Demographics of Stalking

Stalking can be experienced by anyone. Here's how it affects different communities:

College Campuses

  • 46.1% of incidents occurred on campus and 53.9% off campus  
  • Only 32% of participants reported being stalked by a stranger while the rest identified their stalkers as acquaintances, friends, or former intimate partners 

LGBTQIA+ Communities

  • 31.9% of bisexual women disclose a lifetime prevalence of stalking compared to 15.6% of heterosexual women and 19.5% of lesbian women  
  • 28.1% bisexual women report technology and internet stalking compared to 13.0% of heterosexual women  
  • 11.4% lifetime stalking prevalence in gay men and 5.2% in heterosexual  
  • LBGTQIA+ students are two times at risk for being a victim of stalking as their heterosexual counterparts  
  • LGBTQIA+ community has the lowest reporting rates despite evidence of rapidly increasing rates of stalking  

Male Survivors

  • About 1 in 17 men in the U.S. were victims of stalking at some point in their lifetime. 
  • Approximately 41% of male victims experienced stalking before age 25 
  • 46% of male victims reported being stalked by only female perpetrators. 
  • 3% of male victims reported being stalked by only male perpetrators. 
  • 8% of male victims reported being stalked by both male and female perpetrators. 

 

Sources

Chen, J., Walters, M. L., Gilbert, L. K., & Patel, N. (2020). Sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence by sexual orientation, United States. Psychology of Violence, 110-119. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/vio0000252 

Fedina, L., Backes, B.L., Sulley, C., Wood, L., & Busch-Armendariz, N. (2019). Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with stalking victimization among college students. Journal of American College Health, 68, 624 630. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1583664

Langenderfer-Magruder, L., Walls, N. E., Whitfield, D. L., Kattari, S. K., & Ramos, D. (2017). Stalking victimization in LGBTQ adults: A brief report. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35, 1442-1453. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517696871 

Center for Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nisvs/men-ipvsvandstalking.html