Increases and Decreases in Investigation Type Inquiries and Views from 2012 to Present

• August 21, 2014
• by Kimberly Faber

In 2012, we conducted a survey to gather information on investigation types and inquiries. Our goal was to understand which types of investigations investigators had seen an increase of inquiries for as while as for which types those inquiries had decreased. Interestingly enough, the final lists of investigations on the rise and on the decline were comprised mostly of the same investigation types.

To understand the comparison, take a look at the data below.

Investigations on the Rise

The below chart displays investigation types on the rise based on the 2012 survey.

Due Diligence, Background Checks, Infidelity, Surveillance, Skip Tracing, Records Research, Identity Theft, Fraud, Workers Compensation, and Computer Forensics Investigations were listed as having increased by investigators in a 2012 survey.

Investigations on the Decline

The below chart displays investigation types on the decline based on the 2012 survey.

In the same survey, many of the investigations listed as on the rise in 2012 were also reported as on the decline. Surveillance, Workers Compensation, Computer Forensics, Infidelity, Records Research, Due Diligence, Background Checks, Fraud, Skip Tracing, and Identity Theft were selected as on the decline in the same 2012 survey.

Top 25 Investigation Types Viewed in 2012 vs. the Past Year

This side-by-side comparison displays which investigation types consumers have been reading up on. We based this data on page views of articles based on investigation type.

Because this is based on articles viewed, there are some factors that can influence these numbers, including what was shared on social media, highlighted in newsletters, etc. In any case, it is still interesting data to look at.

Increases and Decreases in Key Investigation Types From 2012 to Present

To look further into these changes, we've calculated percent increase or decrease in views of some of the common investigation types. This gives an idea of what investigation types consumers are researching more now compared with two years ago. We've shared the information in the list and graph below.

As you can see, while the majority of investigation types have seen an increase in views, articles on Bounty Hunting, Civil Investigations, Executive Protection, and Polygraph/Lie Detector have seen a decrease. Articles on Cell Phone Records have increased views by 72% since 2012, while articles on Polygraph and Lie Detector Investigations have dropped by 110%.

Breakdown

Increases:

Cell Phone Records: up 72%
Bug Sweep: up 72%
Background Investigations: up 64%
Skip Trace: up 61%
Accident Reconstruction: up 61%
Surveillance: up 59%
Criminal Investigations: up 59%
Computer Forensics: up 57%
Electronic Surveillance: up 54%
Financial Investigations: up 52%
Arson: up 47%
Domestic: up 45%
Missing Persons: up 37%
Due Diligence: up 35%
Judgment Recovery: up 33%
Crime Scene: up 31%
Workers Compensation: up 30%
Infidelity: up 27%
Insurance Fraud: up 27%
Child Custody: up 22%
Asset Search: up 22%
Video Surveillance: up 19%

Decreases:

Civil Investigations: down 29%
Executive Protection: down 54%
Polygraph/Lie Detector: down 110%

What's Your Take?

What investigation niches have you seen a spike in requests for? Are there any requests that have dropped off significantly? Let us know in the comments below.