Measuring Crime (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

How crime is measured

• Measuring crime is challenging because not all crimes are reported, recorded, or even detected

• Researchers and governments use a combination of official statistics, victim surveys, and self-report surveys to estimate how much crime occurs and how it changes over time

• Together, these methods help to:

  • identify trends

  • evaluate crime prevention strategies

  • understand the ‘dark figure’ of crime

Official statistics

• Official crime statistics are collected and published by the government and law enforcement agencies

• They record crimes that have been reported to and logged by the police

• These statistics provide valuable information about:

  • the types of crime committed

  • trends over time (increases or decreases in specific offences)

  • geographical patterns of crime across regions

• However, they only include reported crimes, so they may underestimate the true level of offending

Self-report surveys

• Self-report surveys involve individuals reporting their own behaviour or experiences by answering confidential questionnaires

• They are often used to gather information on offending or victimisation that does not appear in official statistics

• Participants may include:

  • convicted offenders, who are asked about other crimes they have committed besides those they were charged

  • members of the general public, who may admit to minor offences or antisocial behaviour

• Self-report surveys can also be used to study victim experiences, where people report crimes that happened to them, even if they never told the police

  • These are known as victim surveys

The dark figure of crime

• The dark figure of crime refers to all the unreported and unrecorded offences that official statistics fail to capture

• Researchers use self-report surveys and victim surveys to help estimate this hidden level of crime

• Common reasons for non-reporting include:

  • fear of retaliation

  • embarrassment or stigma

  • belief that the police cannot help or will not take the report seriously