Under-reporting usually refers to some issue, incident, statistic, etc., that individuals, responsible agencies, or news media have not reported, or have reported as less than the actual level or amount. Under-reporting of crimes, for example, makes it hard to figure the actual incidence of crimes.
Under-reporting is a failure in
data reporting
Data reporting is the process of collecting and submitting data.
The effective management of any organization relies on accurate data. Inaccurate data reporting can lead to poor decision-making based on erroneous evidence. Data reporting is diff ...
.
Crime
Various estimates have been provided in relation to under-reporting of crimes across the world. According to the
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...
(1995), sexual violence, and rape in particular, is considered the most under-reported violent crime. Common reasons for individuals not reporting crime include fear of not being believed, insecurity, and fear of getting into trouble. These reasons are most common for not reporting rape. It is commonly assumed that most of the rape cases go unreported; some estimates go up to or above 90%. (See also
Rape reporting.) Non-recognition of
domestic violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
may lead to under-reporting.
Anti-LGBT+ crime
Under-reporting of
violence against LGBT people including
homicide
Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
is widespread, and is more likely to arise in countries that
criminalise same-sex relationships, especially
regimes that impose the
death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
for them. Even under democratic
rule of law
The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
governance where there are
LGBT rights protections, under-reporting occurs. A US investigation by the
Center for Public Integrity in collaboration with
ProPublica
ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in New York City. ProPublica's investigations are conducted by its staff of full-time reporters, and the resulting stories are distributed to ne ...
and
News21 found that violent attacks and other
hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans "are consistently not reported and prosecuted because of chronic distrust between the LGBTQ community and police":
In Australia, the
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...
Standing Committee on Social Issues ''A Report into Youth Violence in New South Wales'', published September 1995 noted significant under-reporting of
LGBT bullying by victims out of fear of
reprisals, and
outing to their families and peers, that had led the
Department of Education to
underestimate its prevalence:
Child abuse
According to the
National Children's Alliance, over 600,000 children in the US were
victims of abuse and neglect in 2021, the most recent year for which there was national data, with the actual number likely under-reported because of the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in that year. An estimated 1.8 million children received prevention services. Lack of
mandatory reporting of child abuse in certain countries has contributed to under-reporting. In 2024,
27 EU countries did not have mandatory reporting, while child abuse that has occurred in religious institutions such as
in the Catholic Church has been under-reported through
concealment by church authorities. This practice also happens in
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
and other like intuitions. Children themselves may feel unable to report abuse because of fear of
revenge
Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
by their abuser, or embarrassment, humiliation, or thinking they would not be believed. Moreover, a child may be
too young to have the words to explain what is happening to them. If the abuser has introduced the child to drugs or pornography, the child may fear getting into trouble. Fear and guilt thus play a role in making the child think they have done something wrong. An abuser may also manifest overt generosity to their victim by showering them with gifts and affection, so the child may irrationally come to
love their abuser and not want to report them.
Fraud
In 2012, the universities of
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
and
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
, while collaborating with
Serious Organised Crime Agency, estimated that 200,000 people had been victims of online dating fraud. The report included instances of under-reported frauds.
Murder
Murders are sometimes not reported, due to the fear of the alleged murderer's connection with another murderer, or because of a settlement.
Forced suicide has led to
honour killings going unreported.
The reported murder rates in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
have been criticized for under-reporting unsolved murders due to police salaries being based on the rate of solved cases.
Disease
Under-reported
dengue in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, polio in
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, disability in
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, and
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
in many countries remain a problem. In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, it was estimated in 1989 that 40% of the AIDS cases in
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
went unreported, largely due to
social stigma
Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...
in the early days of the epidemic. In 2008, out of 2,460 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses during a six-year period in
Washington, DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
, an estimated of 1,337 had not been reported. On the basis of national surveys and excess death statistics it was estimated that Covid-19 mortality through September 2021 has been under-reported in India by a factor of as much as 6 or 7.
Adverse events of injection
In July 2024, former director of the
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Robert R. Redfield commented that the
FDA underreported adverse events of the
Covid-19 vaccine to delude the public that the vaccine was effective and safe. He added that the Joe Biden Administration's decision to mandate the Covid vaccine was the biggest mistake of all.
Population
Under-reporting of births and infant deaths in countries such as China has been documented.
See also
*
Fear of crime
*
Institute for Public Accuracy
References
{{reflist
External links
‘Murders by Illegals go Unreported’Under Reported Storiesby
Thomson Reuters FoundationUnder-Told Stories
Data collection in research