The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey

Beth MacmasterJustice Analytical Services

24th January 2008, Scottish Social Survey Network

About the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey

• Face to face household survey• Random sample (some stratification,

clustering)• Up to 2006:

– Every 2 to 3 years– Sample of 5,000

• 2008 onwards– Continuous– Sample of 16,000

Rationale and limitations

• Helping fill the gap in official statistics on crime– Victim focus– Unreported crime

BUT

• Private households only

• 16+ only

• Language and disability may be barriers

Counting crime

• How much crime?• What type of crime?• How many victims?

Prevalence of victimisation 1992 to 2005/06

0

5

10

15

20

25

1995 1999 2002 2003/4 2005/6

Year

Per

cen

t of p

opul

atio

n

Household crimes Personal crimes All SCVS crimes

Measuring attitudes

• Once secondary; becoming just as important?

• Keeping policy makers in tune with people’s perceptions

• Measuring performance

Perceptions of change to the local crime rate

Less crime than 2

years ago, 8% More crime

than 2 years ago,

33%

About the same, 59%

SCVS 2006

Crime surveys in Scotland

1982 1988 • Lowland Scotland covered in the ‘British’ Crime Survey • Face to face, pen and paper1993 1996 2000 2003 • Scottish Crime Survey• Face to face, pen and paper• 5,000

REVIEW in 20032004 2006• Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey• Telephone interviewing (CATI) in 2004 discontinued• Back to face to face, CAPI/CASI in 2006• 3,000 (2004) and 5,000 (2006)2008• Scottish Crime and Justice Survey

The ‘new’ Scottish Crime and Justice Survey

• A balance – meeting stakeholder needs, but affordable and using gold standard survey method

• Continuous – data every year• 16,000 per year – data at police force area level• Bigger sample – more modules means more

space for questions• Face to face household interviews using

CAPI/CASI• In the field in April 2008

SCJS today

Cognitive testing of new sections Small scale pilot to test script and systems

o Main pilot due for completion in late January/early February:o Stage 1 (800 quota)o Stage 2 (200 RPS)

• Next steps….into the field!

• Data?

Any questions?