Every human being has the right to be safe and free from violence in their own homes, in their relationships, and in their community. Intimate partner violence and sexual violence are endemic problems. The Alaska Victimization Survey provides comprehensive statewide and regional data to guide planning and policy development and to evaluate the impact of prevention and intervention services. Results can be used to support prevention and intervention efforts that reduce violence against women.

The Alaska Victimization Survey is conducted by the UAA Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). For additional information on the Alaska Victimization Survey, please visit https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-health/departments/justice-center/avs/.

Collections in this community

Recent Submissions

  • Sexual Violence in Alaska (Fast Facts)

    Gonzalez, Andrew; Johnson, Ingrid (Alaska Justice Information Center, 2023-10-24)
  • Relationships between Intimate Partner Violence and Alaskan Women's Health

    Johnson, Ingrid; Gonzalez, Andrew (Alaska Justice Information Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2023-11-30)
    This report details a sample of Alaskan women's experiences with psychological, physical, and sexual harm by an intimate partner, and the relationships between those experiences and their current physical and mental health. These analyses of Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) data are comprised of almost 13,000 survey responses from adult, non-institutionalized Alaskan women. The findings confirm those of prior, non-Alaska based research that all types of historical and recent intimate partner violence (IPV) are linked to victims’ current physical and mental health. Non-physical IPV has the same negative relationships with various health status indicators as physical IPV: Control, threats, and psychological aggression are generally associated with the same prevalence of negative health outcomes as physical violence, although sexual violence is associated with the highest prevalence of negative health outcomes.
  • Measuring the Prevalence of Interpersonal Violence Victimization Experience- and Self-Labels: An Exploratory Study in an Alaskan Community-Based Sample

    Johnson, Ingrid (Springer Link, 2023-02)
    Purpose How victims of violence against women (VAW) label their experiences and selves can be important for help-seeking, but descriptive research on the prevalence of experience- and self-labels among VAW victims is limited. This study sought to fill some of the gaps in this quantitative literature using new measurement tools. Method The current study used quantitative survey data from a weighted sample of 1694 community-based women in Alaska who had experienced VAW (determined using behaviorally specific items) to measure the prevalence of a variety of labels these victims could apply to their experiences and selves. Results Generally, victims of specific forms of violence had minimal agreement on the terms they used to label their experiences. The most commonly endorsed label was 28.5% of those who had experienced alcohol or drug involved sexual assault applying the label rape to their experiences. Across all victims, the most commonly endorsed self-label was survivor, with one-quarter to one-third endorsing this label, depending on the subsample. Roughly one-tenth used the self-label victim across all subsamples. Conclusion VAW service providers should consider labels used to promote services and how to increase awareness about which behaviors constitute VAW; policymakers should improve the accessibility of healthcare so that labeling oneself or one’s experiences in a certain way is not a prerequisite of help-seeking; and researchers should continue exploring how to measure experience- and self-labels with minimal priming of participants and greater specificity to the actual experiences with violence.
  • Labeling Victimization Experiences and Self as Predictors of Service Need Perceptions and Talking to Police

    Johnson, Ingrid; LaPlante, Janelle (Sage Journals, 2023-09)
    Theoretical frameworks suggest that how victims of violence against women (VAW) label their experiences and selves shapes their help-seeking intentions and behaviors. Quantitative studies assessing this relationship have focused on sexual assault and have neglected self-labels, thus this study adds to the research by including multiple forms of VAW and both experience-labels (e.g., “abuse”) and self-labels (e.g., “victim”). Data came from a community-based sample of 1,284 adult, female victims of physical intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking. These women participated in a state-wide phone survey in 2020 to determine victimization prevalence and were selected for the present analyses based on their victimization experiences. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine whether experience- and self-labels predicted the likelihood of perceiving the need for legal services, victim services, shelter or safe housing, and/or medical care, as well as talking to police. Both applying a label to one’s experiences with VAW and applying a label to oneself in relation to those experiences approximately doubled the odds of perceiving a need for formal services. The significance of self-labels seemed to be driven by the “survivor” label, as using a “victim” label was not related to need perceptions, but a “survivor” label doubled or tripled the odds of perceiving a need for formal services. Applying a label to one’s experiences with VAW almost doubled the odds of talking to the police, and, again, use of the “survivor” self-label significantly increased the odds of talking to the police. These findings confirm the importance of labeling one’s victimization experiences and self, and indicate that greater attention be paid to the labels that victims use and how the use of labels might be improved so that they are more likely to seek and attain meaningful help and services.
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences, Intimate Partner Violence, and Sexual Violence Among Persons Who May Be Alaska Mental Health Trust Beneficiaries: Findings from the Alaska Victimization Survey

    Gonzalez, Andrew; Johnson, Ingrid; Payne, Troy C. (Alaska Justice Information Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2021-10-25)
    The Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC) at the University of Alaska Anchorage has released a new report, “Adverse Childhood Experiences, Intimate Partner Violence, and Sexual Violence Among Persons Who May Be Alaska Mental Health Trust Beneficiaries: Findings from the Alaska Victimization Survey.” This report used data from the 2020 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) to estimate the extent to which victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault were Alaska Mental Health Trust beneficiaries. It also estimated the extent to which Alaska Mental Health Trust beneficiaries experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Alaska Mental Health Trust beneficiaries include Alaskans with mental illness, developmental disabilities, chronic alcohol or drug addiction, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, and traumatic brain injuries.
  • 2020 Statewide Alaska Victimization Survey Final Report

    Johnson, Ingrid (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2021-10)
    Every human being has the right to be safe and free from violence in their own homes, relationships, and communities. The Alaska Victimization Survey provides comprehensive statewide and regional data to guide planning and policy development and to evaluate the impact of prevention and intervention services. The 2020 survey was designed to provide estimates that could be compared to previous statewide estimates from 2015 and 2010. Results are used to support prevention and intervention efforts that reduce violence against women.
  • Alaska Victimization Survey: Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence the Aleutian/Pribilof Island Region

    Casto, L. Diane; Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2018-03-13)
    This Powerpoint slide presentation presents an overview of key results from the 2014–2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region, which was conducted from April to June 2014 and May to August 2015, with results released on March 13, 2018 in Unalaska. Findings include: * 45% of adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * More than two out of every five adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime; and * One in four women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
  • Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island Region: Key Results from the 2014 and 2015 Alaska Victimization Surveys

    Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2018-03-13)
    This document is a two-page summary of the key results from the 2014–2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region, which was conducted from April to June 2014 and May to August 2015, with results released on March 13, 2018 in Unalaska. Findings include: * 45% of adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * More than two out of every five adult women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime; and * One in four women in the Aleutian/Pribilof Island region have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
  • Elder Abuse: More Than 1 in 9 Alaskan Women 60+ Experienced Abuse in the Past Year (transcript)

    Rosay, André B.; Casto, L. Diane (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2017-06-14)
    [This is a transcript of a video presentation, which can be found at https://youtu.be/DT5KdyOmNJE.] Dr. Andre Rosay, director of the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage, presents findings from the Alaska Victimization Survey with L. Diane Casto, executive director of the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA), which funds the Alaska Victimization Survey. Results show that 11.5% or 1 in 9 Alaskan women aged 60 and older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year.
  • Stalking Victimization in the Municipality of Anchorage: Key Results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey

    Rosay, André B.; Rosay (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2017-01-27)
    This document is a two-page summary of key results on stalking victimization in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey. The summary describes Alaska statutory definitions of the crime of stalking, methodology and limitations of the survey, and estimates of lifetime and past year stalking victimization experienced by adult women in the Municipality of Anchorage. The 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Municipality of Anchorage was conducted from May to August 2015. Stalking estimates were released on January 27, 2017. Findings include: * 1 in 4 women in the Municipality of Anchorage have experienced stalking in their lifetime; * 1 in 18 have experienced stalking in the past year; * More than 30,400 women in the Municipality of Anchorage have experienced stalking in their lifetime; and * More than 6,100 have experienced stalking in the past year. The 2015 survey also showed that stalking was particularly common among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence: * Among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in their lifetime, 46% (more than 24,400) were also stalked in their lifetime; * Among women who experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence in the past year, 28% (more than 2,200) were also stalked in the past year.
  • Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in Anchorage: 2010–11 to 2015

    Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2016-08-26)
    This is a handout of a Powerpoint slide presentation presenting an overview of key results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for the Municipality of Anchorage and trends from 2010–2011 to 2015. The Anchorage 2015 AVS survey was conducted from May to August 2015, with results released on August 26, 2016 in Anchorage. Findings include: * 1 in 2 adult women in the Municipality of Anchorage (48%) have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * 1 in 13 have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * The percentage of women in the Municipality of Anchorage who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetime dropped from 55% to 48%; * The percentage of women who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year dropped from 10% to 8%; and * Rates of violence against women in the Municipality of Anchorage remain unacceptably high.
  • Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence in the Municipality of Anchorage: Key Results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey

    Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2016-08-26)
    This document is a two-page summary of the key results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for the Municipality of Anchorage and trends from 2010–2011 to 2015. The Anchorage 2015 AVS survey was conducted from May to August 2015, with results released on August 26, 2016 in Anchorage. Findings include: * 1 in 2 adult women in the Municipality of Anchorage (48%) have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * 1 in 13 have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * The percentage of women in the Municipality of Anchorage who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in their lifetime dropped from 55% to 48%; * The percentage of women who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year dropped from 10% to 8%; and * Rates of violence against women in the Municipality of Anchorage remain unacceptably high.
  • Alaska Victimization Survey: Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in Alaska — 2010 to 2015

    Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2016-03-24)
    This Powerpoint slide presentation presents an overview of key results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey for Alaska statewide and trends from 2010 to 2015, which show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010. The presentation also compares 2015 statewide results with results of the 2011 Alaska Victimization Survey for Fairbanks North Star Borough. The Alaska Victimization Survey, designed to establish a baseline for estimates of intimate partner and sexual violence, is modeled after the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
  • Alaska Victimization Survey: Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in Alaska — 2010 to 2015

    Rosay, André B.; Morton, Lauree (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2016-02-25)
    This Powerpoint slide presentation presents an overview of key results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for Alaska statewide and trends from 2010 to 2015, which show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010. The 2015 AVS statewide survey was conducted from May to August 2015, with results released on February 25, 2016 in Juneau. Findings include: * In 2010, 12 in 100 women had experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in Alaska during the previous year. By 2015, that number dropped to 8 in 100; * Intimate partner violence decreased by 32%; * Sexual violence decreased by 33%; * 6,556 fewer women experienced intimate partner violence in 2015 than in 2010; and * 3,072 fewer women experienced sexual violence in 2015 than 2010. The 2015 survey also indicated that: * 21,401 adult women in Alaska experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year; and * Half of adult women in Alaska (more than 130,000) have experienced violence in their lifetime.
  • Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence in the State of Alaska: Key Results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey

    Rosay, André B.; Morton, Lauree (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2016-02-25)
    This document is a two-page summary of the key results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) for Alaska statewide and trends from 2010 to 2015, which show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010. The 2015 AVS statewide survey was conducted from May to August 2015, with results released on February 25, 2016 in Juneau. Findings include: * In 2010, 12 in 100 women had experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in Alaska during the previous year. By 2015, that number dropped to 8 in 100; * Intimate partner violence decreased by 32%; * Sexual violence decreased by 33%; * 6,556 fewer women experienced intimate partner violence in 2015 than in 2010; and * 3,072 fewer women experienced sexual violence in 2015 than 2010. The 2015 survey also indicated that: * 21,401 adult women in Alaska experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both in the past year; and * Half of adult women in Alaska (more than 130,000) have experienced violence in their lifetime.
  • Alaska Victimization Survey: Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in the Nome Census Area

    Morton, Lauree; Rosay, André B.; Myrstol, Brad A.; Rivera, Marny (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2015-02-11)
    This Powerpoint slide presentation presents an overview of key results from the 2014 Alaska Victimization Survey for Nome Census Area, which was conducted from April to June 2014, and results were released on February 11, 2015 in Nome. Findings include: * 51% of adult women in the Nome Census Area have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * 11% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Nome Census Area have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and * More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
  • Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence in the Nome Census Area: Key Results from the 2014 Alaska Victimization Survey

    Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2015-02-11)
    This document is a two-page summary of the key results from the 2014 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Nome Census Area, which was conducted from April to June 2014, and results were released on February 11, 2015 in Nome. Findings include: * 51% of adult women in the Nome Census Area have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * 11% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Nome Census Area have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and * More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
  • Alaska Victimization Survey: Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough

    Morton, Lauree; Rosay, André B.; Myrstol, Brad A.; Rivera, Marny (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2013-10-15)
    This Powerpoint slide presentation presents an overview of key results from the 2012 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, which was conducted from April to July 2013, and results were released on October 15, 2013 in Ketchikan. Findings include: * 50% of adult women in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * 9% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and * More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
  • Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough: Key Results from the 2013 Alaska Victimization Survey

    Rosay, André B. (Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage; Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety, 2013-10-15)
    This document is a two-page summary of the key results from the 2012 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, which was conducted from April to July 2013, and results were released on October 15, 2013 in Ketchikan. Findings include: * 50% of adult women in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * 9% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * More than 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and * More than 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

View more