Assumed reasons people do not report sexual harassment
Percent of U.S. adults who say harassment they experienced or witnessed went unreported, 2023 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Fear of not being believed (30%). Lowest: Social pressure to not report (3%).
- Fear of not being believed: 30%
- Fear of retaliation by the offender: 25%
- Lack of confidence in the system: 13%
Source: Barna Group, The Behaviors Americans Count as Sexual Harassment · 1,019 web-based surveys of a representative sample of U.S. adults over 18. Article published 2023-09-30.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Fear of not being believed (30%). Lowest: Social pressure to not report (3%). Fear of not being believed: 30%. Fear of retaliation by the offender: 25%. Lack of confidence in the system: 13%.
Who published this data?
Barna Group, 2023. Source: Barna Group, The Behaviors Americans Count as Sexual Harassment (https://www.barna.com/research/behaviors-americans-count-as-harassment/).
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About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.