Qualitative research on experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault among university students in 2021.

The 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) was funded by Universities Australia (UA) through its Respect. Now. Always. initiative – a sector-wide program that aims to prevent sexual violence in university communities and support those who have been affected. It builds on an important legacy of previous research and advocacy – Informing the ongoing efforts of Australian universities in building equitable, safe and inclusive learning experiences for their students. The development, implementation and analysis of the NSSS was undertaken between August 2019 and January 2022. The NSSS was initially planned to be piloted in March-April 2020. However, due to the rapid introduction of restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the pilot was delayed until March-April 2021. Fieldwork for the NSSS was undertaken online in September-October 2021 with students from 38 UA member institutions. A total of 43,819 students participated in the survey during this period. One member institution conducted the survey in November 2021; however, the data from that undertaking are not included in this report.