An Exploratory Examination Of College Students’ Likelihood Of Reporting Sexual Assault To Police And University Officials: Results Of A Self-Report Survey

Keywords

campus sexual assault; crime reporting; trust in police; victimization

Abstract

Despite the growing salience of sexual assault victimizations on college campuses, reporting of such events remains low. A better understanding of what affects students’ reporting behavior and to whom they are likely to report victimizations can aid in developing policies and programs that promote reporting. Using a sample of 336 college students, this study uses hypothetical scenarios to examine the factors that affect individuals’ likelihood to report sexual assaults to the police and to university officials. Results show that students are significantly more likely to report sexual assaults to the police than to university officials. In addition, wanting justice, trust in police and university officials, and a desire for services are among the most consistent factors that affect students’ likelihood to report to both the police and university officials.

Publication Date

11-1-2018

Publication Title

Journal of Interpersonal Violence

Volume

33

Issue

22

Number of Pages

3419-3438

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260516632357

Socpus ID

85054134226 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85054134226

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