Approximately 46% of violent crimes are not reported to police. This dark figure of crime is most likely revealed by which data source?

• A. National Crime Victimization Survey
• B. Uniform Crime Reports
• C. Bureau of Justice Statistics annual report
• D. Department of Homeland Security data

Answer: (A)

Not all crimes are reported to police, so to estimate the true amount researchers rely on victimization surveys. The National Crime Victimization Survey asks a representative sample of people about crimes they experienced, regardless of whether they reported them to police. This direct reporting from victims captures the “dark figure” of crime—the crimes that never show up in police records. In contrast, sources that rely on police reports, like the Uniform Crime Reports, underestimate total crime because they miss unreported incidents. The Bureau of Justice Statistics annual report compiles various data, including victimization surveys, but the specific source that reveals unreported crimes is the victimization survey itself. Department of Homeland Security data focuses on specific incidents and threats rather than broad victimization experiences, so it’s not the primary source for measuring the dark figure.