Assessing the Representativeness of the 1992 British Crime Survey: The Impact of Sampling Error and Response Biases
Open Access
- 1 December 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Sociological Research Online
- Vol. 2 (4) , 55-70
- https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.122
Abstract
The paper highlights the importance of the representativeness of survey samples, using the 1992 British Crime Survey as an example. The success with which different demographic characteristics are represented in the survey sample is addressed by comparison to the 1991 Census Small Area Statistics for England and Wales. In addition, biases associated with different response rates in different areas are addressed, and given the nature of the survey, the impact of an area's crime rate on its response rate is also analysed. Finally, regression modelling is used to identify whether the same variables have explanatory power in explaining differences in crime rate and response rate.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- CRIME VICTIMIZATION IN THE EIGHTIESThe British Journal of Criminology, 1995
- WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT HIGH CRIME AREAS?The British Journal of Criminology, 1992
- Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity ApproachAmerican Sociological Review, 1979