This study examines the rate of sexual violence perpetration in a community sample of adult Australians. Data were collected through a survey of a proportional quota-based sample of 5,076 Australian residents aged 18–45 years.
Just over one in five respondents (22.1%, n=1,124) had perpetrated one or more of the forms of sexual violence examined since turning 18 years of age, and one in 10 (9.9%, n=504) had done so in the past 12 months. Men were significantly more likely than women to have perpetrated any and each form of sexual violence examined, and to have perpetrated multiple forms of sexual violence.
Findings address the pressing need for estimates of the prevalence of sexual violence perpetration in Australia, which are critical to efforts to address it.
References
URLs correct as at April 2024
Anderson RE, Silver KR, Ciampaglia AM, Vitale AM & Delahanty DL 2021. The frequency of sexual perpetration in college men: A systematic review of reported prevalence rates from 2000 to 2017. Trauma, Violence & Abuse 22(3): 481–495. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019860619
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023a. National, state and territory population, September 2022. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/sep-2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023b. National, state and territory population, December 2022. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/dec-2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023c. Personal safety, Australia. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/latest-release
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023d. Recorded Crime - Offenders. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/recorded-crime-offenders/2021-22
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023e. Recorded Crime - Victims. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/recorded-crime-victims/latest-release
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023f. Sexual violence. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/sexual-violence/2021-22
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022. Cultural diversity: Census. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/cultural-diversity-census/2021
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2020. Sexual assault in Australia. Canberra: AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/sexual-assault-in-australia/
Daly K & Bouhours B 2010. Rape and attrition in the legal process: A Comparative analysis of five countries. Crime and Justice 39(1): 565–650. https://doi.org/10.1086/653101
Department of Social Services 2022. National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032. Canberra: Department of Social Services. https://www.dss.gov.au/ending-violence
Flood M, Brown C, Dembele L & Mills K 2022. Who uses domestic, family and sexual violence, how, and why? The State of Knowledge Report on Violence Perpetration. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology. https://blogs.qut.edu.au/crime-and-justice-research-centre/2023/02/14/research-report-who-uses-domestic-family-and-sexual-violence-how-and-why-the-state-of-knowledge-report-on-violence-perpetration/
Follingstad DR & Rogers MJ 2013. Validity concerns in the measurement of women’s and men’s report of intimate partner violence. Sex Roles 69: 149–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-013-0264-5
Heywood W, Myers P, Powell A, Meikle G & Nguyen D 2022. National Student Safety Survey: Report on the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault among university students in 2021. Melbourne: Social Research Centre. https://universitiesaustralia.edu.au/publication/2021-nsss-national-report/
Jeffry NK & Senn CY 2024. Gender differences in sexual violence perpetration behaviors and validity of perpetration reports: A mixed-method study. Journal of Sex Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2024.2322591
Koss MP et al. 2006. The Sexual Experiences Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP). Tuscon: University of Arizona
Krahé B & Berger A 2013. Men and women as perpetrators and victims of sexual aggression in heterosexual and same‐sex encounters: A study of first‐year college students in Germany. Aggressive Behavior 39: 391–404. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21482
Krahé B, Tomaszewska P, Kuyper L & Vanwesenbeeck I 2014. Prevalence of sexual aggression among young people in Europe: A review of the evidence from 27 EU countries. Aggression and Violent Behavior 19: 545–558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2014.07.005
Kuo C, Mathews C & Abrahams N 2018. Sexual violence as a global health problem: Current evidence and future directions. In LM Orchowski & CA Gidycz (eds), Sexual assault risk reduction and resistance: Theory, research, and practice. London: Academic Press: 291–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-805389-8.00012-8
Mitra-Kahn T, Newbigin C & Hardefeldt S 2016. Invisible women, invisible violence: Understanding and improving data on the experiences of domestic and family violence and sexual assault for diverse groups of women: State of knowledge paper. ANROWS Landscapes no. DD01/2016. Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/invisible-women-invisible-violence-understanding-and-improving-data-on-the-experiences-of-domestic-and-family-violence-and-sexual-assault-for-diverse-groups-of-women-state-of-knowledge-paper/
Mosher DL & Anderson RD 1986. Macho personality, sexual aggression, and reactions to guided imagery of realistic rape. Journal of Research in Personality 20(1): 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-6566(86)90111-X
Neame A & Heenan M 2003. What lies behind the hidden figure of sexual assault? Issues of prevalence and disclosure. Briefing no. 1. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. https://aifs.gov.au/resources/practice-guides/what-lies-behind-hidden-figure-sexual-assault
Pennay D, Phillips B, Neiger D, Ward A, Slamowicz S & Lethborg A 2023. Results from the 2022 Australian Comparative Study of Survey Methods. Melbourne: Social Research Centre. https://srcentre.com.au/project/australian-comparative-study-of-survey-methods/
Powell A, Flynn A & Hindes S 2022. Technology-facilitated abuse: National survey of Australian adults’ experiences. Research Report issue 12. Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/technology-facilitated-abuse-national-survey-of-australian-adults-experiences/
Quadara A 2014. The everydayness of rape. In N Henry & A Powell (eds), Preventing sexual violence: Interdisciplinary approaches to overcoming a rape culture. Palgrave Macmillan: 41–63
Rueff WT & Gross AM 2017. Assessing sexual coercion: Survey wording differences and the victimization-perpetration discrepancy. Journal of Family Violence 32: 325–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9859-2
Salter M et al. 2023. Identifying and understanding child sexual offending behaviours and attitudes among Australian men. Sydney: University of New South Wales. https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/current-research/understanding-online-child-exploitation-practices
Strang E, Peterson ZD, Hill YV & Heiman JR 2013. Discrepant responding across self-report measures of men’s coercive and aggressive sexual strategies. Journal of Sex Research 50(5): 458–469. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2011.646393
Struckman-Johnson C, Struckman-Johnson D & Anderson P 2003. Tactics of sexual coercion: When men and women won’t take no for an answer. Journal of Sex Research 40(1): 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490309552168
Swiatlo AD, Kahn NF & Halpern CT 2020. Intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization among young adult sexual minorities. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 52(2): 97–105. https://doi.org/10.1363/psrh.12138
Tidmarsh P & Hamilton G 2020. Misconceptions of sexual crimes against adult victims: Barriers to justice. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 611. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/ti04824
Tourangeau R & Yan T 2007. Sensitive questions in surveys. Psychological Bulletin 133(5): 859–883. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.5.859
Walsh K et al. 2021. Prevalence and correlates of sexual assault perpetration and ambiguous consent in a representative sample of college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 36(13–14): NP7005–NP7026. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518823293
Wolbers H, Boxall H, Long C & Gunnoo A 2022. Sexual harassment, aggression and violence victimisation among mobile dating app and website users in Australia. Research Report no. 25. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/rr78740