Opinion and Other Polling
In addition to the sources mentioned previously, other types of surveys and opinion polling help inform what we know about victimization.
• The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey is an ongoing survey examining sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner physical violence among English- and Spanish-speaking women and men over age 18. This is sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Rape and Sexual Victimization Among College-Aged Females looks at rape and sexual assault of women on college campuses. This, combined with campus climate surveys, has spurred changes in how colleges deal with victimization on campus.
• Pew Research regularly conducts survey and polling on a variety of topics related to crime and victimization issues.
In addition to these large national surveys, academics all over the country are engaged in research on victimization. Their results add to our understanding of victimization, especially crime that is not reported, and the impacts of victimization across the world.
Between official data and other types of research, our efforts to understand victimization have grown as have our programs and policies around combating crime. In contrast to the popular narrative, all indications point to a continuing decline in overall violence and victimization in the United States.