Details on sexual harassment experienced in the last 12 months

This chapter examines the details relating to sexual harassment experienced in the last 12 months. This data is based on replies from those aged 18 and over.

Sexual harassment is defined in this survey as unwanted behaviours that a person may have experienced in the last 12 months, which made the person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. These unwanted behaviours include:

• crude or sexually explicit remarks made that the person found offensive, humiliating or intimidating while they were:
• online which includes commentary on social media, dating apps, or discussion boards or
• in any other situation, for example, in person, by text, phone call.
• private sexual images or videos of a person shared without their permission. This included when the person was made aware within the last 12 months of historic images being shared without their permission.
• someone exposing themselves physically in a way that made the person feel uncomfortable.
• being exposed to sexually explicit pictures or photos that made the person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.
• experiencing physical contact, for example, touching, hugging or being in close proximity that made the person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.
• inappropriate sexual advances that made the person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.
• any other sexually inappropriate behaviour that made the person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.

Information on these unwanted behaviours were sought, not solely for the workplace, but across a person’s daily life, for example, in a public place, at home or at work. See the Background Notes for further details. 

Please note that as the survey ran from May to December 2022 that the 12-month period spans May 2021 to December 2022 depending on when the respondent completed the survey. This period did include varying levels of COVID-19 restrictions both nationally and internationally. 

Please also note that people may have experienced multiple sexual harassment experiences or with multiple perpetrators. In the case where the person experienced multiple sexual harassment experiences, the person was asked to respond thinking about the experience that affected them most and to report the details for that particular experience. See the Background Notes for further details. 

In summary, more men (47%) than women (38%), who experienced sexual harassment, reported that it happened once. Almost nine in 10 (87%) adults who experienced sexual harassment reported that the perpetrator was male. The most prevalent location for sexual harassment was in a pub/club/disco, with 25% of men and 31% of women reporting this as a location of the experience. Overall, over half of adults (52%) who experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months disclosed to someone and they were most likely to tell a friend (67%).

Almost half of adults who experienced sexual harassment reported that it happened occasionally

Key findings for those who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months by the frequency of the experience:

• Almost half of adults (47%) who experienced sexual harassment reported that it happened occasionally. Occasionally means that it happened more than once but less often than monthly. For those who experienced sexual harassment, 2% noted that it occurred continuously (at least weekly). See Table 4.1.
• Women who experienced sexual harassment were more likely to report that it happened occasionally (49%) than men (42%). Conversely, men were more likely to indicate that sexual harassment happened once (47%) than women (38%). See Figure 4.1.
• Younger age groups reported higher levels for experiencing sexual harassment often (fortnightly to monthly) – 11% of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual harassment , compared with 3% of those aged 35-44.

Men more likely than women to have more than one perpetrator of sexual harassment

Key findings for those who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months by the number of the perpetrators:

• Men who experienced sexual harassment reported that they had more than one perpetrator of sexual harassment in the last 12 months (14%) at a higher rate than women (8%). Overall, one in ten (10%) adults had more than one perpetrator of sexual harassment. Please note that the levels of sexual harassment were different for the sexes. See Table 4.2. In the Overall Sexual Harassment chapter in this publication, women reported a level of sexual harassment at over twice the rate (28%) than men (13%).
• The majority of adults (84%) had one perpetrator of sexual harassment experienced in the last 12 months. Women who experienced sexual harassment were more likely to report that there was one perpetrator (87%) compared with men (79%).
• Those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual harassment were most likely to report that there was one perpetrator (87%) compared with those aged 65 and over (76%).

Almost nine in ten adults who experienced sexual harassment reported that the perpetrator was male

Key findings for those who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months by the sex of the perpetrator:

• Almost nine in ten adults (87%) who experienced sexual harassment reported that the perpetrator was male. See Table 4.3. This information was based on those cases where there was one perpetrator involved in the sexual harassment experience – those where multiple perpetrators were present were not asked the sex of all the perpetrators in the survey.
• Women who experienced sexual harassment were more likely to report that the perpetrator was male (98%) compared with men (61%). Please note that the levels of sexual harassment were different for the sexes. In the Overall Sexual Harassment chapter in this publication, women reported a level of sexual harassment at over twice the rate (28%) than men (13%).
• Those aged 25-34 who experienced sexual harassment were most likely to report that the perpetrator was male (91%) compared with those aged 55-64 (79%). Overall, no matter the age category, the perpetrator was more likely to be male than female. See Figure 4.2.

Most young adults who experienced sexual harassment experienced this with a stranger

Key findings for those who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months by the nature of the relationship with perpetrator:

• Over six in ten (62%) of those aged 18-24 experienced sexual harassment experienced this from a stranger, compared with 24% of those aged 55-64. See Table 4.4. This information was based on those cases where there was one perpetrator involved in the sexual harassment experience – those where multiple perpetrators were present were not asked this relationship question in the survey.
• Just over a third (34%) of those aged 55-64 who experienced sexual harassment experienced it with a friend/acquaintance, over twice the rate of those aged 18-24 (15%). Similarly, those aged 55-64 were twice as likely to have experienced sexual harassment with someone at work (25%) than those aged 18-24 (12%).
• Overall, adults who experienced sexual harassment experienced it with a stranger (46%) at a much higher rate than experiencing it with a friend or acquaintance (18%) or with someone at work (19%). See Figure 4.3.
• Women who experienced sexual harassment were more likely to have experienced it with a stranger (49%) compared with men (40%). However, men were more likely to have experienced sexual harassment with a friend or acquaintance (24%) than women (16%).

Over a quarter of adults who experienced sexual harassment experienced this in a pub/club/disco

Key findings for those who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months by the location of the experience:

• The most frequent location for sexual harassment is a pub/club/disco with 29% of adults who experienced sexual harassment experiencing it in a pub/club/disco. Over a fifth of adults (23%) who experienced sexual harassment experienced it in a park/other public place. See Table 4.5.
• Women who experienced sexual harassment identified that it happened in a pub/club/disco (31%) at a higher level compared with men (25%). Women were also more likely to experience it in a park/other public place (27%) than men (16%).
• Younger adults (aged 18-24) who experienced sexual harassment, experienced it in a pub/club/disco (52%), at a level higher than those aged 55-64 (9%). Those aged 25-34 and 35-44 were almost twice as likely to have experienced it in a park/other public place (26%) than those aged 65 and over (13%).

Almost two thirds of young adults disclosed their experience of sexual harassment

Key findings for experience of disclosure of sexual harassment in the previous 12 months:

• Younger people are more likely to disclose their experience of sexual harassment experienced in the last 12 months. Almost two thirds (64%) of those aged 18-24, who experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months, disclosed to someone about the experience compared with 38% of those aged 65 and over. See Table 4.6.
• Overall, over half of adults (52%) who experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months disclosed to someone. Women were more likely to disclose their sexual harassment experience (55%) than men (43%). 
• Adults who disclosed their experience of sexual harassment were most likely to tell a friend, with over two-thirds of adults selecting this (67%). Over four in ten adults (41%) who disclosed their experience of sexual harassment told a family member. See Figure 4.4 and Table 4.7.
• Women were more likely to disclose their sexual harassment experience to a family member (45%) than men (32%). Women were also most likely to disclose to a friend (70%) than men (57%).
• Younger adults were more likely to disclose a sexual harassment experience to a friend than older age groups. Almost nine in ten (88%) of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual harassment told a friend, compared with just under half (47%) of those aged 45-54. Older people were more likely than younger age groups to tell a family member with 53% of those aged 45-54 disclosing to a family member compared with 30% of those aged 18-24.