Reports of sexual harassment have risen over the last decade, sparking debate about whether the increase stems from more bad behavior or simply heightened awareness of the issue. Nearly ten years after the #MeToo movement transformed the national conversation about sexual abuse and harassment, a troubling question remains: has the problem improved, or are more people simply recognizing and reporting it?
Awareness alone hasn’t made the problem disappear. In fact, a new study shows Americans are reporting sexual harassment at much higher rates than they did just six years ago. Women continue to experience sexual harassment at substantially higher rates than men, although reports increased for both sexes. The largest increase occurred among people living in the southern part of the United States.
Investigators at Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute reviewed nationally representative survey responses of nearly 5,300 U.S. adults age 18 and older. The surveys were conducted in 2018 and again in 2024 to determine whether reports of sexual harassment had changed over time. Participants answered questions about whether they had experienced sexual harassment during the previous year.
Related: Weight‑Loss Pill Shows Promise Reducing Alcohol Use
The study defined sexual harassment broadly, including unwanted behaviors ranging from catcalling and sexually explicit comments to stalking and unwanted sexual touching. Separate questions assessed experiences of sexual assault, defined as forced or coerced sexual acts.
The results were sobering. In 2018, over 10 percent of adults reported experiencing sexual harassment during the previous year. By 2024, that number had more than doubled — climbing to over 24 percent. After adjusting for differences in age, race, education and other demographic factors, the researchers found that the odds of reporting sexual harassment were nearly three times higher in 2024 than they had been six years earlier.
Even with the extensive data, the study couldn’t answer one critical question: has sexual harassment become more common, or are people simply more willing to recognize and report experiences that previously went unspoken? Senior author Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University, cautions against drawing conclusions about why the numbers increased.
Related: Hospitalist Archive: Key Clinical Questions
“This study shows that sexual harassment remains a common experience in Americans’ lives,” Raj said. “What we cannot tell from these data is whether sexual harassment has increased or whether more people now recognize and report these experiences. Either way, the findings show that awareness alone has not solved the problem.”
Additional findings from the Newcomb Institute’s companion #MeToo report paint an equally concerning picture. More than four out of five women reported experiencing sexual harassment or sexual assault at some point during their lifetime, while nearly half of men said they had experienced one of these forms of abuse.
Public places, including streets, parks, stores, gyms and public transportation, were among the most common locations where harassment occurred, often involving strangers. These experiences frequently begin early in life. More than half of women reported first experiencing harassment or assault before turning 18, highlighting how early exposure can shape emotional well-being and feelings of personal safety.
