Understanding NNEDV Counts Data
No. Because NNEDV surveys only domestic violence programs, the survey doesn’t count how many people were victims of domestic violence on the designated day. It records how many people sought services from domestic violence programs on the day of the survey. We don’t know, definitively, how many victims of domestic violence there are on any given day because not all victims seek services immediately after experiencing abuse.
No. The Domestic Violence Counts Report provides an unduplicated count of victims who seek services in just one day. Throughout the year, some victims who experience violence on a regular basis might only use services once a year, while others may access support many times over the course of a year. In addition, most programs experience days when many victims seek services and some days when few victims seek services. Multiplying the 1-day total by 365 to create an annual number would be inaccurate.
Getting an unduplicated annual count is impossible because you’d have to make sure you’re not counting the same person twice. In order to do so, domestic violence programs would need to collect in-depth personally identifying information about victims and share that information with other domestic violence programs. This disclosure would be a violation of federal law and many state laws.
In addition, victims of domestic violence often suffer violence from abusers who believe it is their right to control and monitor them. Because we respect survivors’ privacy, confidentiality, safety, and dignity, we will not do so.
NNEDV conducts the annual surveys across the country and aggregates the data nationally and for each state. National DV counts data is also available. Please contact the DV Counts team with any questions about the methodology.
Other Helpful Resources
- Access statistics relating to domestic violence from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Read Fast Facts about intimate partner violence prevention by the CDC
- Access the “DV Services in WV” Impact archive