The 2016/2017 report shows that intimate partner violence continues to be common, starts early, and disproportionately burdens historically marginalized individuals and communities. Overall, findings in the report underscore the need to prevent and address IPV against racial and ethnically marginalized communities.
Key Findings:
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Intimate partner violence is common. Almost 1 in 2 women and more than 2 in 5 men reported experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking victimization by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. Additionally, almost 1 in 2 women and men reported experiencing psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
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Intimate partner violence often causes impacts like injury and other health concerns. About 2 in 5 women and 1 in 4 men experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and reported an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime. Injury, PTSD symptoms, concern for safety, fear, needing help from law enforcement, and missing at least one day of work are common impacts reported.
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The burden of intimate partner violence falls disproportionately on Black, Indigenous, and communities of color. More than half of all non-Hispanic multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native, and black women and men in the United States reported experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.
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Intimate partner violence starts early. Most female and male victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner reported that their first victimization happened before they were 25 years old.
Notes and considerations:
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The NISVS survey instrument administered in 2016/2017 represents a change in data collection from previous years. This included changes to the survey questions and the order in which they were asked. The goals for the revision were to streamline and improve the flow of the survey, decrease the level of burden on respondents, increase disclosure, and reduce the complexity of the data to improve the use of the data. Given these revisions, readers and data users are strongly discouraged from comparing estimates from NISVS 2016/2017 to prior survey years (2010–2012 and 2015).
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There are notable differences in forms of coercive control by gender. For example, women were more likely (12.6%) to report experiences of being kept from having their own money, compared to men (5.7%). Additionally, women reported more threats of physical harm (22.0%) than men (11.9%).
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Among victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, more than three-quarters of female victims and more than half of male victims reported experiencing an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetimes. There were notable gender differences when it came to the following impacts: (See Tables 11 & 12)
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Being fearful: 1 in 4 women compared to 1 in 13 men
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Needing medical care: 1 in 8 women compared to 1 in 23 men
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Being concerned for their safety: 1 in 4 women compared to 1 in 14 men.
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The report underscores the need for safe and affordable housing for survivors of intimate partner violence. 5.5% of women (6.9 million) and 1.4% of men (1.6 million) needed housing services at some point in their lifetime as a result of intimate partner violence. (See Tables 11 & 12).
If you would like support around utilizing this report, or want to share reflections on the data, please reach out to NRCDV at NRCDVTA@nrcdv.org.
