New Tulane survey offers first comprehensive snapshot of violence prevalence across Louisiana Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 More than half of Louisiana residents experience physical violence in their lifetime, and about one in five are threatened or harmed with a gun, according to a new statewide survey by Tulane University researchers. Louisiana is only the second state in the nation to acquire this level of violence data and the first in the southeast. The survey was conducted in May and June. The Louisiana Study on Violence Experiences Across the Lifespan (LaVEX), conducted this summer by the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University, surveyed more than 1,000 adults across the state on a comprehensive range of experiences of violence — from verbal insults and cyberbullying to sexual assault and gun violence. The survey gathered extensive data on how residents experience incidents of violence. “This study offers a first-time documentation of the prevalence of violence occurring in Louisiana and shows that the majority of adults in the state have faced physical or sexual assaults,” said Anita Raj, Newcomb Institute executive director. “For many, these experiences first happen in childhood and adolescence, and create health and social impacts across one’s life.” The study, the first known to comprehensively quantify the prevalence of violence as reported by Louisiana residents, might be more accurate than law enforcement figures since most victims never report their experiences to police. Top findings include: • More than half of Louisiana’s adult population (53%) has experienced physical violence. One in five (21%) have been threatened or harmed with a gun. • One in 14 Louisiana adults (7%) experienced physical violence in the past year. Most past year physical violence (84%) was committed by someone known to the victim, and men were more likely than women to report past year physical violence. • Two-fifths of adults in Louisiana (41%) have experienced sexual violence or harassment in their lifetime, one in three (29%) have been verbally sexually harassed, and one in nine (11%) have experienced sexual assault. • For women, much of this violence is at the hands of a romantic or sexual partner; 42% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner, with about 1 in 10 of these women reporting that their partner threatened or harmed them with a gun. • Approximately 90% of people who experienced violence never formally reported these assaults. • Among those experiencing violence, most reported negative consequences, including feeling anxiety or depression, suicidality or missing work or school. The full report is available at https://newcomb.tulane.edu/LaVEX. Since 2020, the Center on Gender Equity and Health at the University of California San Diego has led the annual California Study on Violence Experiences across the Lifespan (CalVEX) survey. This year, in collaboration with the Newcomb Institute, the survey was expanded to Louisiana. 43 Newcomb Place Suite 301 New Orleans, LA 70118 tel 504.865.5422
newcomb.tulane.edu