The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)

The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), developed by CDC's Injury Center, was initiated in 2010 to collect accurate and reliable incidence and prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence, sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking victimization. This annual data draws important attention to these issues and creates opportunities to advance our intervention and prevention efforts.

Key Findings (2011):

• Nearly 1 in 5 women (19%) and 1 in 59 men (nearly 2%) in the U.S. have been raped at some time in their lives.
• One in 5 women (22%) and 1 in 7 men (14%) reported experiencing severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• One in 7 women (15%) and 1 in 18 men (6%) have experienced stalking victimization during their lifetime in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
• Much of stalking victimization was facilitated by technology (i.e., unwanted phone calls and text messages).
• Results suggest these forms of violence are frequently experienced at an early age, with a majority reporting victimization before age 25; and that women, in particular, are heavily impacted over their lifetime and certain racial/ethnic groups experience a comparatively higher burden. 

For more information about the survey read the CDC's Overview.