University of Chicago Has Released Data From Its 2015 Spring Sexual Misconduct Survey

The University of Chicago has released the results of a survey on sexual misconduct on campus. The survey was sent to 14,752 over the age of 18. The university received responses from 28 percent of the students who were sent the survey. Some 41 percent of undergraduate women students responded and as did 32 percent of the women graduate students at its main campus. Slightly over 31 percent of male undergraduate students responded as did nearly a quarter of all male graduate students at the main campus.

The survey used very specific language on sexual acts and body parts. Just under 10 percent of undergraduate women respondents reported that they were the victims of unwanted sexual penetration. More than 9 percent of the undergraduate women respondents said that they had someone remove some of their clothing without consent. More than 35 percent of undergraduate women reported that they had been “touched, fondled, or had private areas rubbed up against without consent.”

The full Spring 2015 Climate Survey: Preliminary Report, may be downloaded by clicking here.

A main question that remains unanswered is if the results of those that responded to survey mirror the actual experiences of the entire student body. Are students who experienced some form of sexual assault more likely or less likely to have participated in the survey than students as a whole? Regardless of the answers to these questions, it remains clear that sexual misconduct is a serious problem on the University of Chicago campus. (More than 100 undergraduate women who responded to the survey reported they were victims of unwanted sexual penetration.)