Nearly a decade after the #MeToo movement reshaped public conversations about sexual harassment, a study from the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University finds that people are reporting experiences of sexual harassment at far higher rates than they did before the movement.
Published in the American Journal of Public Health, the study found that the share of adults reporting sexual harassment in the previous year increased from 10.7% in 2018 to 24.3% in 2024. The increase was seen among both women and men, though women remained significantly more likely to report experiencing sexual harassment.
Researchers at Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute analyzed nationally representative #MeToo survey data from 5,293 US adults to examine how reports of sexual harassment have changed since 2018.
“This study shows that sexual harassment remains a common experience in Americans’ lives,” said Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute and senior author of the study. “What we cannot tell from these data is whether sexual harassment has increased or whether more people now recognize and report these experiences. Either way, the findings show that awareness alone has not solved the problem.”
After accounting for demographic differences, the odds of reporting sexual harassment were nearly three times higher in 2024 than in 2018. The increase was greatest among respondents living in the South, while women remained significantly more likely than men to report experiencing sexual harassment.
The researchers say the findings cannot determine whether sexual harassment itself has become more common or whether greater awareness following the #MeToo movement has led more people to recognize and report these experiences. Regardless, they conclude that preventing sexual harassment remains a public health priority.
The study, “Trends in Sexual Harassment in the United States: Analysis of the 2018 and 2024 #MeToo Surveys,” was authored by Anita Raj, Clare Daniel, Priyanka Patel, Namratha Rao and K.S. James of Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute.
