National Youth Gang Survey Analysis
Introduction
Since 1996, the National Youth Gang Center (NYGC) has conducted an annual survey of law enforcement agencies to assess the extent of youth gang problems by measuring the presence, characteristics, and behaviors of local gangs in jurisdictions throughout the United States. The National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) is based on a nationally representative sample of law enforcement agencies serving larger cities, suburban counties, smaller cities, and rural counties.
This Web resource contains analysis and findings from the ongoing National Youth Gang Surveys. Numerous charts and descriptions are provided as a resource in understanding youth gang problems.
Standard questions asked each year include the following in these charts: the presence or absence of gang activity, the number of gangs and gang members, the number of homicides involving youth gangs, and the assessment of the youth gang problem from the previous year.
Other questions asked are also included in these charts; however, these questions are asked intermittently and not every survey year. The questions include year of gang onset, demographic characteristics of gang members, gang unit operation, gang-member migration patterns, gang-related drug offenses, definitional characteristics of a gang, and designation of gang membership.
Contents
Methodology
Prevalence of Youth Gang Problems
Defining Gangs and Designating Gang Membership
Gang-Problem Onset
Gang-Problem Assessment Trend
Measuring the Extent of Gang Problems
- Number of Gangs
- Trends in the Estimated Number of Gangs in the United States
- Number of Gang Members
- Trends in Estimated Total Gang Membership in the United States
- Gang-Related Homicides (Percentage)
- Gang-Related Homicides (Number)
- Gang-Related Homicides in the Largest Cities
Gang Migration
Demographics
- Age
- Age by Area Type
- Gender
- Female Membership in Gangs
- Gangs With Female Members
- Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members
- Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members by Area Type
Gang-Related Drug Offenses
Gang Units
Suggested citation: National Youth Gang Center (2007). National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved [date] from http://www.iir.com/nygc/nygsa/
