7-2
2.
Check-In Reports
7-14
3.
Check-In/Status Operations
7-17
Appendix 7A -
Schedule of Automatic
Transmissions for CAPI
Interview
7-35
Appendix 7B -
Schedule of Automatic
Check-ins for CAPI
Interview
7-37
Appendix 7C -
Variables in the
Customizable Windows
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Topic 1 -
August 2007
Transmission and Utilities
Overview
ROSCO allows RO users to take an active role in
(S)FRs’ file transmissions. You can see
transmitted files waiting to be checked in using the
View In Directories activity, then check in the
waiting files using the Run Check-In option. You
can send files out for (S)FRs to pick up using the
Make Transmissions activity, then see which files
are waiting to be picked up using View Out
Directory. ROSCO also allows you to write and
send mail messages to a selected FR, a group of
FRs, or all of your field staff. Each of these
features is discussed in more detail in this topic.
When an (S)FR transmits work into HQ, it goes
through two servers before it is checked in. First,
the package of FR files are transmitted to the
Novell CAPI Telecommunications server,
separating the encrypted survey data files from the
mail files. This server is managed by the
Telecommunications staff at HQ.
Encrypting, Decrypting,
Zipping, and Unzipping
Files
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For security reasons, files are encrypted and
decrypted into one file. Files are sent between the
laptop and servers in one encrypted .SA file. After
the files are sent to the CAPI Telecommunications
server, they are decrypted and the survey data files
are separated from any other files that came with it
during the transmission. Files are compressed
(zipped) before being transmitted and
uncompressed (unzipped) once received at their
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destination. The term “zipping” refers to the
process of taking many files and compressing the
files into one file while still retaining their unique
single file identity. The process of zipping saves
on bandwidth and storage allowing for more
efficient data management and faster
transmissions.
Create and Send Mail
RO staff can create and send mail messages to all
field staff, certain pre-set groups of field staff (like
all Team Leaders, or all FRs), or selected field
staff working on NCVS via ROSCO. In addition
to creating new mail messages, the ROSCO Create
Mail Messages function also allows you to open
“saved” copies of previously sent messages to edit
and resend.
A mail message can contain up to 4,000
characters.
Create a New
Message
To create a new mail message:
1.
Access the Mail Activity screen by clicking
on the Mail icon in the toolbar, or by
clicking on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and selecting Create Mail Messages.
2.
Select one of the following in the “To:”
field’s drop-down menu:
•
•
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All NCVS Field Staff
All NCVS FRs
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•
•
All NCVS team leaders
Selected Staff (Displays the Select FR
window where you must click on the
desired FR. Hold down and
press to select multiple FRs.)
Selected Team (Displays the Select
FR window with only team leaders
listed. You must click on the desired
team leader. Hold down and
press to select multiple team
leaders. The selected team leaders’
team members’ names are displayed.)
All Field Staff (Sends the message to
all FRs in the ROSCO database, not
just those listed on NCVS.)
•
•
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3.
Click in the “Subject” field and enter an
appropriate subject for the mail message.
4.
Click in the “Message” field and enter the
text of the mail message. You can copy and
paste text from other email or word
processing documents.
5.
Click on the Save icon.
6.
Choose “Yes” to save a draft copy for future
use or choose “No” to delete the message
after it is sent.
7.
Click on the Transmit icon to send the
message file immediately. Or, access the
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Make Transmissions screen later when you
are ready to send the message.
8.
Send a Previous
Mail Message
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Click on the Close icon to exit the screen.
To modify or send a previous message to the
survey staff:
1.
Access the Mail Activity screen by clicking
on the Mail icon in the toolbar or by
clicking on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and selecting Create Mail Messages.
2.
Click on the Open icon.
3.
Highlight a message in the “Unsent Mail
Messages” or the “Draft Messages” data
window.
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Make Transmissions
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4.
Click the ‘Open’ button (to keep all
previous entries in each of the three fields:
“Date,” “Subject,” and “Message”) or the
‘Open as New’ button (to keep only the text
in the “Subject” and “Message” fields).
5.
Make any changes to the message, including
the “Date” field.
6.
Click on the Save icon.
7.
Click OK to the message: “This will replace
the original message,” or choose cancel.
8.
Click on the Transmit icon to send the
message file immediately. Or access the
Make Transmissions screen later when you
are ready to send the message.
9.
Click on the Close icon to exit the screen.
ROSCO prepares files to be placed on the server
for (S)FRs to transmit and pick up each time a
transmission is made in ROSCO. The Make
Transmissions activity gives you the option to
send any of the following items to the field:
9
Regular Assignments – To send recently
released or reassigned cases.
9
Mail – To send newly created mail
messages.
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9
Team Leader Reports – To send a file to
update the information displayed in the
Laptop Status Report on the survey Team
Leaders’ laptops.
9
Team Leader Telephone List – To send an
updated telephone number list to the Team
Leaders.
9
Reinterview Assignments – To send
released reinterview cases that have
received input files.
Many ROSCO screens include a Transmit icon on
the toolbar. Clicking on this icon allows you to
make a transmission for cases reassigned or
messages created. If you choose not to use the
Transmit icon, you can also make a transmission
following these steps:
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1.
Click on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and select Make Transmissions.
2.
To transmit an item, click in the box under
the “Transmit Item” heading. A check mark
is displayed in the box for the item(s) you
selected for transmission.
3.
Click on the Transmit icon on the toolbar.
4.
If Regular Assignments, Reinterview
Assignments, or Team Leader Report(s) are
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selected, an Interview Period Confirmation
Dialog Box will be displayed. Click “Yes”
to confirm the correct interview period.
5.
Click on the Close icon when you’re done.
Although you can make a transmission at any time
following these steps, ROSCO is programmed to
make transmissions automatically throughout the
day. Refer to Appendix 7A, Schedule of
Automatic Transmissions for CAPI Interview, at
the end of this chapter for the daily schedule of
automatic transmissions.
View In Directories
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The View In Directories activity displays a screen
divided in half. The top half contains files waiting
for the check-in process. The bottom half contains
files waiting to be copied from the Telecommunications server. Copy-ins that move files from
bottom to the top of this display run hourly at the
top of the hour.
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To view the In Directory:
1.
Click on the Operations menu,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu, and
select View In Directories.
2.
On the Selection List View In box, select
either Interview or Reinterview and click
OK.
3.
A DOS program runs while the list of files
is generated.
4.
The ROSCO View In window appears with
the lists of files, including filename, FR
Code, Size, and Date/Time.
The filename identifies the FR that
transmitted the file. For example, file
“XZ990071.ZPI.ENT”, where:
X - RO code
Z99 - the FR code
0071 - a sequence # that increases by one
with each new transmission
ZPI.ENT - a zipped Entrust encrypted file
The double-suffixes for files in In and Out
Directories are ZPI.ENT and ZPO.ENT,
respectively. Both file types are Entrust
encrypted.
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5.
View Out Directory
August 2007
Click on the Close icon or the X in the
upper-right corner of the ROSCO View In
window to exit the screen.
The Novell CAPI Telecommunications server
holds files in the OUT directory which are ready to
be picked up by an (S)FR. When an (S)FR
transmits in, this is the server with which they
connect.
Files with a .ZPO.ENT extension are on this
server. These .ZPO.ENT files are the encrypted
files for any work that has been assigned to the
FR. Mail messages are also included in this
encrypted file. When a laptop transmission is
picked up by the (S)FR, the file no longer appears
in the Out Directory.
The View Out Directory screen allows you to look
at files that were transmitted to (S)FRs and are
waiting for the (S)FR to pick up.
To view the Out Directory:
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1.
Click on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and select View Out Directory.
2.
On the Selection List View Out box, select
Interview, Reinterview, or SFR Files, and
click OK.
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View Job Status
August 2007
3.
A DOS window is displayed while the list
of files is generated.
4.
The ROSCO View Out window is displayed
listing filename, FR Code, Size, and
Date/Time.
5.
Click the Close icon to exit the screen.
When cases are assigned or reassigned by the RO
and/or mail messages or FR lists are created for
one or more FRs, the RO must initiate a process to
create the files and place them on the
telecommunications server for FRs to pick up.
The actual file creation and transmission occurs
almost immediately. A process that runs
continuously on the central database system looks
for any records in a table that contain your request
for a transmission and starts the program to create
the FR’s files.
The program looks for any cases that are flagged
“Ready to Transmit” in the Xmit Status column
and creates the files for the FR.
If you checked the box to “Include mail message”
when you requested a transmission, the process
next looks for any mail messages and creates the
files, if necessary.
When the program completes, you are notified via
ROSCO as to the status. You may verify the
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status (success or failure) of a transmission by
going to the Operations menu , Transmissions
and Utilities sub-menu , and selecting the View
Job Status activity.
In the top half of the View Job Status screen called
New Jobs, the status of the jobs and programs that
ran is displayed. An “S” displayed in the “Status”
column indicates a successful program run. An
“F” displayed in the “Status” column indicates a
failed run.
To see any comments associated with the job or
program that ran, highlight the row of the job or
program and click on the Comments icon on the
toolbar. These comments may help clarify the
situation if a failure occurs.
Once you review the job status, you may mark it as
seen by highlighting the row and selecting the
Seen icon. Once you select Save, the jobs are
moved to the lower half of the View Job Status
screen, called Seen Jobs.
After viewing a job status, you may want to delete
it. Highlight the row and select the Delete icon.
The row disappears from the screen but is
displayed again unless you save the changes. It is
advisable to view the comments for the record
before deleting it. If problems are indicated,
notify HQ.
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Topic 2 Overview
August 2007
Check-In Reports
ROSCO includes many reports available for RO
staff to use in measuring (S)FR progress toward
completing assignments. By clicking on the
Operations menu and Reports sub-menu, or by
clicking on the Reports icon and then selecting
Check-in, you can access any of the reports
described in this topic.
Before generating any check-in reports, run a
check-in to clear all files from the In Directory.
You may also want to act on cases in Supervisory
Review, as these cases are not yet checked-in.
Description of Check-In
Reports
Team Leader
Status Report
Each of the check-in reports contains information
to help you manage your field staff’s progress
throughout the interview period.
The Team Leader Status Report lists the survey
status by Team Leader. This report contains the
same information as the Team Leader Report that
appears on the Team Leader’s Laptop computer
under the SFR Functions application. The report
lists progress of each FR on the Team Leader’s
team, including counts of cases by outcome
categories still on the laptop, in Supervisory
Review, checked-in, and number in assignment.
This report runs automatically twice a day at
10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET. Once it runs, the
Team Leader Reports are available on the telecom
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server for the team leaders to pick up with their
next transmission. You can run these reports at
other times by checking the Team Leader Reports
check box and making an RO transmission from
the Transmission screen.
Daily Laptop
Report (CAPI 2)
The Daily Laptop Report (CAPI 2) allows you to
view the status of cases still on the FR’s laptop.
The report lists FR information, workload, cases
not checked-in, and Team Leader assigned to the
FR. Run this report daily.
Control Numbers
Assigned But Not
On Laptop Report
The Control Numbers Assigned But Not On
Laptop Report lists cases that were assigned but
not picked up by the FR. Verify that a file is
awaiting pickup in the Out Directory for the FR,
then remind them to make a transmission to pick
up the file. Run this report daily.
Daily Receipt
Report (CAPI 1)
The Daily Receipt Report (CAPI 1) is one of your
most important tools for monitoring FR progress
each day. ROSCO allows you to generate this
report sorted by FR Code, Team Leader Code, or
FR Name. This report displays each FR’s
workload and counts of cases received and not
received, calculates the percentage received, and
lists counts of interviews and noninterviews.
Totals appear at the bottom of the report. When
the report is generated by Team Leader Code,
subtotals by each SFR team are also listed. Run
run this report each day.
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NOTE: The Daily Receipt Report also displays the
date of the last transmission for each FR.
Cases Not
Checked-in Report
(CAPI 4)
The Cases Not Checked-In Report (CAPI 4)
provides a listing of all cases for the selected
interview period that have not been checked-in,
including cases waiting for action in Supervisory
Review. ROSCO allows you to generate this
report sorted by FR Code or FR Name. This
report is especially useful as closeout draws
near, at which point you will want to run this
report each day or multiple times on closeout
day. Do not create this report early in the
interview period because it will contain your entire
workload. This report contains contact data on the
Control Number, a flag if the case is in
Supervisory Review, Transmission Status, address
information for the case, Tract, Block, and last FR
assigned the case.
Segment Folders
Not Checked In
Report
The Segment Folders Not Checked In Report
provides a listing of all segment folders checked
out but not yet checked back in. This report
contains data on FR Code, FR Name, PSU,
Segment/Segment Suffix, Segment Type, and Date
Checked Out.
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Topic 3 -
August 2007
Check-In/Status Operations
Overview
As you monitor survey progress each day during
the interview period, you will use several
functions under the Operations menu and Checkin/Status sub-menu. The Check-In/Status submenu includes Supervisory Review,
View/Reassign Cases, Run Check-in, CheckOut/Check-In Segment Folders, and Request
Blaise Data. This topic discusses each of these
activities.
Supervisory Review:
General
As files are checked-in, cases with certain
outcome codes and action codes are held in
Supervisory Review instead of completing the
check-in process. The NCVS supervisor must
review these cases and decide to accept, reassign,
or eliminate each of them. It is important that
the supervisor do this each day since the cases
will not check-in until acted upon.
To access Supervisory Review, click on the
Operations menu , Check-in/Status sub-menu ,
and select Supervisory Review.
When a case comes into Supervisory Review, it
falls into one of four groupings: Non Interviews,
Duplicates, Failed Cases, Extra Units or Partial.
You should check each of these categories daily to
act on all of your cases held in Supervisory
Review.
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Supervisory Review:
Non Interviews
The Address
Information
Window
August 2007
Selecting Non Interviews on the Option Selection
List produces the following screen:
The “Non Interviews” section of this screen
contains a list of all noninterview cases currently
being held in Supervisory Review. This includes:
9
All Type A noninterviews
9
All Type C noninterviews
9
Type B, Other noninterviews (outcome
code 233)
Some Type B cases check-in without stopping in
Supervisory Review while others go straight to
Supervisory Review.
The “Address Information” section displays the
address information for the case selected in the
Noninterviews section.
The Customized
Window
The “Custom Supervisory Review Noninterview
Data” section contains additional information
about the selected case. You can customize which
variables appear in this section using the ‘Custom’
button on the right. If you decide you would like
to use your customized arrangement as the default
each time you access this screen:
1.
Click the Custom button to display the
‘Dynamic Data Window Customization’
screen.
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2.
Select the columns you want to display from
the Available Columns window.
3.
Click the Add button to move your choices
into the Selected Columns window.
4.
Click OK to close the Dynamic window.
5.
Click the Store button in the Custom
Supervisory Review window.
See Appendix 7C for a complete list of the
variables in the Customized Window.
To see more information about the selected case,
including the case notes, click on the View More
icon on the toolbar.
The View More
Sections
In Supervisory Review, the View More screen
contains tabs for Case History, Case Activity,
Address History, Contacts, Letter History, CAPI
Notes, HH Roster (not shown), and Supv Review
Notes. The Supv Review Notes are displayed
initially as the default. Most of these tabs are selfexplanatory, but it is especially important to
understand the uses of the Case Activity tab.
The Case Activity tab displays both the current
status of the case and any previous activity with
the case. For example, if you reassigned a case
previously from FR Z97 to X01, and then Z97
completed an interview of the case, the current
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status would show the case checked-in as an
interview credited to Z97.
To exit the View More window and return to the
Supervisory Review screen, click on the ‘Close’
button.
Reassigning a
Noninterview
To reassign a Supervisory Review Noninterview
case:
1.
Select one or more cases.
2.
Click on the Reassign icon on the toolbar,
or select Reassign from the Options menu.
3.
If one or more of the cases you select was
already checked-in, the Cases Checked-In
Warning box is displayed. If necessary,
check the appropriate boxes, and click OK.
4.
If one or more of the cases you select is a
Type A, the Type A Reassign dialog box is
displayed. Mark whether or not you would
like the current FR to be charged with a
Type A if the case is converted, and click
OK.
5.
On the FR Search dialog box, select the
appropriate FR code and check the box if
you would like to delete the case from the
original FR’s laptop, then click OK.
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Accepting a
Noninterview
August 2007
6.
An “R” is displayed in the “Supv Action”
field to denote the case was reassigned.
7.
Click the Save icon on the toolbar to save
the changes. Then click the Transmit icon
to immediately send the file for the new FR
to pick up.
To accept a noninterview in Supervisory Review:
1.
Select one or more cases that you want to
accept.
2.
Click on the Accept icon or select Accept
from the Options menu.
3.
If you accept Type B or Type C cases, an
“A” is displayed in the “Supv Action” field
to denote the case has been accepted. If you
accept a Type A, you will then see the
Type A º Accept dialog box.
Select the FR to Charge With Type A from
the drop-down menu, or key in a different
FR code (be sure the alpha portion of the FR
code is capitalized). Then, you may also
designate the case as a Confirmed Refusal
or Congressional refusal (see Chapter 8,
Noninterviews, Topic 2, Office Control of
Type A Noninterviews, for more
information). Click on OK when you have
finished. An A is then displayed in the
Supv Action field to indicate the case was
accepted.
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4.
Eliminating a
Noninterview
Changing a
Noninterview
Outcome Code
August 2007
Click on the Save icon to save the changes.
To eliminate a Supervisory Review Noninterview
case:
1.
Select one or more cases.
2.
Click on the Eliminate icon on the toolbar,
or select Eliminate from the Options menu.
3.
A pop-up window displays the message:
“Eliminate the data for these cases now?”
Click OK to confirm the elimination.
4.
An “E” appears in the “Supv Action” field
to denote the case has been eliminated.
5.
Click the Save icon on the toolbar to save
the changes.
ROSCO allows users to change the outcome code
for noninterview cases in Supervisory Review.
However, you can only change the outcome code
to another outcome code with the same
noninterview Type (A or B), and you must change
it before accepting the case. Changing the
outcome code in Supervisory Review only
changes it for FR performance reasons in the
ROSCO database – it does not change the data in
the case that is sent to the sponsor to be analyzed.
Because of this, you should not change the
outcome for Type C noninterviews. Instead,
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reassign the case to a laptop to be assigned the
correct outcome code.
To change the outcome code for a Type A or
Type B noninterview on the Supervisory Review
Noninterviews screen:
Supervisory Review:
Duplicates
1.
Select a case.
2.
Click the Chg Outcome icon on the toolbar,
or select Change Outcome from the Options
menu.
3.
The Change Outcome Code window
appears. Click the drop-down arrow on the
New Outcome Code column to select a
different code from the list.
4.
Click OK.
5.
Click “Yes” to the message: “Are you sure
that you want to change the outcome code
of [control number of the selected case]?”
6.
Click the Save icon on the toolbar to save
your changes.
Cases appear on the Supervisory Review
Duplicates screen if a case is sent in after a
previous version of the case was checked-in. The
RO staff must review the outcome codes and case
notes of the duplicate to determine which version
of the case should be accepted. For example, if
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the first version of the case is an accepted Type A
Noninterview, and the second version is a
completed case (outcome code 201), you will want
to accept the completed interview.
This screen contains features very similar to the
Supervisory Review Non Interviews screen
described earlier in this topic, but there are some
important differences. The section with the list of
duplicate cases shows the FR, Outcome Code, and
Date Recv’d for both the duplicate case and the
checked-in case.
Accept or Eliminate a
Duplicate Case
Accepting or eliminating the case acts on the
duplicate case, not the checked-in case.
Therefore, if you want to keep the checked-in
version of the case and not the duplicate, you
would eliminate the duplicate case in Supervisory
Review. If you want to keep the duplicate instead
of the checked-in case, accept the duplicate case in
Supervisory Review.
Double check that you want to accept or eliminate
the duplicate before acting on the case. HQ
accepts the last copy of the case it receives.
Therefore, if you accept an incorrect version of a
case after the correct version of the case was
received by HQ, the last version of the case
accepted overwrites the earlier (checked-in)
version.
If the incorrect version of the case was accepted,
there are two ways to correct this:
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Supervisory Review:
Failed Cases
August 2007
9
The correct version of the completed case
could be re-transmitted by the FR and you
can accept that duplicate, or
9
You can use the Resolve Missing Cases
activity as follows:
1.
Click on Operations, then
Closeout/Cleanup, and select Resolve
Missing Cases/Closeout.
2.
Click on the Cases Not Checked In
and Not In Supervisory Review tab,
and click on the case you want to
reassign.
3.
Press the Resolve icon.
4.
Click on the entry for the case that
shows the correct outcome code and
FR code, then click OK.
5.
Click on the “No” button in response
to the window: “Do you want to
change the outcome?” to accept the
case with the outcome code you
selected in step 4.
6.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
Selecting Failed Cases on the Supervisory Review
Option Selection List produces a screen that
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displays cases which failed to be checked-in for
any of the following reasons:
At First, No Action is
Required for Failed Edit
Cases
G
There is missing data.
G
The outcome code and action code in the
database do not match the outcome code
and action code in the study.
G
The action code for the case is not on the
list of possible action codes.
G
The case is not in the workload.
You don’t have to Accept, Eliminate, or Reassign
anything from the Failed Cases screen. Cases on
the Failed Cases screen cannot check in and must
be retransmitted.
ROSCO automatically puts a “resend” file in the
Out Directory for the FR. When the FR picks up
the “resend” file, the file causes the laptop to
“resend” the case with the next transmission.
Usually the resent file checks in and the case
disappears from the Failed Cases screen.
When Failed Edit Cases
Require a Remedy Ticket
If the resent file does not check in, it is displayed
twice on the Failed Cases screen. If this occurs,
submit a ticket to the Remedy Help Desk with this
problem. A Remedy technician contacts the FR
and help them get the case to check in.
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Following is an example of a remedy ticket.
Select the “High” option for Urgency on Close
Out day only.
When you select the Item “Laptop”, a pop-up
‘Script” will prompt you for RO code, FR name,
code and phone number, and best time to call.
There is also room to enter a problem description
below these items.
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Supervisory Review:
Extra Units
August 2007
The Supervisory Review Extra Units screen
displays cases in which an extra unit was found at
an address and collected in the instrument during
interview. Extra units are unlisted living quarters
associated with a sample unit that are discovered
by chance during the interview or when asking the
household coverage questions. The extra unit
must come from the original unit (e.g., a basement
or attic of a sample unit being rented as a separate
living quarters).
Inserting an Extra
Unit
If you believe that the case in Supervisory Review
Extra Units is a legitimate extra unit that needs to
be added to the workload sample, select the Insert
icon. This case is then displayed as another case
in the FR’s assignment. An “I” is displayed in the
‘Supv Action’ field.
Deleting an Extra
Unit
If you believe that the case in Supervisory Review
Extra Units is NOT a legitimate unit that should
not be added to the workload sample, select the
Delete icon. The extra unit is not displayed in the
FR’s assignment. A “D” is displayed in the ‘Supv
Action’ field.
View/Reassign Cases
The View/Reassign Cases activity is fundamental
to your efforts to monitor progress during the
interview period. The View/Reassign Cases
screen allows you to query any subset of your
workload and see the current status, outcome,
notes, and other data for the case. You also use
this screen to reassign cases from one (S)FR to
another. Once assignments are released, you
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cannot adjust who is assigned a case from the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen. You must
use the View/Reassign Cases screen instead.
To access the View/Reassign Cases screen:
1.
Click on the Operations/ Check-in/Status/
View/Reassign Cases.
2.
The Query dialog box is displayed where
you designate which cases to display on the
View/Reassign Cases screen. See Chapter 4
for more information about using Queries.
3.
The View/Reassign Cases screen is
displayed with the results from your query.
The “Cases to Reassign” section displays the
Control Number, FR, Outcome Code, Action
Code, Interview Period, and Checked-in (Y/N)
status for each case. The “Address Information”
section displays the address information for the
highlighted case. The “Custom View Reassign
Data” section displays the workload data which
you can customize by using the ‘Custom’ button
on the right-side.
A complete list of the variables in the Customized
Window is in Appendix 7C.
In View/Reassign Cases, click the View More icon
to see tabs for Case History, Case Activity,
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Address History, Contacts, Letter History, CAPI
Notes, and HH Roster.
Reassigning a
Case on the
View/Reassign
Screen
To reassign a case to a different (S)FR using the
the View/Reassign Cases screen:
1.
Select one or more cases.
2.
Click the Reassign icon on the toolbar, or
select Reassign from the Options menu.
3.
Select the desired FR from the FR Search
dialog box, and select the desired Case
Options. The different case options
available are:
9
“Delete cases from original FR’s
laptop” is displayed on the reassigned
FR’s laptop when he/she transmits to
pick it up. The case is removed from
the original FR’s laptop on the
original FR’s next transmission.
9
“Make reassignment permanent”
makes this case a permanent
reassignment to the designated
reassigned FR in the assignment
parameters.
9
“Send Original Data” removes all
data collected on the case to date and
sets the outcome code to ‘200' (new
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case, not started) on the reassigned
FR’s laptop.
9
“Review reassignment later” allows
the RO to review the case in
subsequent months before
automatically assigning it to the
reassigned FR by using the
assignment parameters.
4.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.
5.
If the case selected was already checked-in,
the Cases Checked-In Warning dialog box
is displayed. Check the boxes for cases you
are sure you would like to reassign, and
click OK.
6.
Click on the Transmit icon on the toolbar to
immediately send the file to be picked up.
The outcome of the reassigned cases is 200 and
the date checked in is blank.
Run Check-In
Running check-in places incoming FRs’ work in
the appropriate tables and databases so ROSCO
reflects the most recent changes in the FRs’
assignments (number of cases complete, number
of noninterviews, etc.). Check-in runs
automatically two times each day. See
Appendix 7B, Schedule of Automatic Check-ins
by RO, at the end of this chapter.
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ROSCO allows RO users to request additional
check-ins at anytime by using the Run Check-in
activity as follows:
1.
Click on the Operations menu, Checkin/Status sub-menu, and select Run
Check-in.
2.
Click “Yes” on the Check-In Dialog Box,
verifying that you are sure you would like to
run check-in.
3.
A message box is displayed informing you
that “Check-In has been requested.”
4.
After a few moments, you should be able to
verify in the View In Directories screen that
the files are no longer listed and have been
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checked-in, or you can check the View Job
Status screen to make sure it was successful.
Note: Go to the Operations menu, Reinterview
submenu, to execute a check-in for reinterview.
See Chapter 10 for more information.
Check-Out/Check-In
Segment Folders
Assigning and
Checking-out
Segment Folders
If you have segment folders to send to (S)FRs, you
need to assign and check them out through
ROSCO. This activity must be performed before
assignments are released. You can do this by
going to the Operations menu , Check-in/Status
sub-menu , and selecting the Check-Out/CheckIn Segment Folders activity.
You can select segments that need to be assigned
and checked out by keying the PSU and Segment
number which causes the matching PSU-Segment
number combination to be highlighted when you
press . You can also click on a row to
highlight it. To un-highlight a row, click on it
again.
Once you select the row(s) you would like to
assign and check out to a particular FR, select the
Assign icon. A window is displayed that enables
you to select an FR. After you select the FR and
click OK, the following message is displayed:
If this is the FR you would like to assign the
segment folder(s) to, select ‘Yes.’ The “FR Code”
and “Date Checked-Out” fields are filled with the
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FR selected and the current date. This data is
saved automatically.
Checking-in Segment
Folders
Once the FR has completed his/her assignment
with the segment folder, you need to check it back
in to ROSCO. At the Check-Out/Check-In
Segment Folders screen, select the PSU-Segment
number combination as you did when assigning
the segment folder, and when it becomes
highlighted, select the Check-In icon.
Note: You cannot perform the Check-In activity
unless the “FR Code” and “Date Checked-Out”
fields are filled.
The following message is displayed:
If this is correct, select ‘Yes.’ The “Date
Checked-In” field is filled with the current date.
This data is saved automatically.
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Requesting Keystroke
Files
August 2007
ROSCO is programmed to allow users to request
their own keystroke files using the Request
Keystroke File on the Check-in/Status sub-menu.
At the Request Keystroke File screen, select a case
by keying a control number or caseid OR use sort,
filter, or scroll down the list to find the case.
Highlight the row and select OK. The following
message is displayed:
Select “Yes” if this is the correct control number
and you wish to continue.
The caseid is displayed as a .adt file in the
WordPad titlebar. You can save this trace file to
it’s default name or change the name. You can also
print the trace file from WordPad. The number at
the end of the first line of the trace file is the
caseid. The control number is not on the trace file.
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Appendix 7A - Schedule of Automatic Transmissions by RO
Automatic transmissions are scheduled ROSCO jobs that place any recently
released or reassigned cases, reports, or mail messages onto the Out Directory that
the FRs will pick up with their next transmission. The ROSCO job name for
transmissions is “frassign”.
Regional
Office
Automatic Transmission Times
RO 21
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
RO 22
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
RO 23
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
RO 24
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
RO 25
7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm
RO 26
7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm
RO 27
7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm
RO 28
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
RO 29
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
RO 30
7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm
RO 31
7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm
RO 32
7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm
(all times are Washington DC times)
No automatic reinterview ROSCO transmissions are currently enabled for NCVS.
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Appendix 7B - Schedule of Automatic Check-ins by RO
Automatic check-ins are scheduled ROSCO jobs that send any files transmitted in
from FRs that are waiting on the In Directory into the ROSCO database. The
ROSCO job name for check-ins is “checkin”.
Regional Office
Automatic Check-In Times
(all times are Washington DC times)
RO 21
5:30am, 10am, 2pm
RO 22
5:30am, 10am, 2pm
RO 23
5:30am, 10am, 2pm
RO 24
5:30am, 10am, 2pm
RO 25
6:30am, 11am, 3pm
RO 26
6:30am, 11am, 3pm
RO 27
6:30am, 11am, 3pm
RO 28
5:30am, 10am, 2pm
RO 29
5:30am, 10am, 2pm
RO 30
6:30am, 11am, 3pm
RO 31
6:30am, 11am, 3pm
RO 32
6:30am, 11am, 3pm
*Reinterview check-ins (ri_checkin) in ROSCO run automatically at 6am, 10am
and 3pm local time for Eastern Time Zone ROs, and at 7 am, 11am and 4pm for
other ROs. All times are Washington, DC times.
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Appendix 7C - Variables in the Customizable Windows
The following variables are displayed in the customizable windows available on
the Assignment, Supervisory Review, and View/Reassign screens. See
Appendix 4B for descriptions of the variables (fields).
PSU
Tract
Block
Addr Chg
Best Tim e
Best Tim e Specified
Callback Notes
Caseid
Mode (Collection)
Conf Ref
County Nam e
Date Assg
Date Recv by FR
Date Xm it to FR
Date Case Com p
Date Chckd In
Date Deliv to MCS
Date MCS Ack
Date Recvd
P/T
How Intrvd
# In Supv Review
Intvrw #
Listing ID
Load Date
Nbr Type Z
No Sunday
Notes Chgd
Observed
Phone Intvw OK
Phone Nbr 1
Phone Ext 1
Phone Nbr 2
Phone Ext 2
Prev FR
Prev Outcom e
Prev Type A
In Reinterview
Version
RO Team
Study Nam e
Xm it Status
Rotation
HH Resp Nam e
March Hispanic
Vacation
I/O Referral
Address Size
Census ID
DO Code
FIPS State Code
GQ Code
GQ Flag
GQ Nam e
GQ Register Method
Incm p Addr
Sheet #
Line #
Mobile Hom e
Multi Unit
Nbr or Ltr
New Extra
New Unit
Relist Add
Sam ple
Segm ent
Serial
Serial Sfx
Year Built
CATI Outcom e
CATI Recycle
Date Recycle Recv
Prev CATI Outcom e
CATI Eligible
CATI Eligible PSU
CATI OK
CATI Possible
CATI Selected
CATI Ever
Never CATI
Prev Recycle
Recycle Req
Returning CATI
W hy Not CATI
Trans Assgn
Date Last Modified
Phone Type 1
Phone Type 2
State of Case
W kld Type Z base
Incentive
Incom ing Flag
Map Spot
MAF ID
Mail Flag
Link ID
GQ Type
Institutional
ACS Dup Flag
NHIS Dup Flag
Seq Nbr Bsa
AIANHH
W orkload ID
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Chapter 8. Noninterviews
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
Types of Noninterviews
8-2
2.
Office Control of Type A
Noninterviews2
8-8
3.
Procedures for Type B
Noninterviews
8-17
4.
Procedures for Type C
Noninterviews
8-18
5.
Procedures for Type Z
Noninterviews
8-19
6.
Denial of Access to Multi-Unit
Buildings
8-23
7.
Using ROSCO to Print Respondent
Letters
8-24
Appendix A
Refusal Letter
8-29
Appendix B
Letter to Manager of
Multi-Unit Structure
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Appendix C
Confidentiality
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Topic 1 -
August 2007
Types of Noninterviews
Overview
This chapter presents procedures for the NCVS
RO staff to implement in noninterview situations.
The RO staff should expect to encounter these
different situations during the course of field
operations. The specifics for each noninterview
category are described throughout this chapter.
Introduction to
Noninterviews
Circumstances sometimes prevent obtaining an
interview at an address on your case list. We
divide noninterview cases into Type A, Type B,
Type C, and Type Z (see list on pages 4-88 & 89).
Type A Noninterviews
Type A noninterview refers to households in
which household members refuse to be
interviewed or are not available for an interview
(temporarily absent or no one home), other
occupied, or there is a language problem which
prohibits gaining the interview.
FRs should not transmit a case as a Type A
noninterview without supervisory approval first.
Supervisors need to ensure that the FR makes
every reasonable effort to “convert” the
noninterview before the FR transmits the case as a
Type A noninterview.
After the FR specifies the kind of Type A, the
instrument displays a series of questions about the
demographics of the household. The FR should
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enter his/her best guess for the race and sex of the
reference person, the number of people living in
the household, and the tenure. Upon completion
of the demographic noninterview questions, the
FR is prompted to enter brief notes about the case.
The NCVS Supervisor should review the current
FR notes for each Type A noninterview.
Type A Noninterviews ARE reassigned in
subsequent interview periods.
Type A Categories
Type A - Other
The control numbers and outcome codes of
Type A cases received are displayed on the
Supervisory Review screen for noninterviews.
There are four Type A noninterview categories for
units occupied by persons eligible for interview
but could not be interviewed. These Type A
categories and outcome codes are listed below:
Type A Categories
Outcome Code
No one home (NOH)
216
Temporarily absent (TA)
217
Refused (REF)
218
Type A - Other Occupied
219
When you cannot interview at a unit occupied by
persons eligible for interview, and the reasons “No
one home,” “Temporarily absent,” or “Refused”
do not apply, enter “Other-Occ.” Specify the
reason, such as:
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Type B Noninterviews
9
“Death in family”
9
“Household quarantined”
9
“Roads impassable”
August 2007
Type B noninterview refers to households which
are not eligible for interview.
Type B Noninterviews are not reassigned in
subsequent interview periods.
Type B Categories
The control numbers and outcome codes of
Type B cases received are displayed on the
Supervisory Review screen for noninterviews.
The Type B categories and outcome codes are
listed in the following table:
Type B Categories
Outcome Code
Temporarily occupied by
URE
225
Vacant - Regular
226
Vacant - Storage of HH
Furniture
227
Unfit or to be demolished
228
Under Construction, Not
ready
229
Converted to Temporary
Business or Storage
230
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Type B - Other
August 2007
Unoccupied Tent or Trailer
Site
231
Permit Granted, Construction
Not Started
232
Type B - Other
233
The "Type B - Other" classification is used for a
housing unit that is likely to be uninhabitable
and/or the residents are likely to have evacuated to
unknown locations, but because of a severe
disaster (flood, earthquake, tornado, fires, etc.),
the FR is unable to access and confirm (in person
or by telephone) the correct status during the
interview period.
Type B - Other cases are the only Type B cases
that are stopped in the noninterview section of
Supervisory Review. This allows RO staff to
verify that the Type B - Other cases are coded
correctly before accepting them.
In cases of natural disasters, HQ notifies the ROs
and TCs when it is acceptable to code cases as
Type B - Other.
Type C Noninterviews
Type C noninterview refers to households that will
never be eligible for an interview. Type C
noninterviews are not reassigned in subsequent
interview periods.
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When the FR determines that the case is a Type C
noninterview and codes it as such, the instrument
prompts the FR to enter notes about the case. The
NCVS Supervisor should review the current FR
notes for each Type C noninterview. These notes
assist the supervisor during supervisory review in
determining whether to accept or reassign the case.
Type C Categories
The control numbers and outcome codes of
Type C cases received are displayed on the
Supervisory Review screen for noninterviews.
The Type C categories and outcome codes are
listed in the following table:
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Type C Categories
Type C - Other
August 2007
Outcome Code
Demolished
240
House or Trailer Moved
241
Outside Segment
242
Converted to Permanent
Business or Storage
243
Merged
244
Condemned (and
Unoccupied)
245
Unused Serial Number of
Listing Sheet
247
Removed during
Subsampling
256
Unit already had a chance of
selection
257
Type C - Other
248
The “Type C - Other” is used for a housing unit
that cannot be classified in any of the above
categories. Some examples might be “duplicate
listing,” “never living quarters,” or “permit
abandoned” (permit segments ONLY). This
should be used for “Built after April 1, 1990"
(final code 246). The instrument displays a
specific question to determine this based on the
segment type for the case.
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Topic 2 Overview
August 2007
Office Control of Type A Noninterviews
The number of Type A Noninterviews can
influence the degree to which the NCVS data are
representative of the entire population. People
who are difficult to find at home or who resist
being interviewed may have different employment
characteristics from those who are readily
interviewed. Failure to obtain interviews from
such people may introduce serious bias into the
survey results. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to
minimize Type A Noninterviews.
Past experience shows that trying to minimize
nonresponse rates has proven to be one of the most
challenging aspects of the supervisor’s
responsibilities. There is no formula for keeping
Type A Noninterviews to a minimum. It involves
the FR's ability to enlist cooperation from different
people and to plan visits when people are most
likely to be home. Experience shows that Type A
noninterview rates fluctuate by area and by season.
For example, you may know the people who live
in your region and when they will be most
receptive to a personal visit; therefore, you can
help determine the best time to conduct the
interview. Be aware of ethnic and religious
sensitivities. Consistently high response rates in
some areas can be a tribute to the extra effort of
the office staff and (S)FRs.
The RO Supervisors and SFRs also play a key role
in minimizing Type A Noninterviews by planning
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the follow-up or by personally attempting to
convert refusals. He or she must do everything
possible to help FRs reduce Type A
Noninterviews. The supervisor should also
suggest ways to obtain an interview in each Type
A situation reported and make certain that sample
units reported as Type A Noninterviews are
classified correctly.
Below are some suggestions that the supervisor
can give the FR for handling cases which are
tentatively classified as Type A noninterview.
Also consider that any noninterview case can be
reassigned to another FR or SFR as the supervisor
considers necessary.
Manage the Number of
Type A Noninterviews in
Supervisory Review
All Type As will show up in the noninterview
section of Supervisory Review. Type As do not
get counted in the reports until the RO staff
“Accept” them in the noninterview section of
Supervisory Review. Therefore, before accepting
a Type A, discuss the case with the FR (and SFR,
if necessary) and determine the best way to
convert the case to a completed interview. Decide
whether to:
9
Send a Type A letter to the respondent
9
Reassign the case to the same FR
9
Reassign the case to the SFR
9
Reassign the case to another FR
experienced in converting refusals
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Do not accept Type As until all attempts to
convert them are unsuccessful.
No One Home (NOH)
NOH noninterviews need to be closely monitored
and should be a primary concern for supervisors.
There should be few NOH cases. Remind the FRs
to:
9
Ask neighbors, janitors, etc., when
occupants are most likely to be home and
schedule callbacks accordingly (an inquiry
on first call can avoid unproductive
callbacks when a household is temporarily
absent). Get the name(s) of the occupants
(during the first visit) from a mailbox if the
name is visible on the outside (never open
someones mailbox) or by asking neighbors.
Remember not to mention the name of the
survey, just that you are from the Census
Bureau.
9
Make additional callbacks when driving
near the unit on the way to or from other
assigned cases.
9
Consider leaving a Request for
Appointment form/card in the door or on the
door knob (not in the mailbox) on the first
visit to a unit. Leave a telephone number
where the respondent can contact either the
RO or the FR.
9
Request the RO to send a No One Home
(NOH) letter, (see Appendix 8B, No One
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Home (NOH) Sample Letter) at the end of
this chapter.
Temporarily Absent
(TA)
It is especially important for the FR to find out
from neighbors, relatives, or friends when a
sample household that is temporarily absent is
expected to return. Although the household may
not return until after closeout, instruct the FR to:
9
Continue to make periodic attempts to
contact the household.
9
Try to find an address or telephone number
where the household can be reached and
conduct an interview at the other number, if
appropriate.
9
Interview the household when they return, if
they are expected to return before closeout.
The office should consider sending a NOH letter
to the address.
Refusals (Ref)
Monitor the number of refusals turned in by each
FR daily, particularly the new inexperienced FRs.
If an FR turns in too many refusals, he or she may
be giving up too easily or may not be adequately
explaining the survey to respondents. The RO
supervisor should:
9
Call the FR and discuss his or her refusals
(see section below on discussing refusals).
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9
Have the SFR contact the FR immediately
and discuss strategies to convert the refusal
cases.
9
Consider reassigning refusal cases to the
SFR or another FR that has experience
converting refusals.
9
Schedule a Special Needs Observation with
the FR, if necessary.
Type A - Other
Don’t accept Type A - Other refusals without an
acceptable explanation from the FR and SFR.
Make sure the FR classified the case correctly
before accepting a Type A - Other.
Discuss Refusals and
Offer Suggestions
When discussing refusals with the FR, review the
FR’s approach during the initial contact with
respondents. Address specific respondent
objections that the FR encountered and how the
FR countered the respondent’s objection.
Discuss with the FR the suggestions below:
9
Explain clearly to the respondent the
importance of the survey, the need for
subsequent interviews, and the
confidentiality of the data.
9
Introduce yourself and explain the survey to
local authorities who may receive calls from
respondents inquiring about the NCVS.
9
Get as much information as possible about
the refusal person(s) and household, i.e.,
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names, age, race, income, children in the
household, etc. This information will be
valuable when assigning Type A follow-up
or in tailoring a letter.
Effective refusal conversion requires careful and
immediate supervisory planning. Each refusal is
different and each attempt to convert a refusal
requires careful consideration of a variety of
techniques. Remember, if refusals are reported on
a timely basis, ample time still exists to effectively
plan and conduct successful follow-up activities.
Send Refusal Letters
FRs may encounter respondents who offer
resistance or do not wish to cooperate in the
NCVS. In most instances, the FR can explain the
purpose of NCVS sufficiently so that he or she
gains the respondent’s cooperation. There are
cases, however, when the FR may request a letter
be sent to a reluctant respondent. Send a letter to
the respondent as soon as a new refusal is
reported. Refusal letters must include information
required by the Privacy Act of 1974. It is the
Regional Office’s discretion as to whether the
letter is signed by the NCVS Supervisor or by a
member of the Regional Office’s management
staff.
Consider tailoring the letter to counter the specific
objection of the respondent, the type of
respondent, or the income category of the
respondent. Examples of different kinds of refusal
letters are provided for your information in
Appendices C through G at the end of this
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chapter. You can use these letters as templates to
develop your own letters.
If your RO develops a letter which is different
from the templates, please send a copy of the letter
to Field Division, Attn: Labor and Crime Surveys
Branch.
Depending upon the Type A circumstances and
location of the FR, you also may consider
immediately telephoning the respondent to explain
the survey and arrange an appointment for the FR.
Personal visits require close coordination with
ongoing work on other surveys to minimize
expenses. Supervisors or SFRs should generally
plan to visit refusals located within a reasonable
distance from where they are working. Consult
with the program coordinator when arranging
personal visit follow-ups which will incur
excessive time and money.
Provide Other Assistance
In multi-FR PSUs, consider reassigning refusal
cases to another FR or SFR in the area. This is
especially important when the FR who originally
received the refusal is inexperienced. However,
competence in converting refusals is best gained
by experience, so make sure the inexperienced FR
has attempted to convert the refusal before
reassigning the case to another FR/SFR.
For particularly difficult cases, consider
reassigning the case to the RO for follow-up.
When a supervisor or SFR travels to an area for
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any reason, he or she should, if possible, take
active refusal cases in that area and attempt to
convert them.
Confirmed Refusals
Generally, refusals may be confirmed only by the
NCVS Supervisor, provided that:
9
A supervisor, SFR, or another FR assigned
by the NCVS Supervisor has attempted to
convert the refusal;
9
The (S)FR incurring the refusal has
discussed with the NCVS Supervisor the
results of his/her conversion attempts made
after a refusal letter has been sent; or
9
Headquarters, the Regional Director, or the
Assistant Regional Director instructs you to
discontinue interview attempts.
Once the refusal is confirmed, instruct the FR to
discontinue interview attempts to the household.
In subsequent panels, the FR is to only verify
occupancy.
See the Chapter 7, Monitoring Progress, Topic 3,
Accepting a Noninterview, for details on how to
mark a confirmed refusal in ROSCO.
Once a case is flagged as a confirmed refusal, it is
flagged in case management on the FR’s laptop for
all subsequent interviews. You must submit a
Remedy Ticket to remove a confirmed refusal flag.
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Charging Duplicate and
Confirmed Refusals or
Congressional Referrals
Other Occupied - specify
August 2007
Charge refusals to the FR code your office uses
for:
9
Duplicates - when the refusal is at a sample
address that is in another survey (ACS or
NHIS)
9
Confirmed Refusals or Congressional
Referrals - when Headquarters, the
Regional Director or Assistant Regional
Director instructs you stop the FR from
trying to interview at the sample address.
For other reasons such as impassable roads,
sickness or quarantined households, etc., instruct
the FR to contact the household later in the
interview period if a telephone interview is not
possible. Otherwise the case must be reported as a
Type A - Other.
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Topic 3 -
August 2007
Procedures for Type B Noninterviews
When a unit is reported as a Type B noninterview,
review the case notes. Be sure the FR marked the
classification correctly. (Refer to the NCVS
Interviewing Manual for specific instructions for
marking each category.)
The Only Type B in
Supervisory Review
All Type B Noninterviews, except for Type B Other, are sent directly into the ROSCO database
without stopping in Supervisory Review when a
check-in is executed. You must verify Type B Other Noninterviews in Supervisory Review and
determine whether to accept, eliminate, or reassign
the case.
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Topic 4 -
August 2007
Procedures for Type C Noninterviews
Type C Noninterviews are those households which
are ineligible for sample. Once a case is accepted
as a Type C noninterview, it will not return to
sample.
All Type Cs Stop in
Supervisory Review
All Type C Noninterviews stop in Supervisory
Review where you determine to accept, eliminate,
or reassign them.
Reinstating Type Cs
Notify your survey liaison at FLD HQ - Labor and
Crime Surveys Branch if it is determined that a
Type C noninterview case was deleted in error.
The Demographic Statistical Methods Division
(DSMD) can reinstate a Type C for future
interview periods.
A reinstated case is displayed as a new case and
will not have any dependent data previously
collected for the case.
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Topic 5 -
August 2007
Procedures for Type Z Noninterviews
Type Z Noninterviews
Person-level noninterviews are classified as Type
Z Noninterviews.
For Type Z Noninterviews, see that the line
number of the person for whom an interview was
not obtained is coded as Type Z reason code 203.
You will classify an eligible household member as
a Type Z noninterview when you are unable to
interview an eligible household member and the
household member is not the household
respondent.
Unlike Type A, B, and C noninterviews, a Type Z
noninterview relates to an eligible household
member (other than the household respondent)
and does not relate to the entire sample household.
Another difference is that a personal visit is not
required prior to classifying a person as a Type Z
noninterview.
However, if you are unable to interview the
household respondent, the entire sample
household will classify as a Type A noninterview
because:
X
You must interview the household respondent
before interviewing anyone else in the
household.
AND
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X
Minimizing
Noninterviews
August 2007
You cannot classify a household respondent
as a Type Z noninterview person.
It is important to keep both Type A and Type Z
noninterviews to a minimum, so that:
C
Your response rate does not suffer and
C
The sample data you collect is truly
representative of the entire U.S. population.
Individuals who are difficult to find at home or
who resist being interviewed may have different
victimization experiences than persons who are
readily available for interviews. Therefore, failure
to get interviews from all eligible household
members could introduce a serious bias into the
survey results.
It is important that we try to obtain an interview
for each eligible household member. When the FR
does not complete an interview for an eligible
household member, the instrument will prompt the
FR to attempt to set up a callback appointment to
complete the case. Interviews must be completed
by self-response or if specific criteria are met a
proxy interview may be completed. The screener
interview CAN be completed by proxy. (For more
information on proxy interviews refer to Chapter
2, Part A, Topic 3 of your CAPI Interviewing
Manual for Field Representivies)
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As with Type A noninterviews, verify that the
FR is following the correct procedures in
minimizing these noninterviews. Basically,
make sure that each FR is making every effort
to locate and interview self-respondents.
Procedures for Type Z
Noninterviews
A Type Z noninterview indicates that you
completed interviews with at least the household
respondent but were unable to complete an
interview with one or more eligible members.
If the household contains any members who have
not been interviewed, either because they refused,
had a partial interview, were never available
despite repeated attempts to interview them, 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.
This process can only be done at the time you are
ready to transmit the case, so it is important that
you identify any eligible household members as
noninterviews early in the interview period, and
annotate the reason(s) in the CAPI notes so you
don’t forget them when you are ready to transmit
the case later.
Designating household
members as Type Z
noninterviews
Enter the case and click on the household roster
(HH Roster) tab on the toolbar to check the
interview status of eligible household members.
You must designate a Type Z noninterview reason
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for all those whose interview status is “Need self,”
“Need proxy,” “Partial int,” or “Refused.”
Proceed as follows:
Click on the “Main” tab to go to the START_CP
screen and enter Precode (5), “Ready to transmit
case - no more followup.” A pop-up screen
appears that says, “Case not ready for
transmission.” Click the “suppress” button. The
TYPEZ screen appears: “No survey data were
collected for (NAME). Enter the reason that best
describes why (NAME)’s survey data were not
collected.” There are five options:
1. Never available
2. Refused
3. Physically/Mentally Unable
4. TA - No proxy available
5. Other
Enter the applicable reason, then exit the case.
Note that the case is automatically removed from
the main Case List.
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Topic 6 -
August 2007
Denial of Access to Multi-Unit Buildings
There are cases in which FRs are denied access to
an apartment building by the building manager
while attempting to conduct Census Bureau
surveys. Title 13 of the U.S. Code authorizes the
Census Bureau to conduct NCVS interviews. In
addition, Section 223 of Title 13 forbids anyone,
under penalty of fine, to deny an FR access to a
building.
Appendix B, Letter to Manager of Multi-Unit
Structure, illustrates an example of a letter to send
to apartment managers who refuse access to an
NCVS FR. If you encounter a case of denial of
access to an NCVS FR, use one of the letters
provided, or your own rewording, as you prefer.
Excerpts from Title 13 are provided for your use in
Appendix I, Citations from Title 13.
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Topic 7 -
August 2007
Using ROSCO to Print Respondent Letters
Overview
ROSCO can be used to generate letters for
respondents by using letter templates that you
provide and inserting control numbers, respondent
names, addresses, FR names, and telephone
numbers from the database. This replaces the need
for RO staff to use the merged file option in a
word processing application and saves time by
automatically filling in many of the fields in the
letter with information from the database. The
other benefit of this feature is that it maintains a
record of each letter sent on the Tracking
Respondent Letters screen.
Before you can use the Print Respondent Letters
function, you must create a file for the letter in .rtf
format and set up that letter type in ROSCO.
Create the Letter File in
.RTF Format
Create the letter using Microsoft Word, Corel
WordPerfect, or Microsoft WordPad. You can use
special merge tags in the letter that tell ROSCO to
automatically insert information from the
database.
For example, inserting the merge tag
<> in the letter instructs ROSCO
to automatically fill the respondent's name from
the database for the case selected or "Current
Resident" if there is no respondent name entered
yet for the case. A summary of the merge tags you
can insert into the document appears in the
following table:
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Summary of ROSCO Merge Tags
Tag
Source/Format
<>
Respondent's name or "Current Resident" if
none entered in the table for the selected
case.
<>
First and last name of the FR currently
assigned to the case in the database
<>
Telephone number listed for the currently
assigned FR as listed in the "Edit FR Data"
screen
<>
Control number from the workload table
<>
System date set on the computer used to
generate the letters
<>
Address as entered for the case in the
workload table
<>
System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered
<>
System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered
<>
System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered
<>
System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered
<>
System prompts user to enter manually;
number is displayed exactly as entered
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Once you create the letter with any desired merge
tags included, save the document in .rtf format.
Word and WordPerfect allow you to select this
format on the "Save As" window. Be sure to save
the file in a location that all ROSCO users access
since you will only be able to select one location
of the file for ROSCO to point to when generating
the letter.
Set Up the Letter in
ROSCO
Print Respondent Letters
After you save a version of the letter in .rtf format,
you need to set up the letter in ROSCO. To do
this:
1.
Click on the Operations menu, Sample
Control sub-menu, and select Edit Letter
Language.
2.
On the Edit Letter Language screen, click on
the Insert icon.
3.
Select the letter type and language from the
drop-down menus. Click on the 'File' button
to designate the location of your saved letter
in the Filename field.
4.
Click the Save icon.
After you create a letter template and set up the
letter type in ROSCO, you can print the
respondent letter by following these steps:
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1.
Click on the Operations menu , Sample
Control sub-menu , and select Print
Respondent Letters.
2.
On the Query box pop-up, either enter the
control number of the case that needs the
letter, or enter 0=0 to retrieve a list of all
cases in this interview period on the Print
Respondent Letters screen.
Select the desired control number from the
Control Number List or type it into the
Control Number Finder field. The name and
address of the selected case is displayed in the
Respondent Information window.
Click on the Merge icon to generate and print
the letter.
3.
4.
5.
If your letter template included any merge
tags that require manual entry by the user, a
dialog box is displayed for you to type in the
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names and/or numbers required. After filling
in the tags, click OK to print the letter.
Sample Letter Templates
6.
Once the letter prints, use the Query icon to
select another case to create a letter.
7.
After you generate letters, click the Close
icon to exit. You are asked, "Do you want to
keep a history of the respondent letters you
have sent?" If you select "Yes," a record is
added to the Tracking Respondent Letters
screen for each letter that was printed.
Appendix A and Appendix B contain sample letter
templates with merged tags inserted that you may
use in generating respondent letters in ROSCO.
Feel free to modify any of the letter templates for
your ROs use.
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Appendix A: Example of the Refusal Letter
91910 14999 J22 01 100
July 12, 2006
Current Resident
112 Main Blvd
Any town, MN 99997
Dear Resident:
Recently, Ms. Suzi Bleau, a representative from the U. S. Census Bureau, called upon your household asking
for your participation in the National Crime Victimization Survey. She indicated that you were reluctant to
cooperate. Perhaps, if we explained more about this survey and the importance of your participation you
might reconsider and participate.
We assure you that the National Crime Victimization Survey is a necessary and valuable program. This
survey collects important information about persons victimized by crime in this country. The Bureau of
Justice Statistics of the U. S. Department of Justice is sponsoring this survey to help law enforcement,
judicial and correctional agencies throughout the country improve their effectiveness by providing
information about amounts of crime, where and when it occurs. Although other crime statistics are
published, they are based on crimes reported to the police. However, studies have shown that many crimes
are not actually reported to the police. The information that the Census Bureau collects in this survey
overcomes this deficiency.
The Census Bureau is conducting the survey under the authority of Title 42, United States Code, Section
3732. The information provided is held strictly confidential under the authority of Title 42, United States
Code, Section 3771, and is used only for statistical purposes. The statistics will provide a truer picture of
crime in this country and will permit the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to make realistic
plans for coping with the problem. Because this is a sample survey, each sample address, whether
victimized or not, represents hundreds of other households across the country. For this reason, your
participation in this survey is extremely important to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the final
results. Although there are no penalties for failure to answer any question, each unanswered question
substantially lessens the accuracy of the final data.
We hope you will reconsider your decision and be able to cooperate with our request for information. An
interviewing member of my staff will contact you again during the next few days, or you may call
Washington at 991-555-6789, collect if necessary, to schedule an interview, or phone the Anytown Regional
Office at 911-555-1234 extension 011 upon receipt of this letter. Any further questions you may have will
gladly be answered for you at that time. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Jean Doe
Regional Director
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Appendix B: Sample of the Letter to the Manager of a Multi-Unit Structure
91910 1499 J33 02 100
July 1, 2006
Attn: Individuo, Property Manager
Habitante Apartments
113 Elm Lane
Anytown, IL 99997
Dear Property Manager:
Certain units in the Habitante Apartments are in sample for a survey conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau, as authorized by Title 13, United States Code, and Title 29, United States Code. The Census
Bureau conducts a variety of surveys each month to provide statistics on topics such as employment,
expenditures, crime, health, and housing throughout the nation. The published statistics are used by the
President and by Congress in determining the well-being of the nation. The Census Bureau collects
statistics which produce the monthly national unemployment rates, the consumer price index, the index
of economic indicators, and variety of other figures used extensively by federal, state, local and private
researchers.
Information is collected for these surveys by scientifically selecting living quarters throughout the
country and interviewing the occupants. To keep the cost of the survey down and to increase reliability,
we contact sampled addresses several times, according to the individual survey’s schedule. The persons
who do the interviewing are official representatives of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census
Bureau. They have official identification cards which they are instructed to show to each person from
whom they request census information. By law, (Title 13, U.S. code) all information collected by our
field representatives is confidential. It may be seen only by authorized, sworn Census Bureau employees,
and may only be used for statistical purposes. No person or household can be identified from the
resulting statistical tabulations. The statistical summaries are available to all who are interested in them.
You requested the legal authority by which our field representative can contact residents of the units in
Habitante Apartments.. Congress has considered this to be one of the most important surveys conducted
by the Federal Government, and has included in the Census Law (title 13, Section223) an Amendment
which addresses unimpeded access to selected units, and assistance to Census employees by owners,
managers, etc.
Our field representative will be required to conduct interviews with sample households each month until
there are no more scheduled interviews. I thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Jean Doe
Regional Director
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Appendix C - Title 13 - Confidentiality
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, that Title 13 of the United States Code, entitled “Census”, is revised,
codified, and enacted into law, and may be cited in part as “Title 13, United States Code, section
as follows:
UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 13 – CENSUS
CHAPTER 5 – CENSUSES
*********
SUBCHAPTER II – POPULATION, HOUSING, AGRICULTURE, IRRIGATION, AND
UNEMPLOYMENT
Sec. 141. Population and other census information
(a) The Secretary shall, in the year 1980 and every 10 years thereafter, take a decennial census
of population as of the first day of April of such year, which date shall be known as the
“decennial census date”, in such from and content as he may determine, including the use of
sampling procedures and special surveys. In connection with any such census, the Secretary is
authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary.
(g) As used in this section, “census of population” means a census of population, housing, and
matters relating to population and housing.
***********
SUBCHAPTER IV – INTERIM CURRENT DATA
Sec. 182. Surveys
The Secretary may make surveys deemed necessary to furnish annual and other interim current
data on the subjects covered by the censuses provided for in this title.
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UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 13 – CENSUS
CHAPTER 7 – OFFENSES AND PENALTIES
**********
SUBCHAPTER II – OTHER PERSONS
Sec. 223. Refusal, by owners, proprietors, etc., to assist census employees
Whoever, being the owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of any hotel, apartment house,
boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by
the Secretary or by any other officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency
thereof, acting under the instructions of the Secretary, to furnish names of the occupants of such
premises, or to give free ingress thereto and egress therefrom to any duly accredited representative of
such Department or bureau or agency thereof, so as to permit the collection of statistics with respect to
any census provided for in subchapters I and II of chapter 5 of this title, or any survey authorized by
subchapter IV or V of such chapter insofar as such survey relates to any of the subjects for which
censuses are provided by such subchapters I and II,
including, when relevant when relevant to the census or survey being taken or made, the proper and
correct enumeration of all persons having their usual place of abode in such premisses, shall be fined not
more than $500.
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Chapter 9. End of the Survey Cycle Operations
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
Overview
9-2
2.
Reviewing Type A Noninterviews
9-3
3.
Resolving Missing Cases/Closeout
9-6
4.
Closeout/Clean-Up Reports
9-12
5.
Populating the FR Performance
Table
9-14
6.
Clean Up the Interview Period
9-16
7.
Clean Up the Laptops
9-18
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NCVS-570 National Crime and Victimization Survey Office Manual
Topic 1 Overview
August 2007
Overview
There are a number of separate operations that
must occur for you to properly conclude activities
at the end of the survey cycle. By closeout time,
ALL cases must be transmitted in and received,
and all cases must be resolved in Supervisory
Review. This chapter provides a review of the
closeout process.
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Topic 2 -
August 2007
Reviewing Type A Noninterviews
‘
Overview
Review/Charge Type A
Nointerviews
Before you close out an interview period, you
have the opportunity to review your Type A cases
and adjust which (S)FR is charged for each one.
The Review/Charge Type As screen allows you to
do this for cases checked-in as Type As, while the
Review Converted Type As screen allows you to
do this for cases that were once transmitted as a
Type A, but were reassigned for follow-up and are
no longer Type A cases.
To access the Review/Charge Type As screen,
click on the Operations , Closeout/Cleanup ,
then click on Review/Charge Type As from the
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu. The Review/Charge
Type As screen lists all Type A noninterviews for
the month and provides the FR code to which the
Type A is currently being charged. RO staff may
review this screen and make adjustments to the FR
code as appropriate. After each change, click on
the Save icon to save the change.
Generate a Final Outcome Code Summary Report
to review the totals of each outcome code either by
FR or for the entire region.
To see additional information about a highlighted
case, click on the View More icon on the Tool bar.
You may change who is charged with a Type A
case by using the FR Code column. Clicking on
the drop-down window in the FR Code column
displays the Case Activity, assigned FR, Checked9-3
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August 2007
In status, Outcome Code, and Dates Assigned and
Received for previous versions of the case. You
may click on an FR code displayed in the dropdown window, or type in another FR code.
You can also use the Chg Outcome activity on the
tool bar to change the outcome code of the
highlighted case to another Type A outcome.
Review Converted
Type A Noninterviews
Select Review Converted Type As from the
Closeout/Cleanup activity before Populating FR
Performance data. The Review Converted
Type As screen lists all cases that meet the
following criteria:
9
The case appeared in Supervisory Review as
a Type A.
9
The case was reassigned for follow-up, and
the person who reassigned the case marked
the box to charge the current FR with a
Type A if the case is converted.
9
The case was later accepted as something
other than a Type A noninterview.
The RO staff has several options:
9
Click on Delete to remove the case from the
list. If Delete is selected, no FR will be
charged with a Type A noninterview.
9
Click on Insert to add a case that is not on
the list. The Control Number Search
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August 2007
window will appear. Scroll down the list to
find and highlight the desired case. Use the
Case Activity button to verify that the case
was reassigned. Click on OK to add the
case to the Review Converted Type As
screen. Then select the FR code to be
charged with the Type A for the case, or
type in the FR code. Finally, click on the
Save icon to save your changes.
9
Click on View More to see more
information about the case.
The purpose of charging a Type A to a specific FR
is to reflect a negative outcome for the case on the
FR’s performance. This function is optional – you
and RO management may choose whether or not
to use it. Note that cases listed on this screen do
not negatively affect your overall response rate,
and the FR who converted and completed an
interview for the case still receives credit for the
interview. The only change to the database is the
addition of the Type A to the individual
performance data of the FR charged.
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Topic 3 Overview
August 2007
Resolving Missing Cases/Closeout
Closing out an interview period is a critical part of
the NCVS RO staff's duties. The RO staff must
follow up on any outstanding cases, handle lastminute technical problems, properly resolve any
cases in Supervisory Review, and review charges
for Type A Noninterviews and converted Type A
cases (see Topic 2 of this chapter). All of these
activities must be completed before you can
closeout.
Use the Resolve Missing Cases screen, the Daily
Receipts Report, and the Cases Not Checked-In
Report to ensure that all cases are checked in and
cleared from Supervisory Review before you can
closeout. Once you account for all of your cases,
notify your NCVS liaison. You must indicate that
your RO has closed out and the time of closeout.
Check your NCVS monthly activities calendar for
details about NCVS closeout. You must closeout
out by the time indicated in order to receive credit
for an on-time closeout.
Check-In Reports
Regularly review the Daily Receipt Reports from
the Reports activity (Check-In) to identify FRs
who:
9
are not sending in work on a flow basis;
9
have several cases outstanding, or
9
have a high Type A rate as closeout day
approaches.
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Review the Cases Not Checked-In Report from the
Reports activity (Check-In) for details about cases
not yet checked-in. This report is especially useful
as closeout day approaches.
FRs Make Final
Transmission
The FRs should make their final transmission the
night before closeout day. For example, for a
Tuesday closeout day, FRs must make a final
(preset) transmission on Monday night.
Resolve Missing Cases
Screen
The Resolve Missing Cases Screen allows you to
review cases that are still outstanding and take
action to get them resolved. Although you can
access this screen anytime during the interview
period after assignments have been released, the
number of cases appearing on this screen early in
the interview period may be too large to be useful.
To access this screen, click on the Operations
menu, select Closeout/Cleanup , Resolve
Missing Cases/Closeout. The Resolve Missing
Cases screen consists of six tabs:
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Cases Not
Checked-In And
Not In Supv
Review Tab
August 2007
Cases on this tab are not in Supervisory Review
and were not checked into the database. Each of
these cases must be resolved before you can
closeout. Use the following activities on the tool
bar to act on these cases:
9
Reassign – Use this activity to reassign
case(s) to another FR to resolve the case and
transmit it in.
9
Transmit – Use this activity to immediately
transmit reassigned cases to be picked up by
(S)FRs.
9
Resolve – Use this activity to accept the
previously received version of a case – if
you had previously reassigned the case after
it was checked-in using the View/Reassign
Cases screen, or if you reassigned the case
from Supervisory Review.
Cases Not
Checked In But In
Supv Review Tab
Cases on this tab were not checked into the
database because they are in Supervisory Review.
Each of these cases must be resolved before you
can closeout. However, you cannot resolve the
cases from this tab – you must resolve them on the
appropriate Supervisory Review screen.
Cases Not in MCS
Tab
Cases on this tab were delivered to the Master
Control System (MCS) but receipt of the cases
was not been acknowledged by the MCS.
Presumably, cases on this tab are in ROSCO, but
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never made it to the MCS, so the RO should first
try to resend the case rather than having the FR
retransmit or reassign the case. You may closeout
even if there are cases on this tab.
Use the following activities on the tool bar to act
on these missing cases:
9
Redeliver – Use this icon to resend the last
checked-in version of the case to the MCS.
9
Resolve – Use this icon to send a previous
version of the case to the MCS.
Cases Pending
MCS Processing
Tab
Cases on this tab were checked-in and are waiting
to be delivered to the MCS. You may closeout
even if there are cases on this tab. No action is
necessary on your part to resolve these cases.
Spawned Cases on
Laptop Only
Cases on this tab are replacement households that
are on the laptop, but have not been checked in as
complete.
Potentially
Dangerous Cases
Not Submitted to
DAD
Cases on this tab have been “Flagged as
Potentially Dangerous and not Submitted to
DAD”.
Instructions for submitting a case to DAD from the
View/Reassign screen in ROSCO are in Chapter 2,
Section 2.1 of the DAD RO Manual.
Note: A case must be checked-in to ROSCO
before you can submit it to DAD for approval.
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August 2007
Closeout Time
The monthly closeout date and time are listed in
the monthly NCVS Office Memo and Calendar.
In most months, closeout is at Noon on the last
working day of the Interview month.
The Closeout Hand
Once there are no more cases listed on the “Cases
Not Checked In And Not In Supervisory Review”
tab AND on the “Cases Not Checked In But In
Supervisory Review” tab, the Closeout Hand
button is activated. Prior to being activated, the
inactive button will appear “grayed-out.”
Click the activated Closeout Hand button to
closeout. Clicking the closeout button
immediately creates a closeout file that is sent
directly to the MCS. The system time when the
closeout file is created becomes your closeout
time. When MCS receives the closeout file, it
automatically checks to make sure all cases are
accounted for.
Closeout Confirmation
Call or e-mail HQ (FLD-LCSB) as soon as you
closeout (“Hit the hand”).
9
Reopening for Late
Arriving Cases
If the MCS file indicates that one or more
cases is not accounted for, FLD LCSB
notifies RO that closeout is NOT complete.
TMO Support staff may be able to find the
missing case(s) in the system OR you may
have to have one or more FRs retransmit the
missing cases.
If FRs call on closeout day to indicate that they
have more completed interviews to send in after
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you have closed out, you can reopen ROSCO to
accept the late arriving cases. To reopen:
9
Call HQ (FLD-LCSB) to request a
“reopen.”
9
FLD-LSCB notifies TMO Support staff to
reopen the office. This takes only a few
minutes.
9
After you check in the late arriving cases,
click the Closeout Hand button.
9
If the Closeout Hand button is not activated,
check Supervisory Review. When you
checked in the late arriving cases, you may
have also checked in some additional cases
that may be in the “Noninterviews” or
“Duplicates” part of Supervisory Review.
9
Notify FLD-LCSB that you closed out
again.
The time of your last closeout becomes the
closeout time.
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Topic 4 -
August 2007
Closeout/Clean-Up Reports
Overview
Many reports are available in ROSCO for RO staff
to use in evaluating performance for an interview
period after closeout. By clicking on the
Operations , and Reports (or by clicking on the
Reports activity), then , Closeout/Clean-Up, you
can access any of the reports described in this
topic. Once you generate the report, use the Print
activity to print the reports, or use the Sort and
Filter activity to customize your reports as
described in Chapter 4 of this manual.
Description of Reports
Each of the different closeout/cleanup reports
contains slightly different information to evaluate
performance for the interview period. You can
experiment with the different reports to determine
which ones work best for you.
Report Converted Cases
by FR Code
The Converted Cases by FR Code report lists all
cases during the interview period that were once
Type A Noninterviews but were later converted.
This report displays the Control Number, Final FR
Code, Final Outcome, Type A FR Code, Type A
Outcome, and Type A Description for each case.
Report - Final
Status (CAPI 7)
The Final Status report provides a summary of
results of each (S)FR’s assignment. You can
generate this report sorted by FR Code or Team
Leader Code. This report has a line for each
(S)FR who completed work during the interview
period and lists the FR Code, FR Name,
Assignment Workload, # of Noninterviews, %
Noninterviews, Type As, % Type As, Response
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Rate, # of Type Bs, % Type Bs, # of Type Cs, and
% Type Cs for each.
Report - Final
Outcome Code
(CAPI 8) – RO
Totals
The Final Outcome Code – RO Totals report
provides a summary of counts of cases with each
outcome code. The report columns display
Outcome, Action, and Count.
Report - Final
Outcome Code
(CAPI 8) – FR
Totals
The Final Outcome Code – FR Totals report
provides a summary of counts of cases with each
outcome code for each FR. The report columns
display FR Code, FR Name, Outcome, Action, and
Count.
Type A, and Z
Report (CAPI 6)
The Type A, and Z Reports provides a listing of
all Type A, and Z cases, sorted by FR, with
subtotals for each. The columns display FR Code,
FR Name, Control Number, Type A Outcome, and
Number of Z’s.
Type C Report
The Type Cs Report provides a listing of the
Control Number, Outcome Code, and Description
of each Type C case accepted during the selected
interview period.
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Topic 5 Overview
August 2007
Populating the FR Performance Table
After closing out the reinterview period for both
regular interviewing and reinterview, RO staff
must save the performance information for each
interview period by populating the FR
Performance Table. This saves the performance
data for the month so that it can be accessed for
performance reports, even after cleaning up the
interview period (see Topic 6, Clean Up the
Interview Period, of this chapter for more
information on cleanup).
This ROSCO function must be done before you
can begin further steps to generate performance
reports in SPAM as described in Chapter 11 of this
manual. If, however, you want to enter
transmission goals, you must do so before
populating the FR Performance Table.
Populate the FR
Performance Table
You may only populate the performance table
once for each interview period. Follow the steps
below to perform this operation:
1.
Verify that you have the correct interview
period selected. Only one interview period
may be selected at a time.
2.
Click on the Operations menu,
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu, and select
Populate FR Performance Table.
3.
The message “Do you want to continue?” is
displayed. Click Yes.
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4.
August 2007
A message is displayed to indicate whether
the request to begin loading the
performance data was successful, and
advises that the process may take a few
minutes. Click OK. (Note: There will be no
message to inform you when the process is
complete, so allow several minutes.)
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Topic 6 -
August 2007
Clean Up the Interview Period
Overview
In the Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu of the
Operations menu is an option for Clean-Up
Interview Period. However, in ROSCO, you
cannot execute the option to clean up an interview
period until 90 days after you closeout
Reinterview for that interview period. The
monthly office memo and calendar include
reminders to clean up interview periods.
You will no longer have access to any ROSCO
information for cases from this interview period.
Clean Up Interview
Period
The ROSCO database is created to contain
adequate storage space for about three interview
periods. Each month you must verify which
interview periods are stored in your system by
clicking on the Period icon on the Tool bar, and
then cleaning up the oldest interview period as
follows:
1.
Click on the Operations menu,
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu, and select
Clean-Up Interview Period.
2.
Click “Yes” on the message box asking if
you want to continue.
3.
A message box appears reading “Request to
clean-up interview period successful.”
When these processes are complete, you will no
longer be able to access the interview period that
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was cleaned-up in the database, but your
performance data will still reflect the results from
the interview period.
Cleanup Instrument on
the Laptops
When the RO runs the Cleanup Interview Period
for ROSCO, Cleanup Instrument (.clns) files are
put on the server that will remove the Instrument
from the laptops when the FRs pick up the .clns
files. See details in Topic 7 below.
Since RO Cleanup cannot be run until 90 days
after reinterview closeout for the month, the
instrument file stays on the laptop about three
months longer than the cases.
For example, the Cleanup Cases (.clnp) files for
June are put out a few days after June reinterview
closeout (the 2nd week in July).
The Cleanup Instrument (.clns) files for June are
put out in October (90 days after June reinterview
closeout).
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Topic 7 -
August 2007
Clean Up the Laptops
Overview
In the Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu of the
Operations menu is an option for Clean-Up Laptop
that removes the monthly cases from the laptops.
Cleanup Monthly Cases
on Laptops
The monthly office memo and calendar include
reminders to run Clean-Up Laptop a few days after
the monthly reinterview closeout.
1.
Click on the Operations menu,
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu, and select
Clean-Up Laptop.
2.
Click “Yes” on the message box indicating
that this will delete all cases from the FR’s
laptops if you continue.
This puts a Cleanup Cases (.clnp) file for the
Interview Period on the server for every FR.
When an FR picks up the .clnp file, their laptop
computer cleans up cases and puts a message in
the Tranlog file indicating cases for the Interview
Period were cleaned up.
Cleanup Monthly
Instrument on Laptops
When the RO runs an RO Cleanup an Interview
Period, a Cleanup Instrument (.clns) file for the
Interview Period is put on the server for every FR.
When an FR picks up the .clns file, their laptop
cleans up the instrument and puts a message in the
Translog file indicating the instrument for the
Interview Period was cleaned up.
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Chapter 10. Reinterview
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
Overview of NCVS Reinterview
10-2
2.
Sample Selection
10-4
3.
Supervisor’s Responsibilities
10-8
4.
Reinterview Assignment
Activities
10-10
5.
Focused and Supplemental
Quality Control Reinterview
10-15
6.
Monitoring Reinterview Progress
10-18
7.
Suspected Falsification, FollowUp, and Feedback
10-22
8.
Reinterview Outcome Codes
10-31
9.
Reinterview Closeout Operations
10-32
Appendix 10A -
Quality Control and
Response Error
Outcome and Action
Codes
10-35
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Topic 1 -Overview of NCVS Reinterview
Overview
This chapter provides an outline of the NCVS
CAPI Reinterview (RI) program and general
instructions for the office operations associated
with RI. Additional details on NCVS-specific RI
procedures for SFRs are provided in NCVS-546,
the NCVS Reinterviewer’s Manual.
Purpose of NCVS
Reinterview
The primary objective of the NCVS RI program is
to identify FRs who falsify interviews and/or
misclassify noninterviews. This is a method
known as Quality Control (QC) RI. A secondary
objective is to collect data to evaluate questions, a
practice which is called Response Error (RE) RI.
Reinterview is a significant part of FR quality
control. It allows us to measure error in coverage
of the population arising out of failure to conduct
interviews at the correct household, noninterview
misclassification, missed units, or incorrect
application of definitions of housing units and
household membership. Reinterview also prevents
and identifies instances of data falsification.
It is extremely important that reinterviewers and
office staff understand the importance of keeping
confidential the names of selected FRs and the
control numbers of selected cases. Reinterview is
compromised if the FR has advance knowledge
that any of his or her cases will be reinterviewed.
NCVS RI is conducted by a program supervisors,
supervisory survey clerks, and SFRs trained on
NCVS, or a member of RO management staff. The
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reinterviewer must be trained on the NCVS Survey
and be familiar with NCVS RI procedures.
Note that neither a supervisory survey clerk nor an
SFR may reinterview another supervisory survey
clerk or SFR. Only a supervisor or a member of
RO management may reinterview supervisory
survey clerks or SFRs.
Timing of NCVS
Reinterview
Reinterview cases should be assigned as soon as
possible. Reinterviews should be completed
within two weeks of the original interview.
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Topic 2 -Sample Selection
Types of CAPI
Reinterview
Reinterview is conducted on about 2 percent of the
NCVS workload. The primary goal of QC
reinterview is to detect and discourage FR data
falsification. The Response Error (RE) portion of
the QC reinterview is designed to evaluate the
response error of specific questions asked during
the interview. The reinterview sample is selected
at HQ right after assignments are released. The
reinterview sample person, about whom the RE
questions are asked, is chosen as complete original
cases are processed at HQ.
There are two other types of reinterview:
supplemental QC reinterview and focused
reinterview. Supplemental QC reinterview allows
the RO staff to add FRs to the QC reinterview.
Focused reinterview allows Headquarters to add
specific cases for FRs to the QC reinterview.
The QC Sample
The QC reinterview uses a modified generic
reinterview instrument. It uses a few questions to
verify that the FR visited the household, and then
it asks questions about the crimes that happened to
the reinterview sample person.
Groups of FRs are selected for QC reinterview
every month in a way that results in FRs being
selected for QC reinterview several times a year.
HQ send a monthly list of the FRs selected for QC
reinterview to the ROs prior to NCVS Interview
Week. See the NCVS Monthly Calendar for the
date. The number of cases selected for each FR is
determined by their interview experience.
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9
FRs with less than five years of experience,
as measured from their EOD (entered on
duty) date, are considered “inexperienced ”
FRs with five or more years of experience
are considered “experienced. ”
9
Four reinterview cases are selected for each
inexperienced FR.
9
Seven reinterview cases are selected for
each experienced FR.
9
Inexperienced FR groups are selected for
reinterview twice a year. Experienced FR
groups are selected for reinterview once a
year.
The reinterview sample includes interviewed cases
as well as Type B and Type C noninterviews.
Some selected cases become ineligible during the
interview process. Ineligible cases include:
9
Type A noninterviews
9
Observed cases (if the flag is set properly see Topic 5, Observer’s Instructions, in
Chapter 5, Training and Observations)
9
Cases that were reassigned to a different
RO.
As cases are screened from reinterview during the
month, you will see the reinterview workload
decline in the QC and RE progress reports.
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Reinterview
Sample Person
August 2007
The reinterview rephrases seven crime and
vandalism questions from the original interview to
re-ask questions about crime affecting the
reinterview sample person. This is necessary to
evaluate the individual questions for response
error.
The reinterview sample person is randomly chosen
from eligible household members of in the
reinterview sample. Household members are
eligible for reinterview if they are at least 12 years
of age and have complete interviews. The RE
analysis evaluates how specific NCVS questions
are answered.
The Supplemental QC
Sample
The supplemental QC reinterview is conducted
with the NCVS reinterview instrument.
Supplemental QC reinterview allows the RO staff
to “add” QC cases for specific FRs that are not
already in QC reinterview. Additions can be made
during two time frames.
The Focused
Reinterview Sample
9
FRs added to supplemental QC reinterview
BEFORE you release assignments – cases
are selected along with regular QC and RI
cases by HQ.
9
FRs added to supplemental QC reinterview
AFTER you release assignments – RO staff
select the cases.
The focused reinterview is conducted with the
NCVS reinterview instrument.
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Focused reinterview allows Headquarters staff to
“add” QC cases for specific FRs when there are
unusual performance and/or data characteristics.
Additions are made weekly, as Headquarters staff
review performance and data characteristics.
Since cases selected for focused reinterview have
unusual characteristics, it is necessary that those
cases be reinterviewed.
Reinterview Types
There are four types of reinterview cases for the
NCVS:
Types of Reinterview Cases
04
05
06
QC - Quality Control CAPI cases
Supplemental QC cases (when RO
selects extra FRs before releasing
assignments)
Supplemental QC cases (when RO
activates cases after releasing
assignments)
The random reinterview cases are reinterview
sample type 04. The focused reinterview cases are
06s.
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Topic 3 -Supervisor’s Responsibilities
It is the NCVS program supervisor’s responsibility
to ensure that all eligible RI cases are:
9
Assigned to a reinterviewer as soon as
possible (except inactive cases that the
supervisor does not wish to activate, unless
Headquarters requests that the cases be
activated);
9
Transmitted to a reinterviewer as the RI
Input files are received;
9
Reinterviewed; and
9
Checked into ROSCO as they are completed
prior to the scheduled due date.
In addition, the supervisor must:
9
Follow-up and resolve all cases of suspected
falsification;
9
Flag FRs for supplemental RI and/or
activate supplemental QC cases when
necessary;
9
Run the Missing RI Input for RI Cases
Report regularly throughout the month, and
notify FLD Labor and Crime Surveys of any
potential problems;
9
Review weekly reinterview progress reports
issued by FLD Labor and Crime Surveys,
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ensuring that the reinterview workload is
being completed in a timely manner; and
9
Close out RI in ROSCO according to the
date provided on the NCVS Monthly
Activities Calendar.
The reinterviewer may provide positive feedback
to the FR/SFR if there are no errors or problems
discovered during reinterview. If there are minor
errors or problems, the reinterviewer may call the
FR/SFR and discuss the errors. The reinterviewer
may offer suggestions to assist in correcting faulty
techniques or concepts.
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Topic 4 -Reinterview Assignment Activities
Before SFRs Can
Receive RI Cases
The RI PIN (pre-input) file for each Interview
Period is loaded into ROSCO before the interview
period begins. Once loaded, RO staff can begin to
make RI assignments. However, unlike regular
NCVS, the SCIF (sample control input file) files
do not load for reinterview all at the same time.
RI SCIF files load on a flow basis.
The RI SCIF file for a specific reinterview case
usually loads into ROSCO the day after the case
has been checked into regular NCVS. Before a
reinterview case can be picked up by an SFR:
9
The case must be assigned to an SFR
9
The SCIF file for the case must be loaded
into ROSCO
9
ROSCO must have put the case out on the
telecom server.
Usually, RI SCIF files are received just before
noon for regular NCVS cases that were checked in
on the previous day. A scheduled job(ri_frassign)
runs at 4:00 p.m. ET that puts those cases on the
telecom server for the SFRs to pick up with their
next transmission.
RI SCIF files are not created for Type A
noninterviews, observed and reassigned cases
because they are ineligible for reinterview.
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Make Reinterview
Assignments
August 2007
To assign RI cases:
1.
Click on the Operations , Reinterview and
, Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments.
2.
Click on Unassigned Cases (All) on the
Option Selection List, then click OK.
3.
The Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments
Screen is displayed with all of the selected
RI cases for the interview period.
4.
Assign a reinterviewer by highlighting a
row and either keying in the SFR code in
the Reint FR column, or by highlighting the
row and click on the Assign activity on the
Tool bar and select the SFR from the SFR
Search window. Hold down and
press to highlight and assign
multiple rows.
5.
Click on the Save icon to save the
assignment.
NOTE: When the RI assignments are first
loaded into ROSCO, the interview outcome
for the cases is blank since the original case
has not yet have been completed. When you
assign an RI case that has an entry in the
interview outcome field (which means the
interview was completed), you may
immediately send it to the field by clicking
on the Release and Transmit activity on the
tool bar.
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Release Reinterview
Assignments
Highlight all of the assigned cases and click the on
the Release activity to release the assignments
after you make your initial RI assignments. RI
cases are then automatically released and
transmitted to the field each day as input files are
created and received. However, you should also
check regularly throughout the interview period
for unreleased and unassigned cases (see sub-topic
“When RI Cases Become Unassigned” below).
Reassign a Reinterview
Case
The ROSCO menu you must use to reassign a RI
case is dependent upon whether or not the case
was released to the field. If the case in question
does not yet have an input file and has not been
released to the reinterviewer, it is displayed on the
Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments screen.
Select either Unreleased Cases (All) or Adjust
Assignments (Query) to reassign the case.
If an input file for the case was received and the
case was released to the reinterviewer, access the
View/Reassign Reinterview Cases screen (see
Topic 6 of this chapter) to reassign the case.
When Reinterview Cases
Become Unassigned
The reinterview cases are assigned by the RO staff
like regular interview assignments. Reinterview
cases, however, can become “unassigned” if one
of the following conditions is met:
9
The SFR assigned to the reinterview case is
the same person who completed the original
interview. The FR code field is
automatically changed to blank for that
case. The case is then displayed as
unassigned in the Make/Adjust Reinterview
Assignments–Unassigned Cases (All)
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option in ROSCO. This occurs because an
interviewer may not reinterview a case for
which he or she completed a regular
interview.
9
The person who completed the original
interview has an “employee_type” of SFR
(S), Team Leader (T), or RO Management
(M) as displayed on the Edit FR Survey
Data Screen in ROSCO. In this case, the FR
code field that indicates which FR is
assigned to conduct the interview is
automatically changed to blank. The case is
then displayed as unassigned in the
Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments –
Unassigned Cases (All) option ROSCO.
This occurs because cases where
employee_type equals M, S, or T are
considered “difficult” cases that should be
reviewed and assigned personally by the RO
staff.
Cases in these situations must be assigned
manually by the RO staff. Since RI cases may
become unassigned on a flow basis as input files
are received, the NCVS supervisor should
regularly check ROSCO for unassigned cases and
assign them to a proper reinterviewer using the
Make/Adjust RI Assignments screen.
Reinterview Assignment
Reports
The reinterviewer’s laptop does not indicate
whether he or she will receive an RI assignment
that month until the first RI case appears in the
reinterviewer’s case management. Therefore, it is
important to send reinterviewers an email message
notifying them about their assignments, and, if
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August 2007
appropriate, send them a paper assignment listing
(CAPI-35).
To print a CAPI-35:
1.
Click on Operations , Reports or click on
the Reports activity on the toolbar.
2.
Double-click on Reinterview.
3.
Double-click on RI List of Assigned Cases
(CAPI-35).
4.
Click on the Print activity.
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Topic 5 -Focused and Supplemental Quality Control
Reinterviews
Overview
If Headquarters staff determines there is sufficient
reason to conduct reinterview of specific cases for
specific FRs (unusual performance or data
characteristics), Headquarters will instruct you to
activate specific inactive supplemental reinterview
cases. Activation of these cases is not optional.
Once activated, they must be completed.
If you believe that there is sufficient reason to
conduct additional RI of an FR’s work (for
example, if there are indications of falsification),
you may activate additional cases in ROSCO by
accessing the Assign Supplemental QC Cases
function. The supervisor may only activate a
supplemental RI case after the original interview is
checked-in and an RI input file is received. The
supervisor has the option of assigning the
activated cases to another reinterviewer or to
him/herself. Although activating any
supplemental QC cases is optional, once activated,
the cases must be completed.
You also have the option to place an FR into
supplemental QC RI for the next interview period
by accessing the Select Supplemental QC FRs
activity in ROSCO. When this is done, HQ
automatically selects a subset of the FR’s
assignment during the next interview period.
Procedure for Activating
Inactive Supplemental
QC Cases
Follow the steps below to activate and assign an
inactive RI case during the current interview
period:
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1.
Click on the Operations , Reinterview ,
and Assign Supplemental QC Cases.
2.
Select the FR who completed the original
interview from the FR search window, then
click OK.
3.
Select the case you wish to activate, and
click on the Assign activity on the tool bar.
Remember that only checked-in cases are
displayed here.
4.
Select the person who will conduct the
reinterview from the FR Search window,
then click OK.
5.
Click on the Save activity to save your
assignment.
6.
Click on the Release activity then the
Transmit activity to transmit the case to the
assigned reinterviewer. The case is picked
up during the reinterviewer’s next
transmission. (These cases are assigned a
RI Type Code 06 – see Topic 2.)
Activated inactive cases become eligible for
reinterview again using the same rules as regular
reinterview cases. The remaining inactive cases,
which were not activated, are cleared from the
central database when reinterview closes out.
Procedure for Selecting
Supplemental QC FRs
To select an FR for a supplemental QC RI
assignment in a future interview period, follow
these steps before releasing regular interview
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assignments to the field for that interview
period:
1.
Click on Operations , Reinterview ,
Supplemental QC FRs.
2.
Click on the Insert FR activity on the
toolbar.
3.
Key in the interview period (YYYY/MM).
4.
Click on the Save activity to save your
changes, or click on the Delete FR activity
to remove the FR from supplemental QC RI.
HQ selects a sample of that FR’s assignment for
QC RI during the interview period selected. You
assign these cases by accessing the Make/Adjust
Reinterview Assignments screen. (These cases are
assigned a RI Type Code 05.)
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Topic 6 -Monitoring Reinterview Progress
Overview
Many of the activities you perform to monitor RI
progress are similar to the activities for monitoring
progress and checking in work for regular NCVS
assignments. See Chapter 2 of this manual for an
overview of these activities.
Transmissions and
Utilities for Reinterview
The process to view the In and Out Directories and
to make transmissions for RI works very similarly
to the way these operations are executed for
regular NCVS cases, as described in Chapter 7 of
this manual. For each of these functions, select
Reinterview instead of Interview on the dialog
box.
Reinterview Check-In
The check-in process for RI is completed
somewhat differently from regular NCVS
interviewing. To run RI check-in:
1.
Click on Operations , Reinterview.
2.
Select Run Reinterview Check-In.
3.
Click “Yes” at the confirmation question
dialog box.
Check the In Directory for RI to verify that the RI
files checked-in properly. Automatic RI check-ins
run daily.
Reinterview Progress
Reports in ROSCO
There are two reports available in ROSCO to help
you monitor progress with your RI workload. To
access these reports, click on the Reports activity
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or click on Operations , Reports from the dropdown menu.
At the Reports screen, click on Reinterview to
view the various RI reports that are available.
9
QC Reinterview Daily Receipts Report –
provides information on cases received for
each reinterviewer
9
Missing RI Input for Reinterview Cases
Report – provides a list of RI cases that
were checked-in and are missing input files.
Use these two reports to monitor progress on the
RI workload.
Reinterview Supervisory
Review
Supervisory Review for RI functions very much
like Supervisory Review for regular NCVS
interviewing. See Chapter 7 for additional
information about NCVS interview Supervisory
Review.
To access RI Supervisory Review, click ,
Operations , Reinterview , Reinterview
Supervisory Review.
One additional feature available on the Option
Selection list for RI Supervisory Review is the
Suspected Falsification option. Accessing this
option displays a screen that lists all RI cases for
which the reinterviewer indicated in the case that
falsification was suspected. The supervisor may
accept, reassign, or eliminate the case, just as
he/she can with the other Supervisory Review
options. When the supervisor accepts a suspected
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falsification case, a pop-up window is displayed
requesting notes to explain the case. Topic 7 of
this chapter contains more information on the
11-163 and what to enter in this notes field.
Remember, you must resolve any cases in RI
Supervisory Review prior to closeout, which may
often occur before you finalize the investigation
of a case.
View/Reassign
Reinterview Cases
The View/Reassign Reinterview Cases screen
functions in the same way as the View/Reassign
Cases screen for regular NCVS interviewing.
Access this screen by clicking Operations ,
Reinterview , and View/Reassign Reinterview
Cases. RI cases with input files and were sent to
the field are accessible on the View/Reassign
Reinterview Cases screen. RI cases without input
files can only be reassigned by accessing the
Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments screen.
For more information on the features of the
View/Reassign cases screen for regular NCVS
interview, see Chapter 7 of this manual.
Flagging Observed
Cases
Observed cases are not eligible to be selected for
RI, as discussed in Topic 2 of this chapter.
Instruct observers to flag cases as observed on the
(S)FR’s laptop at the time of the interview and
observation, but before the (S)FR transmits the
case. Flagging observed cases on the interviewing
(S)FR’s laptop (not on the reinterviewer’s laptop)
marks those cases ineligible for RI. This ensures
that RI input files are not created for these cases
(and thus are not be sent out to be reinterviewed ).
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It is important for an observer to remember to flag
an observed case. If the observer overlooks
marking the case as observed, then it may be
selected for RI. Once a case is selected for RI, it
cannot be eliminated from your RO’s RI workload.
At that point the supervisor must decide whether
to complete the RI case or mark it as a Type A RO Discretion noninterview.
See Topic 5, Observer’s Instructions (in Chapter 5,
Training and Observations) for details on flagging
an observed case.
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Topic 7 -Suspected Falsification, Follow-Up, and
Feedback
Falsification
Reinterview is the most frequent method of
identifying suspected data falsification.
Discrepancies detected during reinterview may be
the result of respondent errors, FR errors, or
falsification. Falsification is knowing deviation
from current interviewing procedures to avoid
interviewing or properly classifying units.
Falsification includes not only making up
information, but accepting proxy information from
a non-eligible person or in cases requiring selfresponse. The acceptance of proxy information in
this instance is considered falsification when the
field representative knowingly deviates from the
correct procedure and attempts to conceal that he
or she has done so.
When falsification is suspected as a result of
reinterviewing, there are specific procedures that
must be followed.
Reinterview
Discrepancies
Discrepancies detected in the reinterview may be
the result of respondent errors, FR errors, or
falsification. The reinterviewer and Program
Supervisor must determine the cause of
discrepancies and take appropriate action.
Quality Control
Reinterview
Discrepancies the generic QC reinterview might
detect include:
9
Roster errors
9
Misclassified noninterviews
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9
August 2007
-
eligible units misclassified as
ineligible (for example, an occupied
unit misclassified as vacant).
-
ineligible units misclassified as a
different type of ineligible (for
example, a type C Noninterview
misclassified as a type B).
Wrong unit interviewed. Sometimes the
reinterviewer may determine that the FR
interviewed an incorrect unit, rather than the
designated sample unit.
If the reinterviewer suspects that discrepancies are
caused by FR falsification, he or she should contact the Program Supervisor immediately. The
reinterviewer should not contact the FR. The
Program Supervisor must discuss the situation
with the appropriate subject matter branch or FLD
Team at Field Division, Headquarters.
If the discrepancies are the result of errors rather
than falsification, the reinterviewer or the Program
Supervisor should give the FR feedback about the
errors.
Supervisory Review
The Program Supervisor must examine in
Supervisory Review each case with a reinterview
action code ending in “1” (see Topic 8 for
technical details). These cases include:
9
Suspected falsification.
9
Eligible unit misclassified as a
Noninterview.
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Falsification Suspected
August 2007
9
Wrong unit interviewed.
9
Cases with other discrepancies (e.g.,
accepting proxy information, not asking
specified questions).
For the “suspected falsification” cases, the
Suspected Falsification Follow-up Screen is
displayed in Supervisory Review. The Program
Supervisor should review the original interview
notes and the reinterviewer notes to determine
whether he or she agrees that falsification should
be suspected.
If the Program Supervisor agrees that falsification
is suspected, or if he cannot conclusively
determine that no falsification occurred, then
falsification is suspected and the supervisor must
prepare a Field Representative Data Falsification
Follow-up Form 11-163. Supervisors must also
indicate in the Suspected Falsification Follow-up
Screen that they will prepare a Form 11-163.
Note: If the supervisor considers the reinterview
evidence to be inconclusive, the supervisor
must treat the case as suspected
falsification. For example, if no one in the
household remembers the FR’s contact or if
they are unsure of whether the FR
conducted the interview, the case is
inconclusive. The supervisor should
complete Form 11-163 and carry out a
thorough investigation of the current
assignment.
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If the supervisor places the FR in supplemental
reinterview for a subsequent assignment and the
supplemental reinterview also finds cases of
suspected falsification, then the supervisor must
complete a separate Form 11-163 for that
assignment.
Follow up in
Current
Assignment
The supervisor must investigate additional cases in
the current assignment to confirm the falsification
or clear the FR.
Complete Form
11-163
The Program Supervisor must complete Form
11-163, Field Representative Data Falsification
Follow-up Form, every time there is an
assignment where an FR is suspected of falsifying
data.
Send Yellow
Cover Page to
Headquarters
Within two weeks of suspected falsification,
complete page 1 of the Form 11-163, remove the
top copy of page 1 (yellow cover-page) and send it
to the Headquarters office listed below.
Via postal mail:
Chief, Field Division/MRB
U.S. Census Bureau
4700 Silver Hill Road
Room 1784/FOB-3, Mail Stop #5700
Washington, DC 20233
Via express delivery:
Chief, Field Division/MRB
U.S. Census Bureau
4700 Silver Hill Road
Room 1784/FOB-3
Suitland, MD 20746
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Focused Reinterview
Cases
August 2007
Complete and send Forms 11-163 for focused
reinterview cases to Method and Performance
Evaluation Branch, just as you would any other
Form 11-163.
To clearly identify falsification detected in the
focused reinterview, complete items 1 and 2 of
Section II on page 1 of the Form 11-163 as
follows:
Complete the
Remainder of
Form 11-163
Item 1 -
Mark box a, ‘Reinterview results.’
Item 2 -
Mark box b, ‘Focused Reinterview.’
Item 3 -
Mark all that apply in item 3.
Complete the remainder of the form after the
investigation is complete and a decision on the
action the RO plans to take is made. If possible,
the final form should be sent to HQ within two
months of sending the yellow copy.
For all cases, make certain that the situation has
been thoroughly investigated before completing
Sections III, IV, and V -- even if this delays full
completion of the Form 11-163 for several
months. Do not send the original form to
Headquarters until Section IV has been
completed.
Additional Requirements
for Follow-up of
Suspected Falsification
If the reinterview results suggest that an FR
falsified one or more cases, also follow the
requirements specified in the Regional Office
Administrative Manual and in the memorandum
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from the Field Division Chief to all Regional
Directors concerning data falsification.
If the reinterviewer suspects falsification and
needs additional information about the original
interview to investigate the current assignment, the
RO may request original interview responses from
the appropriate Field Division subject matter
branch at Headquarters.
Contact Subject
Matter Branch at
Headquarters
If you suspect a FR has falsified data, immediately
discuss what action to take with the FLD Team or
appropriate subject matter branch of Field
Division. We also suggest assigning supplemental
reinterview cases for the FR.
Do Not Take Any
Administrative
Action until
Notified
In all circumstances, do not take any
administrative action (i.e., termination) until
Management Services Branch, Field Division
notifies you to do so.
Falsification Not
Suspected
The supervisor may respond on the Follow-up
Screen that no falsification occurred only for cases
where he or she is confident no falsification
occurred.
When the supervisor determines no falsification
occurred he or she must:
C
Respond “No” to the question, “Do you plan
to prepare a Field Representative Data
Falsification Follow-up Form 11-163?”
C
Provide a complete, conclusive explanation
in the Follow-up Screen why falsification is
not suspected. Simply entering
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“Falsification not suspected” is not an
adequate explanation for not completing and
sending a Form 11-163 (see examples of
adequate reasons in Table 1).
The only time discrepancies between the original
interview and the reinterview should not be
considered suspected falsification is when an error
caused the discrepancy. For example:
9
an instrument error,
9
a reinterviewer error,
9
a respondent error, or
9
a good faith error by the field
representative.
In these situations, the supervisor need not
complete a form 11-163. Remember, if the
supervisor cannot conclusively determine that an
error caused the discrepancy, the case must be
considered suspected falsification.
Detailed Instructions for
Completion of the
Form 11-163
Refer to pages 9 through 11 of the Form 11-163,
Field Representative Data Falsification Follow-up
Form for detailed instructions for completion of
the Form 11-163.
Frequently Asked
Questions for
Completion of
Form 11-163
Refer to pages 7 and 8 of the Form 11-163 a list of
questions and answers about completing the
11-163.
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Table 1. Reasons for Not Filling out a Form 11-63, Field Representative
Data Falsification Form
Instrument error The respondent remembers talking to an FR, but no data
that the respondent reported shows up in the reinterview
instrument. The original FR made no notes in the INOTES
section about any problems with the case. This discrepancy
could be caused by a problem in the original instrument, in
CAPI Control, or in the reinterview instrument.
The SFR should talk to the FR to clarify the situation and
determine whether the problem occurred in the original
instrument. If so, the SFR should remind the FR to
document any problems in the INOTES section.
Reinterviewer
error
The FR completed an interview, but the respondent moved
out of the unit before the reinterview. The reinterviewer
thought that the unit was vacant at the time of the original
interview and misclassified the case as suspected
falsification.
Respondent
error
The respondent remembered talking to the FR, but did not
think it was during the interview period. The reinterviewer
noted that the respondent seemed confused and may not be
reliable. The Supervisor is confident that the respondent
error caused the discrepancy.
Note: In cases such as this example, it is still a good idea
to place the FR in supplemental reinterview for the next
assignment.
Good faith FR
error
An FR misclassified an AHS case as Vacant, rather than
URE occupied.
The Program Supervisor’s investigation showed that unit
was rented for varying periods around the time of the
original interview. The Program Supervisor felt that the FR
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Feedback
August 2007
If the reinterview finds no discrepancies from the
original interview, the reinterviewer should
contact the FR to commend him or her on a job
well done.
If the reinterview finds discrepancies that resulted
from FR errors, the FR should receive feedback
about these errors.
Minor Errors
The reinterviewer or the Program Supervisor
should call the FR to discuss minor errors. The
reinterviewer should offer suggestions for
correcting faulty techniques or erroneous
concepts.
Serious Errors
If the discrepancies indicate serious errors or
possible falsification, the reinterviewer should not
call the FR regarding the reinterview, nor mention
to the FR that they were in the reinterview. The
Program Supervisor should discuss the reinterview
with the FR. The Program Supervisor may
decide to put the FR in supplemental reinterview
to resolve any questions about the quality of the
FR’s work.
The Program Supervisor, in consultation with his
or her coordinator, may elect to retrain FRs whose
reinterviews indicate they are having serious
problems with the survey concepts, procedures, or
interviews. This may be done by a phone
discussion, by special needs observation, or by
having the FR attend all or part of initial training
again.
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Topic 8 -Reinterview Outcome Codes
Reinterview vs.
Interview Outcome
Codes
The reinterview outcome codes listed in the table
in Appendix 10A refer to the outcome of the
reinterview, not the original interview outcome
code as shown in Appendix 8A, CAPI Outcome
and Action Codes, of Chapter 8, Noninterviews.
These reinterview outcome codes are applicable to
all CAPI reinterviews. Many of the RI outcome
codes correspond to their equivalent in the original
interview. However, some do not. Also, there are
some original outcome codes that are not listed as
possible RI outcome codes because they are not
realistic outcomes for reinterview. However, there
are some reinterview outcome codes that are not
original outcome codes.
Assignment of Codes
The reinterview instrument sets the QC outcome
(reinterview disposition) and RI outcome codes
based on the entries to the reinterview questions.
Case Management assigns the action code based
on the RI outcome code.
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Topic 9 -Reinterview Closeout Operations
Overview
In order to closeout NCVS RI each month, RO
staff must follow-up on any outstanding cases,
resolve last minute technical problems, and
resolve any cases in RI Supervisory Review. The
primary tool to close out RI is the Resolve Missing
Reinterview Cases screen.
Resolve Missing
Reinterview Cases
Screen
The Resolve Missing Reinterview Cases screen
allows you to review RO cases that are still
outstanding and take action to get them resolved.
To access this screen, click on Operations ,
Reinterview , Resolve Missing Reinterview
Cases.
The screen is very similar to the Resolve Missing
Cases screen for regular NCVS interviewing,
discussed in Chapter 9 of this manual. Refer to
Chapter 9 to review the general features of that
screen. Note there is one tab page on the Resolve
Missing Reinterview Cases screen that is not on
the Resolve Missing Cases screen. This screen is
titled Cases With No Input Received. This tab
lists all cases for which RI input has not been
received. This list becomes smaller over the
course of the RI period as RI input files are
created. You will not be able to closeout RI if
cases remain on this tab. Check the column
“Intv Checked In” to see whether the
corresponding original NCVS case was received.
If a “Y” is displayed in this column, then the
original case was received and an input file should
have been created. In this situation, submit a
remedy ticket AND notify your FLD Labor and
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Crime Surveys. Review the Missing RI Input for
RI Cases report throughout the RI cycle to
prevent problems at closeout due to cases
appearing on this tab.
Reinterview Close Out
Once all cases from the Resolve Missing
Reinterview Cases screen are accounted for, the
Closeout activity displays the image of a hand.
Before you click on the Closeout activity, you
must make sure that all cases are resolved. Click
the Closeout activity on or before the date
specified on your NCVS Monthly Activities
Calendar.
The date that you closeout reinterview is used to
determine when an Interview Period can be
Cleaned Up. You cannot Clean Up an Interview
Period in ROSCO until 90 days after the date of
Reinterview Closeout. If you try to clean up
sooner, an error message reminding you of the 90
day rule is displayed.
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Appendix 10A - Quality Control and Response Error Outcome
and Action Codes
Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1
Disposition
2
Outcome
Action
Description
No Suspected Falsification
N/A
200
00
New case, not started
N/A
202
01
Accessed instrument, no interview or insufficient
partial
001
201
10
Original interview or noninterview verified as correct
Type A Noninterviews
003
214
21
Unable to complete, bad telephone number
013
214
21
Unable to locate
014
216
21
No one home
015
217
21
Temporarily absent
033
218
21
Refused
034
213
21
Language problem
035
218
21
Respondent can’t remember
036
215
21
Insufficient partial
037
219
21
Other Type A
Type B Noninterviews
017
226
31
Vacant, regular
019
227
31
Vacant, storage of household furniture
020
230
31
Converted to temporary business or storage
021
231
31
Unoccupied mobile home, trailer, or tent site
022
234
31
HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible
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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1
Disposition
2
Outcome
Action
Description
023
228
31
Unfit, to be demolished
038
224
31
Entire HH under or over age limit
039
225
31
Temporarily occupied by persons with URE – regular
041
233
31
Other Type B
Type C Noninterviews
024
240
41
Demolished
025
241
41
House or trailer moved
026
243
41
Converted to permanent business or storage
027
245
41
Condemned
030
250
41
Deceased
031
251
41
Moved out of country
042
248
41
Other Type C
Misclassified Cases
043
301
11
Originally classified as a B, should have been an
Interview or Type A
044
301
11
Originally classified as a C, should have been an
Interview or Type A
046
301
11
Originally classified as a B, should have been a C
048
301
11
Originally classified as a C, should have been a B
058
301
11
Other misclassification – specify in the notes
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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1
Disposition
2
Outcome
Action
Description
Discrepancy Cases
004
301
11
Discrepancy – laptop not used
005
301
11
Discrepancy – not all questions asked in original
interview
006
301
11
Discrepancy - use of proxy in original when self
response is required
007
301
11
Discrepancy - use of ineligible proxy in original when
proxy is allowed
009
301
11
Discrepancy - incorrect HH roster
011
301
11
Discrepancy - telephone interview when personal visit
required
012
301
11
Other discrepancy – no suspected Falsification
RO/HQ Discretion
029
312
21
HQ discretion – permanent (sample adjustment)
052
311
21
RO discretion – permanent (hard to interview original
case)
053
312
21
RO discretion – temporary (more than 50 miles from
nearest reinterviewer and no telephone number)
21
RO discretion – temporary (observed during the
original interview)
054
312
055
312
21
RO discretion – temporary (personal visit needed, but
not authorized)
056
312
21
HQ discretion – temporary (case management, CAPI
control problems)
057
312
21
RO discretion – temporary (other)
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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1
Disposition
2
Outcome
Action
Description
Suspected Falsification
060
301
11
Suspected falsification of a case turned in as an
interview
Type A Noninterviews
105
214
21
Unable to complete, bad telephone number
067
214
21
Unable to locate
068
216
21
No one home
069
217
21
Temporarily absent
086
218
21
Refused
087
213
21
Language problem
089
215
21
Insufficient partial
090
219
21
Other Type A
Type B Noninterviews
071
226
31
Vacant, regular
072
326
31
Vacant, seasonal
073
227
31
Vacant, storage of household furniture
074
230
31
Converted to temporary business or storage
075
231
31
Unoccupied tent or trailer site
076
234
31
HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible
077
228
31
Unfit, to be demolished
091
224
31
Entire HH under or over age limit
092
225
31
Temporarily occupied by persons with URE – regular
093
225
31
Temporarily occupied by persons with URE - seasonal
094
233
31
Other Type B
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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1
Disposition
2
Outcome
Action
Description
Type C Noninterviews
078
240
41
Demolished
079
241
41
House or trailer moved
080
243
41
Converted to permanent business or storage
081
245
41
Condemned
083
250
41
Deceased
084
251
41
Moved out of country
095
248
41
Other Type C
Misclassified Cases
096
301
11
Originally classified as a B, should have been an
Interview or Type A
097
301
11
Originally classified as a C, should have been an
Interview or Type A
099
301
11
Originally classified as a B, should have been a C
101
301
11
Originally classified as a C, should have been a B
103
301
11
Other misclassification – specify in the notes
Discrepancy Cases
061
301
11
Discrepancy – incorrect HH roster
062
301
11
Discrepancy – not all questions asked in interview
301
11
Discrepancy - use of proxy in original when self
response is required
301
11
Discrepancy - use of ineligible proxy in original when
proxy is allowed
065
301
11
Wrong unit/person visited originally
066
301
11
Other discrepancy - suspected falsification
063
064
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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1
Disposition
2
Outcome
Action
Description
111
301
11
Discrepancy - telephone interview when personal visit
required
112
301
11
Discrepancy – laptop not used (RESERVE)
1.Disposition of Quality Control Outcome Code:
001-059 = no suspected falsification
060+ = suspected falsification
2.All cases excepted outcome codes 200, 202, and 201 to go Supervisory Review.
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Chapter 11. Performance of the NCVS Staff
Chapter Contents
This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.
Overview
11-2
2.
Monitoring Monthly Performance
11-4
3.
Generating the 11-39, Summary of
FR Performance
11-7
4.
Conducting Performance Appraisal
11-9
5.
Evaluating Clerical Performance
11-11
Appendix 11A Performance
Statistics
11-13
11-1
Performance of the NCVS Staff
NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Topic 1 -
August 2007
Overview
Responsibility for
Employee Development
The RO Supervisors are responsible for
developing each employee to his or her fullest
potential. Employee development can only be
accomplished by providing meaningful feedback
on a continuing basis.
By acknowledging strong points and highlighting
areas for improvement, the RO supervisors can
monitor employee progress and take appropriate
steps toward improvement in weak areas.
The requirements for the FR and clerical positions
must be mutually understood by the employee and
the supervisor at the time of recruitment.
Additional information is provided to the
employee through training, observations,
memoranda, and supervisory instruction.
Measuring FR
Performance
Field Representative performance is measured by
a combination of:
9
response and production rates;
9
transmission rates;
9
reinterview and observation results;
9
timely submission of payrolls;
9
attendance at training sessions;
9
meeting deadlines; and
9
reporting to team leaders as appropriate.
Provide FRs feedback on their performance
throughout the survey period. In addition, provide
11-2
Performance of the NCVS Staff
NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
input on the FR’s performance during progress
reviews and annual performance ratings.
For more information about how to develop
performance standards for your NCVS FRs see
Appendix 11A Performance Statistics at the end of
this chapter.
11-3
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Topic 2. Monitoring Monthly Performance
Performance Feedback
It is important that the Supervisors provide regular
performance feedback to the FRs. The feedback
should include written reports, but may also
include informal verbal or email communication.
FR Performance Folders
Prepare an FR performance folder for each FR.
This folder can contain 11-39 Summary of FR
Performances, observation reports, and copies of
mail messages that contain information pertinent
to performance as well as any additional materials
deemed appropriate by your Regional Office.
Monitoring FR
Performance
FR performance is determined by response rates,
production guidelines, availability for
assignments, reinterview and observation results,
and administrative matters such as submission of
timely and accurate payrolls. Use the tools
described below to monitor and provide feedback
on FR performance. For more information about
how to develop performance standards for your
NCVS FRs see Appendix 11A Performance
Statistics at the end of this chapter.
Form 11-39, Summary of
FR Performance
One useful tool for evaluating FR performance is
the 11-39, Summary of FR Performance, produced
using the Survey Performance Management
System (SPAM). The 11-39s are generated
monthly for any range of months and provide
information on:
9
response rates
9
Type A rates
9
production rates
11-4
Performance of the NCVS Staff
NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
9
August 2007
observation and reinterview results
See Topic 3 of this chapter for more information
on SPAM and the 11-39.
Response and Production
Standards
The Methods Research Branch at Headquarters
provides guidelines to ROs for developing FR
performance standards for national response and
production rates. (For a copy of these guidelines,
contact your HQ liaison.) The ROs have the
option of using the guidelines, modifying them, or
establishing a different set of standards. If the RO
establishes a different set of standards, they must
contact the HQ liaison to provide information on
the criteria used to establish the rates. Also, the
RO must notify the FRs of the standards 60 days
prior to their implementation.
You can calculate Response and Type A rates as
follows:
Response Rate =
(Interviews+Partials)/(Interviews+Partials+Type As)
Type A Rate =
(Interviews+Partials+Type As)/Type As
Transmission Rates
The ROSCO system improves your ability to
monitor transmission rates. Review the CAPI-1A,
Daily Receipts Report, on a daily basis to monitor
the progress of your FRs.
Observation Reports
Send the FR a copy of the front and back pages of
the 11-62A, Observation Report. If, in the
program supervisor's opinion, a copy of the
observation report should not be sent to the FR,
send a memorandum from the Regional Director
advising the FR of the observation results.
Detailed guidelines are provided in Chapter 5 of
this manual.
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Reinterview Results
August 2007
The main purpose of reinterview (RI) is to detect
falsification. Therefore, RI results cannot be used
to evaluate FRs other than for data falsification. RI
consists of a quality control check and response
error. For more information on RI, refer to
Chapter 10 of this manual.
When falsification is suspected as a result of
reinterviewing, there are specific procedures that
must be followed. Refer to Chapter 9 of the
GENCAPI-256, Generic CAPI Operations Manual
for details on falsification follow-up procedures
and FR feedback.
11-6
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Topic 3. Generating the 11-39, Summary of FR Performance
Overview
The ROSCO system can feed performance data
into the SPAM system to create an automated
11-39, Summary of FR Performance Report. This
process involves a number of steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Populate the FR performance table in
ROSCO
Update the FR data in SPAM
Load the performance data into SPAM
Key hours and miles into SPAM
Modify any performance data in SPAM (if
necessary)
Print the 11-39s using SPAM
It is important that these steps be completed in the
order listed. This manual provides detailed
instructions on the ROSCO steps in the process,
but will provide only a general overview of the
steps taken in SPAM. For more detailed
information about the SPAM system, consult the
SPAM User’s Guide.
Populate the FR
Performance Table
The steps to populate the performance table are
described in Chapter 9 of this manual. Be sure to
complete this operation only after closing out the
regular interviews and reinterview for the
interview period, and after reviewing Type As, as
described in Chapter 9.
Update the FR Data in
SPAM
Before loading the performance data for the
interview period into SPAM, you must ensure that
the SPAM database is updated to reflect the FRs
who worked on NCVS during that interview
period. You need to add any new FRs to the
Survey using the “Add new Employee” or “Add
New Low-Level Assignment” features in SPAM.
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Load the Performance
Data in SPAM
With the FR history file created in ROSCO and the
FR data updated in SPAM, you can now load the
performance data for the interview period into
SPAM. To do this for NCVS, use SPAM’s
Utilities menu, select CAPI Data Loading, and
select NCVS. The file to be loaded for the current
month will appear in the bottom window. If you
don’t see the file for the desired interview period,
recreate the FR history file in ROSCO. See
chapter 5 of the SPAM User’s Guide for more
information on loading the performance data into
SPAM.
Key Hours and Miles
Into SPAM
You need to manually key in the hours and miles
data for each FR into SPAM from the Task Code
523 hours and miles information available in
CARMN (or, if CARMN data is unavailable, from
FR payrolls). In SPAM, enter the Hours/Miles
screen through the Management menu. See
Chapter 3, Topic 10 of the SPAM User’s Guide
for more information.
Modify Performance
Data
If you need to manually modify any performance
data in SPAM that appears on the 11-39 (for
example incorrectly charged Type As), you may
do so by accessing the All FR Data or Cases
Received or Transmitted screen through the
Management menu. See Chapter 3, Topic 10 of
the SPAM User’s Guide for more information
about modifying the performance data in SPAM.
Print the 11-39s
To generate the 11-39s, select 11-39s through the
Management menu in SPAM. Note that on the
parameters screen, you can select the starting
month and year to appear on the report. See
Chapter 3, Topic 8 of the SPAM User’s Guide for
more information about printing the 11-39s.
11-8
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Topic 4. Conducting Performance Appraisal
The Performance
Appraisal System
Information on the Performance Appraisal System
is in Chapter 8 of the Form 11-55, Administrative
Handbook, and in Chapter 11 of the Field
Administrative Manual (FAM).
Refer to Chapter 11 of the FAM for information
on the appraisal system, record-keeping
requirements, and instructions for conducting and
completing progress reviews, annual ratings, and
performance awards.
Supervisory Adjustments
When determining your FRs performance,
consider extenuating circumstances such as:
9
unusual weather conditions such as floods
or blizzards;
9
extreme distances between sample units, or
an assignment area that covers multiple
counties;
9
large number of inherited or confirmed
refusals;
9
working part of another FR's assignment
area;
9
a large proportion of high security buildings
or communities;
9
an inordinate number of Temporarily
Absent cases;
9
a high percentage of Type B or C
noninterviews that decrease the base for
response rate;
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Unsatisfactory
Performance
August 2007
9
laptop or transmission problems that
delayed interviewing or receipt of
completed work;
9
other substantial changes in normal
assignment conditions; and
9
language and/or cultural barriers.
When the performance of an employee is at the
unsatisfactory level over any period (usually 90
days), he or she may be placed in a Performance
Improvement Period (PIP) for 30 to 90 days.
Refer to your regional office guidelines
concerning PIP letters, and, if applicable, work
with your office’s assigned Employee Relations
representative in the Human Resources Division at
HQ.
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Topic 5. Evaluating Clerical Performance
Consider the following criteria when evaluating your clerical staff:
9
accuracy in preparatory work such as training and observation
9
meeting time schedules, such as sending FR assignments and preparing
reports for HQ
9
willingness to accept work assignments
9
ability to conduct telephone follow-up and to use all available resources to
locate respondents
9
adherence to regional office policies
9
degree of cooperativeness, tact, consideration and effectiveness in working
with field and office staff
9
knowledge of computer operations (ROSCO, laptop functions, and the
Interactive on-line databases, CARMN and SPAM systems) to perform
everyday operations and troubleshoot computer problems
Provide clerical staff performance feedback on a continuing basis, highlighting
accomplishments as well as discussing deficiencies.
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
Appendix 11A - Performance Statistics
METHODS RESEARCH BRANCH MEMORANDUM NO. 03-03
NCVS OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 03-13
MEMORANDUM FOR
All Regional Directors
From:
Chief, Field Division
Subject:
Distribution of National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Field Representative (FR) Performance Statistics
Action:
Review the attached distribution and develop performance
standards for your NCVS FRs
Once standards are set, advise the Method Research Branch (MRB)
of the standards you will use to evaluate the performance of your
NCVS FRs.
Summary:
This memorandum provides distributions of response and
production rates, in an effort to help you establish data-based
NCVS FR performance standards and expectations.
MRB has prepared the attached tables to assist you in developing NCVS FR performance
standards for your regional office. Consistent with the move to a two-tier rating system in
October 1998, the attached tables show percentile values, means and standard deviations (SD) for
FR response and production rates. Distributions for response are shown nationally as well as by
regional office. Distributions for production rates also are shown nationally as well as by
regional office.
These tables were prepared using NCVS FR data from the Survey Performance Management
System (SPAM) from fiscal year 2002 data for 10 of the 12 regions. RO 4 SPAM data was
unavailable, but complete FR performance data was sent to MRB as an Excel file and these data
were included in the analysis. FR performance data was not available for the RO 9 and they are
not included in the analysis.
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
SFRs and regional supervisors were excluded from the computations. FRs with fewer than 4
assignments, or who had fewer than 8 cases throughout the fiscal year, were also excluded from
the analysis.
Formulas for calculating response and production rates (available in the SPAM Manual) are as
follows:
Response Rate = (# of Interviewed Units / (# of Type A Units + # of Interviewed Units)) * 100
Production Rate =
Total # of Hours__________________________
(Total # of interviewed Units + # of Type A + # of Type B + # of Type C)
The values in the percentile column of each table show what percentage of FRs are performing at
or below a given rate. For example, the table in Attachment 1 shows response rates by regional
office. The 80th percentile for RO 1 is 94.4. This means that 80 percent of the RO 1 FRs had a
response rate at or below 94.4 (or 20% of the FRs had a response rate above 94.4). Similarly,
the 30th percentile for RO 1 is 88.7. Therefore, 30 percent of RO 1 FRs had a response rate at or
below 88.7 (70% of FRs had a response rate above 88.7).
Each region has full discretion in determining it’s own FR performance guidelines for NCVS.
MRB tries to keep on file updated records of performance standards being used in the regions
and once you have developed performance guidelines for your region, please send a copy of your
final standards, via electronic mail, to FLD MRB. If you have any questions regarding this
memorandum, contact MRB.
EXPLANATION OF TABLES
1.
Response Rates by Regional Office - Attachment 1
The distributions of response rates are provided at the national level and by regional office.
2.
Production Rates by Regional Office - Attachment 2
The distributions of production rates are provided at the national level and by regional
office.
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
NCVS FR RESPONSE RATES BY REGIONAL OFFICE
Attachment 1
Percentile
NATIONAL
RO 1
RO 2
RO 3
RO 4
RO 5
RO 6
RO 7
RO 8
RO 10
RO 11
RO 12
99
100.0
96.9
95.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
99.6
100.0
100.0
100.0
98
100.0
96.9
95.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
99.6
100.0
100.0
100.0
96
100.0
96.4
94.7
98.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
98.1
99.4
100.0
98.9
98.9
94
99.3
96.4
94.0
98.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
97.3
98.7
100.0
98.9
96.9
92
99.0
96.1
94.0
98.2
99.2
99.2
100.0
97.3
98.2
99.2
98.7
96.9
90
98.7
95.7
93.9
98.1
99.2
99.0
100.0
97.1
97.7
98.9
98.7
96.9
88
98.3
95.7
92.2
97.7
98.5
98.9
100.0
96.7
97.5
98.9
98.3
96.1
86
98.0
95.3
92.2
97.7
98.5
97.6
100.0
96.4
96.9
98.8
98.3
96.1
85
97.7
95.3
91.7
97.1
98.0
97.5
99.9
96.4
96.9
98.8
98.3
95.5
80
96.9
94.4
91.5
95.6
97.7
96.9
99.6
96.0
96.8
98.6
97.9
95.1
75
96.2
93.6
90.9
95.2
96.1
96.3
99.3
95.3
95.7
97.4
97.4
95.0
70
95.5
93.4
88.5
94.4
94.8
94.7
99.1
95.0
95.1
97.1
95.8
93.5
65
94.9
93.1
88.5
93.8
94.6
93.4
99.0
94.9
94.3
96.5
95.5
91.8
60
94.4
92.8
87.4
93.6
93.8
93.0
98.6
94.6
93.7
96.0
94.4
90.3
55
93.8
91.6
85.2
93.3
93.1
91.8
98.1
94.2
93.5
95.7
93.9
88.9
50
93.1
90.6
84.0
93.1
92.4
90.9
97.4
94.1
92.9
95.6
91.7
88.8
45
92.3
89.9
82.6
92.2
92.2
90.0
97.1
93.8
92.8
95.4
90.8
88.3
40
91.3
89.5
82.1
91.9
91.9
88.9
96.9
93.1
91.4
94.9
90.4
87.3
35
90.4
89.3
81.3
91.2
89.0
87.3
96.5
93.0
91.0
94.6
89.9
87.0
30
89.3
89.3
81.0
90.1
88.9
86.7
96.4
93.0
90.7
94.4
89.4
86.4
25
88.3
87.9
79.4
89.4
87.9
85.3
96.0
92.2
90.0
93.6
88.1
83.9
20
87.1
87.4
78.0
89.3
86.2
84.2
95.0
91.4
87.7
92.8
87.4
83.3
15
85.1
82.9
76.8
89.1
84.7
81.3
94.2
90.9
87.3
90.9
86.2
82.6
10
82.5
81.5
75.4
88.9
82.9
79.5
93.7
87.9
83.7
87.9
85.1
78.6
5
78.6
77.7
74.0
85.7
80.2
77.1
89.8
87.5
82.3
85.3
84.8
75.0
MEAN
93.6
91.6
86.8
94.1
93.6
92.4
97.9
94.6
93.7
96.1
94.0
90.9
SD
5.8
5.1
6.9
4.0
5.9
7.0
2.6
3.2
4.8
3.8
5.1
6.8
N
410
31
34
35
28
54
40
37
43
45
28
35
11-15
Performance of the NCVS Staff
NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual
August 2007
NCVS FR PRODUCTION RATES BY REGIONAL OFFICE
Attachment 2
Percentile
NATIONAL
RO 1
RO 2
RO 3
RO 4
RO 5
RO 6
RO 7
RO 8
RO 10
RO 11
RO 12
99
1.0
0.9
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.0
1.0
0.8
1.3
98
1.2
1.0
1.2
1.1
1.1
1.3
1.1
1.3
1.2
1.4
0.9
1.3
96
1.3
1.1
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.4
1.2
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.0
1.4
94
1.4
1.2
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.6
1.4
1.6
1.7
1.5
1.1
1.4
92
1.5
1.2
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.6
1.5
1.7
1.8
1.5
1.2
1.5
90
1.6
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.4
1.7
1.7
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.3
1.5
88
1.6
1.4
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.7
1.7
2.1
1.9
1.6
1.3
1.7
86
1.7
1.4
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.8
1.8
2.2
1.9
1.6
1.5
1.7
85
1.8
1.5
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.9
1.8
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.6
1.8
80
1.9
1.5
1.9
1.7
1.7
2.0
1.9
2.4
2.0
1.8
1.7
2.0
75
2.0
1.6
2.0
1.7
1.8
2.2
2.0
2.6
2.0
1.9
1.8
2.0
70
2.0
1.7
2.1
1.8
1.8
2.3
2.0
2.7
2.5
2.0
1.8
2.2
65
2.2
1.8
2.1
1.9
2.0
2.5
2.1
2.7
2.5
2.0
1.9
2.4
60
2.3
1.8
2.2
2.0
2.1
2.5
2.4
2.8
2.8
2.1
2.0
2.7
55
2.5
2.0
2.4
2.1
2.1
2.6
2.5
2.8
3.5
2.2
2.2
2.9
50
2.7
2.6
2.6
2.1
2.8
2.8
2.6
2.9
3.6
2.3
2.3
3.1
45
2.8
2.7
2.8
2.2
3.0
3.1
2.6
3.1
3.8
2.4
2.3
3.3
40
2.9
2.7
2.8
2.2
3.2
3.1
2.6
3.1
3.8
2.4
2.5
3.3
35
3.1
2.8
2.9
2.2
3.2
3.2
2.6
3.3
3.9
2.6
2.5
3.4
30
3.2
2.8
3.0
2.3
3.5
3.2
2.6
3.5
4.1
2.7
2.5
3.7
25
3.4
2.9
3.1
2.6
3.5
3.4
2.6
3.6
4.2
2.8
2.5
4.0
20
3.7
3.4
3.7
2.6
4.1
3.4
2.9
3.6
4.4
2.9
2.7
4.0
15
3.9
3.4
3.7
2.7
4.1
3.6
3.0
4.5
4.8
3.9
2.7
5.0
10
4.5
3.7
4.9
3.3
5.4
4.3
3.8
5.1
6.5
4.0
3.7
5.5
5
5.0
3.7
4.9
3.3
5.4
5.0
3.8
5.1
6.5
4.0
3.7
5.5
MEAN
2.4
2.1
2.4
2.0
2.5
2.5
2.2
2.8
3.0
2.2
2.0
2.7
SD
1.1
0.9
1.1
0.6
1.3
1.0
0.7
1.1
1.5
0.8
0.8
1.3
N
421
32
40
35
28
57
40
37
43
45
28
36
11-1
Performance of the NCVS Staff
| File Type | application/pdf |
| Author | Langton, Lynn |
| File Modified | 2015-06-22 |
| File Created | 2015-06-22 |