Measuring Sexual Identity,Gender Identity,and Biological Sex in Large Social Surveys: Implications for Victimization Research

Abstract

Decades of research suggest certain risk factors, including individual characteristics, increase an individual’s likelihood of being victimized. Measuring these risk factors then becomes crucial for movement forward in victimology. Recent research suggests the increasing need to measure the concepts of sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and sexual identity, all of whom have been linked to risk of victimization. However, it remains to be seen how these concepts are currently being measured, how their measurement has evolved, and if these concepts are being measured regularly, especially in large-scale national data efforts. This study seeks to examine the changes, or lack thereof, in measurement of the concepts of sex, gender identity, and sexual identity in seven major social surveys used in victimology research. Changes to wording, responses, and the number of questions regarding each of these concepts is discussed along with suggestions for improving measurement and implications for victimization research.

Keywords

victimization gender sexual identity measurement

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