The Central Statistics Office (CSO) released its Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Adult Experiences, last week on May 18. The survey builds on the recent publication of the Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Main Results, and focuses on experiences of sexual violence during adulthood. 

The survey was carried out following a request from the Department of Justice and the government. It aims to cover incidents that occurred after the respondents reached the legal age of consent in Ireland (17 years).

Conducted among the Irish population, the survey used a randomly generated national sample for its research, which means that participants were selected randomly out of everyone aged 18 and older living in Ireland.

The survey is supposed to provide high-quality data that can be used to establish a baseline for levels of experienced sexual violence across the Irish population.

Almost one in ten adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult had done so in the last 12 monthshttps://t.co/4lv08l84lR#CSOIreland #Ireland #SexualViolenceSurvey #SVS #Crime #SocialInterests #Health #SafetyOfThePerson pic.twitter.com/qBf75Edwqx

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) May 18, 2023

The now-published results have found that generally, when: “Looking at the experiences of sexual violence as an adult by sociodemographic characteristics (educational attainment, sexual orientation, marital status, disability status and ethnicity), we can see different patterns for certain cohorts of the population.”

It explained: “For example, those who were single were more likely to have experienced sexual violence as an adult (33%) compared with those who were married (22%). People with a disability experienced sexual violence as an adult at a higher rate (30%) than those without a disability (25%). Bisexuals and gay/lesbian people reported higher levels of sexual violence (55% and 40% respectively) than heterosexual/straight people (25%).”

Taking a closer look at the different categories that the survey examines shows that bisexual people especially are at the highest risk of experiencing sexual violence, with gay and lesbian people also being at a higher risk of experiencing sexual violence than straight people.

For sexual violence experienced by people with a partner, the results show that: “Bisexual people reported almost double the level (37%) of sexual violence as an adult with a partner compared with gay/lesbian people (19%). The equivalent rate for heterosexual/straight people was 15%.”

The survey also found that “Almost one in four (24%) bisexual people reported experiencing non-consensual sexual intercourse as an adult with a partner.”

When looking at sexual violence experienced by adults with a non-partner, the results show that “Bisexual people reported over double the level (46%) of sexual violence as an adult with a non-partner compared with heterosexual/straight people (19%). The equivalent rate for gay/lesbian people was 30%”.

Furthermore, “Almost one in four (24%) bisexual people reported experiencing non-consensual sexual intercourse as an adult with a partner.”

If you or anyone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this survey, help is available is by contacting the helplines in the image attached or by clicking the following link:https://t.co/XsPI0HKlBH pic.twitter.com/L2fXrqYSIg

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) May 18, 2023

To read the full report, click here.