Home Office Research Report 06 - British Crime Survey: options for extending the coverage to children and people living in communal establishments

Key implications
Executive summary
Main report

This report presents findings from methodological research carried out to examine the feasibility of covering children (under 16s) and people living in communal establishments as part of the British Crime Survey (BCS) or as separate surveys. The main aims of the methodological work were: to examine the feasibility of covering children and those living in communal establishments as part of the main BCS or as separate surveys; and to outline different options for obtaining nationally representative estimates of crimes against these groups, as well as estimates of crime-related perceptions. The research concluded that including a sample of children in the BCS would be feasible and that this should be done by including children aged 10-15 identified in the households selected for the core BCS. The research also concluded that it would not be feasible to cover communal establishment residents in the BCS in a statistically reliable manner without incurring very substantial additional costs.  If a decision were made to cover this population, a properly resourced feasibility study would be essential.