The primary data source used for this analysis was the elderly respondents (aged 60 or over) interviewed in the National Crime Surveys between 1973 and the first 6 months of 1977 (n=269,818). A total of 1,652 personal crime incidents against the elderly and 1,680 aged personal crime victims were included. Regarding personal crimes, the robbery victimization rate for persons 65 and older was 3.9 per 1,000 persons in that age group; for assault, the victimization rate for this age group was 4.9 per 1,000. In the area of property crimes, households where the head was over 65 had a victimization rate for burglary of 54.4 per 1,000. When compared to the victimization rates for the young, the young are significantly more likely to be victimized regarding both personal and property crimes; however, the consequences of victimization for the elderly are usually greater because of reduced resistance to physical injury and reduced capacity to handle economic loss. Because of their perceived heightened vulnerability to crime, the elderly also tend to be more fearful of victimization than do younger persons, leading to their withdrawal from community social activity. In interaction with the criminal justice system, the elderly generally have favorable attitudes toward the police. Discriminant analyses of attitudes toward the courts, capital punishment, and the desirability of greater expenditures to reduce crime were inconclusive. The data summarized are presented narratively, and eight references are listed.