More women than men believe sexual violence against women is common – CSO

Muireann Duffy

More women than men believe that sexual violence is common according to new data published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The Sexual Violence Survey 2022 found 86 per cent of women and 72 per cent of men believe sexual violence against women is common, while 53 per cent of women and 31 per cent of men felt the same about sexual violence against men.

Younger people were more likely to believe that instances of sexual violence were common, with 81 per cent of those aged 18-24 thinking sexual violence against women was common compared to 70 per cent of people aged 35-44.

For the purpose of the survey, sexual violence was defined as "a range of non-consensual experiences, from non-contact experiences to non-consensual sexual intercourse".

Participants were also asked to respond to a number of statements concerning sexual violence, including: 'Women often make up or exaggerate reports of rape', 'Men may be too embarrassed to say they have been raped', and 'If a person who has been raped is not visibly upset by the experience, it probably was not rape'.

The vast majority (87 per cent) of those surveyed disagreed with the statement 'If a person who has been raped is not visibly upset by the experience, it probably was not rape'. One in 10 said they were unsure of the statement, while just 2 per cent agreed with it.

People over 65 were three times more likely to agree with the statement 'Women often make up or exaggerate reports of rape' (15 per cent) compared to people aged 35-44 (5 per cent).

However, overall, 62 per cent disagreed with it, with the disagreement rate being higher among women (68 per cent) than men (59 per cent). Just over one third of young adults aged 18-24 said they were uncertain of the statement.

The majority of adults (80 per cent) said they agreed 'Men may be too embarrassed to say they have been raped', with men (80 per cent) and women (82 per cent) recording similar levels.

The rate of agreement with the statement was higher among people aged 55-64 (87 per cent), but fell to 71 per cent among those 65 and over.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.