New #MeToo reports on 4 states reveal persistently high rates of sexual harassment and assault

In September 2024, Newcomb Institute released the #MeToo 2024 report, a national survey that revealed alarmingly high rates of sexual harassment and assault, with many of these incidents happening in public spaces across the United States. Now, the Institute’s four new reports on sexual harassment and assault in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and California offer a closer look at the pervasiveness of sexual misconduct in these states.

The #MeToo 2024 Report, conducted with a national sample using online panels, surveyed more than 3,300 U.S. adults over the age of 18 and was implemented by the National Opinion Research Center. The survey also included an oversample of participants from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and California to allow for state-level reports.

The national survey found that most women (82%) and nearly half of all men (42%) have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime. These abuses often occur as sexual harassment in public spaces, with 73% of women and 24% of men reporting harassment in locations like streets, parks, beaches, gyms, stores, buses or subways.

For the survey, sexual harassment included unwelcomed behavior ranging from “cat-calling” to stalking and unwanted touching in a sexual way. It also assessed sexual assault, which was defined as a forced or coerced sex act.

Findings from the state-level reports were largely in accord with the national report, indicating that sexual misconduct is a pervasive problem from state to state.

Key findings from the Louisiana #MeToo report include:

•    Almost three in four women (74%) and 42% of men in Louisiana have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime.

•    34% of women and 19% of men in Louisiana reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment or assault in the past year.

•    Most women (62%) and one in four men (25%) have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces.

“These state findings demonstrate that sexual harassment, including aggressive and contact forms of harassment, is ubiquitous in the U.S., happening in public spaces, as well as in the workplace and in our schools,” said Dr. Anita Raj, Executive Director of the Newcomb Institute. “For many, their first experience with sexual harassment or assault begins at a young age, and socially vulnerable groups such as those living with a disability are particularly at risk.”

Despite an increase in awareness and legislative protections since the start of the #MeToo Movement, “these state surveys show that more must be done to stop the normalization and high prevalence of these abuses,” said Raj.

The full state reports are available here.