The Social Research Centre was funded to conduct the 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) to collect data on the scale and nature of university student experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Our research team partnered with leading expert on violence prevention Dr Anastasia Powell of RMIT to re-design and to deliver the survey. The 2021 survey builds on and extends the first survey on sexual harassment and sexual assault conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2016.
The NSSS was funded by Universities Australia, the peak body for the university sector and was approved by the RMIT Human Research Ethics Committee.
When are the results being released?
The results of the 2021 NSSS were released on Wednesday 23 March 2022.
They were published at the survey’s dedicated website: nsss.edu.au
They are also available on the Universities Australia website: universitiesaustralia.edu.au/nsss
I have an enquiry about the survey. Who do I speak to?
Further information about the survey, methodology and results can be found at nsss.edu.au
All related enquiries, including request for the SRC, should be made to Universities Australia:
Why was the survey conducted?
The National Student Safety Survey was conducted as part of the Respect. Now. Always. Initiative. The aim of the survey was to measure the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment experiences among university students.
It also measured broader perceptions of safety and views towards student campus life.
The findings of the survey will help to measure the extent of these experiences among university students. This in turn will help to understand the context in which these behaviours occur, understand help seeking and reporting behaviours, and inform universities’ services and responses for student safety and wellbeing.
Support services
Discussions around sexual harassment and sexual assault can be distressing for many in our community. If you would like to speak to someone for support, there are national counselling and referral services available to you:
- 1800RESPECT: National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence counselling www.1800respect.org.au or 1800 737 732
- MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78, or mensline.org.au
- QLife, referral service for LGBTQ people: call 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au
- Australia wide university support and safety services (listed through Universities Australia): www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/our-universities/student-safety
- Beyond Blue: www.beyondblue.org.au or 1300 22 4636
- Lifeline: www.lifeline.org.au or 13 11 14
Support services are also available at each university for its community: www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/our-universities/student-safety/