Elder criminal victimization: Its relative rate compared to non-elders, 1992–2005

The literature is replete with the finding that persons who are relatively younger have a comparably higher incidence of crime victimization than those who are older. Comparable systematic studies of the crime rates among those who are 65 and older with those who are younger across time are virtually nonexistent. The present study provides these analyses. Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) by month and year were used to study the relative victimization rate among elders in the United States. The results provide descriptive evidence over time, using a national sample, that crime against older adults is notably lower than that committed against younger cohorts and that there are significant differences in the relative rate of property and personal crimes for both subpopulations. These findings are consistent for each of the 168 months of the study's period of analysis and confirm similar findings based on other databases.