Examining the prevalence of experiencing sexual misconduct and reporting to Title IX and counseling services across student race/ethnicity: Findings from the 2019 Association of American Universities survey

Research Summary

We examined the prevalence of experiencing sexual misconduct—rape, contact sexual violence, sexual harassment—in college and whether students reported to Title IX coordinators or campus counseling services by students’ race/ethnicity. Data from the 2019 Association of American Universities survey (unweighted N = 160,387) were used to estimate multilevel logistic regression models. Across this sample, 44.70% of students experienced sexual misconduct victimization; among victim-survivors who contacted a program, 19.85% reported to Title IX and 45.63% contacted campus counseling services. Black students did not significantly differ from White students in their experiences with sexual misconduct, yet Asian students were significantly less likely than White students to experience all types of sexual misconduct. Black and Asian students had lower odds of reporting sexual misconduct to Title IX (though results vary by type of misconduct), but Black students had higher odds of reporting to campus counseling services across all types of sexual misconduct.

Policy Implications

Sexual misconduct victimization is a common experience for American college students. In response, decades of changes to federal and state laws and policies have focused on increasing reporting to campus Title IX coordinators; however, reporting to Title IX remains a rare occurrence. Reporting barriers are greatest among Black and Asian students. Campuses must address barriers in reporting to Title IX and do so in ways that are equitable for all students. Further, campuses must review their current and planned investment in counseling services and culturally centered services to ensure that they have the appropriate resources to serve students.