THE SURVEY, SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE'S OFFICE OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, INVOLVED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS WITH A SAMPLE OF 13,942 HOUSEHOLDS WITH YOUTHS AGED 10 TO 17 YEARS IN 1976, PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WITH 224 RUNAWAY YOUTHS AND THEIR PARENTS, AND INTERVIEWS WITH COMPARISON GROUPS OF YOUTHS WHO ARE NOT RUNAWAYS. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE OVERNIGHT RUNAWAY INCIDENCE INVOLVES 1.7 PERCENT OF YOUTH AGED 10 TO 17, OR 3.0 PERCENT OF HOUSELHOLDS WITH CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 10 AND 17. THE INCIDENCE OF RUNAWAYS TENDS TO BE HIGHEST IN THE WEST AND NORTH CENTRAL STATES, MOSTLY INVOLVES CHILDREN THE AGES OF 15 AND 17 WHO ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE MALE THAN FEMALE, AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY SEVERAL FACTORS-CHILDREN ARE LIKELY TO TRAVEL LESS THAN 10 MILES FROM HOME, RETURN HOME WITHIN LESS THAN 1 WEEK, AND RUN AWAY ONLY ONCE. RUNAWAYS, ESPECIALLY NONRETURNERS, REVEALED A HIGH DEGREE OF DISCOURAGEMENT IN THE WAY THEY WERE TREATED BY THEIR PARENTS. THEIR COMMENTS CONTAINED REFERENCES TO PARENT DRUNKENESS, PHYSICAL ABUSE, AND SEXUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE. THE MAJOR CHILDREARING PRACTICES THAT VARIED BETWEEN PARENTS WITH RUNAWAYS AND PARENTS WITHOUT RUNAWAYS INCLUDED THE AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE OFFERED BY THE PARENT IN RELATION TO HOMEWORK AND ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS, COMMUNICATION WITH THE YOUTH, COMFORT OFFERED THE YOUTH WHEN HE OR SHE EXPERIENCES TROUBLE, AND GENERAL HAPPINESS WITH THE CHILD. CHILDREN WHO RAN AWAY TENDED TO DO POORER IN SCHOOL THAN THE NONRUNNERS, BOTH ACADEMICALLY AND SOCIALLY. PRIOR TO RUNNING, MOST YOUTHS CONSULTED NO ONE ABOUT THEIR PROBLEM; DURING THE RUN, THEY RELIED ON THEIR FRIENDS, RELATIVES, AND RUNAWAY AGENCIES (NONRETURNERS MOSTLY). UPON RETURNING HOME, FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND RELATIVES WERE USUALLY RELIED UPON FOR ASSISTANCE. FOR THE THIRD PART OF THE STUDY, THE SAMPLE OF RUNAWAYS WERE CATEGORIZED INTO THOSE WHO REQUIRE SOCIAL SERVICES (92 PERCENT) OR SERIOUS RUNNERS, AND THOSE WHO DO NOT OR NONSERIOUS RUNNERS. SERIOUS RUNNERS WERE THEN DIVIDED INTO DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS. DELINQUENTS WERE DESCRIBED AS THOSE APT TO RUN AWAY MORE OFTEN, BREAK SCHOOL RULES MORE OFTEN, HAVE POORER GRADES, BE MORE DIRECTED BY FATE, AND DISPLAY HIGHER TENDENCIES TO ACT ON IMPULSE. THESE DATA ARE USED TO DEVELOP A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR USE IN ENHANCING THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO SUCH YOUTHS BY SEX AND AGE OF RUNNER. (DAG)