SVS 2018 Attachments

2019 SVS OMB Supporting Statement Attachments.pdf

Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS)

SVS 2018 Attachments

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2019 SVS OMB Supporting Statement Attachments – Table of Contents
Attachment 1: BJS authorizing statute; Title 34, United States Code, Section 10132……………….2
Attachment 2: 2019 NCVS SVS survey instrument…………………………………………………………………..15
Attachment 3: Stalking Victims in the United States – Revised, BJS Special Report………………….41
Attachment 4: NCVS-572(L) Census initial contact letter………………………………………………………..52
Attachment 5: NCVS-573(L) Census follow-up interview letter..……………………………………………..55

Attachment 1:
BJS authorizing statute; Title 34, United States Code, Section 10132

34 USC 10132: Bureau of Justice Statistics
Text contains those laws in effect on August 6, 2018
From Title 34-CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Subtitle I-Comprehensive Acts
CHAPTER 101-JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTSUBCHAPTER III-BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
§10132. Bureau of Justice Statistics
(a) Establishment
There is established within the Department of Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General, a Bureau of
Justice Statistics (hereinafter referred to in this subchapter as "Bureau").

(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions
The Bureau shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President. The Director shall have had experience in
statistical programs. The Director shall have final authority for all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts
awarded by the Bureau. The Director shall be responsible for the integrity of data and statistics and shall protect against
improper or illegal use or disclosure. The Director shall report to the Attorney General through the Assistant Attorney
General. The Director shall not engage in any other employment than that of serving as Director; nor shall the Director
hold any office in, or act in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the Bureau makes any
contract or other arrangement under this Act.

(1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher
education, private organizations, or private individuals for purposes related to this subchapter; grants shall be made
subject to continuing compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set forth in rules and regulations
promulgated by the Director;

(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including crimes against the elderly, and civil
disputes;

(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable national social indication of the prevalence,
incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, juvenile delinquency, civil disputes, and other statistical
factors related to crime, civil disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support of national, State, tribal, and local justice
policy and decisionmaking;

(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal justice system at the Federal,
State, tribal, and local levels;

(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and
attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;

(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the use of statistical information, about
criminal and civil justice systems at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels, and about the extent, distribution and
attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, in the Nation and at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;

(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics concerning all aspects of criminal
justice and related aspects of civil justice, crime, including crimes against the elderly, juvenile delinquency, criminal
offenders, juvenile delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States and in Indian country;

(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the reliability and validity of justice statistics
supplied pursuant to this chapter;

(9) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal Government and State and tribal governments in matters
relating to justice statistics, and cooperate with the judicial branch in assuring as much uniformity as feasible in
statistical systems of the executive and judicial branches;

(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State, tribal, and local governments, and the
general public on justice statistics;

(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State, tribal, and local governments with access to
Federal informational resources useful in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs under this Act;

(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing justice statistics;

(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and assistance to the States, Indian tribes,
and units of local government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics;

(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection, aggregation, analysis and dissemination
of information on the incidence of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system;

(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction statistics (including statistics on issues of
Federal justice interest such as public fraud and high technology crime) and to provide technical assistance to and work
jointly with other Federal agencies to improve the availability and quality of Federal justice data;

(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of information and statistics about
the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution and attributes of drug offenses, drug related offenses and drug
dependent offenders and further provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse to maintain and update a
comprehensive and timely data base on all criminal justice aspects of the drug crisis and to disseminate such
information;

(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of statistics on the condition and progress of drug
control activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels with particular attention to programs and intervention
efforts demonstrated to be of value in the overall national anti-drug strategy and to provide for the establishment of a
national clearinghouse for the gathering of data generated by Federal, State, tribal, and local criminal justice agencies on
their drug enforcement activities;

(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State, tribal, and local criminal justice information systems, and
the standardization of data reporting relating to the collection, analysis or dissemination of data and statistics about
drug offenses, drug related offenses, or drug dependent offenders;

(19) provide for improvements in the accuracy, quality, timeliness, immediate accessibility, and integration of State and
tribal criminal history and related records, support the development and enhancement of national systems of criminal
history and related records including the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the National IncidentBased Reporting System, and the records of the National Crime Information Center, facilitate State and tribal
participation in national records and information systems, and support statistical research for critical analysis of the
improvement and utilization of criminal history records;

(20) maintain liaison with State, tribal, and local governments and governments of other nations concerning justice
statistics;

(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in the development of uniform justice
statistics;

(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 10231 of this title and identify, analyze, and
participate in the development and implementation of privacy, security and information policies which impact on
Federal, tribal, and State criminal justice operations and related statistical activities; and

(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter VII.

(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination
(1) In general
To ensure that all justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated manner, the
Director is authorized to-

(A) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel, information, and facilities of other Federal,
State, local, and private agencies and instrumentalities with or without reimbursement therefor, and to enter into
agreements with such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis;

(B) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;

(C) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be required to carry out the purposes of
this chapter;

(D) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in gathering data from criminal justice
records;

(E) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies regarding information systems, information
policy, and data; and

(F) confer and cooperate with Federal statistical agencies as needed to carry out the purposes of this subchapter,
including by entering into cooperative data sharing agreements in conformity with all laws and regulations applicable to
the disclosure and use of data.

(2) Consultation with Indian tribes
The Director, acting jointly with the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (acting through the Office of Justice Services)
and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall work with Indian tribes and tribal law enforcement
agencies to establish and implement such tribal data collection systems as the Director determines to be necessary to
achieve the purposes of this section.

(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal agencies
Federal agencies requested to furnish information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(C) shall provide such
information to the Bureau as is required to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) Consultation with representatives of State, tribal, and local government and judiciary
In recommending standards for gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director shall consult with
representatives of State, tribal, and local government, including, where appropriate, representatives of the judiciary.

(g) Reports
Not later than 1 year after July 29, 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a report
describing the data collected and analyzed under this section relating to crimes in Indian country.

(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, §302, as added Pub. L. 96–157, §2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1176 ; amended Pub. L. 98–473, title II,
§605(b), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2079 ; Pub. L. 100–690, title VI, §6092(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4339 ; Pub. L. 103–
322, title XXXIII, §330001(h)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2139 ; Pub. L. 109–162, title XI, §1115(a), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat.
3103 ; Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §251(b), July 29, 2010, 124 Stat. 2297 ; Pub. L. 112–166, §2(h)(1), Aug. 10, 2012, 126 Stat.
1285 .)

References in Text
This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c)(11), is Pub. L. 90–351, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 197 , known as the Omnibus
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1968
Act note set out under section 10101 of this title and Tables.

Codification
Section was formerly classified to section 3732 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial
reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Prior Provisions
A prior section 302 of Pub. L. 90–351, title I, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 200 ; Pub. L. 93–83, §2, Aug. 6, 1973, 87 Stat. 201 ;
Pub. L. 94–503, title I, §110, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2412 , related to establishment of State planning agencies to develop
comprehensive State plans for grants for law enforcement and criminal justice purposes, prior to the general
amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 96–157.

Amendments
2012-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–166 struck out ", by and with the advice and consent of the Senate" before period at end
of first sentence.

2010-Subsec. (c)(3) to (6). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(A), inserted "tribal," after "State," wherever appearing.

Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(B), inserted "and in Indian country" after "States".

Subsec. (c)(9). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(C), substituted "Federal Government and State and tribal governments" for
"Federal and State Governments".

Subsec. (c)(10), (11). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(D), inserted ", tribal," after "State".

Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(E), inserted ", Indian tribes," after "States".

Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(F), substituted "activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and local" for
"activities at the Federal, State and local" and "generated by Federal, State, tribal, and local" for "generated by Federal,
State, and local".

Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(G), substituted "State, tribal, and local" for "State and local".

Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(H), inserted "and tribal" after "State" in two places.

Subsec. (c)(20). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(I), inserted ", tribal," after "State".

Subsec. (c)(22). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(J), inserted ", tribal," after "Federal".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted par. (1) heading, substituted
"To ensure" for "To insure", redesignated former pars. (1) to (6) as subpars. (A) to (F), respectively, of par. (1), realigned
margins, and added par. (2).

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(3), substituted "subsection (d)(1)(C)" for "subsection (d)(3)".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(4)(B), inserted ", tribal," after "State".

Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(4)(A), which directed insertion of ", tribal," after "State" in heading, was executed editorially
but could not be executed in original because heading had been editorially supplied.

Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(5), added subsec. (g).

2006-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(1), inserted after third sentence "The Director shall be responsible for the
integrity of data and statistics and shall protect against improper or illegal use or disclosure."

Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(2), amended par. (19) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (19) read as
follows: "provide for research and improvements in the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of criminal history
record information, information systems, arrest warrant, and stolen vehicle record information and information systems
and support research concerning the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of other criminal justice record
information;".

Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(3), added par. (6).

1994-Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted a semicolon for period at end.

1988-Subsec. (c)(16) to (23). Pub. L. 100–690 added pars. (16) to (19) and redesignated former pars. (16) to (19) as (20)
to (23), respectively.

1984-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(1), inserted provision requiring Director to report to Attorney General through
Assistant Attorney General.

Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(A), (C), added par. (13) and struck out former par. (13) relating to provision of
financial and technical assistance to States and units of local government relating to collection, analysis, or
dissemination of justice statistics.

Subsec. (c)(14), (15). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(C), added pars. (14) and (15). Former pars. (14) and (15) redesignated
(16) and (17), respectively.

Subsec. (c)(16). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(A), (B), redesignated par. (14) as (16) and struck out former par. (16) relating
to insuring conformance with security and privacy regulations issued under section 10231 of this title.

Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(B), redesignated par. (15) as (17). Former par. (17) redesignated (19).

Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(D), added par. (18).

Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(B), redesignated former par. (17) as (19).

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(3)(A), inserted ", and to enter into agreements with such agencies and
instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis".

Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(3)(B)–(D), added par. (5).

Effective Date of 2012 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 112–166 effective 60 days after Aug. 10, 2012, and applicable to appointments made on and
after that effective date, including any nomination pending in the Senate on that date, see section 6(a) of Pub. L. 112–
166, set out as a note under section 113 of Title 6, Domestic Security.

Effective Date of 1984 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as an Effective
Date note under section 10101 of this title.

Construction of 2010 Amendment
Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §251(c), July 29, 2010, 124 Stat. 2298 , provided that: "Nothing in this section [amending this
section and section 41507 of this title] or any amendment made by this section-

"(1) allows the grant to be made to, or used by, an entity for law enforcement activities that the entity lacks jurisdiction
to perform; or

"(2) has any effect other than to authorize, award, or deny a grant of funds to a federally recognized Indian tribe for the
purposes described in the relevant grant program."

[For definition of "Indian tribe" as used in section 251(c) of Pub. L. 111–211, set out above, see section 203(a) of Pub. L.
111–211, set out as a note under section 2801 of Title 25, Indians.]

Inclusion of Honor Violence in National Crime Victimization Survey
Pub. L. 113–235, div. B, title II, Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2191 , provided in part: "That beginning not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act [div. B of Pub. L. 113–235, Dec. 16, 2014], as part of each National Crime
Victimization Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to honor violence".

Study of Crimes Against Seniors
Pub. L. 106–534, §5, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557 , provided that:

"(a) In General.-The Attorney General shall conduct a study relating to crimes against seniors, in order to assist in
developing new strategies to prevent and otherwise reduce the incidence of those crimes.

"(b) Issues Addressed.-The study conducted under this section shall include an analysis of-

"(1) the nature and type of crimes perpetrated against seniors, with special focus on-

"(A) the most common types of crimes that affect seniors;

"(B) the nature and extent of telemarketing, sweepstakes, and repair fraud against seniors; and

"(C) the nature and extent of financial and material fraud targeted at seniors;

"(2) the risk factors associated with seniors who have been victimized;

"(3) the manner in which the Federal and State criminal justice systems respond to crimes against seniors;

"(4) the feasibility of States establishing and maintaining a centralized computer database on the incidence of crimes
against seniors that will promote the uniform identification and reporting of such crimes;

"(5) the effectiveness of damage awards in court actions and other means by which seniors receive reimbursement and
other damages after fraud has been established; and

"(6) other effective ways to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crimes against seniors."

Inclusion of Seniors in National Crime Victimization Survey
Pub. L. 106–534, §6, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557 , provided that: "Beginning not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act [Nov. 22, 2000], as part of each National Crime Victimization Survey, the Attorney General shall
include statistics relating to-

"(1) crimes targeting or disproportionately affecting seniors;

"(2) crime risk factors for seniors, including the times and locations at which crimes victimizing seniors are most likely to
occur; and

"(3) specific characteristics of the victims of crimes who are seniors, including age, gender, race or ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status."

Crime Victims With Disabilities Awareness
Pub. L. 105–301, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2838 , as amended by Pub. L. 106–402, title IV, §401(b)(10), Oct. 30, 2000, 114
Stat. 1739 , provided that:

"SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

"This Act may be cited as the 'Crime Victims With Disabilities Awareness Act'.

"SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.
"(a) Findings.-Congress finds that-

"(1) although research conducted abroad demonstrates that individuals with developmental disabilities are at a 4 to 10
times higher risk of becoming crime victims than those without disabilities, there have been no significant studies on this
subject conducted in the United States;

"(2) in fact, the National Crime Victim's Survey, conducted annually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the Department
of Justice, does not specifically collect data relating to crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;

"(3) studies in Canada, Australia, and Great Britain consistently show that victims with developmental disabilities suffer
repeated victimization because so few of the crimes against them are reported, and even when they are, there is
sometimes a reluctance by police, prosecutors, and judges to rely on the testimony of a disabled individual, making
individuals with developmental disabilities a target for criminal predators;

"(4) research in the United States needs to be done to-

"(A) understand the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;

"(B) describe the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against individuals with developmental
disabilities; and

"(C) identify programs, policies, or laws that hold promises for making the justice system more responsive to crimes
against individuals with developmental disabilities; and

"(5) the National Academy of Science Committee on Law and Justice of the National Research Council is a premier
research institution with unique experience in developing seminal, multidisciplinary studies to establish a strong
research base from which to make public policy.

"(b) Purposes.-The purposes of this Act are-

"(1) to increase public awareness of the plight of victims of crime who are individuals with developmental disabilities;

"(2) to collect data to measure the extent of the problem of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;
and

"(3) to develop a basis to find new strategies to address the safety and justice needs of victims of crime who are
individuals with developmental disabilities.

"SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY.
"In this Act, the term 'developmental disability' has the meaning given the term in section 102 of the Developmental
Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 15002].

"SEC. 4. STUDY.
"(a) In General.-The Attorney General shall conduct a study to increase knowledge and information about crimes against
individuals with developmental disabilities that will be useful in developing new strategies to reduce the incidence of
crimes against those individuals.

"(b) Issues Addressed.-The study conducted under this section shall address such issues as-

"(1) the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;

"(2) the risk factors associated with victimization of individuals with developmental disabilities;

"(3) the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and

"(4) the means by which States may establish and maintain a centralized computer database on the incidence of crimes
against individuals with disabilities within a State.

"(c) National Academy of Sciences.-In carrying out this section, the Attorney General shall consider contracting with the
Committee on Law and Justice of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to provide research
for the study conducted under this section.

"(d) Report.-Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1998], the Attorney General shall
submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report describing the
results of the study conducted under this section.

"SEC. 5. NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM'S SURVEY.

"Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, as part of each National Crime Victim's Survey, the
Attorney General shall include statistics relating to-

"(1) the nature of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and

"(2) the specific characteristics of the victims of those crimes."

Attachment 2:
2019 NCVS SVS survey instrument

2019 SUPPLEMENTAL VICTIMIZATION SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
INTRO_1 - From time to time, the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice collects information on
special topics. We are currently collecting information on unwanted contacts or behaviors you may have
experienced. We estimate these questions will take between 3 to 18 minutes depending on your circumstances. The
U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to keep your information confidential.
SECTION I. NCVS SVS SCREENER QUESTIONS
Now, I would like to ask you some questions about times
when you may have experienced unwanted contacts or
behaviors. I want to remind you that the information you
provide is confidential. When answering, please think about
anyone who may have done these things, including current
or former spouses or partners, other people you may know,
or strangers. However, please DO NOT include bill
collectors, solicitors, or other sales people.
SQ1. In the past 12 months, have you experienced any
unwanted contacts or behaviors?
By that I mean has anyone –
SQ_FOLLOWED
a. Followed you around and watched you?
____________________________________________________
SQ_SNEAKED
b. [Has anyone] Snuck into your home, car, or any place else
and done unwanted things to let you know they had been
there?
____________________________________________________
SQ_WAITED
c. [Has anyone] Waited for you at your home, work, school,
or any place else when you didn’t want them to?

1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No

Still thinking about unwanted contacts and behaviors, in the
past 12 months, has anyone…
SQ_SHOWEDUP
d. Shown up, ridden or driven by places where you
were when they had no business being there?
____________________________________________________
SQ_ITEMS
e. [Has anyone] Left or sent unwanted items, such as cards,
letters, presents, flowers, or any other unwanted items?
____________________________________________________
SQ_HARASSED
f. [Has anyone] Harassed or repeatedly asked your friends or
family for information about you or your whereabouts?

Page 1

1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Now I want to ask about unwanted contacts or
behaviors using various technologies, such as your
phone, the Internet, or social media apps. Again, please
DO NOT include bill collectors, solicitors, or other
sales people. In the past 12 months, has anyone…
SQ_TELEPHONE
g. Made unwanted phone calls to you, left voice
messages, sent text messages, or used the phone
excessively to contact you?
____________________________________________________
SQ_TECHNOLOGY
h. [Has anyone] Spied on you or monitored your activities
using technologies such as a listening device, camera, or
computer or cell phone monitoring software?

1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
3  Don’t know

Still thinking about unwanted contacts and behaviors, in the
past 12 months, has anyone…
SQ_APPLICATION
i. Tracked your whereabouts with an electronic tracking
device or application, such as GPS or an application on your
cell phone?
____________________________________________________
SQ_POSTS
j. [Has anyone] Posted or threatened to post
inappropriate, unwanted, or personal information about
you on the Internet, including private photographs,
videos, or spreading rumors?
____________________________________________________
SQ_WEBSITES
k. [Has anyone] Sent you unwanted e-mails or messages
using the Internet, for example, using social media apps or
websites like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook?
____________________________________________________
SQ_SOCIALMEDIA
l. [Has anyone] Monitored your activities using social
media apps like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook?

1  Yes
2  No
3  Don’t know
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
3  Don’t know

CHECK ITEM 1: If R answered “Yes” to one or more of SQ_FOLLOWED-SQ_SOCIALMEDIA, then skip to SQ2
(SQ_REPETITION). If R did not answer “Yes” to any of the above items, then skip to END INTERVIEW TEXT on page 4.
SQ_REPETITION
SQ2. Has anyone done (this/any of these things) to you more
than once in the past 12 months?

1  Yes [skip to SQ3a (SQ_FEAR)]
2  No [skip to CHECK ITEM 2]

CHECK ITEM 2: If R answered “Yes” to more than one of SQ_FOLLOWED - SQ_SOCIALMEDIA, then skip to SQ3a
(SQ_FEAR). If R answered “Yes” to only one of SQ_FOLLOWED - SQ_SOCIALMEDIA, then skip to END INTERVIEW TEXT
on page 4.
SQ_FEAR
SQ3a. Did any of these unwanted contacts or behaviors
make you fear for your safety or the safety of someone close
to you?
SQ_DISTRESS
SQ3b. Did any of these unwanted contacts or behaviors
cause you substantial emotional distress?

Page 2

1  Yes
2  No

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Now I have some additional questions about the time
someone {behavior1}, {behavior2}, and {behaviorx…}.
Thinking about the person or persons who committed these
unwanted contacts or behaviors in the past 12 months, did
any of the following occur –
SQ_PROPERTY
SQ4. Did this person or these people damage or attempt to
damage or destroy property belonging to you or someone
else in your household?
SQ5. [Thinking about the person or persons who committed
these unwanted contacts or behaviors in the past 12 months…]
Did this person or these people…
SQ_ATTACK_SELF
Physically attack you?
____________________________________________________
SQ_ATTEMPT_SELF
Attempt to physically attack you?
____________________________________________________
SQ_THREAT_SELF
Threaten to physically attack you?
SQ6. [Thinking about the person or persons who committed
these unwanted contacts or behaviors in the past 12 months…]
Did this person or these people…
SQ_ATTACK_OTH
Physically attack someone close to you or a pet?
____________________________________________________
SQ_ATTEMPT_OTH
Attempt to physically attack someone close to you or a pet?
____________________________________________________
SQ_THREAT_OTH
Threaten to physically attack someone close to you or a
pet?

Page 3

1  Yes
2  No

1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS: See the table below for all combinations of the questions used to determine when the survey
should be ended or continued on to the questions about the incident.
NOTE: This information is programmed into the CAPI instrument and skip patterns are driven automatically.
Number of
Behaviors
(SQ1a-l)

Repetition
(SQ2)

_____________
1
1
1
1
1
2+
2+
2+
2+
2+
2+
2+
2+

_____________
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Actual Fear or
Emotional Distress
(If SQ3a and SQ3b eq ‘No’
/ If SQ3a or SQ3b eq ‘Yes’)
______________________
N/A
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes

Reasonable Fear
(If SQ4, all SQ5, and all SQ6
eq ‘No’ / If SQ4, any SQ5, or
any SQ6 eq ‘Yes’)
_______________________
N/A
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes

Included in stalking
estimate/survey
continuation?
____________________
No – end interview
No – end interview
Yes – continue
Yes – continue
Yes – continue
No – end interview
Yes – continue
Yes – continue
Yes – continue
No – end interview
Yes – continue
Yes – continue
Yes – continue

If survey instructions lead to “No – end interview”, then skip to SUPPLEMENTEND_SVS. Else, if survey instructions lead to
“Yes – continue”, then skip to Q1 (OFFENDER_NUMB).

Page 4

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

SECTION II. NCVS SVS OFFENDER INFORMATION
OFFENDER_NUMB
OFFENDER_NUMBSP
Q1. Thinking about the unwanted contacts or behaviors you
experienced in the past 12 months, how many different
people have done these things to you?

OFFENDER_ACT
Q2a. Did these people act alone or together as a team?

OFFENDER_MOST
Q2b. Of the people who did these things to you, is there ONE
person who you would consider to be the MOST responsible
for these unwanted contacts or behaviors?

1  One [skip to Q3 (OFFENDER1_SEX)]
2  Two [skip to Q2a (OFFENDER_ACT)]
3  Three or more – Enter number of people ________
[skip to Q2a (OFFENDER_ACT)]
4  Don’t know [skip to INTRO TEXT A]

1  Alone [skip to INTRO TEXT A]
2  Together [skip to Q2b (OFFENDER_MOST)]
3  Don’t know [skip to INTRO TEXT A]

1  Yes [skip to Q3 (OFFENDER1_SEX)]
2  No [skip to Q8a (OFFENDERS_SEX)]

SECTION III. SINGLE OFFENDER
INTRO TEXT A. Thinking about the person who has done this most recently…
OFFENDER1_SEX
Q3. Is this person male or female?

OFFENDER1_AGE
Q4. How old would you say this person is?

OFFENDER1_HISP
Q5. Is this person Hispanic or Latino/a?

OFFENDER1_RACE
Q6. What race or races is this person? You may select more
than one. Is this person… [Select one or more]

Page 5

1  Male
2  Female

1  Under 15
2  15-17
3  18-20
4  21-24
5  25-34
6  35-49
7  50-64
8  65+
9  Don’t know

1  Yes
2  No
3  Don’t know

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

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

OFFENDER1_REL
OFFENDER1_RELSP
OFFENDER1_NONSP
Q7. What was your relationship to the person who
committed these unwanted contacts or behaviors when they
first began?
[Instruction: Record the relationship at the time the unwanted
contacts or behaviors began and not at the time of the interview.]

RELATIVE – offender was the respondent’s –
01  Spouse or partner
02  Ex-spouse or ex-partner
03  Parent or step-parent
04  Own child or step-child
05  Sibling/step-sibling
06  Other relative – Specify __________
NONRELATIVE – offender was the respondent’s –
07  Boyfriend or girlfriend
08  Ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
09  Other current romantic or sexual partner
10  Other former romantic or sexual partner
11  Friend or ex-friend
12  Acquaintance
13  In-laws or relative of spouse or ex-spouse
14  Roommate, housemate, boarder
15  Schoolmate
16  Neighbor
17  Customer/client
18  Student
19  Patient
20  Supervisor (current or former)
21  Employee (current or former)
22  Co-worker (current or former)
23  Teacher/school staff
24  Stranger
25  Other nonrelative – Specify __________
26  Unable to identify the person
[skip to Q14a (INC_DURATION)]

SECTION IV. MULTIPLE OFFENDERS
OFFENDERS_SEX
Q8a. Are these people male or female?

1  All male [skip to Q9 (OFFENDERS_AGE)]
2  All female [skip to Q9 (OFFENDERS_AGE)]
3  Don’t know sex of any offenders
[skip to Q9 (OFFENDERS_AGE)]
4  Both male and female [skip to CHECK ITEM 3]

CHECK ITEM 3: If only two offenders (OFFENDER_NUMB=2), then skip to Q9 (OFFENDERS_AGE). If more than two
offenders (OFFENDER_NUMB=3), then skip to Q8b (OFFENDERS_SEX2).
OFFENDERS_SEX2
Q8b. Are most of these people male or female?

Page 6

1  Most are male
2  Most are female
3  Evenly divided
4  Don’t know

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

OFFENDERS_AGE
Q9. How old would you say these people are? [Mark all that
apply]

OFFENDERS_HISP
Q10a. Are any of these people Hispanic or Latino/a?

OFFENDERS_HISP2
Q10b. Are most of these people Hispanic, non-Hispanic, or
are there an equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic
people?

OFFENDERS_RACE
Q11a. What race or races are these people? Are they…
[Select one or more]

1  Under 15
2  15-17
3  18-20
4  21-24
5  25-34
6  35-49
7  50-64
8  65+
9  Don’t know

1  Yes [skip to Q10b (OFFENDERS_HISP2)]
2  No [skip to Q11a (OFFENDERS_RACE)]
3  Don’t know [skip to Q11a (OFFENDERS_RACE)]

1  Most are Hispanic or Latino/a
2  Most are non-Hispanic
3  Equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic
4  Don’t know

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

CHECK ITEM 4: If more than one selection at Q11a (OFFENDERS_RACE), then skip to Q11b (OFFENDERS_RACE_MOST).
If only one selection at Q11a (OFFENDERS_RACE), then skip to Q12 (OFFENDERS_REL).
OFFENDERS_RACE_MOST
Q11b. What race are most of these people?

Page 7

1  Most are White
2  Most are Black or African American
3  Most are American Indian or Alaska Native
4  Most are Asian
5  Most are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander
6  Equal number of each race
7  Don’t know

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

OFFENDERS_REL
OFFENDERS_RELSP
OFFENDERS_NONSP
Q12. What was your relationship to the people who
committed these unwanted contacts or behaviors when they
first began? [Mark all that apply]
[Instruction: Record the relationship at the time the unwanted
contacts or behaviors began and not at the time of the interview.]

RELATIVE – offenders were the respondent’s –
01  Spouse or partner
02  Ex-spouse or ex-partner
03  Parent or step-parent
04  Own child or step-child
05  Sibling/step-sibling
06  Other relative – Specify __________
NONRELATIVE – offenders were the respondent’s –
07  Boyfriend or girlfriend
08  Ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
09  Other current romantic or sexual partner
10  Other former romantic or sexual partner
11  Friend or ex-friend
12  Acquaintance
13  In-laws or relative of spouse or ex-spouse
14  Friends of one of the offenders
15  Roommate, housemate, boarder
16  Schoolmate
17  Neighbor
18  Customer/client
19  Student
20  Patient
21  Supervisor (current or former)
22  Employee (current or former)
23  Co-worker (current or former)
24  Teacher/school staff
25  Stranger
26  Other nonrelative – Specify __________
27  Unable to identify the person

OFFENDERS_EACH
OFFENDERS_EACHSP
Q13. How do the people who committed these unwanted
contacts or behaviors know each other? Are they… [Mark all
that apply]

1  Friends?
2  Classmates or peers?
3  Co-workers?
4  In-laws or family members?
5  Members of a Fraternity or Sorority?
6  Members of a gang or other organized crime
group?
7  Or do they know each other in some other way?
– Specify ___________

SECTION V. DURATION OF STALKING
INC_DURATION
Q14a. How long have these unwanted contacts or behaviors
been happening to you?

Page 8

1  Less than one month
2  One month to less than six months
3  Six months to less than one year
4  One year to less than two years
5  Two years to less than three years
6  Three years to less than five years
7  Five years or more
8  Don’t know

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

INC_DISCOVER
Q14b. How did you find out that these unwanted contacts or
behaviors were happening to you?

1  The offender told me
2  Someone else told me
3  I figured it out on my own
4  Don’t know, don’t remember

SECTION VI. FREQUENCY OF STALKING
INC_TIMES
Q15. In the past 12 months, how many times would you say
these unwanted contacts or behaviors occurred? Would you
say…

Page 9

1  Two to ten times
2  Eleven to fifty times
3  More than fifty times
4  Too many times to count
5  Don’t know, don’t remember

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

SECTION VII. MOTIVE FOR STALKING
Q16. With this next question, I’m going to read a list of 9
possible reasons (this person/these people) started doing
these things to you. You can say yes to more than one
reason.
Do you think it was it because…
INC_REVENGE
They wanted retaliation or revenge?
____________________________________________________
INC_AFFECTION
They wanted affection?
____________________________________________________
INC_REJECTED
They felt rejected?
____________________________________________________
INC_OBSESSED
They were obsessed with you?
____________________________________________________
Do you think it was because…
INC_PLANNED
They planned to commit a crime?
____________________________________________________
INC_ALREADY
They had already committed a crime?
____________________________________________________
INC_POWER
They wanted power and control?
____________________________________________________
INC_FELT
They felt like they could do these things to you?
____________________________________________________
INC_OTHER
INC_OTHERSP
Any other reason?

CHECK ITEM 5: If offender physically attacked or attempted to attack respondent (SQ_ATTACK_SELF=1 or
SQ_ATTEMPT_SELF=1), then skip to Q17a (INC_HIT). If offender only threatened to attack respondent
(SQ_THREAT_SELF=1 and SQ_ATTACK_SELF ne 1 and SQ_ATTEMPT_SELF ne 1), then skip to Q18a (INC_THREAT_HIT).
Else, skip to CHECK ITEM 6.

Page 10

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

SECTION VIII. REASONABLE FEAR FOLLOW-UP
Q17a. Earlier you indicated that (this person/these people)
physically attacked or attempted to physically attack you.
Did they attack or attempt to attack you…
INC_HIT
By hitting, slapping, pushing, or knocking you down?
____________________________________________________
INC_CHOKE
By choking or strangling you?
____________________________________________________
INC_RAPE
By raping or sexually assaulting you?
____________________________________________________
INC_VEHICLE
By hitting, chasing, or dragging you with a vehicle?
____________________________________________________
INC_OBJECT
By using a weapon or other object?

INC_WEAPON
INC_WEAPONSP
Q17b. What was the weapon or object they used to attack or
attempt to attack you? Was there any other weapon or object
used? [Mark all that apply]

INC_ATTACKOTH
INC_ATTACKOTHSP
Q17c. Did they physically attack you in some other way?

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, bat, etc.)
6  Other – Specify _________________

1  Yes – Specify _____________
2  No

CHECK ITEM 5a: If offender threatened to attack respondent (SQ_THREAT_SELF=1), then skip to Q18a (INC_THREAT_HIT).
Else, skip to CHECK ITEM 6.

Page 11

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q18a. Earlier you indicated that (this person/these people)
threatened to physically attack you. Did they threaten…
INC_THREAT_HIT
To hit, slap, push, or knock you down?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_CHOKE
To choke or strangle you?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_RAPE
To rape or sexually assault you?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_VEHICLE
To hit, chase, or drag you with a vehicle?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_KILL
To kill you?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_OBJECT
To harm you with a weapon or other object?

INC_THREAT_WEAPON
INC_THREAT_WEAPONSP
Q18b. What was the weapon or object they threatened to
use? Was there any other weapon or object that they
threatened to use? [Mark all that apply]

INC_THREAT_ATTACKOTH
INC_THREAT_ATTACKOTHSP
Q18c. Did they threaten to physically attack you in some
other way?

1
2
3
4
5
6

Hand gun (pistol, revolver, etc.)
Other gun (rifle, shotgun, etc.)
Knife
Other sharp object (scissors, ice pick, axe, etc.)
Blunt object (rock, club, bat, etc.)
Other – Specify _________________

1  Yes – Specify _____________
2  No

CHECK ITEM 6: If offender physically attacked or attempted to attack someone close to respondent or a pet
(SQ_ATTACK_OTH=1 or SQ_ATTEMPT_OTH=1) then skip to Q19a. If offender only threatened to attack someone close to
respondent or a pet (SQ_THREAT_OTH=1 and SQ_ATTACK_OTH ne 1 and SQ_ATTEMPT_OTH ne 1), then skip to Q19b
(INC_THREAT_CHILD). Else, skip to Q20 (ASSIST_CALL).

Page 12

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q19a. Earlier you indicated that (this person/these people)
physically attacked or attempted to physically attack
someone close to you or a pet. Was it…
INC_ATTACK_CHILD
A child?
____________________________________________________
INC_ATTACK_SPOUSE
A spouse or partner?
____________________________________________________
INC_ ATTACK_SIGNOTH
A boyfriend or girlfriend?
____________________________________________________
INC_ATTACK_ FAMILY
Another family member?
____________________________________________________
INC_ATTACK_FRIEND
A friend or co-worker?
____________________________________________________
INC_ATTACK_PET
A pet or companion animal?
____________________________________________________
INC_ATTACK_OTHERPERS
INC_ATTACK_OTHERPERSSP
Someone else?

1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes – Specify _____________
2  No

CHECK ITEM 6a: If offender threatened to attack someone close to respondent or a pet (SQ_THREAT_OTH=1), then skip to
Q19b (INC_THREAT_CHILD). Else, skip to Q20 (ASSIST_CALL).

Page 13

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q19b. Earlier you indicated that (this person/these people)
threatened to physically attack someone close to you or a
pet. Was it…
INC_THREAT_CHILD
A child?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_SPOUSE
A spouse or partner?
____________________________________________________
INC_ THREAT_SIGNOTH
A boyfriend or girlfriend?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_FAMILY
Another family member?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_FRIEND
A friend or co-worker?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_PET
A pet or companion animal?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_SELF
Himself/herself (offender)?
____________________________________________________
INC_THREAT_OTH
INC_THREAT_OTHSP
Someone else?

SECTION IX. HELP-SEEKING
ASSIST_CALL
Q20. During the past 12 months did you or someone else call
or contact the police to report any of the unwanted contacts
or behaviors you experienced?

Page 14

1  Yes [skip to Q22 (ASSIST_YESREPORT)]
2  No [skip to Q21 (ASSIST_NOTREPORT)]

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

ASSIST_NOTREPORT
ASSIST_NOTREPORTSP
Q21. What was the reason these unwanted contacts or
behaviors were not reported to the police?
[Mark all that apply]
Structured Probe
Was the reason because it was dealt with in another way, it
wasn’t important enough, police couldn’t do anything, police
wouldn’t help, fear of the person, or was there some other
reason?

Dealt with it another way
01  Reported to another official (guard, apt. manager,
employer, hospital official, school official, military
official, etc.)
02  Private or personal matter (handled myself or family
member or friend handled it)
03  Told other non-officials (parents, friends, other family
members, etc.)
Not important enough to respondent
04  Too minor, not a police matter, not serious enough
05  Not clear it was a crime
06  Not sure that harm was intended
Police couldn’t do anything
07  Didn’t think the police would be able to stop behaviors
08  Could not find or identify offender
09  Had no legal authority/wrong jurisdiction
10  Lacked or had incorrect restraining, protection, or nocontact order
11  Not enough evidence/lack of proof
Police wouldn’t help
12  Police wouldn’t believe respondent
13  Police would think it was respondent’s fault
14  Police didn’t think it was important enough, wouldn’t
want to be bothered or get involved
15  Offender was a police officer, justice officer
16  Police would be inefficient, ineffective
17  Had previous negative experience with the police
Feared offender
18  Afraid of reprisal or escalation of behavior by the
offender or others
Other reasons
19  Respondent does not trust or is afraid of police
20  Respondent felt ashamed or embarrassed
21  Didn’t want offender to get in trouble with the law
22  Offender was (ex)spouse or (ex)partner
23  Respondent obtained a restraining, protection, or nocontact order instead
24  Respondent moved away
25  Offender moved away
26  For the sake of the children
27  Unwanted contacts/behaviors stopped
28  Other – Specify __________
29  Don’t know

CHECK ITEM 6b: Skip to Q27 (ASSIST_AGENCYSEEK).

Page 15

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

ASSIST_YESREPORT
ASSIST_YESREPORTSP
Q22. During the past 12 months, who reported these
unwanted contacts or behaviors to the police? Anyone else?
[Mark all that apply]

ASSIST_ACTION
ASSIST_ACTIONSP
Q23. Taking into account all of the times the police were
contacted in the past 12 months regarding these unwanted
contacts or behaviors, what did the police do? Anything
else? [Mark all that apply]

01  Respondent
02  Respondent’s friend
03  Neighbor
04  Respondent’s family, in-laws, spouse, parents,
children, relatives
05  Respondent’s girl/boyfriend, partner
06  Doctor, nurse
07  Clergy or faith leader
08  Social worker, counselor, other mental health
professional
09  School official, teacher, faculty, or staff
10  Boss, employer, co-worker
11  Stranger, bystander
12  Security guard, security department
13  Police on scene
14  Other – Specify __________
15  Don’t know

01  Took a report
02  Talked to or warned offender
03  Arrested the offender or took the offender into
custody
04  Told respondent to get a restraining, protection, or
no-contact order
05  Referred respondent to a court or prosecutor’s office
06  Referred respondent to services, such as victim
assistance
07  Gave advice on how to protect self
08  Took respondent to another location, such as a
hospital or shelter
09  Asked for more information/evidence
10  Other – Specify __________
11  Don’t know
12  Took no action

CHECK ITEM 7: If the police took no action (ASSIST_ACTION=12), then skip to Q24 (ASSIST_NOACTION). Else, skip to Q25a
(ASSIST_CHARGES).

Page 16

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

ASSIST_NOACTION
ASSIST_NOACTIONSP
Q24. Why do you think the police took no action? Any other
reason? [Mark all that apply]

ASSIST_CHARGES
Q25a. Were criminal charges filed against the
(person/persons) who committed the unwanted contacts or
behaviors you experienced?

01  Police did not think crime occurred
02  Could not find or identify offender
03  Had no legal authority/wrong jurisdiction
04  Respondent lacked or had incorrect restraining,
protection, or no-contact order
05  Didn’t have evidence/lack of proof
06  Didn’t believe respondent/take respondent seriously
07  Thought it was respondent’s fault
08  Didn’t think it was important enough, didn’t want to be
bothered or get involved
09  Were inefficient, ineffective
10  Offender was a police officer, justice officer
11  Offender was well-connected in the community, was
friend/relative with local authorities
12  Respondent was not old enough to file a report (i.e.
needed a guardian)
13  Other – Specify __________
14  Don’t know

1  Yes [skip to Q25b (ASSIST_FILED)]
2  No [skip to Q27 (ASSIST_AGENCYSEEK)]
3  Don’t know [skip to Q27 (ASSIST_ AGENCYSEEK)]

ASSIST_FILED
ASSIST_FILEDSP
Q25b. What were the criminal charges filed? [Mark all that
apply]

ASSIST_OUTCOME
ASSIST_OUTCOMESP
Q26. What was the final outcome of the criminal charges
filed against the (person/persons) who committed these
unwanted contacts or behaviors? Anything else? [Mark all
that apply.]

ASSIST_AGENCYSEEK
Q27. In the past 12 months, did you seek any help or advice
concerning these unwanted contacts or behaviors from any
office or agency – other than police – that assists victims of
crime?

Page 17

1  Stalking
2  Something else – Specify ________
3  Don’t know

01  Still pending
02  Dismissed/not guilty
03  Convicted/guilty
04  Plead to lesser charge
05  Fined
06  Court order intervention/counseling program
07  Criminal no-contact order
08  Probation
09  Jailed/imprisoned
10  Other – Specify __________
11  Don’t know

1  Yes [skip to Q28a (ASSIST_AGENCYHELP)]
2  No [skip to Q29 (ACTION_ACTIVITIES)]
3  Don’t know [skip to Q29 (ACTION_ACTIVITIES)]

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

ASSIST_AGENCYHELP
Q28a. Did you receive any services or assistance from this
or these offices or agencies?

1  Yes [skip to Q28b (ASSIST_HOTLINE)]
2  No [skip to Q28c (ASSIST_AREA)]
3  Don’t know [skip to Q29 (ACTION_ACTIVITIES)]

Q28b. With this next question, I’m going to read a list of 11
different types of services or assistance you may have
received. You can say yes to more than one type.
Did you receive…
ASSIST_HOTLINE
Crisis hotline counseling?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_THERAPY
Counseling or therapy?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_ORDER
Assistance getting a restraining, protection, or no-contact
order?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_LEGAL
Legal or court services?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_COMPENSATE
Federal or state victim compensation?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_FINANCIAL
Short term or emergency financial assistance?
____________________________________________________
Did you receive…
ASSIST_SHELTER
Shelter or safehouse services?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_SAFETY
Safety planning?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_RISK
Risk or threat assessment?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_MEDICAL
Medical advocacy?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_HELP_OTHER
ASSIST_HELP_OTHERSP
Any other services?

CHECK ITEM 8: Skip to Q29 (ACTION_ACTIVITIES).

Page 18

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q28c. You reported that you sought services from an office
or agency that assists victims of crime, but did not receive
them. Why did you not receive these services? Was it
because…
ASSIST_AREA
Services were not available in your local area?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_TRANSPORT
You did not have a means of transportation to and from the
service provider?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_CHILDCARE
You did not have childcare to go to get services?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_ACCOMODATE
The service provider could not accommodate you (for
example, there were no beds available in a shelter)?
____________________________________________________
Was it because…
ASSIST_WORK
You were unable to take time off of work or school to get
services?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_LANGUAGE
There were language barriers?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_ELIGIBLE
You were not eligible for services?
____________________________________________________
ASSIST_NOHELP_OTHER
ASSIST_NOHELP_OTHERSP
Some other reason?

Page 19

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

SECTION X. SELF-PROTECTIVE ACTIONS
Q29. There are things that people might try to do to protect
themselves or stop unwanted contacts or behaviors from
continuing. In the past 12 months, have you done any of the
following because of the unwanted contacts or behaviors
you experienced? Have you…
ACTION_BLOCKED
Blocked unwanted calls, messages, or other
communications?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_INFO
[Have you] Changed your personal information?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_INFOLST
ACTION_INFOLSTSP
What personal information did you change?
[Mark all that apply]

____________________________________________________
ACTION _ORDER
[Have you] Applied for a restraining, protection, or no-contact
order?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_SECURITY
[Have you] Taken self-defensive actions or other security
measures?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_SECURITYLST
ACTION_SECURITYLSTSP
What self-defensive actions or security measures did you
take?
[Mark all that apply]
____________________________________________________
ACTION_ACTIVITIES
[Have you] Changed your day to day activities?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_ACTIVITIESLST
ACTION_ACTIVITIESLSTSP
What day to day activities did you change?
[Mark all that apply]

____________________________________________________
ACTION _PROTECT
ACTION _PROTECTSP
Did you do anything else to protect yourself or stop the
unwanted contacts or behaviors from continuing?

Page 20

1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes [skip to ACTION_INFOLST]
2  No [skip to ACTION_ORDER]
_______________________________________________
1  Change your social security number or name
2  Change e-mail address
3  Shut down or change information on social media
accounts
4  Change telephone numbers
5  Get a new phone or computer
6  Other – Specify ___________
_______________________________________________
1  Yes
2  No
_______________________________________________
1  Yes [skip to ACTION_SECURITYLST]
2  No [skip to ACTION_ACTIVITIES]
_______________________________________________
1  Take self-defense or martial arts classes
2  Get pepper spray
3  Get a gun
4  Get any other kind of weapon
5  Change or install new locks or a security system
6  Other – Specify ___________
_______________________________________________
1  Yes [skip to ACTION_ACTIVITIESLST]
2  No [skip to ACTION_PROTECT]
_______________________________________________
1  Take time off from work or school
2  Change or quit a job or school
3  Change the way (route or method of transportation)
you went to work or school
4  Avoid relatives, friends, or holiday celebrations
5  Change your usual activities outside of work or school
6  Stay with friends or relatives or had them stay with you
7  Move or change where you live
8  Alter your appearance to be unrecognizable
9  Other – Specify ___________
_______________________________________________
1  Yes – Specify ___________
2  No

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q30. Some people might ask others for help in order to
protect themselves or to stop unwanted contacts or
behaviors from continuing. In the past 12 months, did you…
ACTION_ADVICE
Ask for advice or help from friends or family?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_REQUEST
Ask people not to release information about you?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_INVESTIGATE
Hire a private investigator?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_ATTORNEY
Ask for advice or help from an attorney?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_COUNSELOR
Talk to a counselor or therapist?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_DOCTOR
Talk to a doctor or nurse?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_FAITH
Talk to your Clergy or faith leader?
____________________________________________________
ACTION _BOSS
Talk to your boss or employer?
____________________________________________________
ACTION _SCHOOL
Talk to your teacher or school official?
____________________________________________________
ACTION _WORKPLACE
Contact your building or workplace security person?

ACTION_CURRENT
Q31. Are these unwanted contacts or behaviors still going
on?

Page 21

1  Yes [skip to Q33 (ACTION_PEERS)]
2  No [skip to Q32 (ACTION_STOPPED)]
3  Don’t know [skip to Q33 (ACTION_PEERS)]

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

ACTION_STOPPED
ACTION_STOPPEDSP
ACTION_STOPPEDSP2
Q32. Why do you think these unwanted contacts or
behaviors stopped? Anything else? [Mark all that apply]

Respondent took measures
01  Got a restraining, protection, or no-contact order
02  Moved
03  Changed phone number, e-mail account, or social
media account
04  Blocked phone number, e-mail account, or social
media account
05  Got a new phone or computer
06  Talked to the offender
07  Got married or started a new relationship with
someone else
Offender stopped (because he/she…)
08  Was arrested
09  Was incarcerated
10  Started a new relationship with someone else
11  Moved
12  Died
13  Got help/counseling
Others intervened
14  Police intervened
15  Friend or relative intervened
16  Employer intervened
17  School official, faculty, or staff intervened
18  Clergy or faith leader intervened
19  Other – Specify __________
Other reason
20  Don’t know why it stopped
21  Other – Specify __________

SECTION XI. COST TO VICTIM
Unwanted contacts or behaviors may affect people in
different ways. Next I would like to ask you some questions
about how the unwanted contacts or behaviors you
experienced may have affected you.
ACTION_PEERS
Q33. Did experiencing these unwanted contacts or behaviors
lead you to have significant problems with your job or
schoolwork, or trouble with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
ACTION_FIGHTS
Q34. Did experiencing these unwanted contacts or behaviors
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?
ACTION_DISTRESSING
Q35. How distressing were these unwanted contacts or
behaviors to you? Were they not at all distressing, mildly
distressing, moderately distressing, or severely distressing?

Page 22

1  Yes
2  No
3  N/A, does not attend school or does not have a job

1  Yes
2  No

1
2
3
4

Not at all distressing
Mildly distressing
Moderately distressing
Severely distressing

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q36a. Considering all of these unwanted contacts or
behaviors that have occurred over the past year, did you
feel…
ACTION_FEARFUL
Fearful or terrified?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_WORRIED
[Did you feel] Worried or anxious?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_ANGRY
[Did you feel] Angry or annoyed?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_SAD
[Did you feel] Sad or depressed?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_HELPLESS
[Did you feel] Vulnerable or helpless?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TRUST
[Did you feel] Like you couldn’t trust people?
____________________________________________________
Considering all of these unwanted contacts or behaviors that
have occurred over the past year, did you feel…
ACTION_SICK
Sick?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_STRESSED
[Did you feel] Stressed?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_UNSAFE
[Did you feel] Unsafe?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_SUICIDAL
[Did you feel] Suicidal?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_FEELOTHER
Or did you feel some other way?

CHECK ITEM 9: If respondent reported feeling some other way at Q36a (ACTION_FEELOTHER=1), then skip to Q36b
(ACTION_FEELOTHERSP). Else, skip to Q37 (ACTION_KILLED).
ACTION_FEELOTHERSP
Q36b. What other way did these unwanted contacts or
behaviors make you feel?

Page 23

Specify ____________________________

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Q37. What were you afraid of happening as these unwanted
contacts or behaviors were occurring? Were you afraid of…
ACTION_KILLED
Being killed?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_SELFHARM
[Were you afraid of] Physical or bodily harm?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_OTHHARM
[Were you afraid of] Someone close to you being harmed?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_JOB
[Were you afraid of] Losing your job or job opportunities?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_SOCIAL
[Were you afraid of] Losing your social network, peers, or
friends?

____________________________________________________
What were you afraid of happening as these unwanted
contacts or behaviors were occurring? Were you afraid of…

_______________________________________________

ACTION_FREEDOM
Losing your freedom?

1  Yes
2  No

____________________________________________________
ACTION_FOREVER
[Were you afraid of] The behaviors never stopping?

_______________________________________________

____________________________________________________
ACTION_UNSURE
[Were you afraid of] Not knowing what might happen next?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_MENTAL
[Were you afraid of] Losing your mind?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_AFRAIDOTHER
ACTION_AFRAIDOTHERSP
[Were you afraid of] Anything else?
ACTION_FIRED
Q38. During the past 12 months, have you been fired from or
asked to leave a job because of these unwanted contacts or
behaviors?
ACTION_INSURANCE
Q39. During the past 12 months, did you lose any pay that
was not covered by unemployment insurance, paid leave, or
some other source because of these unwanted contacts or
behaviors?

Page 24

1  Yes
2  No
3  N/A, does not have a job

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

ACTION_SUSPENDED
Q40. During the past 12 months, have you been suspended
or expelled from school because of these unwanted contacts
or behaviors?

1  Yes
2  No
3  N/A, does not attend school

CHECK ITEM 10: If respondent reported not having a job and not attending school at Q38, Q39, and Q40 (ACTION_FIRED=3
and ACTION_INSURANCE=3 and ACTION_SUSPENDED=3), then skip to SUPPLEMENTEND_SVS. Else, skip to Q41
(ACTION_TIMEFEAR).
Q41. Did you lose any time from work or school because of
these unwanted contacts or behaviors for things such as…
ACTION_TIMEFEAR
Fear or concern for your safety?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TIMEPOLICE
Police-related activities?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TIMECOURT
Court-related activities (such as getting a
restraining/protection order or testifying)?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TIMEPHONE
Changing your phone number or personal information?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TIMEMOVE
Moving?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TIMEPROPERTY
Fixing or replacing damaged property?
____________________________________________________
ACTION_TIMEOTHER
ACTION_TIMEOTHERSP
Anything else?

SUPPLEMENTEND_SVS
This completes your interview. Thank you for your cooperation.

Page 25

FORM SVS-1 (1/8/2019)

Attachment 3:
Stalking Victims in the United States – Revised, BJS Special Report

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

SEPTEMBER 2012

Special Report

NCJ 224527

Stalking Victims in the United
States - Revised
Shannan Catalano, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

n estimated 3.3 million persons age 18 or older
were victims of stalking during a 12-month period.
Stalking is defined as a course of conduct directed
at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to
feel fear. The data for this report are from the Supplemental
Victimization Survey (SVS) conducted in 2006 as part of
the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The SVS
identified seven types of harassing or unwanted behaviors
consistent with a course of conduct experienced by stalking
victims. The survey classified individuals as stalking victims
if they responded that they experienced at least one of these
behaviors on at least two separate occasions. In addition,
the individuals must have feared for their safety or that of a
family member as a result of the course of conduct, or have
experienced additional threatening behaviors that would
cause a reasonable person to feel fear.
The SVS measured the following stalking behaviors:

making unwanted phone calls

sending unsolicited or unwanted letters or e-mails

following or spying on the victim

showing up at places without a legitimate reason

waiting at places for the victim

leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers

posting information or spreading rumors about the victim
on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth.

While individually these acts may not be criminal,
collectively and repetitively these behaviors may cause a
victim to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a family

Errata: The original report, released in January 2009, was
written by Katrina Baum, Ph.D., Shannan M. Catalano, Ph.D.,
and Michael R. Rand of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and
Kristina Rose of the National Institute of Justice. See page 2
for details about the revisions.

member. These behaviors constitute stalking for the
purposes of this study. The federal government, all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories have enacted
laws making stalking a criminal act, although the elements
defining the act of stalking differ across states (see Stalking
Laws on page 3).
The SVS also identified victims who experienced the
behaviors associated with stalking but neither reported
feeling fear as a result of such conduct nor experienced
actions that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.
This report characterizes such individuals as harassment
victims. These instances of harassment might eventually
have risen to the definitional requirement for stalking.
However, at the time of the interview, the offender’s actions
and victim’s responses did not rise to the threshold of
stalking victimization as measured by the SVS.
Few national studies have measured the extent and nature
of stalking in the United States. The Department of Justice
Office on Violence Against Women funded the 2006
SVS to enhance empirical knowledge about stalking (see
Methodology). The SVS, which represents the largest study of
stalking conducted to date, incorporated elements contained
in federal and state laws to construct a working definition of
stalking.

HIGHLIGHTS

During a 12-month period, an estimated 1.5% of persons
age 18 or older were victims of stalking.

Nearly 7 in 10 stalking victims knew their offender in some
capacity.

The percentage of stalking victims was highest for
individuals who were divorced or separated (3.3%),
compared to those married, never married, or widowed.

A greater percentage of females were stalked than
males; however, females and males were equally likely to
experience harassment.

BJS

Revisions to Stalking Victims in the
United States initially released
January 2009
The report Stalking Victimization in the United States was
initially released in January 2009. Recently, two errors in
the analysis were identified: some responses regarding
“repetitive and unsolicited communications” were incorrectly
classified as stalking or harassment; and the population
used to generate percents incorrectly used persons age 12
or older instead of persons age 18 or older. Implementing
these corrections resulted in revisions to point estimates of
stalking and harassment victim counts and percentages for
various demographic and victim characteristics. In addition,
previous estimates were presented as victimization rates
per 1,000 persons. The revised report presents stalking and
harassment as a prevalence estimate. Prevalence is defined as
the proportion of the population that experienced an event
or condition within a specified period of time.
In the sample selection procedure for the 2009 report, 170
cases where victims reported receiving “repetitive and
unsolicited communications” were actually spam email,
internet scams, and contacts from telemarketers or bill
collectors. The survey respondents were instructed to exclude
these types of incidents. A total of 133 cases were erroneously
included in the harassment category and 37 cases were
incorrectly included in the stalking victimization category
(table 1). When these cases are excluded, the estimate of
persons who experienced behaviors consistent with either
stalking or harassment dropped to 5.3 million from 5.9 million.
In conjunction with the National Crime Victimization Survey,
the Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS), the data
source for this report, was administered to persons age 18 or
older. However, the estimates presented in the 2009 release
were generated using populations for persons age 12 or
older. The population base for the two age groups varies by
demographic characteristics (table 2). Using populations
for persons age 18 or older, the estimated percentage of the
population experiencing stalking increased from 1.4% to
1.5%.
This revised report is not a comprehensive update of the
original report. The first five tables and figures presented in
the original report and the associated text have been revised,
reflecting the new numerator and denominator and statistical
testing. These tables cover the key stalking and harassment
variables. Also, the Methodology and some appendix material
received slight revision. The original report, tables and other
related documents are no longer available on the BJS website
or in print. The SVS dataset is available to users at the National
Archive of Criminal Justice Data at www.icpsr.umich.edu/
icpsrweb/NACJD/.

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

Table 1
Distribution of spam in unweighted prevalence estimates
of stalking and harassment
Total
Not spam
Flagged as spam

All
1,683
1,513
170

Stalking
983
946
37

Harassment
700
567
133

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

Table 2
Populations for persons ages 12 or older and 18 or older
by selected characteristics
Overall
Sex
Male
Female
Race
White
Black
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Two or more races
Hispanic origin
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
Unknown
Age
18–19
20–24
25–34
35–49
50–64
65 or older
Household income
$7,499 or less
$7,500–$14,999
$15,000–$24,999
$25,000–$34,999
$35,000–$49,999
$50,000–$74,999
$75,000 or more
Unknown
Marital status
Never married
Married
Divorced or separated
Widowed
Unknown

Published
12 or older
246,500,200

Revised
18 or older
220,995,170

120,068,420
126,431,780

107,014,170
113,981,000

200,874,080
29,853,700
1,695,400
11,317,780
2,759,240

181,858,650
25,672,890
1,483,760
9,837,830
2,142,040

29,522,670
215,025,170
/

23,440,950
195,655,390
1,898,830

8,047,540
20,346,940
39,835,680
65,886,490
51,400,990
35,515,670

8,053,370
20,348,250
39,760,010
65,878,490
51,483,100
35,471,950

8,418,570
14,562,850
22,428,240
22,862,680
30,345,140
37,956,910
56,633,800
/

7,702,700
13,236,960
20,221,710
20,373,140
27,910,030
34,011,190
50,709,700
46,829,750

79,715,080
123,633,560
26,334,200
14,318,190
/

54,100,740
124,145,550
26,704,680
14,179,710
1,864,500

/Not reported in original report.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

This report presents information on stalking victims.
Harassment is discussed where appropriate to provide fuller
context. Persons interested in viewing the SVS data in its
entirety may obtain the data file from the University of
Michigan’s Archive of Criminal Justice Data at www.icpsr.
umich.edu/NACJD.

FIGURE 1
Duration of stalking and harassment victimization
6 months or less

39.3
12.3

7-11 months

During a 12-month period, an estimated 1.5% of
persons age 18 or older were a victim of stalking

16.9

Harassment
Stalking

10.3
13.4

1 year

An estimated 5.3 million U.S. residents age 18 or older
experienced behaviors consistent with either stalking or
harassment in the 12 months preceding the SVS interview
(table 3). Of the 5.3 million victims, more than half
experienced behavior that met the definition of stalking.
Approximately 1.5% of persons age 18 or older experienced
the repetitive behaviors associated with stalking in addition
to feeling fear or experiencing behaviors that would cause
a reasonable person to feel fear. About 0.9% of persons age
18 or older were classified as victims of harassment who
experienced a course of conduct consistent with stalking
but who did not report feeling fear. Many victims of stalking
reported being stalked over a period of months or years,
and 11% of victims said they had been stalked for 5 years or
more (figure 1).

44.0

6.5

2 years

9.0

3.2
4.6

3 years

1.4 !
2.8

4 years

6.9

5 years or more
Don't know

15.3

2.9
0

11.1

Percent

Note: All victims experienced at least one unwanted behavior in the year before
the interview. See appendix table 2 for standard errors.
! Interpret data with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or the
coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

Table 3
Prevalence of stalking and harassment over the 12 months prior to interview
All victims
Stalking victims
Harassment victims

Published number
of victimizations
5,857,030
3,424,100
2,432,930

Revised number
of victims
5,305,730
3,300,570
2,005,160

Published victimization
rate per 1,000 persons
23.8
13.9
9.9

Revised percent
of persons
2.4%
1.5
0.9

Note: The total population age 18 or older was 220,995,170 in 2006. See appendix table 1 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

Stalking Laws
While the federal government, all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, and U.S. territories have enacted criminal
laws to address stalking, the legal definition of stalking
varies across jurisdictions. State laws vary regarding the
element of victim fear and emotional distress, as well
as the requisite intent of the stalker. Some state laws
specify that the victim must have been frightened by the
stalking, while others require only that the stalking would

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

have caused a reasonable person to experience fear. In
addition, states vary on what level of fear is required. Some
state laws require prosecutors to establish fear of death
or serious bodily harm, while others require only that
prosecutors establish that the victim suffered emotional
distress. Interstate stalking is defined by federal law 18
U.S.C. § 2261A.

Unwanted phone calls and message were the most
common type of stalking behavior experienced
Stalking victims were about twice as likely to report
experiencing following or spying on the victim, showing
up at places without a legitimate reason, or waiting outside
(or inside) places for the victim than individuals who were
harassed. For example, 34% of stalking victims reported that
the offender followed or spied on them, compared to 12% of
harassment victims who reported experiencing this behavior
(table 4). Thirty-two percent of stalking victims reported
that the offenders showed up in places where they had no
legitimate purpose being; approximately 12% of harassment
victims reported this type of unwanted behavior. Also, 29%
of stalking victims stated that the offender waited in places
for them, while 10% of harassment victims reported this
type of behavior.
Risk of victimization varied more for stalking than for
harassment
A greater percentage of females experienced stalking than
males (table 5). During the study period, 2.2% of females
experienced at least one stalking victimization compared
to 0.8% of males. Males and females were equally likely to
experience harassment.
Age
The percentage of persons stalked diminished with age.
Persons ages 18 to 19 and 20 to 24 experienced the highest
prevalence of stalking victimization. About 2.9% per 1,000
persons ages 18 to 19 were stalked during the study period,
and 2.8% of persons ages 20 to 24 experienced this type of
victimization.
Table 4
Nature of stalking and harassment behaviors experienced
by victims
Unwanted phone calls and messages
Unwanted letters and e-mail
Spreading rumors
Following or spying
Showing up at places
Waiting for victim
Leaving unwanted presents
Number of victims

All
63.5%
28.4
31.2
26.1
24.1
21.8
9.8
5,305,730

Percent of victims
Stalking Harassment
66.7%
58.3%
30.7
24.7
36.3
22.9
34.4
12.5
31.6
11.8
29.3
9.5
12.5
5.5
3,300,570
2,005,160

Table 5
Characteristics of stalking and harassment victims
Characteristics
Overall
Sex
Male
Female
Race
White
Black
American Indian/
Alaska Native
Asian/Pacific
Islander
Two or more races
Hispanic origin
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
Unknown
Age
18–19
20–24
25–34
35–49
50–64
65 or older
Household income
$7,499 or less
$7,500–$14,999
$15,000–$24,999
$25,000–$34,999
$35,000–$49,999
$50,000–$74,999
$75,000 or more
Unknown
Marital status
Never married
Married
Divorced or
separated
Widowed
Unknown

Population
220,995,170

Percent of persons age 18 or older
All
Stalking Harassment
2.4%
1.5%
0.9%

107,014,170
113,981,000

1.6%
3.1

0.8%
2.2

0.9%
1.0

181,858,650
25,672,890

2.4%
2.4

1.5%
1.4

0.9%
1.1

1,483,760

3.8

2.2 !

1.5 !

9,837,830
2,142,040

1.3
6.3

0.6
4.1

0.6
2.3

23,440,950
195,655,390
1,898,830

1.9%
2.5
2.8

1.3%
1.5
1.2 !

0.6%
0.9
1.6 !

8,053,370
20,348,250
39,760,010
65,878,490
51,483,100
35,471,950

4.5%
4.4
2.9
2.7
1.7
0.8

2.9%
2.8
2.0
1.7
1.0
0.3

1.6%
1.6
0.9
1.0
0.7
0.4

7,702,700
13,236,960
20,221,710
20,373,140
27,910,030
34,011,190
50,709,700
46,829,750

4.8%
4.2
3.2
2.9
2.5
2.3
1.8
1.6

3.3%
2.9
2.2
1.7
1.7
1.4
1.0
0.9

1.5%
1.3
1.0
1.1
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.7

54,100,740
124,145,550

3.8%
1.4

2.4%
0.8

1.4%
0.6

26,704,680
14,179,710
1,864,500

4.8
1.4
1.9

3.3
0.7
1.5 !

1.5
0.7
0.4 !

Note: See appendix table 4 for standard errors.
! Interpret data with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or the
coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

Note: Detail sums to more than 100% because multiple responses were
permitted. See appendix table 3 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

Race and Hispanic origin of victim

Relationship

A lower percentage of Asians and Pacific Islander (0.6% of
persons age 18 or older) experienced stalking than whites
(1.5%), blacks (1.4%), and persons of two or more races
(4.1%). Non-Hispanics and Hispanics were equally likely
to experience stalking. During the study period, 1.5% of
non-Hispanics experienced stalking. The percentage for
Hispanics during this period was 1.3% for persons age 18 or
older.

Nine percent of victims were stalked by a stranger, and
nearly 70% of all victims knew their offender in some
capacity (table 6). Stalking victims most often identified the
stalker as a former intimate (20%) or a friend, roommate, or
neighbor (15%).

Marital status
The percentage of individuals who were divorced or
separated and stalked was 3.3%—a higher percent than for
persons of other marital statuses. A higher percentage of
individuals who had never been married (2.4%) were stalked
than persons who were married (0.8%) or widowed (0.7%).
Income
As with crime more generally, persons residing in
households with higher incomes experienced a lower
percentage of stalking than those from households with
lower incomes. The percentage of individuals in households
with an annual income of $7,499 or less and those with
an income from $7,500 to $14,999 experienced about the
same percentage of stalking. However, the percentage of
individuals living in these households experienced a higher
percentage of stalking than persons in households with an
annual income at or above $25,000.

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

Table 6
Victim-offender relationship in stalking and harassment
Total
Known, intimate
Current intimate
Spouse
Boy/girlfriend
Former intimate
Ex-spouse
Ex-boy/girlfriend
Known, other
Friend/roommate/neighbor
Known from work or school
Acquaintance
Relative
Stranger
Unknown
Victim unable to identify
a single offender*
Number of victims

All
100%
24.1%
7.1
3.8
3.3
17.0
6.2
10.8
39%
14.6
8.8
8.2
7.4
9.3%
15.1%
12.5%
5,305,730

Percent of victims
Stalking
Harassment
100%
100%
28.1%
17.4%
8.2
5.3
5.2
1.4 !
3.0
3.9
20.0
12.1
7.8
3.6
12.2
8.5
41.8%
34.4%
15.2
13.5
9.2
8.2
9.1
6.8
8.3
5.9
9.0%
9.7%
14.2%
16.5%
6.8%
3,300,570

21.9%
2,005,160

Note: See appendix table 5 for standard errors.
! Interpret data with caution; estimate based on 10 or fewer sample cases, or the
coefficient of variation is greater than 50%.
*Includes victims who could not identify a single offender who was most
responsible.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey,
Supplemental Victimization Survey, 2006.

Methodology
The Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS) was
administered as a supplement to the Bureau of Justice
Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey
(NCVS) during January through June, 2006. All NCVS
respondents age 18 and older were eligible for the
supplement. About 65,270 persons participated in the
supplemental survey. The response rate for eligible
individuals was 83%.
The estimates presented in this report are annual prevalence
estimates for persons age 18 or older victimized by stalking
or other harassing behaviors during the 12 months prior to
the interview. The interviews were conducted during the
first 6 months of 2006; therefore, the majority of the stalking
behaviors occurred during 2005.
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and
BJS convened a 1-day forum with experts in the area of
stalking and violence against women. Researchers, law
enforcement officials, prosecutors, and victim advocates
comprised the expert group. Also included in the group
were representatives from the Census Bureau, the federal
agency that carries out survey development and data
collection for BJS. The purpose of the 1-day forum was to
discuss definitional and methodological issues surrounding
the crime of stalking, as well as to determine where gaps in
current information on stalking existed and how the SVS
could further the research and knowledge regarding this
crime.
Following this meeting, a small federal working group was
formed with representatives from OVW, BJS, and the Census
Bureau. The working group met weekly for approximately
12 months until a satisfactory survey instrument was
completed and approved. During the last phase of the survey
development, the Census Bureau conducted cognitive
interviews with stalking victims around the United States
to test the instrument before administering the SVS in the
field. Revisions were made to the instrument to incorporate
findings from these interviews.

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

The name of the SVS intentionally does not indicate that
the focus of the survey is stalking. This decision was made
to avoid biasing the responses of individuals and the
subsequent estimates. The respondent had to state that they
experienced all of the following in order for a course of
behavior to be counted as stalking victimization:

At least one of the harassing behaviors in the stalking
screener

Harassing behavior more than one time on separate days

At least one of multiple harassing contacts during the
12 months prior to the interview

Fear for their own or a family member’s safety or
experience of another crime committed by the offender
that would make a reasonable person fearful (see the
Screener questions box).

Victims of harassment met all the requirements for stalking
except those associated with induced fear or the commission
of additional associated crimes. Harassing acts by bill
collectors, telephone solicitors, or other sales people were
excluded from the estimates of stalking and harassment.
Standard error computations
Comparisons of percentages and counts made in this report
were tested to determine if observed differences were
statistically significant. Differences described as higher,
lower, or different passed a test at the .05 level of statistical
significance (95% confidence level). Differences described as
somewhat, lightly, marginally, or some indication passed a
test at the .10 level of statistical significance (90% confidence
level). Caution is required when comparing estimates not
explicitly discussed in the report.

Screener questions for stalking behaviors
Now, I would like to ask you some questions about any unwanted contacts or harassing behavior you may have
experienced that frightened, concerned, angered, or annoyed you. Please include acts committed by strangers, casual
acquaintances, friends, relatives, and even spouses and partners. I want to remind you that the information you provide is
confidential.
1. Not including bill collectors,
telephone solicitors, or other
sales people, has anyone, male
or female, EVER – frightened,
concerned, angered, or annoyed
you by …
a. making unwanted phone calls to
you or leaving messages?
b. sending unsolicited or unwanted
letters, e-mails, or other forms
of written correspondence or
communication?
c. following you or spying on you?
d. waiting outside or inside places
for you such as your home, school,
workplace, or recreation place?

2. During the last twelve months,
did this person attack or attempt to
attack you by...
a. hitting, slapping, or knocking you
down
b. choking or strangling you
c. raping or sexually assaulting you
d. attacking you with a weapon
e. chasing or dragging with a car
f. attacking you in some other way
3. Other than the attacks or
attempted attacks you just told me
about, during the last 12 months,
did this person threaten to...
a. kill you

Questions used to measure
fear
1. How did the behavior of (this
person/these persons) make
you feel when it FIRST started?
Anything else?
a. anxious/concerned
b. annoyed/angry
c. frightened
d. depressed
e. helpless
f. sick
g. suicidal
h. some other way–specify

b. rape or sexually assault you

2. How did you feel as the behavior
progressed? Anything else?

c. harm you with a weapon

a. no change in feelings

f. leaving unwanted items, presents,
or flowers?

d. hit, slap, or harm you in some other
way

b. anxious/concerned

g. posting information or spreading
rumors about you on the Internet, in
a public place, or by word of mouth?

e. harm or kidnap a child

e. showing up at places where you
were even though he or she had no
business being there?

h. none

Actions that would cause a
reasonable person to feel fear

f. harm another family member
g. harm a friend or co-worker
h. harm a pet
i. harm or kill himself/herself

1. In order to frighten or intimidate
you, did this person attack or
attempt to attack...

4. What were you most afraid of
happening as these unwanted
contacts or behaviors were
occurring?

a. a child

a. death

b. another family member

b. physical/bodily harm

c. a friend or co-worker

c. harm or kidnap respondent’s child

d. a pet

d. harm current partner/boyfriend/
girlfriend

c. annoyed/angry
d. frightened
e. depressed
f. helpless
g. sick
h. suicidal
i. some other way–specify

e. harm other family members
f. don’t know what would happen

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

Appendix table 1
Standard errors for table 3: Prevalence of stalking and harassment over the 12 months prior to interview
Published number
of victimizations
240,740
173,320
140,510

All victims
Stalking victims
Harassment victims

Revised number
of victims
226,660
169,450
124,810

Appendix table 2
Standard errors for figure 1: Duration of stalking and
harassment victimization
6 months or less
7–11 months
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years or more
Don’t know
Number of victims

All
1.7%
1.2
1.1
0.9
0.6
0.4
0.9
0.8
226,660

Percent of victims
Stalking
Harassment
2.1%
2.6%
1.5
1.6
1.4
1.5
1.1
1.2
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.5
1.2
1.2
0.6
1.8
169,450
124,810

~Not applicable.

Appendix table 3
Standard errors for table 4: Nature of stalking and
harassment behaviors experienced by victims
Unwanted phone calls and messages
Unwanted letters and e-mail
Spreading rumors
Following or spying
Showing up at places
Waiting for victim
Leaving unwanted presents
Number of victims

All
1.8%
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.0
226,660

Percent of victims
Stalking Harassment
2.1%
2.6%
1.9
2.2
2.0
2.1
2.0
1.6
2.0
1.6
1.9
1.4
1.3
1.1
169,450
124,810

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

Published victimzation
rate per 1,000 persons
1.0
0.7
0.6

Revised percent
of persons
0.1
0.1
0.1

Appendix table 4
Standard errors for table 5: Characteristics of stalking and
harassment victims
Overall
Sex
Male
Female
Race
White
Black
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Two or more races
Hispanic origin
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
Unknown
Age
18–19
20–24
25–34
35–49
50–64
65 or older
Household income
$7,499 or less
$7,500– $14,999
$15,000– $24,999
$25,000–$34,999
$35,000–$49,999
$50,000–$74,999
$75,000 or more
Unknown
Marital status
Never married
Married
Divorced or separated
Widowed
Unknown

Percent of persons age 18 or older
All
Stalking
Harassment
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.2

0.1
0.1

0.1
0.2
1.0
0.2
1.1

0.1
0.2
0.8
0.2
0.9

0.1
0.1
0.6
0.2
0.7

0.2
0.1
0.8

0.2
0.1
0.5

0.1
0.1
0.6

0.5
0.4
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1

0.3
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

0.6
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1

0.5
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1

0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

0.2
0.1
0.3
0.2
0.6

0.2
0.1
0.3
0.1
0.6

0.1
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.3

Appendix table 5
Standard errors for table 6: Victim-offender relationship in
stalking and harassment
Total
Known, intimate
Current intimate
Spouse
Boy/girlfriend
Former intimate
Ex-spouse
Ex-boy/girlfriend
Known, other
Friend/roommate/neighbor
Known from work or school
Acquaintance
Relative
Stranger
Unknown
Victim unable to identify
a single offender
Number of victims

All
~
1.5%
0.8
0.6
0.5
1.3
0.8
1.0
1.7
1.2
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.9
1.2
1.1
226,660

Percent of victims
Stalking
Harassment
~
~
1.9%
1.9%
1.1
1.1
0.8
0.5
0.6
0.9
1.6
1.6
1.0
0.9
1.3
1.3
2.1
2.5
1.4
1.7
1.1
1.3
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.4
1.4
1.9
1.0
169,450

2.1
124,810

~Not applicable.

STALKING VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES |SEPTEMBER 2012

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the
U.S. Department of Justice. James P. Lynch is the director.
This report was revised by Shannan Catalano, Ph.D., and Jennifer L.
Truman verified the report. The original report, released in January
2009, was written by Katrina Baum, Ph.D., Shannan Catalano, Ph.D., and
Michael Rand, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and Kristina Rose, National
Institute of Justice .
Catherine Bird and Jill Thomas edited the report and Barbara Quinn
produced the report under the supervision of Doris J. James.
September 2012, NCJ 224527

Office of Justice Programs
Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods
www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Attachment 4:
NCVS-572(L) Census initial contact letter

NCVS-572(L) LOS ANGELES
(12-2017)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

A Message from the Director, U.S. Census Bureau...
Dear Resident:
Your address has been selected to participate in the National Crime Victimization Survey.
The survey collects information about the type and amount of crime committed against people
in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts this survey on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Since many crimes are never reported to the police, information from this survey is used to get a
more complete picture of crime occurring in our country. The information you provide will give a
better understanding of crime and its impact on victims. The survey results are used to develop
programs to aid crime victims and prevent crime.
The success of this survey depends on your participation. We cannot substitute
another address for yours. Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses
chosen throughout the country. Your answers represent hundreds of other households like yours.
Your participation is important even if you have not experienced any crime. By law, the Census
Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics. No information about you or your
household can be identified from these statistics.
Answers to frequently asked questions are on the back of this letter. If you would like further
information, contact your Census Bureau Regional Office at 1–800–992–3530.
You do not need to take any action at this time. A Census Bureau representative will contact you
soon to ask your household to complete the survey.
Thank you for your participation.

census.gov

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey?
This survey collects data about experiences with crime, both reported and not reported to the
police. Periodically, the survey includes additional topics such as crime in schools, contacts with
law enforcement, and identity theft.
How was I selected for this survey?
The U.S. Census Bureau chose your address, not you personally, to participate in this survey.
We randomly selected a sample of addresses across the country to represent the entire
population. We need a response from all persons 12 or older in sampled homes to get a
complete picture of the types and amount of crime happening in the United States.
Will information I provide be confidential? Is this survey required by law?
The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau
is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you or your
household. We are conducting this survey for the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Justice under the authority of law (Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section
8). The Bureau of Justice Statistics is authorized to collect this survey information by law (Title
34, U.S.C., Section 10132). Federal law protects your privacy and keeps your answers
confidential (Title 13, U.S.C., Section 9 and Title 34, U.S.C., Sections 10231 and 10134). Per
the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity
risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. This collection has been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0111; Expiration Date:
08/31/2018). If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary
participation in this survey is important; however, you may decline to answer any or all
questions.
How are the data used?
Data from this survey provide information on many topics related to crime and victimization,
including crime in schools, trends in violent crime, costs of crime, and the response of law
enforcement to reports of victimization. Examples of reports, tables, and charts that use data
from the survey are on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ web site at www.bjs.gov.
How long will it take?
We expect the interview to take about 25 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or
longer than this depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments about this survey
or have recommendations for reducing its length, send them to the Chief, Victimization Statistics
Branch, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.
I thought that the Census Bureau only counts people every 10 years.
What is the Census Bureau doing now?
Besides the decennial census, we collect many different kinds of information through other
censuses and surveys. These surveys provide current information on such topics as housing,
crime, unemployment rates, health, business, economics and education.

NCVS-572(L) (12-2017)

Attachment 5:
NCVS-573(L) Census follow-up interview letter

NCVS-573(L) LOS ANGELES
(12-2017)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

A Message from the Director, U.S. Census Bureau...
Dear Resident:
Several months ago, we contacted residents at your address to participate in the National
Crime Victimization Survey. The survey collects information about the type and amount of
crime committed against people in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts this
survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. We need to interview the current residents of
this address, whether we talked with you before or you recently moved to this address.
Since many crimes are never reported to the police, information from this survey is used to get a
more complete picture of crime occurring in our country. The information you provide will give a
better understanding of crime and its impact on victims. The survey results are used to develop
programs to aid crime victims and prevent crime.
The success of this survey depends on your participation. We cannot substitute
another address for yours. Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses
chosen throughout the country. Your answers represent hundreds of other households like yours.
Your participation is important even if you have not experienced any crime. By law, the Census
Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics. No information about you or your
household can be identified from these statistics.
Answers to frequently asked questions are on the back of this letter. If you would like further
information, contact your Census Bureau Regional Office at 1–800–992–3530.
You do not need to take any action at this time. A Census Bureau representative will contact you
soon to ask your household to complete the survey.
Thank you for your participation.

census.gov

NCVS-573(L) (12-2017)

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