National Investments to Prevent Violence are Needed and Essential

by Danah Vasquez
on October 15, 2026

A newly published report has found that nearly half of all US adults have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, with women and LGTBQ+ populations facing disproportionately high rates of sexual violence and intimate partner violence (IPV).

  • 68% of women and 29% of men experience sexual violence during their lifetimes
  • 25% of LGTQ+ respondents reported experiencing past year sexual violence (Compared to 5% heterosexual self-descrived respondents)

The United States National Study on Violence Experiences across the Lifespan (USVEX) survey 2025 surveyed over 2500 adults across all 50 states to create a national perspective on the likelihood of experiencing violence and its causes. Like the 2025 California Violence Experiences (CalVEX) survey, the USVEX reports on peoples’ experiences of physical, sexual, and IPV across the lifespan and within the past year.

The survey found that, in the United States:

  • Sexual Violence (harassment or assault)
    • 9% of women and 4% of men experienced sexual violence in the last year
    • 42% of women and 39% of men reporting past year sexual violence said that they experienced anxiety and/or depression
      • With 10% of men and 4% of women considering suicide

With the majority of women (55%) reported experiencing sexual violence in public spaces and 50% of LGBTQ+ identifying people experiencing sexual harm, sexual harassment and assault continue to be a pervasive issues for women and the LGBTQ+ community. 

Additionally, the USVEX report includes data from respondents who self-reported causing violence. In the United States, 

  • 19% of adults – 24% of men and 14% of women – self-reported physically harming someone else
  • 9% of adults – 14% of men and 5% of women – self-reported sexually harming someone else during their lifetime.

However, the USVEX report included a set of data that was not included in the CalVEX report: Economic Hardship and Violence.

  • In the past year:
    • Violence was 2-3x more common among US Adults experiencing a lack of money for foods and basic needs
    • Violence was 3-7x more common among US adults experiencing eviction 
    • Violence was 3-5x more common among US adults experiencing homelessness

The USVEX report confirms that US adults experiencing violence is common. It also confirms that acts of violence often radiate, influencing individual, community, and social well-being, impacting far more than the person who was harmed. 

The report also confirms what VALOR and the movement to end sexual violence has been working on for years – addressing violence as a public health and social issue are ways to prevent it. Investing in prevention, early intervention, and support services for people harmed are all ways to prevent violence and a combination of the three together are how we can end violence. 

For more information on preventing sexual and other types of violence, watch the VALOR and CalVEX web conference recording discussing CalVEX findings, check out prevention resources and more national data on PreventConnect, and listen to the VALOR Conversations’ 2-part episode with Billie Weiss, a pioneer in connecting public health and violence prevention. 

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