Does the National Crime Victimization Survey Capture the Reality of Sexual Violence? Mapping #WhyIDidntReport to National Crime Victimization Survey Categories

Abstract

Incidents of sexual violence frequently go unreported. While victimization surveys provide insight into the reasons why, evidence suggests that these surveys are failing to capture some of the most important reasons survivors do not report. This study draws on tweets using #WhyIDidntReport to examine how the reasons provided by survivors on social media map onto the National Crime Victimization Survey's categorization schema. We find that the survey is strong at assessing trust in legal and law enforcement systems and at-the-moment concerns. However, it is inadequate at assessing the longer-term concerns and impacts of crime on individuals’ mental states, reputations, and social networks. We offer specific suggestions for new categories to bolster the survey's existing schema.