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YouGov poll reveals one in five festival goers experience sexual harassment or assault

Almost half of women under 40 experience such incidents

According to a recent YouGov poll, one in five festival goers have experienced sexual harassment and assault and the figures rise to one in three for women, and 43% for women under 40.

Incidents most commonly involved verbal harassment or forceful dancing, the online poll of 1,188 festival goers found.

Only 2% of victims reported incidents to the police, and only 1% of women reported incidents to festival staff. 70% of those who experienced such incidents described the perpetuator as a stranger.

When asked if they were satisfied with how festivals handled the issue, the most common answer from victims was that they did not know.

Researchers contacted 21 of the UK’s biggest festivals to ask about their policies on sexual harassment and assault. 16 declined to comment, including Glastonbury, Lovebox and Parklife.

A full list of the YouGov findings can be seen here and there's more information regarding the investigation here.