New survey reports one in 5 women are sexually assaulted in college

college women
(Image credit: Jay Paul/Getty Images)

A poll jointly conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that one in five women have been sexually assaulted on a college campus. Five percent of men reported experiencing a sexual assault while in college.

More than 1,000 people who had attended college in the past four years were surveyed about their experiences with sexual assault on campus. The poll found a high potential risk factor in the use of alcohol (two-thirds of those who reported experiencing an unwanted sexual encounter said they had been drinking beforehand). Fifty-eight percent of male respondents said they believe the number of women sexually assaulted on their college campus is less than 1 in 5. The same percentage of female respondents said they think the number is higher than 20 percent.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.