Sexual harassment a 'very significant' problem, New Yorkers say in poll

LOUDONVILLE — Sexual harassment, according to most New Yorkers, is a problem that is not limited to just Washington politicians or Hollywood elites.

In the latest poll from the Siena College Research Institute released early Monday, two-thirds of New Yorkers thought that sexual harassment in the workplace was a real problem. Also, 36 percent of women claim that they have been a victim of sexual harassment.

“Women, blacks, Latinos, Democrats and younger voters are more likely to say it’s a ‘very significant’ problem,” Siena College pollster Steve Greenberg said. “Thirty-six percent of women say they’ve been victimized by sexual harassment at some point in their lives, while 10 percent say they’ve been victimized in the last 10 years. White women, 39 percent, are more likely to say they’ve been the victim of sexual harassment than black women, 28 percent.”

The Siena poll also indicated that much of the problem occurs in the workplace.

“In this era of the #MeToo movement, 36 percent of all New Yorkers, including 41 percent of women, say they are aware of sexual harassment in the workplace where they have worked,” Greenberg said. “A staggering 29 percent of New Yorkers say they have been treated unfairly in the last year because of their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Let me say that again. Between one-quarter and one-third of New Yorkers claim to have been mistreated in the last year because of who they are.”

Another important result from the Siena poll is that 39 percent of all New Yorkers think race relations are “excellent or good.” Two-thirds of those polled believe that minorities do experience racial or ethnic discrimination.

The Siena poll was conducted Jan. 7-11 by telephone calls in English to 824 registered voters in New York.