National Youth Gang Survey Analysis

Gang-Problem Assessment Trend

Respondents annually provided information regarding an overall assessment of their local gang problems: “getting worse,” “getting better,” or “staying about the same.”

  • Less than one-third (31 percent) of gang-problem jurisdictions indicated that their local gang problems were “getting worse” in 2011, the lowest annual figure recorded over the past decade.
  • Conversely, a majority (54 percent) of the survey respondents characterized their gang problems as “staying about the same” in 2011, the largest percentage ever recorded in the NYGS (results not shown in figure).
  • The observed percentages varied very little between area types across the years.

Gang-Problem Assessment Trend, 2002–2011 bar chart

Gang-Problem Assessment Trend, 2002–2011
Year “Getting Worse” Percent
2002 41.3
2003 37.9
2004 48.2
2005 54.5
2006 54.9
2007 49.3
2008 44.8
2009 37.9
2010 36.8
2011 31.1

Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.

Table of Contents

Suggested citation: National Gang Center. National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved [date] from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Survey-Analysis.