ABSTRACT
The study of crime victims has witnessed a steady increase in popularity among both criminologists and the general public during the past 2 decades. The victim’s rights movement has no doubt spurred public interest in the study of victims, primarily as it relates to demographic characteristics and the likelihood and fear of victimization. For criminologists, the surge in interest may be attributable, in part, to the development of large-scale victimization surveys in the early 1970s (e.g., the United States’ National Crime Survey and Great Britain’s British Crime Survey). Prior to these surveys, relatively little systematic information was available concerning victims of crime. These surveys improved the level of methodological sophistication necessary for examination of key issues associated with victimization and have paved the way for other researchers to undertake their own specific research projects.
