NATIONAL
- 13 percent of all students who responded nationally reported that since entering college they have experienced penetration or sexual touching involving physical force, inability to consent or stop what was happening, or attempted penetration by force. This is higher than indicated in the 2015 survey, when 11.7 percent of respondents reported similar experiences.
- Among undergraduate women only, 25.9 percent of national respondents reported that since entering college they have experienced penetration or sexual touching involving physical force, inability to consent or stop what was happening, or attempted penetration by force. This figure is higher than reported in the 2015 survey, when 23.1 percent indicated they had experienced the same behavior.
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- All students – 13 percent of all Washington University students who responded to the survey indicated that they have experienced penetration or sexual touching involving physical force, inability to consent or stop what was happening, or attempted penetration by force, while attending the university. Comparatively, in 2015, 10.9 percent of all students reported similar contact.
- Female students – This figure is highest among female undergraduate and graduate students, of whom 27 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively, reported this type of contact. These percentages are higher than indicated by the 2015 survey, when 22.6 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, responded similarly. In 2015, 33 percent of undergraduate women responded that, by their fourth year or higher, they experienced nonconsensual sexual contact using physical force, inability to consent, or coercion without voluntary agreement. That number increased to 42.5 percent in 2019.
- TGQN students – Among the TGQN population, 9.3 percent reported experiencing penetration or sexual touching involving physical force, inability to consent or stop what was happening, or attempted penetration by force while attending the university, a lower percentage than in 2015 when 37.4 percent reported experiencing the same contact. (Small sample sizes in both 2015 and 2019 may help to explain the volatility in this measurement.)
- Male undergraduates – Among male undergraduates surveyed, 11.8 percent reported experiencing penetration or sexual touching involving physical force, inability to consent or stop what was happening, or attempted penetration by force while attending the university. This percentage is higher than indicated in the 2015 survey, when 7.5 percent of male undergraduate respondents reported this type of contact.
- Male graduate students – Among male graduate student respondents, 2.9 percent reported experiencing the same type of contact. This figure is statistically similar to what was reported in the 2015 survey, when 2.7 percent of respondents indicated they had experienced this type of unwanted sexual contact.
- Students of color – 13.2 percent of undergraduate black women, 12.8 percent of undergraduate black men, 13 percent of undergraduate Asian women, 9.1 percent of undergraduate Asian men, 42.1 percent of undergraduate women and 11.9 percent of undergraduate men who identified as “other or multi-race” reported experiencing penetration or sexual touching involving physical force or inability to consent or stop what was happening. This compares to 30.9 percent of white undergraduate women and 12.3 percent of undergraduate white men.
- Awareness of resources – Overall, 78.6 percent of students who responded to the survey indicated they were aware of the Habif Health and Wellness Center, 72.4 percent were aware of the Title IX Office, and 58.5 percent were aware of the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center. A total of 78.6 percent of all students indicated they were somewhat, very or extremely knowledgeable about where to find help if they or a friend experienced sexual assault or other misconduct.
- Seriousness of response – Of all respondents, 59.9 percent indicated they thought it was very or extremely likely that the Washington University administration would take a report of sexual assault or misconduct seriously, and 43.4 percent said it was very or extremely likely that campus officials would conduct a fair investigation. These percentages are lower than indicated in the 2015 survey, when 69.7 percent and 53.2 percent, respectively, answered the same question similarly.
The full Washington University report, including all data tables and comparisons between the 2019 and 2015 surveys, is available on the Title IX website.