Survey Finds 52% of US Adults Have Experienced Physical Violence

The research examined physical, sexual and intimate partner violence and how those experiences intersect with behavioral health, economic hardship, neighborhood safety and substance use, among other factors. USVEX surveyed 2,720 adults across all 50 states between October and December 2025, using a nationally representative sample administered by NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish.

Physical violence, including incidents involving a gun or knife, was reported at the same rate by women and men, 52% each. In the past year, one in 20 American adults, or 5%, experienced physical violence, and 3% reported physical abuse that did not involve a weapon.

Women most often experienced physical violence at the hands of a spouse or romantic partner, at 61%, while men most commonly experienced violence from a stranger, at 38%. Among men, 25% reported violence by a spouse or romantic partner and 24% by a family member. Both women and men most often reported experiencing physical violence at home, at 69% and 34% respectively, and men also reported violence in public spaces at a rate of 30%.

Among those who experienced physical violence in the past year, 48% of women and 26% of men said the experience resulted in anxiety or depression. Only a minority of those affected filed formal complaints, including 10% of women and 17% of men.

Sexual violence was reported by 68% of women and 29% of men over their lifetime. In the past year, 7% of Americans, about one in 14, experienced sexual violence, a rate of 9% among women and 4% among men. The study noted that sexual harassment accounted for much of this violence.

Strangers were the most commonly reported perpetrators of sexual violence in the past year, accounting for 58% of cases involving women and 66% of cases involving men. Acquaintances or community members were the next most commonly reported perpetrators, at 47% for women and 41% for men. Most women who experienced sexual violence in the past year said it occurred in public spaces, at 55%, while 64% of men said it occurred at home.

Forty-two percent of women who faced sexual violence in the past year reported suffering from depression or anxiety, while 39% of men said the violence resulted in anxiety or depression. Four percent of women and 10% of men who experienced sexual violence during the past year considered suicide.

Intimate partner violence was also widespread, with 61% of women and 45% of men reporting that they had experienced it. Nearly one in five women, or 19%, reported potentially lethal intimate partner violence, including beating, burning, strangulation or violence involving a knife or gun, compared with 3% of men.

Experiences of violence rose sharply during adolescence and young adulthood, with rates increasing during adolescence and continuing to climb into young adulthood. By this stage, nearly one-third of adults reported having experienced sexual violence.

Economic hardship was closely linked to experiences of violence. Adults who had been evicted in the previous year were seven times more likely to report recent physical violence, three times more likely to report sexual violence and nearly five times more likely to report intimate partner violence.

Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute and a co-author of the study report, told The Guardian that the survey pointed to the importance of assessing violence beyond crime reports. "That's a fraction of people who are affected," Raj said. "We also don't want to find out about it at that point because if we're finding out at that point, the risk for fatality has now gone up." Raj pointed to factors such as economic status as an important metric.

The findings arrive months after The Trace, a non-profit newsroom dedicated to reporting on gun violence, calculated that the Trump administration had terminated, redirected or delayed more than $1bn in federal grants related to gun violence, public safety, mental health and other efforts to save lives.