A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO A PROPORTIONAL SAMPLE OF ELDERLY HOUSEHOLDS LIVING IN THE 21 MUNICIPALITIES OF SOMERSET COUNTY AND PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED. IN AN ATTEMPT TO UNCOVER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CRIME VICTIMS AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, 10 VARIABLES WERE EXAMINED: AGE, AMOUNT OF LOSS, EDUCATION, FAMILY INCOME, LOCATION OF OFFENSE, MARITAL STATUS, NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS, THE VICTIM'S RELATION TO HOUSEHOLD HEAD, OCCUPATION, AND VALUE OF DWELLING OR RENTAL AMOUNT. OF THE 417 SENIOR CITIZENS INTERVIEWED, 96 REPORTED BEING VICTIMIZED, WITH THE 138 CRIMES VARYING FROM ASSAULT TO PETTY LARCENY AND THE VICTIMIZATION RATE EQUALING 331 PER 1,000 POPULATION. THE MAJORITY OF THE CRIMES CONCERNED PROPERTY RATHER THAN PERSONAL ATTACKS, WITH MANY OF THE INCIDENTS APPEARING TO BE THE TYPE COMMONLY COMMITTED BY JUVENILES. OVER 83 PERCENT OF ALL CRIMES OCCURRED WITHIN OR NEAR THE HOME. ALMOST ONE-HALF OF ALL CRIMES WERE NOT REPORTED TO THE POLICE, MAINLY BECAUSE VICTIMS DID NOT THINK THE INCIDENT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO REPORT. A HIGHER PROPERTY LOSS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED THE CHANCES THAT A CRIME WAS REPORTED. DATA ANALYSIS INDICATES A LINK BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INCOME, AND VICTIMIZATION. RATHER THAN BEING CENTERED AMONG THE ELDERLY POOR, MIDDLE-CLASS SENIOR CITIZENS APPEAR TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN OF CRIME. IN ADDITION, VICTIMIZATION IS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. TO EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM, ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, SINCE THIS IS A LOGICAL POINT FROM WHICH TO CENTRALIZE PREVENTION, CITIZEN EDUCATION, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS. LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES MUST RECOGNIZE THE UNIQUE PROBLEMS OF SENIOR CITIZENS AND BE TRAINED TO DEAL WITH THEM. ALSO, JUVENILES NEED TO BE DIVERTED INTO MORE CONSTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES. FINALLY, CRIME TARGETS NEED TO BE HARDENED, SPECIFICALLY HOMES AND VICTIMS' IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS. NUMEROUS TABLES ARE INCLUDED, AND THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE AND CRIME INCIDENT REPORT ARE APPENDED. (PRG)