We work on national research to back up the stories people share. It is used by policymakers, reporters, academics and researchers across the nation.
2024 RESEARCH ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT:
The #MeToo 2024 Report builds on our 2018 and 2019 surveys. This national study was led by the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University and was supported by Stop Street Harassment, Valor and Raliance. The survey was conducted by NORC in spring 2024, of more than 3,300 U.S. adults over age 18.
The findings show that despite heightened awareness and prevention efforts from the #MeToo movement, most women (82%) and nearly half of all men (42%) have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime.
These abuses often occur as sexual harassment in public spaces, 73% for women and 24% for men.
Alarmingly, one in five women (20%) first experience sexual harassment or assault before the age of 13 and most often in the form of sexual harassment in public spaces without intervention.
READ: Full Report | Executive Summary | Press Release | Survey Questions
2019 RESEARCH ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT:
To close out Sexual Assault Awareness Month, on April 30, 2019, SSH, UCSD Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), RALIANCE, CALCASA and Promundo released a new joint national study.
NORC at the University of Chicago conducted the nationally representative survey of 1,182 women and 1,037 men across February – March 2019. They used the using the AmeriSpeak Panel. UCSD’s GEH did the data analysis.
READ: Full Report | Two-Page Executive Summary | Press Release | Survey Questions | Street Harassment Factsheet
Our findings include:
- 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. This graph shows the breakdown of the main categories:
While we repeated a few questions from our 2018 survey, we chose to add new questions around false accusations this year in light of the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearing in Sept. 2018 and Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s recent efforts to change Title IX guidelines.
2018 RESEARCH ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT:
In 2018, SSH commissioned a 2,000-person, nationally representative survey on sexual harassment and assault to see the numbers behind the #MeToo movement. It was conducted by GfK. It found that nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.
Pro bono data analysis for the survey was completed by the UC San Diego Center on Gender Equity and Health. Their team, the team at RALIANCE and a dozen advisory committee members offered input and invaluable help throughout the process.
READ: Full Report | Two-Page Executive Summary | Survey Questions | Methodology |
Press Release | Bystander Intervention Tip Sheet | Youth Fact Sheet
2014 RESEARCH ON STREET HARASSMENT:
In 2014, SSH commissioned the groundbreaking, 2,000-person nationally representative survey with firm GfK. The survey found that 65% of all women nationwide had experienced street harassment. Among all women, 23% had been sexually touched, 20% had been followed, and 9% had been forced to do something sexual. Among men, 25% had been street harassed nationwide (a higher percentage of LGBT-identified men than heterosexual men reported this) and their most common form of harassment was homophobic or transphobic slurs (9%).
Our research report covers the study findings as well as the outcomes from 11 focus groups with various demographics (e.g. Native-Americans in SD, Latinas in FL, Queer Black women in NY, and Asian-Americans in MA) and suggestions from experts for what we must do to end street harassment.
READ: Full Report | Executive Summary (English) | Executive Summary (Spanish) | Press Release | Survey Questions
