Statistics
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New York City Statistics: Youth & Dating Violence
One in ten teenagers in New York City schools reports experiencing physical or sexual violence in a dating relationship within the past year.
In 2011, in New York City, 10.4% of male and female high school students reported being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend/girlfriend within the past year.
6.5% of high school students in New York City report having been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to.
Nearly one-quarter of homeless high school students in New York City said that they had been forced to do something sexual that they did not want by someone they were dating in the last year. This was more than twice as high as the rate for housed students.
One survey found that Black and Hispanic/Latino students in New York City public schools reported experiencing more relationship violence than non-Black and non-Hispanic/Latino students.
In 2016, 11.6% of all major crimes in New York City were related to domestic violence. This is a 6% increase since 2007. Domestic violence now accounts for one in every five homicides—and two in every five reported assaults—citywide.
In New York City, nearly half of all female homicide victims age 16 or older, were killed by their intimate partners, as compared to slightly more than 3 percent of all male homicide victims. 3.1% of these female victims were between ages 16-19.
One study indicated that in New York City, teen survivors of dating abuse are 3x more likely to miss school due to not feeling safe, 3x more likely to carry a weapon to school, and 2x more likely to experience bullying in school.
National Statistics: Youth & Dating Violence
Prevalence of Violence
1 in 3 teens nationally report experiencing some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships, including verbal and emotional abuse.
Approximately 1 in 5 female students and 1 in 10 male students have been victims of physical and/or sexual dating violence during the past 12 months. This includes being hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon and/or sexual violence, such as unwanted kissing, touching or being physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
Among those who ever experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, more than 1 in 5 female survivors (22.4%) and more than 1 in 7 male survivors (15.0%) experienced some form of intimate partner violence for the first time between the ages of 11 and 17 years. Another 47.1% of female survivors and 38.6% of male survivors were between 18 and 24 years of age when they first experienced violence by an intimate partner.
Of college students that had been in abusive relationships, 70% did not know they were in an abusive relationship at the time.
Gender-Based Violence
In 2015, a national youth risk behavior survey found that, among students who had been in a dating relationship in the past 12 months, the prevalence of physical dating violence was higher among female (11.7%) than male (7.4%) students.
In a study of young women seeking family planning services, 53% of young women reported experiencing physical or sexual partner violence.
Women aged 16-24 experience the highest per capita rate of intimate partner violence, triple the national average.
LGBTQ+ Relationships
One US study found that 43% of LGBT youth reported being survivors of physical dating violence, compared to 29% of heterosexual youth. 59% of LGBT youth reported experiencing emotional abuse, compared to 46% of heterosexual youth.
Among US high school students who dated in the past year, the prevalence of physical dating violence was higher among gay, lesbian, and bisexual students (17.5%) and students who identified as ‘not sure’ (24.5%) than heterosexual students (8.3%).
Technology and Dating Abuse
40% of teens and young adults aged 14-24 have experienced technologically abusive dating behavior.
59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced at least one of type of abusive online behavior.
A 2013 study found that the most frequent form of harassment or abuse was tampering with a partner’s social networking account without permission. Nearly 1 in 10 teens in relationships report having this happen to them in the past year.
In the same survey, 7.4% of teens reported that their partner sent them texts/emails/etc. to engage in unwanted sexual acts. 6.8% reported being pressured to send a sexual or naked photo of themselves.
21% of teens who have dated reported that a current or past partner has read their text messages without their consent.
Young people, ages 15-29, are more likely to be victims of nonconsensual nude image sharing (revenge porn) than other age groups, with young women especially at risk.
As many as 1 in 12 Americans has been targeted by revenge porn.
Settings
In a survey of high school guidance counselors in 2012, 81% said their school had no protocol for responding to a report of dating violence. And while 61% said they had had occasion to advise a survivor of dating violence in the previous two years, 90% said there had been no staff training in the previous two years regarding students experiencing dating abuse.
Bystander Issues
Teens with friends who perpetrate dating violence are significantly more likely to perpetrate dating violence themselves.
US high school students who self-report being hit by friends are about 169 percent more likely to perpetrate dating violence.
Rate of Disclosures/Seeking Support
Of US teens that were in a violent relationship, 86% were more likely to confide in a friend rather than an adult.
4 in 5 parents (81%) either don’t believe that or don’t know if teen dating violence is an issue.
In a 2019 study of middle schoolers and high schoolers, only 9% of survivors reported seeking help after their experience of dating abuse, and girls were more likely to seek help than boys.
In the same 2019 study, 17% of students who did reach out for help contacted school counselors and 13% asked teachers.
Effective Prevention: Teen Education
Current evidence suggests that acceptance of partner violence, poor emotional regulation and conflict management, and poor communication skills put individuals at risk for both perpetration and victimization of IPV. Therefore, promoting expectations for healthy, non-violent relationships and building skills in these areas can reduce risk for perpetration and victimization of IPV.
One 2018 study found that high school students who are educated on refusal skills before college have a lower risk of experiencing penetrative sexual assault
A study of one educational program in high school and middle school classrooms found that students exposed to the program reported between 56% and 92% less perpetration and victimization, respectively, at four-year follow-up.
Dating Abuse & Pregnancy
Additionally, women who are exposed to IPV by the man who got them pregnant are more likely than non-abused women to have a second-trimester abortion (Jones & Finer, 2011).
Females who have experienced IPV are considerably more likely to experience reproductive coercion, by pregnancy coercion or contraception sabotage, from male partners than those who have not experienced IPV.
Dating Abuse & Suicide
Nationally, youth who are survivors of dating violence are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, engage in unhealthy behaviors, like using tobacco, drugs, or alcohol, or exhibit antisocial behaviors and think about suicide.
Among American high school students who have experienced sexual and physical abuse by a dating partner, 9 out of 10 have seriously contemplated suicide, and over 80% have attempted suicide.
Dating Abuse & Academic Performance
American high school students who have been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their partner earned grades of C and D twice as often as earning grades A or B.
Costs of Intimate Partner Violence
The total cost of IPV against women in the United States exceeds $8.3 billion each year.
Dating Abuse & Gun Violence
More than 50% of female IPV homicides in the US are carried out by guns, and these incidences are increasing.
1 in 3 homicides by gun of youth under 13 are connected to IPV or family violence.
Compared to all women, women 15 to 29 years old experienced a 30% higher rate of domestic violence gun homicides from 2006 to 2015.
Dating Abuse & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
One study found that women who experienced IPV were 7 times more likely to have had a head injury resulting in loss of consciousness.
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