60 percent of US women have been sexually harassed: poll

The majority of US women, 60 percent, say they have experienced sexual harassment, according to a poll.

A new poll has revealed that six in 10 US women have been the victims of sexual harassment.

The latest poll released by Quinnipiac University on Tuesday showed that 60 percent of those surveyed had experienced sexual harassment and 69 percent of them said it had happened in the workplace.

Of the women who said they had been harassed, 43 percent said the harassment took place in social settings, 45 percent said it was on the street and 15 percent said they experienced it at home.

"A vast majority of American men and women are deeply troubled by sexual harassment and the numbers underscore why. A stunning six in ten women say they have been victimized," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll.

Only 20 percent of men voters said they had been sexually harassed, with 60 percent of them saying it happened at work, according to the Quinnipiac survey.

The poll also found that the vast majority of respondents of both genders — 88 percent of men and 89 percent of women — had classified sexual harassment of women as a "serious problem."

Meanwhile, 55 percent of voters said media coverage of the wave of recent allegations had resulted in a better understanding of the issue.

This photo taken on March 2, 2014 shows US film producer Harvey Weinstein arriving on the red carpet for the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. (By AFP)

The findings came as the United States grapples with the sexual assault and harassment scandals that have left the world of entertainment, business and politics in a state of shock.

Women have recently been coming forward to share encounters of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, including in the US media and entertainment industries and the realm of politics.

An avalanche of sexual misconduct allegations have been made in recent weeks against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The scandal has rippled in a wide range of industries, encouraging victims of sexual assault to share their stories on social media under the hashtag #MeToo.

High-profile scandals have so far engulfed other big names such as renowned actor Kevin Spacey and politicians like Republican Senate hopeful Roy Moore and Democratic Senator Al Franken.

The Tuesday survey by Quinnipiac University was conducted from November 15 to 20 based and via interviews with 1,415 voters with a 3.1-percent margin of error.