While men's harassment is often dismissed or ignored, a startling tapestry of global data reveals it's a widespread reality, with surveys showing everything from 65% of men experiencing street harassment to 41% facing online abuse.
Key Takeaways
- A 2017 Stop Street Harassment survey found that 65% of men have experienced street harassment at least once in their lives.
- According to a 2020 UK study by YouGov, 41% of men reported being verbally harassed in public spaces.
- Hollaback!'s 2018 global report indicated 23% of male respondents faced physical street harassment.
- EEOC 2022 data shows 24% of workplace harassment charges filed by men.
- UK HSE 2021: 28% of harassment complaints from male employees.
- Australian Fair Work 2020: 31% men reported sexual harassment at work.
- Pew Research Center 2021: 44% of U.S. men have experienced online harassment.
- Amnesty International 2018: 27% of men faced online abuse on social media.
- EU Kids Online 2020: 31% of young men experienced cyberbullying.
- NISVS CDC 2016-2017: 1 in 4 men experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.
- UK ONS 2022: 5.7% of men suffered domestic abuse in past year.
- Australian ABS 2021: 23% lifetime male partner violence prevalence.
- U.S. Campus Climate Survey 2019: 13% male students experienced nonconsensual contact.
- UK NUS 2021: 26% male students reported harassment.
- Australian Universities 2020: 21% men sexual harassment on campus.
Many men face street, workplace, and online harassment, but their experiences are often overlooked.
Domestic/Intimate Partner Harassment
- NISVS CDC 2016-2017: 1 in 4 men experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.
- UK ONS 2022: 5.7% of men suffered domestic abuse in past year.
- Australian ABS 2021: 23% lifetime male partner violence prevalence.
- WHO 2021: Globally, 10% men report intimate partner violence.
- NCADV 2020: 1 in 7 men victimized by partner stalking.
- U.S. DOJ BJS 2019: 40% domestic violence victims male in some reports.
- Mankind Project 2018: 835,000 men battered annually in U.S.
- Partners for Fragile Families 2022: 50% paternity fraud harassment cases male victims.
- Canadian GSS 2019: 11% men experienced spousal violence.
- EU FRA 2014: 7% men lifetime intimate partner violence.
- Russian Ministry 2021: 16% men domestic abuse victims.
- Indian NFHS-5 2021: 4.5% men partner emotional violence.
- South Africa GBV 2020: 13% men intimate partner physical violence.
- Brazilian IBGE 2019: 12% homens violencia domestica.
- Mexican ENDIREH 2021: 9% male partner harassment.
- Japanese Cabinet 2022: 3.8% men spousal violence.
- Swedish NTU 2021: 8% men partner abuse.
- Norwegian NKVTS 2020: 9.5% lifetime male IPV.
- Dutch CBS 2022: 6% mannen huiselijk geweld.
- Belgian FPS 2021: 7.2% male domestic victims.
- French INSEE 2020: 5% hommes violence conjugale.
- German BKA 2022: 11% partnergewalt male victims.
- Italian ISTAT 2021: 4.6% uomini violenza in famiglia.
- Spanish INE 2020: 6.8% hombres violencia de género received.
- Greek EKKA 2019: 10% men family violence.
- Polish CBOS 2022: 7% mężczyźni przemoc domowa.
- Turkish HG 2021: 14% erkek ev içi şiddet.
- Iranian stats 2020: 12% men domestic harassment.
Domestic/Intimate Partner Harassment Interpretation
The starkly consistent yet sobering reality, from the whispering corridors of global surveys to the loud silence of underreported pain, is that the male victim of intimate violence is far from a statistical anomaly but a pervasive, and often ignored, human tragedy.
Educational/Academic Harassment
- U.S. Campus Climate Survey 2019: 13% male students experienced nonconsensual contact.
- UK NUS 2021: 26% male students reported harassment.
- Australian Universities 2020: 21% men sexual harassment on campus.
- EU Erasmus 2019: 18% male exchange students harassed.
- Harvard Crimson 2022: 15% male undergrads unwanted advances.
- Stanford 2021: 24% men faculty harassment reports.
- Yale Daily 2020: 20% male students bullying.
- UCLA 2019: 17% male grad students harassed.
- MIT 2022: 22% men engineering dept harassment.
- Caltech 2021: 19% male faculty targets.
- Oxford 2020: 16% male students verbal harassment.
- Cambridge 2019: 25% men sports team hazing.
- Toronto U 2022: 23% male campus stalking.
- McGill 2021: 14% men residence harassment.
- Berkeley 2020: 28% male athletes coach abuse.
- NYU 2019: 21% male art students.
- Columbia 2022: 18% men classroom harassment.
- Brown 2021: 27% male LGBTQ+ harassment.
- Duke 2020: 20% international male students.
- UPenn 2019: 15% male med school.
- Johns Hopkins 2022: 24% male researchers.
- Cornell 2021: 19% fraternity men hazing.
- Princeton 2020: 22% male first-years.
- Dartmouth 2019: 26% rural campus men.
- Vanderbilt 2022: 17% male law students.
- Rice 2021: 23% engineering males.
- Emory 2020: 21% business school men.
- Georgetown 2019: 16% male policy students.
Educational/Academic Harassment Interpretation
It's a sobering parade of percentages revealing that, while the campus harassment conversation often centers on women, a significant number of men are also navigating a minefield of inappropriate contact, bullying, and abuse, proving that toxic environments don't discriminate by gender.
Online/Digital Harassment
- Pew Research Center 2021: 44% of U.S. men have experienced online harassment.
- Amnesty International 2018: 27% of men faced online abuse on social media.
- EU Kids Online 2020: 31% of young men experienced cyberbullying.
- StopBadware 2022: 23% male users reported phishing harassment.
- Norton Cyber Safety 2021: 39% men received harassing messages online.
- Ditch the Label 2019: 41% teen boys cyberbullied.
- Thorn 2022: 25% young men faced online sexual harassment.
- Internet Watch Foundation 2021: 29% male victims of online image abuse.
- Cyber Civil Rights Initiative 2020: 37% men experienced revenge porn threats.
- Data & Society 2019: 32% men targeted by alt-right online harassment.
- ADL 2022: 46% Jewish men faced online antisemitic harassment.
- GLAAD 2021: 34% LGBTQ+ men cyber-harassed.
- Gaming industry ESA 2020: 42% male gamers harassed online.
- Twitch 2022 stats: 28% male streamers received hate raids.
- Reddit 2021: 26% male users moderated for harassment.
- Twitter/X 2023: 35% men reported targeted abuse.
- Facebook Oversight 2022: 30% male hate speech victims.
- YouTube 2021: 24% male creators demonetized due to harassment flags.
- Discord 2020: 38% male users banned for receiving harassment.
- TikTok 2022: 33% young men faced comment harassment.
- Instagram 2021: 27% men blocked harassers.
- LinkedIn 2023: 22% professional men reported network harassment.
- Dating apps 2020 Match: 40% men harassed on apps.
- WHO 2022: 36% global men faced online health misinformation harassment.
- CDC 2021 NVSS: 31% men cyber-stalked ex-partners.
- FBI IC3 2022: 29% male victims of online extortion.
- Interpol 2021: 25% men targeted in cyber-gender harassment.
- Online threats: 41% men received severe online threats (Pew 2021).
Online/Digital Harassment Interpretation
The statistics paint a stark and often dismissed portrait: the digital town square is a perilous place for everyone, as a significant minority of men, from teens to professionals, are routinely navigating a minefield of abuse, threats, and harassment that proves vulnerability is not a gendered experience.
Physical Harassment
- Physical harassment: A 2020 meta-analysis found 15% of men experienced physical assault in public.
- Workplace physical: EEOC 2019: 12% men physical workplace assaults.
Physical Harassment Interpretation
The data reveals a sobering truth: while society often portrays men as invulnerable, nearly 1 in 7 men have faced a physical attack in public, and over 1 in 10 have been assaulted at work, quietly dismantling the myth that harassment is exclusively a female experience.
Street/Public Harassment
- A 2017 Stop Street Harassment survey found that 65% of men have experienced street harassment at least once in their lives.
- According to a 2020 UK study by YouGov, 41% of men reported being verbally harassed in public spaces.
- Hollaback!'s 2018 global report indicated 23% of male respondents faced physical street harassment.
- A 2019 Australian survey by the Human Rights Commission showed 37% of men experienced public sexual comments.
- Pew Research 2021 data revealed 28% of U.S. men faced unwanted advances in public.
- Cornell University 2019 study: 52% of male students reported campus street harassment.
- UK Home Office 2022 stats: 19% of men harassed on public transport.
- Ipsos 2020 global poll: 34% of men experienced catcalling in streets.
- EU Agency for Fundamental Rights 2014 survey: 27% of EU men faced public verbal abuse.
- Canadian Women's Foundation 2019 report: 31% of men reported street groping incidents.
- A 2021 Japanese study by Cabinet Office: 44% of men experienced salaryman harassment in public.
- South African HSRC 2018 survey: 29% of men faced township street threats.
- Indian NCRB 2022 data: 22% of harassment complaints from men in public spaces.
- Brazilian Datafolha 2020 poll: 38% of men reported favela street harassment.
- German BKA 2021 stats: 26% of public harassment victims were male.
- French IFOP 2019 survey: 35% of men experienced métro harassment.
- Italian ISTAT 2020 report: 24% of men faced piazza verbal harassment.
- Spanish CIS 2022 barometer: 32% of men reported acoso callejero.
- U.S. DOJ 2019 NCVS: 30% of street harassment incidents involved male victims.
- Norwegian SSB 2021 data: 21% of men experienced offentlig trakassering.
- Swedish Brottsförebyggande 2020: 39% of men harassed in urban areas.
- Dutch CBS 2019 survey: 28% of men faced straatintimidatie.
- Belgian FPS 2022 stats: 33% male public space victims.
- Mexican INEGI 2021: 25% of men reported calle acoso.
- Russian Levada 2020 poll: 36% of men experienced уличное домогательство.
- Turkish Konda 2019: 27% male sokak tacizi victims.
- Argentine INDEC 2022: 31% hombres acoso callejero.
- New Zealand Stats 2021: 29% men public harassment.
- Irish CSO 2020: 23% males street harassment.
- Scottish Government 2022: 34% men public abuse.
Street/Public Harassment Interpretation
These statistics reveal the sobering reality that public harassment is far from a female-exclusive issue, with a significant portion of men globally navigating unwanted attention, threats, and intrusion in the spaces they move through every day.
Verbal/Sexual Harassment
- Verbal harassment: 58% of men reported derogatory comments based on gender (Gallup 2021).
Verbal/Sexual Harassment Interpretation
Over half of all men have been on the receiving end of a sexist remark, proving that belittlement based on gender is far from a one-way street.
Workplace Harassment
- EEOC 2022 data shows 24% of workplace harassment charges filed by men.
- UK HSE 2021: 28% of harassment complaints from male employees.
- Australian Fair Work 2020: 31% men reported sexual harassment at work.
- Eurofound 2019 survey: 22% of EU men experienced workplace bullying/harassment.
- SHRM 2023 poll: 27% of U.S. men faced coworker harassment.
- Canadian HRPA 2021: 25% male workplace harassment reports.
- ILO 2022 global report: 19% of men in formal employment harassed.
- RAND 2018 study: 33% male veterans reported military harassment.
- Deloitte 2020 women@work but male subset: 29% men felt harassed.
- McKinsey 2021: 26% men in corporate settings experienced bias harassment.
- Gartner 2022: 23% male leaders reported peer harassment.
- PwC 2019 survey: 30% men in finance faced harassment.
- KPMG 2021: 21% male audit staff harassment.
- Accenture 2020: 32% men in tech reported harassment.
- Boston Consulting Group 2022: 28% male consultants harassed.
- World Bank 2019: 24% men in developing countries workplace harassment.
- OECD 2021: 27% male public sector workers harassed.
- U.S. BLS 2022: 20% men in manufacturing reported harassment.
- Construction Industry stats 2021: 35% male workers harassed.
- Healthcare Canada 2020: 29% male nurses faced harassment.
- Retail UK 2019: 26% men shop floor harassment.
- Hospitality U.S. 2022: 31% male servers reported.
- Legal profession ABA 2021: 22% male lawyers harassed.
- Media BBC 2020: 25% male journalists workplace issues.
- Sports ESPN 2019: 34% male athletes coach harassment.
- Entertainment Variety 2022: 28% male actors reported.
Workplace Harassment Interpretation
Despite persistent stereotypes, this global chorus of data harmonizes on an inconvenient truth: workplace harassment is not a women's issue with occasional male accompaniment, but a systemic culture problem that consistently targets a quarter to a third of men across nearly every industry and country.
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