Table 9
Students at Canadian postsecondary schools who personally experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting in the past 12 months, by type and location of behaviour, 2019


Table 9
Students at Canadian postsecondary schools who personally experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting in the past 12 months, by type and location of behaviour, 2019
Table summary
This table displays the results of Students at Canadian postsecondary schools who personally experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting in the past 12 months. The information is grouped by Location of behaviour (appearing as row headers), Inappropriate verbal or non-verbal communication, Sexually explicit materials, Unwanted physical contact or suggested sexual relations, percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using from and to units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Location of behaviour Inappropriate verbal or non-verbal communicationTable 9 Note 1 Sexually explicit materialsTable 9 Note 2 Unwanted physical contact or suggested sexual relationsTable 9 Note 3
percent 95% confidence interval percent 95% confidence interval percent 95% confidence interval
from to from to from to
On campus 75.1 73.7 76.5 38.3 34.7 42.0 59.2 56.9 61.4
Learning environment 29.5 27.8 31.3 37.5 31.5 44.0 31.2 28.5 34.0
Non-residential building 59.3 57.4 61.1 51.4 45.3 57.5 51.2 48.3 54.1
On campus residence, excluding fraternities and sororities 18.0 16.6 19.5 30.6 24.9 36.9 19.9 17.7 22.2
Fraternity or sorority house on campus 4.5 3.8 5.4 8.8 5.8 13.0 3.9 2.9 5.1
Other on campus location 28.7 27.1 30.4 16.7 12.5 21.9 20.9 18.6 23.5
Off campus 52.9 51.3 54.6 37.1 33.6 40.8 50.8 48.5 53.0
Another postsecondary school in Canada 5.2 4.3 6.2 7.2 4.7 10.9 4.6 3.5 6.2
At an internship, job placement, practicum or volunteer assignment 9.1 7.9 10.5 7.6 4.8 11.8 8.5 6.8 10.5
Off campus residence, excluding fraternities and sororities 46.1 43.9 48.3 63.2 56.9 69.1 38.6 35.5 41.7
Fraternity or sorority house off campus 6.2 5.2 7.4 5.8 3.6 9.2 6.8 5.3 8.7
Restaurant or bar 54.9 52.6 57.2 38.0 32.2 44.2 49.4 46.2 52.6
Travelling to or from school 33.5 31.4 35.7 18.7 14.1 24.3 22.1 19.6 24.9
Other off campus location 26.4 24.5 28.4 23.4 18.5 29.2 21.0 18.6 23.7
Online 21.4 20.1 22.8 62.5 58.8 66.0 20.2 18.5 22.1
School online environment 3.0 2.0 4.4 3.5 2.1 5.8 Note F: too unreliable to be published Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
By email, instant message, text message 55.9 52.4 59.3 43.5 38.8 48.4 54.5 49.6 59.4
On social media 80.7 77.8 83.4 78.5 74.3 82.1 74.0 69.4 78.2
Online dating app or website 23.9 21.0 27.0 23.3 19.4 27.7 23.8 19.8 28.3
During a phone call or video chat 14.9 12.5 17.7 10.5 7.9 13.9 12.4 9.3 16.4
Other online location 5.6 4.2 7.5 6.5 4.4 9.5 5.8 3.8 8.6
... not applicable
F too unreliable to be published
Note 1

Includes sexual jokes, unwanted sexual attention, inappropriate sexual comments, and inappropriate discussion about sex life.

Return to note 1 referrer

Note 2

Includes displaying, showing or sending sexually explicit messages or materials and taking or posting inappropriate or sexually suggestive photos or videos of any student without consent.

Return to note 2 referrer

Note 3

Includes indecent exposure or inappropriate display of body parts in a sexual manner, repeated pressure from the same person for dates or sexual relationships, unwelcome physical contact or getting too close, and offering workplace benefits for engaging in sexual activity or being mistreated for not engaging in sexual activity.

Return to note 3 referrer

Note: Includes postsecondary students aged 18 to 24 (17 to 24 in Quebec) as of December 31, 2018 in the Canadian provinces who experienced (targeted, directed at them personally) unwanted sexualized behaviours in the past 12 months. Includes behaviours which occurred in the postsecondary setting, including on campus, off campus (if they occurred during travel to or from school, during an official or unofficial event organized by someone affiliated with the school, or during paid or unpaid employment, work placements or volunteer work associated with postsecondary studies) or online (where some or all of the people responsible were students, teachers or other people associated with the school). Excludes behaviours that respondents heard about from someone else (e.g., something that a friend confided in them). The categories "women" and "men" include cisgender and transgender women and men. Percent calculations are based on unrounded estimates and include missing responses. Respondents were able to provide information on multiple incidents; therefore, percentages do not add to 100. Confidence intervals should be interpreted as follows: If the survey were repeated many times, then 95% of the time (or 19 times out of 20), the confidence interval would cover the true population value.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population.
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