What about reasons to falsely report one in the past? There are no consequences to lying on a survey.
Notice also that all the crimes on the survey are in decline. It’s been pointed out that violent crime has been declining the past several years partially because of a dip in the population of males age 15 to 25, the demographic most often responsible forcommitting violent crimes.

-the “sexual revolution” – why rape a woman when it’s much less difficult to simply have voluntary sex with one?

-longer sentences for those who rape – most crimes are committed by repeat offenders; I see no reason why rape would be different (or rap, which is what I wrote the first time, ha ha)

-societal attitudes: equality, self-defense, reporting rape, general “empowerment” of women, etc. Women are no longer viewed as “easy prey” (well, not as much), because a noticeable number of them aren’t (concealed carry, for just one example)

-general decline in crime (due in large part to both prosperity and longer sentences for repeat offenders, I think, but having a reason is not necessary to the discussion)

I would also point out that one should be careful of media claims that have a “start time” (“since the 1970s”): the media is notorious for picking “convenient” end points (for example, if the 1970s was the all-time high for rape ever recorded in the history of man, the question should be, “why was it so high then?” not, “why is it lower now?” – not saying that’s the case, just as an example).

Of course, rape statistics in general are (in my experience) extraordinarily hard to compare to each other over time, anyway, as what is measured and how well it’s measured are both under constant change (and are both hard to determine on top of that!). In short, while I’m not saying we should write the whole thing off (having been close friends with women who have been raped, and having seen the long-term effects on their lives, none of which are good, I certainly think the topic is incredibly important!), I am saying that such comparisons over time are EXTREMELY difficult.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/viortrdtab.htm

It makes your point.

From the other direction, than you stated, the rapists are more likely to be in prison, since the use of sentencing guidelines. They are more likely to be on medication on the outside. They are more likely to get aborted by their impulsive parents.

A good natural experiment is coming, thanks to a lawyer rent-seeking bonehead move, the public safety be damned. That pro-criminal jurist, Scalia, has single-handedly set about to free 100’s of 1000’s of vicious predators, as his Blakely and Booker remands flower into downgraded sentences in the vast majority of cases, and the guidelines have been declared unconstitutional.

Expect the downward trend to reverse in the next decade, as Scalia’s criminals get back to getting busy.

It could also be that fewer women are saying ‘no,’ which seems a critical element in most definitions of rape.

Who says, Pat? Is that simply your opinion or someone’s opinion, or is it based in something?

I have a number of studies, with good data, that show when availability of porn increases, violent crimes against women decrease.