Statistics: Sexual & Intimate Partner Violence in Nebraska

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics below are from our Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence in Nebraska: Findings from the 2020 Statewide Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Survey (SIPSVS), which was designed to measure:

• Psychological aggression by intimate partners
• Physical violence by intimate partners
• Sexual violence by any perpetrator
• Lifetime impacts and aftermath among those who have experienced these types of victimization

The data below does not capture non-contact sexual violence (harassment, forced exposure or sexual images, or exposure of sexual body parts), stalking, and additional forms of expressive aggression (private name-calling or expressions of anger). 

Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in Nebraska

• An estimated 81.5% of women and 66.7% of men experience some form of intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes. This translates to 1.4 million Nebraskans.
• Rape  
  • 1-in-2 women (50.5%) and 1-in-4 men (28.6%) are victims of rape in their lifetime.  
  • 31.1% of women and 15.9% of men experience rape through coercion, which is when consent is bypassed or significantly constrained through reported abuse of power, verbal pressure, or threats.
  • 35.2% of women and 23.2% of men experience rape through force or when unable to consent while drunk, drugged, or passed out.
  • The most common form of rape men face is when drunk, drugged, or passed out (20.4%). The most common form of rape for women is through coercion (31.1%) followed by rape while drunk, drugged, or passed out (27.1%).
• Extreme Violence
  • 44.8% of women and 38.2% of men experience one or more of the following forms of physical violence: being slapped, pushed, shoved, kicked, hit, or being harmed by having one’s hair pulled.
  • 34.6% of women and 18.3% of men experience one or more forms of severe physical violence: being slammed against something, strangled, beaten, burned, or having had a knife or gun used.
• Unhealthy, Controlling Relationships
  • It is an overwhelmingly common experience for both women (67.7%) and men (58.9%) to have a partner publicly insult, humiliate, or threaten them, keep them from having their own money, or keep track of their whereabouts.
• Escalation of violence
  • Threats of physical violence against Nebraska women are almost always followed up on. Of the 35.5% of Nebraska women who have been physically threatened by a partner:  
    • 9-in-10 have also been slapped,  
    • 3-in-5 have also been raped through coercion, and  
    • nearly 1-in-2 have also been beaten.
• Violent Relationships
  • Nearly 850,000 Nebraska (46.8% of women and 39.2% of men) experience physically violence by an intimate partner.
• Women experience violence more frequently and more severely throughout their lives than men.  
  • Not only are more women affected by intimate partner and sexual violence than men, but women are also affected more often throughout their life. Nebraskan women are twice as likely as Nebraskan men to face ongoing physical violence (50+ experiences) and three times more likely to face ongoing rape by force (20+ experiences) in their lifetime.
  • Women are twice as likely as men to say they been beaten.
  • 1-in-5 women (21.4%) face 50+ experience of physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.  
  • 30,000 women experience rape by force more than 20 times in their lifetime.
  • 165,000+ Nebraskan women (16.9%) are strangled by an intimate partner in their lifetime.  
  • 1-in-10 Nebraska women (9.5%) have a knife or gun pulled on them by an intimate partner.
• Life-threatening indicators
  • 165,000+ Nebraskan women (16.9%) are strangled by an intimate partner in their lifetime
  • 1-in-10 Nebraskan women (9.5%) have had a knife or firearm pulled on them by an intimate partner.

NOTE: Nationally, more than 55% of all female homicides are committed by an intimate partner, and 72% of murder-suicides involve an intimate partner (Violence Policy Center. (2012). American roulette: Murder-suicide in the United States. Retrieved from www.vpc.org/studies/amroul2012.pdf.). Some common indicators of life-threatening situations are domestic violence increasing in severity or frequency, strangulation, a weapon, or a firearm.  

• Geography
  • The number of people affected by violence is naturally larger in areas with higher populations. When adjusted per capita, rural parts of the state experience similar rates of violence in their communities as urban and suburban areas. The ten counties with the highest rates of violence all have populations below 40,000 inhabitants.
• Who experiences the most extreme violence?
  • Women are 3.7 times more likely to face extreme violence than men.
  • LGBTQ+ identifying Nebraskans are nearly twice as likely to experience extreme violence as non-LGBTQ+ identifying Nebraskans.
  • American Indian identifying Nebraskans are 4.9 times more likely to face extreme violence than non-American Indian identifying Nebraskans.

First Victimization

• Who perpetrates a survivor’s first experience of sexual violence?
  • 73.3% of women and 73.2% of men who experience unwanted sexual contact are victimized by a family member, partner, or another trusted person.
  • 79% of women and 94.4% of men who experience rape by force are victimized by someone other than a stranger, such as a partner, family member, or another trusted person.
  • 65.9% of women and 86.7% of men who experience rape by drugs or alcohol are victimized by someone other than a stranger, such as a partner, family member, or another trusted person.
  • 94.4% of women and 95.3% of men who experience rape through coercion are victimized by someone other than a stranger, such as a partner, family member, or another trusted person.

NOTE: In childhood and adolescence, women experience unwanted sexual contact or rape through family or trusted people. As women age and develop relationships outside of the family, it transitions to intimate violence. The likelihood of violence does not change, but who perpetrates the violence does.  

NOTE: Initial experiences with sexual and intimate partner violence occur early in Nebraskans’ lives, with the likelihood of first experiencing violence peaking in adolescence. Women encounter both sexual and intimate partner violence earlier in life than men.

• 14.3% of women in Nebraska have been raped through force or threat of force before becoming an adult.  
• The likelihood of first facing violence peaks in a woman’s teenage years.
  • 17-years-old: most common age for a woman’s initial experience of rape through force
  • 18-years-old: most common age for a woman’s initial experience of rape through drugs and alcohol and psychological aggression from an intimate partner.
  • 19-years-old: most common age for a woman’s initial experience of physical violence from an intimate partner
• Adolescences (ages 11-19)  
  • Adolescence is the most dangerous time for women, who are at peak likelihood for first experiencing all forms of violence.
    • 1-in-3 women face unwanted sexual contact for the first time.  
    • 1-in-5 women face rape while drunk, drugged, or passed out for the first time.
    • 44.2% of women face psychological aggression from an intimate partner for the first time.
    • 1-in-5 women experience physical violence from an intimate partner for the first time.  
  • Adolescence is when men first experience psychological aggression from an intimate partner (1 in 3) and unwanted sexual contact (1 in 5).
• Childhood (ages 0-10)
  • Men and women are equally likely to experience rape through force before turning 10-years-old (1.9% of men and 2.5% of women).
  • Women are far more likely to experience unwanted sexual contact than men at this age. 7% of women experience unwanted sexual contact (kissing, groping, fondling) before turning 10 years old, compared to 2.7% of men.
• Twenties (ages 20-29)
  • Men are at peak likelihood for first experiencing rape while drunk, drugged, or passed out (10.4% of Nebraskan men) and physical violence from an intimate partner (18.1% of Nebraskan men) at this age.
  • 66.8% of Nebraskans experience initial victimization before age 30, compared to just 3.7% who experience it after 30.

NOTE: Since sexual and intimate partner violence peaks between the ages of 15 and 18, it is important to introduce prevention strategies to Nebraska youth before adolescence. Offering prevention strategies to youth at an early age allows them to build a foundation for bodily autonomy, boundaries, consent, and healthcare relationships.

Aftermath of Victimization

• 25.9% of women and 8.7% of men are estimated to face injury because of sexual or intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This is more than 330,000 Nebraskans who need medical services and are likely to come in contact with healthcare professionals.  
• 6.4% of women and 2.5% of men are estimated to receive a sexually transmitted infection (STI) due to sexual violence. This is more than 87,000 Nebraskans who need medical services and long-term medication and who may be experiencing short-term impacts that can take a toll on physical and mental health.
• 5.2% of individuals face unwanted pregnancy due to rape. This is more than 50,000 Nebraska women.  

NOTE: Sexual violence can also create multiple generations of trauma. Beyond the devastating implications this can have for a survivor, it is also worth noting the massive healthcare and child welfare implications this creates.

• 48.3% of women and 19.5% of men experience fear or concern for their safety due to sexual or intimate partner violence. This is more than 650,000 Nebraskans who likely need long-term support, such as mental healthcare, safe housing, and protection orders.
• 17.1% of women and 11.6% of men miss school or work as a result of sexual or intimate partner violence. Nearly 300,000 Nebraskans miss at least one day of school or work due to sexual or intimate partner violence. Due to violence, over 78,000 (4.8% of women and 3.4% of men) miss more than three weeks of school or work, which, in addition to impacting the state’s economy, may hurt a person’s future employment opportunities.
• Needs of Survivors
  • Survivors in urban areas are 3x more likely than rural survivors to express needing housing services in response to victimization.
  • The biggest gap is for counseling services. Only 2-in-3 women and 1-in-2 men who needed counseling were able to access it successfully. The gap widens for Black Nebraskans. Only 1-in-4 Black Nebraskans who needed counseling were able to access it successfully.
• Who are survivors most likely to turn to for help?
  • 79% of women and 42.8% of men sought help from a friend, family, or partner.
  • 1-in-3 women and 1-in-2 men do not seek any help.
  • 25.6% of women and 10.9% of men reached out to family, who they believed to be the least helpful of all help-seeking options, other than police.
  • 35.7% of women and 21.3% of men reached out to friends, whom they ranked to be the most helpful of all help-seeking options.  
  • 2-in-3 women and 4-in-5 men do not seek help from community professionals, such as police, medical professionals, mental health professionals, or advocates. 

Key Takeaways

Initial victimization occurs very early in life, and victimization is likely to repeat throughout one’s life. Early prevention is critical.

Survivors are most likely to turn to friends, family, or partners. Everyone plays a key role in addressing community violence by supporting survivors.

There are significant economic impacts to violence. Victimization can have a lifelong, multi-generational impact, and services are not always available. Schools, businesses, and healthcare professionals can all play critical roles in preventing violence.