This report examines 6-year trends as well as year-to-year change in national crime survey data on selected crimes of violence and theft.
Data for the report were collected and analyzed by the U.S. bureau of the census for the bureau of justice statistics. During the period from 1973 through 1978, most of the crimes measured by the survey exhibited change that was statistically significant, either for all 6 years or for lesser time intervals. Assault, personal larceny without contact, and household larceny registered higher victimization rates in 1978 than in 1973. In contrast, robbery, household burglary, and motor vehicle theft had lower rates in 1978, although the decline for motor vehicle theft was not clearcut. In addition to examining overall crime trends, this report deals with violence between strangers, the use of weapons in violent crimes, and the proportions of various crimes reported to the police. These findings are described in terms of common victim attributes, such as age, sex, and race. Supporting the text are 14 charts and 17 tables.