Half of U.S. Adults Have Experienced Physical Violence, National Survey Finds

52% of American adults have experienced physical violence in their lifetimes, including attacks involving a gun or knife. The finding comes from Violence in America: Findings from the 2025 United States Violence Experiences Survey (USVEX), led by researchers at Tulane University's Newcomb Institute and the University of California, San Diego. The study examined physical, sexual and intimate partner violence, meaning violence between current or former partners, at national scale, as reported by The Guardian.

USVEX surveyed 2,720 adults across all 50 states between October and December 2025. The sample was nationally representative, meaning it was chosen to mirror the U.S. adult population. It was administered by NORC at the University of Chicago. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.

Lifetime exposure to physical violence was identical for women and men, at 52% each. Think of lifetime numbers as the full album and past-year numbers as a recent snapshot. In the past year, 5% of American adults, or one in 20, experienced physical violence. Within that, 3% reported physical abuse that did not involve a weapon.

Perpetrator and location patterns differed by gender. Women most often experienced physical violence from a spouse or romantic partner, at 61%. Men most commonly experienced it from a stranger, at 38%, followed by a spouse or romantic partner at 25% and a family member at 24%. Home was the most commonly reported site for both groups, at 69% for women and 34% for men. Men reported experiencing physical violence in public spaces at a rate of 30%.

Sexual violence was almost as common over the lifetime, at 49% of U.S. adults, with very different rates by gender. Lifetime prevalence was 68% among women and 29% among men. In the past year, 7% of Americans, or about one in 14, experienced sexual violence, with rates of 9% among women and 4% among men.

For past-year sexual violence, strangers were the most commonly reported perpetrators, at 58% of cases involving women and 66% involving men. Acquaintances or community members were next, at 47% for women and 41% for men. Location also split. Among those who experienced sexual violence in the past year, 55% of women said it occurred in public spaces, while 64% of men said it occurred at home.

The survey also asked about health effects and contact with authorities. Among those who experienced physical violence in the past year, 48% of women and 26% of men said it resulted in anxiety or depression. Formal complaints were rarer. Only 10% of women and 17% of men who experienced physical violence in the past year filed formal complaints.

The national results build on earlier state-level surveys. In Louisiana, an estimated 1.9 million adults have experienced physical violence and 1.5 million have experienced sexual violence Newcomb Institute. In Texas, an estimated 12.3 million adults have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes, including sexual harassment, coercion or forced sex Newcomb Institute. In Mississippi, nearly one in four women report having experienced forced sex, and one in 10 adults experienced sexual violence during childhood Newcomb Institute. In California, prior work found more than 1 in 6 Californians (18%) experienced some form of violence in the past year, and one in 30 women, more than 460,000, experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner in the past year UC San Diego. A later California analysis found adults who experienced economic shocks in the past year were significantly more likely to report physical, sexual and intimate partner violence UC San Diego. That research program has been led since 2019 by Dr. Raj on gender-based violence and discrimination, under EMERGE, an initiative led by the Newcomb Institute.

The broader context here is measurement. Equal lifetime rates for physical violence sit beside sharp differences in sexual violence, perpetrator type and place. That points to different patterns of risk rather than a single risk. Intimate and home settings dominate physical violence for women. Stranger and public-space exposure weighs more for men in physical violence, while the pattern partly reverses for sexual violence.

Looking at what this means for institutions, the gap between mental health impact and formal reporting stands out. Low complaint rates alongside higher anxiety and depression mean official records will keep missing much of lived experience. For policymakers and service systems, the question is less whether violence sits with one group and more how prevention, housing, health and justice responses fit where different groups actually face harm.